Author: LRussell

Personal conflicts and health issues led some of rock’s biggest bands and artists to break up, change lineups or retire in 2024.

The award for most violent public breakup goes to Jane’s Addiction. Less than four months after the band’s classic lineup finally reunited, it all went to hell again on a Friday the 13th in September, as Perry Farrell shoved, then punched guitarist Dave Navarro near the end of the band’s show in Boston. Apparently troubled by sound issues and thinking that his bandmates were intentionally showing him up, the singer flipped out and had to be dragged backstage.

Farrell apologized the following day, but the damage was done. Jane’s Addiction cancelled the rest of their tour and announced an indefinite hiatus three days later.

Read More: 10 of Rock’s Ugliest Band Breakups

One of the most popular bands in rock history was forced to end their touring career this year, as the vocal injury Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler endured in September 2023 proved to be too much to overcome after a year of recovery attempts. “It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours,” the band said at the time. “In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.”

You can see a complete list of 2024’s 20 Biggest Rock Breakups, Retirements and Lineup Changes below.

Becoming Led Zeppelin, the highly-anticipated documentary about the band’s rise to fame, will go on general release in February.

Sony Pictures previously announced the movie’s arrival in IMAX cinemas on Feb. 7, two days after select preview showings. Now it’s been confirmed the feature will hit standard theaters on Feb. 14. Tickets are on sale now.

Director Bernard McMahon used cutting-edge technology to revitalize archived footage with the intention of having them look and sound brand-new.

READ MORE: The Story of Led Zeppelin’s Final Single

“Powered by awe-inspiring, psychedelic, never-before-seen footage, performances, and music, Bernard MacMahon’s experiential cinematic odyssey explores Led Zeppelin’s creative, musical, and personal origin story,” a blurb explained. “The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group.”

Production had been underway for several years. In 2021 McMahon told The Upcoming: “The process of making this film was much closer to that of a feature film than a documentary.

“We told the story from their childhood through to 1970 when they become the biggest band in the world. To tell that powerfully is a full length feature film in itself.”

Led Zeppelin Documentary Movie Was Planned in Secret

Writer Allison McGourty added: “We did [our] preparation without telling a soul, because we wanted to be sure it would work on screen before we presented it. Then we flew to London and met with Jimmy Page then John Paul Jones and then Robert Plant and Pat Bonham.

“We knew the band had turned down countless documentary offers for fifty years but we believed in the higher purpose of the story that we were planning to tell.”

Watch the Full-Length ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ Trailer

L.A. Guns have announced a slate of 2025 tour dates in support of their upcoming album Leopard Skin, which will arrive in April.

“In support of our new record Leopard Skin we will be touring heavily next year,” the band wrote on Instagram. “Here is the first leg of the tour dates. Album will be released in the beginning of April. Come and join us on the Lucky MF’r Tour!!!”

The 2025 tour begins in mid-March with a week aboard the Monsters of Rock cruise. The following month, L.A. Guns will hit the road in Warrendale, Pennsylvania, and tour through late May, ending their run in Denver. They’re also closing out 2024 with a handful of California dates.

You can see all of their currently announced 2024 and 2025 tour dates below.

READ MORE: How L.A. Guns’ Raw, Sleazy Debut Set Them Apart

Tracii Guns Says ‘Leopard Skin’ Is ‘Different Than the Other Records’

Leopard Skin follows 2023’s Black Diamonds, the fourth consecutive L.A. Guns album to feature reunited guitarist Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis. Guns offered a few details about the new album back in July, telling the On the Road to Rock With Clint Switzer podcast: “It’s different than the other records. That’s the thing about L.A. Guns, is I never know what’s gonna come out. I don’t know what mood I’m gonna be in or whatever, but I’m really proud of what I was able to record. And all the management and Phil and the guys, they’re freaking out, like, ‘Where’d this shit come from?’ So, yeah, I’m always most excited about L.A. Guns. It’s the complete playground for me. I love it.

L.A. Guns, Lucky MF’r 2024-25 Tour Dates
Dec. 27 – Highland, CA @ Tukut Lounge at Yaamava’ Resort & Casino
Dec. 28 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Music Hall
Dec. 29 – San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House Concert Hall
Dec. 31 – West Hollywood, CA @ Whisky A Go Go
March 10-15 – Miami, FL @ Monsters Of Rock Cruise
April 22 – Warrendale, PA @ Jergel’s Rhythm Grille
April 23 – North Tonawanda, NY @ Riviera Theatre
April 25 – Derry, NH @ Tupelo Music Hall
April 26 – New Bedford, MA @ The Vault Music Hall
April 27 – Millersville, PA @ Phantom Power
April 29 – Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head On Stage
April 30 – Ardmore, PA @ Ardmore Music Hall
May 1 – Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho Theater
May 2 – Hopewell, VA @ Beacon Theatre
May 4 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Elevation 27
May 6 – Atlanta, GA @ City Winery Atlanta
May 9 – Fort Myers, FL – Buddha Live
May 10 – Dania Beach, FL @ The Casino’s Stage 954 at Dania Beach Entertainment Center
May 11 – Mount Dora, FL @ Mount Dora Music Hall
May 13 – Largo, FL @ Central Park Performing Arts Center
May 15 – Jefferson, LA @ Southport Hall
May 16 – Cedar Park, TX @ Haute Spot
May 17 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
May 18 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Midtown
May 23 – Omaha, NE @ Barnato
May 24 – Denver, CO @ The Oriental Theater
July 26 – Beaver Dam, KY @ Rock The Dam 2025

2025 Rock Tour Preview

Hopefully, 2024 has treated you well with new music, fun times with friends and fair ticket prices.

