Classic Rock News
Ted Nugent Uses the N-Word to Explain Why He Isn’t Racist
Ted Nugent has done a lot of things over the years that people consider racist, like slandering George Floyd, threatening to kill Barack Obama, falsely blaming the Capitol insurrection on Black Lives Matter, and making seemingly pro-apartheid statements, among many other examples. However, Nugent firmly believes he isn’t racist, and he eagerly explained why in a new video uploaded to Facebook Live. As noted by Spin, the clip, which lasts over half an hour, sees Nugent having a “campfire chat” with his wife at night. The two explain that they were just talking about George Orwell’s book 1984 (at which point they hold up a new copy of the book, as if to disprove any naysayers) and the ’60s psych-rock band Vanilla Fudge because Nugent got a call from Carmine Appice, their original drumme...
Eric Clapton and Van Morrison Share Awful Anti-Lockdown Song “Stand and Deliver”: Stream
Van Morrison has officially fallen down the black hole of COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and Eric Clapton is willfully joining him for the ride. This afternoon, the two veteran musicians teamed up to release a new anti-lockdown song called “Stand and Deliver”. Spoiler alert: it’s truly awful. “Stand and Deliver” is an original song written by Morrison and sung by Clapton. The mild blues rock track is all about how the government is preventing people from living their daily lives, and how it’s up to those people to stand up for their rights before they become brainwashed. “I just wanna do my job/ Playing the blues for my friends/ Magna Carta, Bill of Rights/ The Constitution, what’s it worth?” sings Clapton. “Do you wanna be a free man/ Or do you wanna be a slave?” There’s a generic gui...
Sheryl Crow Covers Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels” on Fallon: Watch
Tom Petty’s estate released the expanded Wildflowers box set last month, and they’ve been tapping artists to promote it in his place since the beloved late musician cannot. On Wednesday night, Sheryl Crow stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform “You Don’t Know How It Feels” — and she did so with the help of three other Sheryl Crows. “You Don’t Know How It Feels” is one of those classic rock staples that hits you right in the heart. The original version of the classic 1994 single has plenty of swagger courtesy of a bluesy harmonica solo, a great guitar riff, and of course Petty’s empathetic chorus. Wildflowers & All The Rest includes a 2014 remastered version of the song as well as the original 8-track demo and a live version. In her take on the song, Crow essential...
10 Timeless Political Songs for Election Day
This feature originally ran November 2008 and has since been edited for Election Day 2020. Everyone hates politics. Election Day is among us, though. So, it doesn’t matter if you get nauseous any time you flip by C-SPAN or that you once had an asthma attack during your eighth-grade field trip to Washington, D.C. Truth be told, the country’s future is on the line, and it’s your civil duty to get out there and cast a ballot. As a source of inspiration, we scrambled together a cliché collection of the best political anthems out there. Because, really, sometimes you just need to hear the hits again to feel good about something — it’s sort of like how every sports team relies on the same three or four songs to get everyone in the mood. Editors’ Picks So, slap on those headphones, pump up ...
The Rolling Stones Share First-Ever Live Performance of “Sympathy for the Devil”: Watch
The Rolling Stones’ legendary 1996 concert film Rock and Roll Circus documents the band’s last performance with their original lineup in 1968. Today, they’re sharing a coveted clip that didn’t make it into the movie: The Rolling Stones’ first-ever public performance of “Sympathy for the Devil”. Watch it below. Filmed during that December 12th, 1968 gig, the previously unreleased clip captures the raw energy of The Rolling Stones in their initial configuration with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Ian Stewart, and then bandleader Brian Jones. It’s sourced from a Dolby 4K restoration of the concert film that’s available online for the first time. The band had just dropped Beggars Banquet six days prior to this performance and were clearly riding high on that post-...
Elton John Gets His Own Barbie Doll
Just in time for the holidays, Elton John has launched his very own Barbie doll. In a collaboration with Mattel, The Rocket Man himself has decked out the beloved children’s toy with his signature getup: tinted glasses, a purple bowler hat, bomber jacket, platform boots, and flared jeans emblazoned with his initials. More than a great children’s gift, the doll doubles as a commemorative token for the 45-year celebration of his iconic 1975 Dodgers Stadium performance, which was a high-point in the 2019 film Rocketman. An image of John hunched over the piano in his sparkling Dodgers uniform is pictured on the doll’s box, which is also decked out in 3D stars. In a quote published in Rolling Stone, John revealed how excited he was to carry out a collaboration with this storied pop cu...
