Classic Rock
Supernatural’s 15 Greatest Needle Drops
Like the Winchesters, rock ‘n’ roll never dies on Supernatural. The titans of ’70s FM radio are the fuel — or grace, if we’re staying on brand — of the long-running CW series. Kansas, Skynyrd, Seger, and countless classic rock superstars have all scored Sam and Dean’s adventures for 15 seasons. Hell, their songs are often even the names of the episodes. No, classic rock is a part of the show’s DNA, and that DNA largely belongs to series creator Eric Kripke. As he explained way, way back in 2007, “All of my friends call me ‘Old Man Kripke’ because I don’t listen to a band past 1980. That’s why Dean’s music always wins out because I hate so much modern music that I can’t bear to listen to it in the editing room.” In other words, driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole, right? That...
Paul McCartney to Reissue His Rupert Bear Short Film and Soundtrack
The iconic British comic strip character Rupert Bear is celebrating his 100th birthday this year, and one of his most famous fans, Paul McCartney, is marking the occasion in a big way. On November 6th, The Beatles rocker will reissue Rupert and The Frog Song, a 1984 short film he dedicated to the yellow-scarfed little bear, as well as its original song “We All Stand Together”. Written and produced by McCartney, alongside director Geoff Dunbar, Rupert and The Frog Song follows Rupert as he embarks on a merry walk throughout the hills. The friendly bear ends up witnessing a rare ritual called The Frog Song, which is of course “We All Stand Together”, or simply “The Frog Song” as its more colloquially known. It’s a kids film, obviously, but it’s quite cute and was a total hit that even earned...
The Story Behind Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar”
Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” is a scathing critique of the music industry. The third track off of 1975’s Wish You Were Here is sung from the perspective of a record company executive, who cynically implores the band to “ride the gravy train” by following the proven formula of their prior blockbuster, 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon. “Which one’s Pink?” the song asks. It’s a standout line that resonates in this particular recording all the more because neither David Gilmour nor Roger Waters sings it. In fact, no one in the band sings it. Roy Harper does. Who is Roy Harper? He’s an English artist raised on Romantic poets like Shelley and Keats and later inspired by the performances of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. He’s a revered figure among singer-songwriters and musicians across the world — s...
Roger Waters Unveils Live Album Us + Them: Stream
Roger Waters has unveiled the companion album to his latest live concert film Us + Them. Stream it below using Apple Music or Spotify. In 2017 and 2018, Waters embarked on the massive “Us + Them Tour”, which spanned 156-dates across four continents. Footage of those shows captured the old songwriter with some new tricks, including dazzling light displays and a rainbow laser pyramid. Waters co-directed the film alongside Sean Evans, and now the movie soundtrack is available in a 23-song double-CD or double-LP package. Grab your copy here. The collection covers plenty of Pink Floyd favorites, which isn’t a surprise — after all, the tour got its name from a cut off Dark Side of the Moon. But it also prominently features his recent solo work, especially the 2017 album Is This the Life We ...
Heart’s Nancy Wilson Announces Debut Solo Album
Some 45 years into her legendary career, Nancy Wilson is finally going at it solo. The Heart co-founder has announced the release of her debut solo album, which is due out in early 2021 through Carry On Music. The first single, a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Rising”, is set to arrive on October 23rd. Wilson began writing the album after the pandemic derailed Heart’s 2020 touring plans. “There have been so many times I was asked about when I would ever put out a solo album,” she explained in a statement. “Well, the time is now. Having been unable to tour and having spent so much time at home has made a good space for creating new music.” Along with “The Rising”, Wilson covered a few other songs that reflect “these troubled times we’re living in.” She added, “I wanted to make something ...
Black Sabbath Team Up with Doc Martens for New Footwear Collaboration
Dr. Martens x Black Sabbath shoes + boots The OGs of heavy metal have partnered with the OGs of mosh-ready footwear for a new collaboration. Black Sabbath and Doc Martens have unveiled a new line of boots and shoes commemorating the 50th anniversaries of the metal godfathers’ first two albums. Black Sabbath’s groundbreaking self-titled debut is represented with the 1460 Black Sabbath Boot. The 1970 LP’s artwork covers the entire boot, which is complete with a purple popped eyelet, a badge in the likeness of Sabbath’s flying devil-angel “Henry” logo, and two sets of laces. The band’s follow-up, Paranoid, also released in 1970, is represented by the 1461 Black Sabbath Shoe. The low-cut shoe is mostly black while featuring a portion of the album artwork near the back heel. The words “Black” a...