But now it’s time to look forward to 2025, which is already shaping up to be a pretty exciting year. For a list with nothing but information regarding 2025 tours, head here. Or maybe you’re looking for a calendar of sorts featuring 2025 new music releases – we have that here.

The entries below, however, focus on happenings that don’t quite fit in those categories, or at the very least are unique in some way. Granted, there will almost certainly be more events announced in due time, but for now, in chronological order, here are the 10 Things Classic Rock Fans Can Look Forward to in 2025.

1. Jan. 5: ‘A Complete Unknown’ at the Oscars

Timothee Chalamet has been nominated for a Golden Globe several times, but has yet to clinch the award. That could change on Jan. 5 at the 2025 Golden Globe ceremony, where he is nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Edward Norton, who plays Pete Seeger in the same film, is also up for an award in the form of Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture. A Complete Unknown itself is nominated for Best Motion Picture, Drama.

And if the Golden Globes don’t work out, there’s also the Oscars in March. The official list of nominees has yet to be announced, but at the time of this writing, A Complete Unknown can be found on the shortlist for the Sound category.

2. Jan. 14 and 15: Ringo Starr Plays the Ryman, Featuring His New Country Album

Whoever said a British lad from Liverpool couldn’t one day perform on one of American country music’s most famous stages? Ringo Starr will be doing exactly that on Jan. 14 and 15 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. He’s played the venue before, but this time it was be extra special since he’ll presumably be playing songs from his brand new country album, Look Up.

3. Jan. 24: ‘Blood on the Tracks’ 50th Anniversary Concert 

The coming year will mark the 50th anniversary of Dylan’s critical 1975 release Blood on the Tracks. In celebration, an exciting cast of characters will gather in Tulsa, Oklahoma — hometown of the Bob Dylan Center — to perform a concert titled Shelter From the Storm. Performers will include Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, Sharon Van Etten, Lucinda Williams, Robyn Hitchcock, Emma Swift and more.

4. Feb. 2: Rock Represented at the Grammys

They call it music’s biggest night: the Grammys. This year’s ceremony will take place on Feb. 2, and among the list of nominees in various categories are some familiar rock ‘n’ roll names. In the Best Rock Album section is the Black Crowes (Happiness Bastards), Green Day (Saviors), Pearl Jam (Dark Matter), the Rolling Stones (Hackney Diamonds) and Jack White (No Name). Meanwhile, the Beatles earned a couple of nominations, including Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance for “Now and Then.” There are also possible Grammys lined up for Mark Knopfler, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, Metallica, Judas Priest, Mick Fleetwood and more. Rock certainly doesn’t seem to be dead after all…

5. Feb. 7: ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ Debuts

The world will unfortunately never see a true Led Zeppelin reunion, but one thing that will happen for sure is the release of Becoming Led Zeppelin on Feb. 7, the first film to ever be officially sanctioned by the band. Featuring never-before-seen footage, it will debut exclusively in IMAX theaters. Jimmy Page has already voiced his approval: “It’s everything about the music and what would make the music tick. And it’s complete versions of songs, not just a little sample and then talking heads. This is something in a totally different genre.”

6. Rock Residencies in Las Vegas

If you live in the vicinity of Las Vegas – or if you have airline miles to use up — you’re in luck as there’s a laundry list of rock acts scheduled to perform residencies in Sin City this coming year. Among them: Styx, Motley Crue, Scorpions, Rod Stewart, Sammy Hagar and Eagles. Oh my.

7. Feb. 8: A Night to Honor Joan Baez

Below is a video of Joan Baez performing live in 2019, the year she retired from touring. But on Feb. 8, 2025, she’ll perform at a concert in San Francisco benefiting the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. The show is also a celebration of Baez herself and her historic career, and she’ll be joined by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Tom Morello, Emmylou Harris, Hozier, Margo Price, Rosanne Cash and more.

8. April 10: AC/DC Returns to America 

Get ready America, AC/DC is returning for their first U.S. tour in nearly a decade. The trek begins April 10 in Minneapolis and concludes May 28 in Cleveland, playing 13 stadiums along the way. The lineup will include Brian Johnson, Angus Young, Stevie Young, Matt Laug and Chris Chaney.

9. May 27: Iron Maiden Hits the Road With New Drummer Simon Dawson

When Iron Maiden launches their Run For Your Lives Tour on May 27, 2025, you’ll notice there’s a new face behind the drum kit. That’s Simon Dawson, a former session drummer and a member of Steve Harris’ British Lion. Dawson was recently named as Nicko McBrain‘s replacement, who has retired from touring.

