Classic Rock
Hundreds of Hard-to-Find Peel Sessions Cataloged on YouTube
John Peel’s BBC 1 radio show was iconic at the time it aired. In hindsight, it’s only grown all the more legendary. The legendary broadcaster recorded over 4,000 sessions with over 2,000 artists, which is, objectively speaking, a lot. To help make sorting through the Peel Sessions archive easier, angel-in-disguise and blogger Dave Strickson has uploaded and alphabetized hundreds of available recordings from the show to stream online (via BrooklynVegan). Most of the original studio sessions from Peel’s radio show were released as Peel Session EPs by his label, Strange Fruit Records, but many of those are unavailable to stream online. Thankfully, listeners occasionally upload those almost-lost-to-time recordings to YouTube. That’s where Strickson comes in. To help make the process of di...
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...
Rammstein and Guns N’ Roses Both Call Off European Tours Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Rammstein’s Till Lindemann (photo by Jens Koch), Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose (photo by Amy Harris) Two of rock’s biggest live acts will not be touring Europe this spring and summer, as planned, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rammstein and Guns N’ Roses have each announced that they’ve called off their respective outings. Rammstein were scheduled to embark on a new leg of their “Stadium Tour” on May 25th in Klagenfurt, Austria, and remain on the European run until August 4th in Aarhus, Denmark. As of now, there has been no official announcement regarding the band’s late summer North American run, which is slated to kick off August 20th in Montreal. Rammstein, who’ve been touring in support of their 2019 untitled album, explained the European tour cancellation: “Due to local eve...
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...
Little Richard Tributes: Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, Jimmy Page, Cyndi Lauper Honor Rock Pioneer
Little Richard, one of the greatest artists in the history of popular music died on Saturday. Words like “trailblazer” and “pioneer” somehow feel insufficient; Little Richard was rock and roll, embedded deep within the genre’s DNA. His reach extended far beyond hits like “Tutti Frutti”, and his innovations in vocal technique, fashion, sexual expression, and concert spectacle influenced generations of musicians. In the wake of his passing from cancer at the age of 87, thousands of artists released statements expressing all that the late titan meant to them. “When we were on tour with him I would watch his moves every night and learn from him how to entertain and involve the audience and he was always so generous with advice to me,” Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger remembered. “...
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 ...
Frank Zappa’s The Mothers of Invention Getting 50th Anniversary Box Set
The legend goes that on Mother’s Day of 1964, the R&B group Soul Giants handed over the reins to their new lead guitarist Frank Zappa, who then switched the band’s name to The Mothers. When record label executives balked, Zappa riffed on an old proverb about necessity, and The Mothers of Invention were born. The freak rock trailblazers went through a variety of personnel changes over the years, and by the ’70s Zappa had mostly dropped the “of Invention”. Now, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1970 lineup — which lasted only seven months — the Zappa estate has announced a gargantuan 70-song box set called The Mothers 1970, out June 26th. Featuring Aynsley Dunbar (drums), George Duke (piano/keys/trombone), Ian Underwood (organ/keys/guitar), Jeff Simmons (bass/vocals) and vo...
Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers Assures Fans He’s Alive, But Doesn’t Mention Brian Howe’s Passing
On Thursday came the sad news that onetime Bad Company singer Brian Howe had died at age 66 of cardiac arrest. Apparently, the headlines led some to think that founding and current Bad Company frontman Paul Rodgers had passed, leading the legendary rock vocalist to assure fans, “I’m very much alive.” However, Rodgers didn’t acknowledge Howe in his video message, and that very well may have had to do with the pair’s relationship. Rodgers formed Bad Company in 1973 after his stint fronting another legendary rock outfit, Free. He remained with the group until Bad Company disbanded in 1982, releasing a series of classic albums during that period. When Bad Company re-formed in 1986, they tapped Brian Howe as their vocalist, and went on to achieve additional success, including the platinum-certi...
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...
Queen’s Brian May Severely Tears Butt Muscle in a “Moment of Over-Enthusiastic Gardening”
Talk about some fat bottomed pain! Legendary Queen guitarist Brian May severely tore his buttock muscle during a “moment of over-enthusiastic gardening,” resulting in excruciating discomfort and a visit to the hospital. In an Instagram post, the guitar icon posted a still photo of himself with a protective face mask, and a video of himself being wheeled through hospital hallways from his perspective. With the current COVID-19 pandemic on everyone’s minds, the 72-year-old May assured fans in his written post that “the virus didn’t get [him] yet,” going on to explain that he “managed to rip [his] Gluteus Maximus to shreds.” In fact, the injury has left the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer unable “to walk for a while … or sleep, without a lot of assistance.” The guitar legend’s full post reads a...
R.I.P. Brian Howe, Bad Company Singer Dies at 66
Brian Howe, the former lead vocalist of Bad Company, has died at the age of 66. Citing a family source, TMZ reports that Howe died Wednesday, May 6th, at his home in Florida from cardiac arrest. Howe is best known as the singer who replaced Paul Rodgers in Bad Company, though his first big break came in 1984 when he sang lead vocals on Ted Nugent’s album Penetrator. Two years later, he was hired by Mick Ralphs and Simon Kirke to front Bad Company. He served that role for a decade, appearing on albums including Fame and Fortune, Dangerous Age, Holy Water, and Here Comes Trouble. During this time, the band also achieved five top 10 hits on the Billboard Rock charts, including “Shake It Up”, “No Smoke Without a Fire”, and “Holy Water”. Howe left Bad Company in 1994, citing creative disagreeme...
Not Even Journey Is Safe From the Coronavirus
Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” may have become the anthem for survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the band itself isn’t immune to the consequences of the global pandemic. With the live music industry shuttered for the foreseeable future, the classic rockers have called off their upcoming summer upcoming jaunt with Pretenders. (It seems like playing shows only in Missouri wasn’t a viable option). “There is no greater thrill for us than playing for our incredibly devoted audience, but their safety must come first,” Journey said in a statement. “Having seen what the world has endured during the last 45 days, and not knowing what the rest of this year or 2021 will bring, we knew the right thing to do was to make sure our fans’ health was not put in jeopardy and to provide immediate...