Todd Haynes Documentary on The Velvet Underground Lands at Apple TV+
Todd Haynes has found a home for The Velvet Underground, his upcoming documentary about the legendary avant-garde rock band of the same name. According to Variety, Apple TV+ has picked up the film and the worldwide distribution rights that come along with it. The documentary aims to establish The Velvet Underground’s status as a cultural touchstone ripe with contradictions. As such, it will include never-before-seen performances, studio recordings, experimental art, and various films by their one-time manager and longtime supporter Andy Warhol. Surprisingly, The Velvet Underground is the first full-length documentary of Haynes’ career. Over the past three years, the Oscar-nominated director put ample time and care into the feature to make sure it represents the band accurately, going so fa...
John Fogerty Mocks Donald Trump’s “Confounding” Choice of “Fortunate Son” at Rally
Yesterday, September 10th, Donald “Bone Spurs” Trump held a campaign rally in Freeland, Michigan. He de-planed to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s anti-war classic “Fortunate Son”, and if you’ve ever paid the tiniest bit of attention to the lyrics, you’ll agree with singer John Fogerty that it’s a “confounding” choice. The moment was recorded in a tweet by Washington Post reporter Dave Weigel, who called it “an entry for the “nobody listened to the lyrics” hall of fame.” The tweet quickly went viral, and today Fogerty issued his response. In a Facebook video called “Meaning behind Fortunate Son,” the legendary rocker broke things down so even a very stable genius could understand. “Recently, the President has been using my song ‘Fortunate Son for his campaign rallies,” the former C...
Hans Zimmer Brings New Arrangement of Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” to Dune Trailer
The stunning first trailer for Denis Villenueve’s Dune is out, and amid all the excitement — Sandworms! Stillsuits! Oscar Isaac’s beard! — you may have caught a familiar tune. Playing in the background is Pink Floyd‘s “Eclipse”, presented in an apocalyptic new arrangement by composer Hans Zimmer. “Eclipse” is the final track from the classic album Dark Side of the Moon. In some ways, its appearance here is the closing of a circle. In the 1970s, experimental filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky sought to use Pink Floyd’s music for his own adaptation of Dune. The attempt failed, but was later documented in the 2013 film Jodorowsky’s Dune. At last, one of the spaciest rock bands in history has been joined with Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic. Zimmer’s arrangement differs from the origina...
The Animals’ Eric Burdon Rips Trump for Using “House of the Rising Sun”
Another day, another artist is pissed at Donald Trump for using their music without permission. This time, it’s former The Animals frontman Eric Burdon, who bashed Trump after he used “House of the Rising Sun” during a recent campaign event. Trump’s people played “House of the Rising Sun” on Wednesday, September 2nd as Air Force One taxied at North Carolina’s Wilmington International Airport. Upon learning that his song played over the speakers at the rally, Burdon took to Instagram to express his displeasure. “Even though nobody asked my permission, I wasn’t surprised to learn that #Trump #864511320 used #HouseoftheRisingSun for his rally the other day,” Burdon wrote in the caption of a selfie in which he was wearing a “VOTE” mask. “A tale of sin and misery set in a brothel suits him...
The Rolling Stones Enlist The Killers for New Remix of “Scarlet”: Stream
The Rolling Stones (photo by Heather Kaplan), and The Killers on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) The Rolling Stones have recruited The Killers and Jacques Lu Cont for the latest remix of “Scarlet”. It will be included in the elder rockers’ forthcoming Goats Head Soup box set, out September 4th. Take a listen below. After unearthing this long-lost Jimmy Page collaboration in July, The Stones released a charmingly sloppy music video starring Normal People’s Paul Mescal, and followed that up with an initial remix by The War on Drugs. Now, their study in “Scarlet” continues. This time, they’ve turned to The Killers, still riding high from the release of their fun new album Imploding the Mirage, as well as English electronic artist Jacques Lu Cont, ak...
Billy Porter & Steven Stills, Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges Perform at 2020 Democratic National Convention: Watch
Maggie Rogers, Billy Porter, and Leon Bridges at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Michelle Obama’s powerful speech during the first night of the 2020 Democratic National Convention undoubtedly stole the show. However, there were also some bright spots from other supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, namely musical performances from Maggie Rogers, Leon Bridges, and Billy Porter with Steven Stills. Bridges came first, delivering a soulful rendition of his summer single “Sweeter”. Joined on a sun-set city rooftop by Terrace Martin, Joshua Crumbly, Paul Cornish, and Trevor Lawrence, the soul artist sang out for racial justice with lines like, “My sisters and my brothers sing, sing over me/ And I wish I had another day.” Next up was Rogers, performing on the Main...