10. July 4: Oasis Reunion Tour Launches 

In the clip below, you’ll see Oasis performing live in 2009. That same year, the band imploded — more specifically, brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher – and there has not been an Oasis gig since. To the surprise and delight of many, that will all change in 2025. The Gallagher brothers have evidently patched things up enough for a reunion tour that begins July 4 in the U.K. and will eventually travel all over the Western Hemisphere.

2025 Rock Tour Preview

REO Speedwagon played their final show on Saturday at Las Vegas’ Venetian Theatre, putting to bed a career that spanned nearly six decades.

You can see the set list and videos from the performance below.

The rockers began the show by blazing through their diamond-selling 1980 album Hi Infidelity, which featured the chart-topping ballad “Keep on Loving You” and the Top 5 hit “Take It on the Run.” The second half of the set featured acoustic renditions of 1972’s “Music Man” and 1987’s “In My Dreams,” along with other ’70s staples such as “Keep Pushin'” and “Time for Me to Fly.” They ended the night with a one-two punch encore of “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Roll With the Changes,” the latter featuring assistance from V.I.P. attendees, wives, children, managers and crew members during the final chorus.

Lead singer Kevin Cronin also thanked the audience, various REO associates and former band members for more than a half-century of support. “I feel sadness that this is the final REO Speedwagon concert, and at the same I feel grateful to have been part of this incredible ride,” he said. “We have all been brothers on this amazing musical journey called REO Speedwagon, and I wish you all nothing but the best — and when I say you, I mean everyone who has been part of this band, part of our crew and part of the REO Speedwagon fan family. The REO Speedwagon name is being retired tonight, but the music, the spirit, the songs of REO Speedwagon will live on with this band and with me under the name Kevin Cronin. We hope you join us on that adventure. And now, let’s roll with the changes — what do you say?”

READ MORE: How Irving Azoff Tried to Fix REO Speedwagon Drama

Kevin Cronin Will Roll With the Changes as Solo Touring Act

REO Speedwagon shocked fans when they announced an abrupt halt to touring back in September, citing “irreconcilable differences” that apparently stemmed from bassist Bruce Hall’s delayed return to the stage. Hall underwent back surgery in 2023 and had planned to return to the stage alongside Cronin, but it never happened. Cofounding keyboardist Neal Doughty also retired from the road in 2023, leaving Cronin as the sole classic-era touring member of REO Speedwagon.

Now, Cronin will take their catalog of hits on the run as a solo artist, backed by guitarist Dave Amato, drummer Bryan Hitt, keyboardist Derek Hilland and bassist Matt Bissonette — the same group of musicians who closed out REO Speedwagon’s tenure. They’ll hit the road with Styx and Don Felder next summer for the Brotherhood of Rock tour, which is scheduled to run from May through August.

Although Cronin recently confessed to UCR that “the thought of REO Speedwagon coming to an end, it’s just unfathomable to me,” he also expressed enthusiasm for the future. “I’m not ready to call it quits. I feel like I’m surrounded by a great group of guys,” he said. “The chemistry is great, the music sounds awesome and I want to keep this band together.”

Watch REO Speedwagon Play ‘Roll With the Changes’ in Las Vegas on 12/21/24

Watch REO Speedwagon Play ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ in Las Vegas on 12/21/24

Watch REO Speedwagon Play ‘I Wish You Were There’ in Las Vegas on 12/21/24

Watch REO Speedwagon Play ‘Ridin’ the Storm Out’ in Las Vegas on 12/21/24

Watch Kevin Cronin’s Speech at Final REO Speedwagon Show

REO Speedwagon, 12/21/24, Venetian Theatre, Las Vegas Set List
1. “Don’t Let Him Go”
2. “Keep on Loving You”
3. “Follow My Heart”
4. “In Your Letter”
5. “Take It on the Run”
6. “Tough Guys”
7. “Out of Season”
8. “Shakin’ It Loose”
9. “Someone Tonight”
10. “I Wish You Were There”
11. “Music Man” (acoustic)
12. “In My Dreams” (acoustic)
13. “Time for Me to Fly”
14. “Keep Pushin'”
15. “Live Every Moment”
16. “Golden Country”
17. “Ridin’ the Storm Out”
18. “Can’t Fight This Feeling”
19. “Roll With the Changes” (V.I.P., wives, children, managers and crew sang last chorus)

2025 Rock Tour Preview

Alfa Anderson, former co-lead singer with Chic, died at the age of 78, band leader Nile Rodgers confirmed.

He provided no details in his social media post, which read: “#restinpoweralfaanderson #chic #loveyou #original #truth #soul #memories #wearefamily #always #music #peace #wedidit #together.”

Anderson was heard as backing vocalist on some of Chic’s biggest hits including “Le Freak,” “Good Times” and “My Forbidden Love.” She went on to track lead vocals for “I Want Your Love” and “At Last I Am Free.” She’d joined the band in 1977 and remained until its initial breakup in 1983.

