Classic Rock Music News
R.I.P. Bob Kulick, Lou Reed Guitarist and SpongeBob Songwriter Dies at 70
Bob Kulick, a veteran session guitarist known for his work with Lou Reed, Meat Loaf, and KISS, has died at the age of 70. News of Bob’s death was revealed by his older brother, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick. “I am heartbroken to have to share the news of the passing of my brother Bob Kulick,” Bruce wrote in a post to Facebook. “His love of music, and his talent as a musician and producer should always be celebrated. I know he is at peace now, with my parents, playing his guitar as loud as possible. Please respect the Kulick Family’s privacy during this very sad time.” Bob himself actually auditioned for KISS in 1972, but was beaten out for the job by Ace Frehley. Nevertheless, he was an active contributor to the band in an uncredited capacity, playing on albums including Alive II, Unm...
Led Zeppelin’s Reunion Concert Film Celebration Day to Stream on YouTube
Celebration Day, the concert film capturing Led Zeppelin’s one-off reunion at London’s O2 Arena in 2007, will stream for free on YouTube this weekend. The film will be available for 72 hours beginning Saturday, May 30th at 3:00 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in below via Led Zeppelin’s YouTube channel. Led Zeppelin’s reunion, which doubled as a benefit concert for music executive Ahmet Ertegün, took place at London’s O2 Arena on December 10th, 2007. It marked the band’s first full-length performance in almost three decades, and their first time playing together since John Bonham’s death in 1980. For the show, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones were accompanied by Bonham’s son, Jason, on drums. Celebration Day, which was released in 2012, captures Led Zeppelin’s 16-song, two-encore set i...
R.I.P. Bucky Baxter, Longtime Steel Guitarist for Bob Dylan and Steve Earle Dies at 65
Bucky Baxter, the veteran steel guitarist known for his extensive work with Bob Dylan and Steve Earle, has died at the age of 65. According to Rolling Stone, Baxter passed away Monday, May 26th, at his home in Sanibel Island, Florida. A cause of death was not immediately made available. Baxter played on several Steve Earle albums released during the 1980s and early 1990s, including Guitar Town, Exit 0, and Copperhead Road. Baxter was also a founding member of Earle’s backing band The Dukes. While on tour with Earle in the early 1990’s, Baxter met Bob Dylan, who asked Baxter to teach him how to play steel guitar. Not long after, Baxter was invited to join Dylan’s “Never Ending Tour” and would remain a frequent presence on the road for the next decade. All told, Baxter backed Dylan for ...
Pink Floyd Launch Digital Playlist Featuring Rare or Unreleased Music
During the early part of quarantine, Pink Floyd treated fans to a digital concert series with weekly broadcasts of classic concerts. Now, they’ve launched a “brand new daily evolving playlist” featuring rare or unreleased music previously not available online. The “Syd, Roger, Richard, Nick and David – An Evolving Pink Floyd Playlist” officially launches today with “Us & Them (Live at The Empire Pool, Wembley, London 1974)”, from their 2011 Immersion box set of The Dark Side of The Moon. Each day will bring the addition of one new track to the playlist, ranging from alternate versions of classic songs to deep cuts spanning the entirety of Pink Floyd’s existence. Friday, in particular, will feature material previously made available on Pink Floyd’s Immersion box sets, such as the case w...
Roger Waters’ Us + Them Concert Film Gets Digital Release
Pigs will soon fly across your TV and laptop screens, as Roger Waters has announced the digital release of Us + Them, the concert film that followed his 2017-2018 tour of the same name. It will be available on YouTube beginning June 16th, with a Blu-ray and DVD release to follow. Watch the trailer below. The concert film follows Waters, the legendary Pink Floyd member, as he embarked on a massive 156-date tour around the world. Waters co-directed the film with Sam Evans, using footage from his dates in Amsterdam and the UK. It captures the spectacle of the “Us + Them” tour, with its dizzying image projections and trippy rainbow laser pyramid. The setlists, too, were something to behold, chock-full of Pink Floyd’s greatest hits from The Wall, Wish You Were Here, and Dark Side of t...
Roger Waters Chides David Gilmour Over Pink Floyd Ownership Claims: “Just Change the Name of the Band to Spinal Tap”
Prior to the pandemic and global lockdown, the surviving members of Pink Floyd held a peace summit to discuss a re-release of their 1977 album, Animals, and other issues that have long caused inner-band tensions. Things didn’t go as planned, however: Roger Waters seemed to insinuate that drummer Nick Mason sided with David Gilmour. “I actually suggested going democratic. I said, ‘Why don’t we just have a vote? There’s only three of us…’ No, no, they wouldn’t have that. God knows why,” Waters recounted in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. Waters said the experience reminded him of why he left Pink Floyd in the first place and quickly dismissed the idea of a post-COVID reunion as something that “would be fucking awful.” He added, “Would I trade my liberty for those chains? No fucki...