Paul McCartney on Finally Reconciling with John Lennon: It Would Have Been a “Heartache” If We Hadn’t
In honor of what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday, BBC Radio 2 is set to air a new documentary dedicated to The Beatles legend. Dubbed simply John Lennon at 80, the special tribute is comprised of interviews Sean Lennon conducted with his father’s close friends, family, and colleagues, including Paul McCartney. One of the topics McCartney discussed is how he and John finally set aside their differences and reconciled before the “Imagine” songwriter’s tragic death. Discord between the two musicians was well known, especially after The Beatles broke up in 1970. As The Independent notes, in an interview the following year, John said he could never see himself working with Macca again. The bad blood continued later in 1971, when McCartney revealed that his song “Too Many People” fea...
Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” Sees Sales, Streams Spike Following Viral TikTok Video
TikTok is a lot of things, from a breeding ground for obnoxious influencers to the bane of Trump’s social media existence. It’s also proven to be a massive boon to Fleetwood Mac’s career thanks to a recent video featuring the band’s “Dreams” going viral. Five days ago, TikTok user 420doggface208, aka Nathan Apodaca, posted a clip of himself cruising on a skateboard while drinking a jug of Ocean Spray’s Cran-Raspberry juice and singing along to “Dreams”. Stevie Nicks scoring his smooth glide against the clear, early morning sky combined for a vision of pure bliss, and the Internet ate it up. Since then, the single off 1977’s Rumors has experienced a huge bump in streaming and sales numbers. According to Billboard, the song has seen a 88.7% increase in streams (2.9 million) and a whopping 37...
AC/DC Confirm Band Lineup and Unveil Apparent Album Title
AC/DC are definitely back. The legendary band has confirmed long-running rumors about its reunited classic lineup, while also revealing the apparent title to its upcoming album. On Wednesday (September 30th), AC/DC shared a new graphic, which seemingly unveils the title of their new album as PWR/UP. Moreover, the artwork, which could very well be the album cover, clearly shows and lists a band lineup of Angus Young (lead guitar), Brian Johnson (lead vocals), Cliff Williams (bass guitar), Phil Rudd (drums), and Stevie Young (rhythm guitar). The image, posted across the band’s social media pages, is captioned, “ARE YOU READY? #PWRUP.” The new post follows one from earlier in the week that showed a neon light in the shape of the lightning bolt from the band’s logo flickering on, as if to say ...
R.I.P. Mark Stone, Original Van Halen Bassist Dies
Mark Stone (far left) with Alex and Eddie Van Halen, via Van Halen: The Early Years documentary Mark Stone, the original bassist for Van Halen, has died after a battle with cancer. His death was confirmed by his brother Brad, who posted the sad news via Instagram, and by Van Halen News Desk, which reported that Stone had recently been in hospice care. While Stone was a founding member of Van Halen, his tenure in the band was short-lived. He was a member of the band from their formation in 1972, alongside brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and eventually David Lee Roth. Initially, the group called itself Genesis, but changed that to Mammoth upon learning that there was another band named Genesis. In 1974, the band changed its name to Van Halen, but also parted ways with Stone that same year...
Queen’s Brian May Reveals He Nearly Died From “Stomach Explosion”
Queen guitarist Brian May is lucky to be alive following a series of harrowing medical episodes. Back in the Spring, May, 73, tore the gluteus maximus muscle in his buttocks during what he described as a “moment of over-enthusiastic gardening.” While “Brian May Tears His Ass Muscle While Gardening” makes for a funny headline, the incident ultimately spurred on much more serious ailments that nearly cost May his life. While getting an MRI for his gluteus maximus tear, doctors discovered that May was also suffering from a severely compressed sciatic nerve, which made it feel like “someone was putting a screwdriver in my back.” A short time later, he suffered a heart attack. His issues didn’t end there, though. In a new interview with The London Times, May revealed that he underwent ...
Patty Smyth on Her First New Album in 28 Years: “I Wanted to Talk About Some Real Shit”
Kyle Meredith With… Patty Smyth Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS Patty Smyth joins Kyle Meredith to discuss It’s About Time, her first new album in 28 years. The “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” singer explains how her new material finally became poignant enough to record, the lost unsupervised freedom that kids of the past had growing up, music as the great unifier, and how she sings about the rewards of a longstanding marriage to husband John McEnroe. Smyth also tells us why she’s recorded a famous Tom Waits song twice, and the new batch of songs that she’s already working on, including some possible lost tracks from her ’80s band Scandal. Kyle Meredith With… is an intervi...