READ MORE: Nile Rodgers Says Chic Were Influenced by Journey and Kiss

Before Chic, Anderson had been a backing vocalist for a number of recording artists including Dione Warwick. In the ‘80s she toured with Luther Vandross and recorded with Mick Jagger, Bryan Adams, Billy Squier and others.

She later became principal of a New York high school, while continuing to make music. She reunited with Rodgers for the Chic track “I’ll Be There” in 2015 and released her debut solo album, Music From My Heart, in 2017.

Watch Chic’s Video for ‘I Want Your Love’

Alfa Anderson’s Doubts Over Joining Chic

In a 2018 interview, Anderson told R&B Junkie that her friend Vandross had connected her with Rodgers and his musical partner Bernard Edwards, leading to an audition with Chic. “I was excited about the possibility until [Vandross] said, ‘It’s disco music.’ I thought I was losing my hearing.

“‘Disco! Are you for real? We aren’t disco artists, we are R&B artists.’ ‘Come on,’ he urged. ‘It’ll be fun.’ Not only was it fun, it was the turning point in my career. I went to the studio expecting to hear a very formulaic four-on-the-floor track. What I heard was ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ and it was perfection.”

She reported that the highlight of her career was the fact that “many of the classic songs on which I sang are still being played somewhere in the world every day.

“Who knew that ‘Le Freak’ or ‘Good Times’ would stand the test of time? These songs continue to be introduced to a new generation of fans in movie soundtracks and television commercials. That’s pretty awesome!”

Robert Smith recalled his Spinal Tap moment at the first show by the Cure.

He’d been the keyboardist in various lineups before the band found their name and direction, and never had any intention of becoming a lead singer – although he did try the idea out in 1977.

“For whatever reason, when I sing, people connect with it,” Smith told the U.K.’s Absolute Radio in a recent interview (video below). “I have no idea why, and I don’t think any singer does. I was horrified when I ended up as the singer.”

READ MORE: Robert Smith Plans to Retire in 5 Years: ‘If I Make It That Far’

He continued: “At school, I never did anything on stage. … I sang one song at our first show, just to see what it felt like – and I sang the wrong song.”

While his bandmates broke into a Jimi Hendrix classic, Smith delivered a David Bowie track instead. “I played and sang ‘Suffragette City’ and everyone else was doing ‘Foxy Lady.’ And I was so drunk, I didn’t even know. I thought, ‘That was good!’ And everyone’s like, ‘You played the wrong song!’”

Why Robert Smith’s Voice Was Low in the Cure’s Mix

Later in 1977 Smith became the Cure’s frontman, but he recalled: “I never felt like I was cut out to be a singer. … I kind of grew into it because I fell out with everyone else that occupied that position until I became the de facto singer. That’s why, the early albums, the early mixes, I’m really low down in the mix.”

He added: “When I started singing, I didn’t think anyone would like what I sounded like. I didn’t, and so I thought no one else was going to. And so I thought, ‘This is going to be a really short career unless we find someone who can sing.’

“So I sang the first album, and then discovered that people liked what I was doing.”

The Best Song From Every Cure Album

Phil Collins jokes that becoming Genesis’ lead singer in 1976 was a big mistake.

He was asked about the career change in the new documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First, just released by Drumeo and available below.

He took over after Peter Gabriel decided move on in 1975. Collins said that bandmate Tony Banks actually “got wind of” the lineup change before they were told about it. “From then on, we knew that Pete could leave at any time – but we had a 150-show tour to do,” Collins explained.

READ MORE: Top 10 Phil Collins-Era Genesis Songs

“I was the one, when Peter left, who said, ‘Let’s do it instrumentally,’” Collins added, “and everybody jeered and told me to shut up and get back in my box. But I can see that they were right.”

For Collins, “it was not in my mind to become the singer; it was just that nobody else really wanted the job.” He continued: “We had a long search for a singer that didn’t amount to much.

“I used to sing all the songs … to the guys who were coming to audition. And I started, in general, to sound a bit better than they did.” Pointing out that Genesis songs were effectively the music he “grew up with,” he added: “My excuse was always, ‘My voice has been there in the background, whether it’s backing vocals or the odd lead vocal here and there.’”

A former actor, Collins fronted Genesis for the first time in London, Ontario in March 1976. “The theatrical experience definitely helped me get up on stage and not be nervous,” he said. “I went on and I didn’t let go of the mic stand. That became my drum kit!

How Phil Collins Dealt with Peter Gabriel’s Live Drumming

“It was eerie. … I always missed being behind the drums. I thought I was better at that than I was singing.” But Collins accepted that “it just looked so dull if I was singing the whole show from behind the drums. I didn’t find it physically difficult. But especially with the cymbals [it’s like] you’re putting a screen up. We didn’t want to go there, really.”

He said, “You know in a second if it was a mistake or not.” Asked if it was, he joked: “Yeah! It was awful!”