Roger Waters Performs “Mother” in Quarantine: Watch
This period of social isolation has proven quite fruitful for fans of Pink Floyd. In addition to the band’s weekly YouTube concert series, both David Gilmour and Roger Waters have streamed their own distinct solo performances from quarantine. On Sunday, Waters returned with his latest such video: a socially-distant rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Mother”. The video, which you can see below, features Waters and his touring band (including Lucius!) performing The Wall track from their respective homes. “Social distancing is a necessary evil in COVID world,” Waters wrote to introduce the video. “Watching ‘Mother’ reminds me just how irreplaceable the joy of being in a band is.” Waters, who was forced to postpone his “This Is Not a Drill” North American tour because of COVID-19, previously per...
R.I.P. Phil May, Frontman of UK Rock Band Pretty Things Dies at 75
Phil May, the longtime vocalist of UK rock band Pretty Things, has died at the age of 75. According to The Guardian, May died in a Norfolk, UK hospital due to complications from hip surgery. His death was not COIVD-19 related. May formed Pretty Things in 1963 alongside former Rolling Stones guitarist Dick Taylor. They were initially a part of the British blues rock scene, achieving six top 50 hits between 1964 and 1966. Their biggest single, “Don’t Bring Me Down”, peaked at No. 10 on the UK charts, while its follow-up, “Honey I Need”, hit No. 13. Despite their early success, and sharing the same management as Pink Floyd, Pretty Things failed to achieve the same international success as fellow rock bands of their times. They later attributed their lack of fame in the US to a decision to tou...
Bryan Adams Blames “Bat Eating”, “Virus Making Greedy Bastards” For COVID-19
Bryan Adams was supposed to kick off a residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Monday, but because of the coronavirus, those dates have been delayed indifferently. The “Summer of ’69” songwriter and devout vegan isn’t holding back on who he blames for the crisis. “Thanks to some fucking bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards, the whole world is now on hold,” Adams wrote in an Instagram post on Monday night. “My message to them other than ‘thanks a fucking lot’ is go vegan.” While other musicians such as Paul McCartney have expressed similar sentiments regarding China’s wet markets, Adams’ tone and word choice has led some to accuse him of racism and xenophobia. It is worth noting that there is no conclusive evidence that COVID-19 originated from a wet market...
David Gilmour Covers Syd Barrett Songs in Quarantine: Watch
During quarantine, David Gilmour, his wife Polly Samson, and their family have gathered for a weekly “Von Trapped Family” livestream. Originally set up to promote Samson’s new book Theater for Dreamers, the livestreams have evolved to become a sort-of virtual hangout during which the family sings songs, reads poetry, answers fan-submitted questions, and drinks wine. During the latest episode, Gilmour covered two songs composed by former Pink Floyd bandmate Syd Barrett: “Octopus” and “Dominoes”. Gilmour also shared some personal andecdotes about Barrett and their time working together, in addition to revealing that he was asked to proofread a forthcoming book of Barrett’s lyrics. Watch video of the livestream below. Gilmour’s covers of “Octopus” and “Dominoes” can be heard at the times...
Bob Dylan Announces New Album Rough and Rowdy Ways, Shares “False Prophet”: Stream
Bob Dylan has announced the release of his album of entirely new material in eight years. Entitled Rough and Rowdy Ways, the 10-track LP will be available starting June 19th through Columbia Records. The legendary troubadour previously previewed the album by unveiling “Murder Most Foul”, a 17-minute track about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and “I Contain Multitudes”, which takes its name from a Walt Whitman poem. To coincide with today’s announcement, he’s unveiled a third track in “False Prophet”. Rough and Rowdy Ways will be available in a variety of configurations, including as 2xCD and 2xLP sets. Pre-orders are now ongoing. Dylan’s last album of original songs, Tempest, came out in 2012. Since then, he’s recorded several collections of standards, most ...
David Gilmour Streaming Live At Pompeii Concert Film on YouTube: Watch
It’s Friday, which means there’s a new classic Pink Floyd concert streaming for free on YouTube. This week’s installment, however, doesn’t focus on the band itself, but rather founding member David Gilmour. Back in 2016, 45 years after Pink Floyd’s filmed their famed Live at Pompeii film, Gilmour returned to the Italian amphitheater for his own solo concert. Over the course of two nights, Gilmour treated fans to a career-spanning set that included both Pink Floyd classics and material from his own solo catalog. Of particular note was a rare performance of The Dark Side of the Moon cut “The Great Gig in the Sky” as well as “One of These Days”, which was performed by Pink Floyd during their first go-around in Pompeii. A concert film capturing Gilmour’s performance was rel...