Looking back on the five years he spent performing alongside Gabriel, Collins noted: “Peter just had this aura of the costumes and the drama, some of which he didn’t do naturally. He did it because there was a lot of instrumental stuff. What do you do? You either go offstage or you stay on and do something.”

Collins noted that Gabriel “was a drummer as well. … When I was there on stage, he’d be wild with his bass drum.” Since it was a distraction, action was taken: “It gradually got filled with carpet so you couldn’t hear it!”

Watch ‘Phil Collins: Drummer First’

Most Eagles narratives revolve around Glenn Frey and Don Henley. After all, they quickly emerged as the group’s main songwriters and singers, then fronted most of their hits.

But Frey and Henley always had their share of talented bandmates. The original Eagles lineup included the gorgeous-voiced Randy Meisner and instrumental whiz Bernie Leadon. Later incarnations featured sizzling guitarist Don Felder, legendary goofball Joe Walsh and the warm-hearted Timothy B. Schmit.

Leadon left first, as the band drifted from its rootsier early sound into harder-edged rock in the mid-’70s. Meisner followed him out the door in 1977. Felder and then Walsh helped toughen things up, while Schmit assumed Meisner’s role as the group’s romantic. As shown in the following list of Top 20 Eagles Songs Not Sung by Don Henley or Glenn Frey, each made important contributions along the way.

READ MORE: Ranking Every Eagles Solo Album

They didn’t simply compliment tracks from Frey and Henley; they completed the group’s larger narrative. The best Eagles albums were balanced by the others. Their unexpected reunion after a long ’80s-era break could only have been completed with deft touches from the others.

Henley continued to lead the band, even after the unexpected death of Frey. But Schmit and Walsh remained a fixture out on the road, as did a number of these songs. Some are memorable singles while others are treasured deep cuts. But without them, this legendary discography would’ve been missing something.

No. 20. “Visions”
From: One of These Nights (1975)

Written by Don Felder with an assist from Don Henley, this riffy, Southern rock-informed track is the only Eagles song to feature Felder on lead vocals. He’ll never be confused with the group’s better-known singers, but thankfully, Felder’s scorching runs on his main instrument provide plenty of gritty distractions.

No. 19. “Most of Us Are Sad”
From: Eagles (1972)

Glenn Frey gave this to Randy Meisner to sing, perhaps because it wasn’t his best stuff. “Most of Us Are Sad,” despite the crushing title, only hinted at the beautiful ache that Meisner would soon bring to their ballads.

No. 18. “Twenty-One”
From: Desperado (1973)

With “Twenty-One,” and later on “My Man” from 1974’s On the Border, Bernie Leadon proved he wasn’t much of a lyricist. But he was the most talented instrumentalist the Eagles ever had –and his picking-and-grinning approach here is just contagiously fun.

No. 17. “Guilty of the Crime”
From: Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

There was typically more country than rock on the Eagles’ final studio effort, save for notable examples like “Guilty of the Crime.” Unfortunately, Joe Walsh disappears into a rather faceless song co-written by Frankie Miller and the late Jerry Lynn Williams, the latter of whom composed a bunch of boring songs for Eric Clapton, too.

No. 16. “Take the Devil”
From: Eagles (1972)

Meisner’s first original composition for Eagles was the dirge-y, hookless “Take the Devil,” showing that he really didn’t know how to showcase his best vocal attribute yet either. Still, Frey’s crunchy closing guitar solo hints at bigger, often unrecognized successes to come.

No. 15. “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More”
From: Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

Paul Carrack contributes another showcase for Timothy B. Schmit, though the sweetly forgettable “I Don’t Want to Hear Any More” will never live up to the heights of “Love Will Keep Us Alive.”

No. 14. “Journey of the Sorcerer”
From: One of These Nights (1975)

This Leadon instrumental begins as a delicately conveyed aside before taking on epic proportions with the arrival of a surging orchestra and featured violinist David Bromberg.

No. 13. “Is It True?”
From: On the Border (1974)

Randy Meisner’s later growth as a songwriter is one of the Eagles’ intriguing secondary storylines. “Is It True?” was the first hint that he could more fully emerge from behind the long shadows of Frey and Henley, as Meisner offered a lovelorn, nearly complete ballad. He left in an unfortunate line about chainsaws during the middle eight, but Frey saves things with another sharply drawn turn on lead guitar.

No. 12. “Too Many Hands”
From: One of These Nights (1975)

Meisner co-wrote this smart twist on an old religious trope with Felder, who’d just become an official member. In keeping with Felder’s arrival, “Too Many Hands” also takes one of the final long strides away from the pastoral sounds of their earlier albums. Felder tangles with Frey on a dueling guitar-dominated outro, while Henley happily bangs away on the tabla.

No. 11. “Do Something”
From: Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

Timothy B. Schmit’s best showing on the Eagles’ final album is a steel-tinged story song with a defeated sensibility that would have fit in nicely among the deepest sighs on The Long Run.

No. 10. “Tryin'”
From: Eagles (1972)

Just because Randy Meisner had such facility with heartsick balladry doesn’t mean he couldn’t catch a groove. His original “Tryin'” finally gave Meisner a worthy piece of material, but not until their debut album’s very last moments.

No. 9. “Last Good Time in Town”
From: Long Road Out of Eden (2007)

Joe Walsh wasn’t much of a presence on Eagles’ long-awaited follow-up to 1979’s The Long Run, singing on just two tracks. This is actually his only credited co-write; Walsh contributed the verses while longtime Eagles collaborator J.D. Souther crafted the chorus. Still, “Last Good Time in Town” – with its winking tributes to the joys of home life after giving up the high life – sounds 100% Walsh.

No. 8. “Train Leaves Here This Morning”
From: Eagles (1972)

This track eventually became something of a signature moment for Bernie Leadon, who was revisiting a song he co-wrote with Byrds cofounder Gene Clark for 1968’s terrific but commercially disappointing Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark. By the time Leadon became part of Eagles’ first lineup, after a similarly ignored detour in Flying Burrito Brothers, country rock was no longer the outlier it had once been – and “Train Leaves Here This Morning” was born anew.

No. 7. “Love Will Keep Us Alive”
From: Hell Freezes Over (1994)

This song grew out of a shelved late-’80s supergroup featuring then-former Eagles Timothy B. Schmit and Don Felder, Jim Capaldi (Traffic), Paul Carrack (Squeeze, Mike + the Mechanics) and Max Carl (38 Special, Grand Funk Railroad). Schmit revived the idea when the Eagles mounted a surprising comeback.

No. 6. “Bitter Creek”
From: Desperado (1973)

Leadon wrote and sang this album’s final original, before the “Doolin-Dalton”/”Desperado” reprise closes out Desperado. The track begins just as you’d expect from the Eagles’ stalwart traditionalist: reserved country rock – maybe too reserved. But then something happens about three minutes in, when the rest of the group joins Leadon’s wordless harmonizing on the outro. “Bitter Creek” takes flight.

No. 5. “I Can’t Tell You Why”
From: The Long Run (1979)

Poor Timothy B. Schmit. The first Eagles song to feature Meisner’s replacement was also the first to be completed for The Long Run. Then it became a very long run indeed, as sessions dragged on from March 1978 through September 1979. “I Can’t Tell You Why,” with one of Frey’s most expressive guitar solos, wasn’t released as the LP’s third single until February 1980. By July, the Eagles were wandering into a lengthy hiatus.

No. 4. “In the City”
From: The Long Run (1979)

Joe Walsh had already released his own version of “In the City,” as part of the soundtrack to 1979’s cult classic The Warriors, when Eagles approached him about rerecording the song for their long-delayed new album. Musically, the approach was lighter but largely the same; the major difference is their gorgeous vocal blend. Later, after “In the City” had become a live and radio staple, the Eagles added a memorable reference to the Beatles‘ “Day Tripper” onstage.

No. 3. “Pretty Maids All in a Row”
From: Hotel California (1976)

The Eagles completed their shift from shaggy roots band to full-on rockers as Walsh took over for Leadon. Nobody else could have come up with the riff for “Life in the Fast Lane,” Walsh’s other major contribution to Hotel California. That said, “Pretty Maids All in a Row” couldn’t have been more different. An emotional meditation on regret, the song catches a different gear when his new bandmates join the vocal finale – but not before Walsh tears off a mournful slide solo. Rock’s clown prince has rarely been more revealing.

No. 2. “Try and Love Again”
From: Hotel California (1976)

Some days, this tucked-away album cut feels like the best song on the Eagles’ most celebrated studio project. A soaring anthem about believing against all odds, “Try and Love Again” had an appropriate theme for the often-forgotten Randy Meisner. Ultimately, however, he couldn’t live up to that promise. “Try and Love Again” would be Meisner’s final co-writing credit – and his final lead vocal – with the group he co-founded.

No. 1. “Take It to the Limit”
From: One of These Nights (1975)

As “Take It to the Limit” became Eagles’ highest charting single yet, Meisner found himself under crushing pressure to hit the song’s heart-rending high note onstage night after night. Panic apparently began to creep in, and he asked that the song – despite its massive popularity – be removed from the band’s sets. When the rest of the Eagles refused, Meisner quit. The vocal was first taken over by Frey, then, after Frey’s death, by Vince Gill.

Six Little-Known Eagles ‘Hotel California’ Facts

Jeff Lynne confirmed that the end of the Electric Light Orchestra wouldn’t be the end of his musical career.

In October he announced the group would play their final show in Hyde Park, London, on July 13, marking an end to the band he revived in 2001, and which began touring regularly in 2014. He’ll be 77 by the time they take their last bow.

“I’m happy with what I’ve done, and the crowd reactions to the shows and the music have been amazing,” Lynne told Mojo in a recent interview. “This is not a farewell to music. I am excited to return to the studio full-time, which is what I love!”

READ MORE: How Jeff Lynne Relaunched the Electric Light Orchestra

He didn’t reveal details of his future plans, but he hinted that there might be something special for the crowds who attend the band’s five farewell concerts in Birmingham, Manchester and finally London.

“It’ll certainly be an emotional show for me,” he said. “It’s been great getting to tour the world, and to this day, at every show I’m always surprised and delighted by the crowds and the energy they bring. I will miss it.”

He added: “We will, of course, be playing all the songs the fans want to hear. As for surprises – these are the final shows, so who knows what can happen?”

Jeff Lynne Didn’t Expect to Love Touring

In 2019 Lynne – well-known for loving studio work – admitted he hadn’t expected to enjoy touring as much as he did. “I’m having the time of my life,” he told Variety.

“Just because I don’t jump up and down and do somersaults and stuff, it doesn’t mean I’m not having a great time, because I am. I just sing and play, which I think is enough, because I’m trying to make it sound as good as possible. It’s trying to recreate the sound that I imagined ELO would have [had] forever, really, from day one. It never has until now.”

Southside Johnny has announced his immediate retirement from touring, citing unspecified health issues.

According to NJArts, Southside Johnny left the stage after performing just a few songs at the band’s most recent show, Dec. 14 at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. His longtime backing band the Asbury Jukes finished the show without him.

The 76 year-old singer, considered the “grandfather of the New Jersey sound,” was scheduled to perform at the Count Basie Center in Red Bank, New Jersey on New Year’s Eve. That performance and a handful of previously announced 2025 dates have all been cancelled.

“After a hugely successful 50-year run with his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, touring non-stop throughout the U.S and overseas, ‘Southside Johnny’ Lyon has made the decision to retire from touring in order to manage ongoing health issues,” read the statement on his Facebook page.

Read More: Southside Johnny’s Tribute to Clarence Clemons

“Johnny Lyon and the Asbury Jukes are an integral part of the Basie Center’s history and the history of music here at the Jersey Shore,” read a tribute from the Basie Center’s Facebook page. “While we’re sad we won’t be seeing them this New Year’s Eve, everyone at the Count Basie Center is forever grateful for the hundreds of moments that he and his bandmates have created on our stages. We love you, Johnny!”

This Is Spinal Tap director and co-writer Rob Reiner revealed some details of what to expect when the sequel movie arrives in 2025.

He outlined some of the plot points, after it was previously reported that Paul McCartney and Elton John will appear in the follow-up to the 1984 spoof documentary.

In a new interview with Empire, he said the story would open with discovering what singer David St. Hubbins, guitarist Nigel Tufnel and bassist Derek Smalls had been doing since Spinal Tap broke up.

READ MORE: Top 10 Rock ‘n’ Roll Movies

“Nigel has been running a cheese and guitar shop in Berwick-upon-Tweed,” Reiner explained. “He’s also been performing with a local folk band in the village that play penny whistle and mandolin, and he plays electric guitar with them. We show a little clip of that.

“David St. Hubbins has been living in Morro Bay in California, and he’s been writing music for podcasts, particularly this one true-crime podcast called ‘The Trouble With Murder.’ He also writes the music that you hear when you’re on hold on the phone.

“Derek is living in London and is now the curator of the New Museum of Glue. He’s curated glue from every country in the world – the whole history of glue – and he shows me around. He’s also been performing with a philharmonic orchestra, and he’s written this kind of symphony about the fact that the devil wears a bad hair piece. It’s called Hell Toupée.”

Reiner also said that the idea for the story came from the death of Tony Hendra, who played band manager Ian Faith in the first movie. “[W]e came up with this idea that Ian Faith had willed his daughter, Hope, this contract that called for one more performance.

“She thinks initially, ‘Well, this is not really worth anything…’ But then some big music star, while screwing around at a sound check, is filmed on an iPhone singing a Tap song, and it goes wild on social media. All of a sudden, the contract is worth something.”

Paul McCartney and Elton John Appear on Spinal Tap Soundtrack Album

Reiner confirmed that, as with the first movie, a lot of the performances are improvised. “[W]e’ve known each other for so many years, and you just fall right back into it,” he said.

“We’ve got the contours of it, because we have a 10-page outline. But we’ll have a scene that lasts 15 or 20 minutes, that winds up being a minute in the movie. You find the best bits of everything and you cut them together.”

Both McCartney and John proved to be good in the improvisation environment, he added. “We came up with a good idea for Paul, and he was excited to do it. And we had a great idea for Elton. They’re both terrific in the film, both comfortable just talking off the cuff.”

The director went on to say that new Spinal Tap songs will be heard in the movie and its accompanying soundtrack album. “[I]t’ll have a couple of cuts by Elton John and one cut by Paul McCartney – songs that they sing in the film, which aren’t Spinal Tap-type songs, they’re ones that people know. But the rest of them are new.”

He provided a hint as to one of those new tracks: “There’s a scene where Henry Diltz, the very famous rock photographer, takes them to a cemetery in New Orleans. Nigel’s like, ‘Why are we here? All these people are dead.’ And Henry says, ‘Well, you’ve got to get used to this idea. You know, it’s going to happen.’

“Then Derek has this idea of what it’s going to be like after he dies. So he’s got this song called ‘Rockin’ In The Urn’ which is all about the fact that even after he’s dead, he’s still going to be performing.”

Celebrated bluesman John Hammond was playing a regular New York City gig when he met Jimi Hendrix. He was already friends with Eric Clapton. He somehow ended up playing a string of ’60s-era shows with both legendary guitarists as his sidemen.

That’s just one of Hammond’s many incredible career moments, capped by the recent release ‘You’re Doin’ Fine: Blues at the Boarding House.’ The LP, released as part of the Bear’s Sonic Journals series, was recorded by famed Grateful Dead soundman Owsley “Bear” Stanley on June 2 and 3, 1973, in San Francisco – without Hammond’s knowledge. The results are intimate and very revealing.

In the following interview, Hammond discusses playing with Clapton and Hendrix, the ‘You’re Doin’ Fine’ project, and a lengthy friendship with Tom Waits that resulted in their 2001 collaboration ‘Wicked Grin.’

You led a series of gigs with a band that included both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton in the same lineup. It is such an embarrassment of riches – but how did that actually work on stage? How did those guys interact with you and your music?
Well, I met Eric on my first tour of England in 1965. He was playing with John Mayall at the time, and I was on tour and played some gigs with them and traveled with them. Eric, he was phenomenal. Even back then, you know, he was way ahead. We became friends, and I came back to the U.S. and was introduced to Jimi Hendrix. He was hanging out in New York, trying to get a gig together. So he asked me if I could get him a gig. I said, “I know a place called the Cafe Au Go Go and I play a lot of gigs there. Let’s put a band together and you’ll be my lead guitar player. No problem.”

So, I went over and spoke to Howard Solomon and got the gig the next week. We played for a week there, and everybody who’s who in rock ‘n’ roll came to hear us. Then they offered Jimi a plane ticket to England to record with [Hendrix producer] Chas Chandler – and the rest of the history. He came back to New York about a year later and looked me up. Eric Clapton was in New York with Cream – and he looked me up. I invited them both out for this gig I was playing at the Gaslight [Cafe in Greenwich Village]. I had a drummer with me, Charles Otis, and the bass player Herman Pittman, and I invited both Eric and Jimi on the stage. So to my left was Eric Clapton and to my right was Jimi Hendrix. I don’t think I could go wrong. It was fantastic – and these are just terrific guys.

READ MORE: Top 10 Posthumous Jimi Hendrix Albums

Clapton shared your passion for Robert Johnson, the early blues man. What initially struck you about Johnson’s music? He had such a brief career, but ended up being quite influential.
Well, his recordings were that much better than anybody else. In my opinion, I think he was about as good as it gets. He obviously had heard other genres of blues. You know, he could play just about any style, and his vocals were just amazing. I mean, his recordings just – for whatever reason, they just nailed it. Anybody that hears that, you know, is going to feel it. I mean, he came around at the time when there were a lot of records out there of various artists from all over. So he obviously was familiar with the Piedmont style and the Delta style where, where he hung out, and obviously heard people like Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell. He was really a hip guy. I mean, he had heard it all and he was like the synthesis of all these styles.

Your goal all along must have been to bring these songs forward to a new generation – and it worked. I always felt like the Doors wouldn’t have found Willie Dixon’s “Back Door Man” without your help.
I think I nailed that one. Hey, they obviously heard that. I think so because the arrangement and the feel of it are so similar.

Listen to John Hammond’s Update of ‘King Bee’

You’re Doin’ Fine finds you working as a solo act again. You made your legend appearing in this format. What originally created that interest?
Well, when I first became aware of blues music was when my father brought me to hear Big Bill Broonzy in 1949. I was seven years old, and it made a big impression on me – and I always gravitated towards blues music for whatever reason. By the time I was in my early teens, I was a blues fanatic. I never thought that I would ever play an instrument or be a professional player but I mean I loved the music. When I got a guitar, that was it. Solo is, for me, where the art belongs. If you could pull it off solo, you were really doing it.

What really strikes me on this new album is how rangy the choice of material is. There are expected songs from the Delta and Chicago variants of the blues, but also the more underrated Piedmont style. That gives You’re Doin’ Fine a real sense of discovery.
I was always interested in various genres of blues. I loved Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Willie McTell in the Piedmont style, and I liked Robert Johnson and Sun House in the Delta style. Leroy Carr had his his own style. I mean, there are so many choices. I never thought of myself as a songwriter but as a collector of great songs.

I wonder how it sounded when you first heard these recordings from 50 years ago. Did you experience the songs in a different way when you were listening to yourself all those years later?
Yes, I had no idea the sound was that good. I mean, to hear it back and to hear how I got it right is just amazing to me. For me, it was a club date that I didn’t really know was being recorded. Well, as everyone knows now, Bear was a wizard with sound – and having this series of recordings emerge has just been such a gift.

Listen to John Hammond’s ‘2:19’

Along the way, you’ve been a friend of Tom Waits as well. You met him at this show, where You’re Doin’ Fine was captured – then later recorded your own album of Waits songs.
He was the opening show, if you could believe that. I was later on some other shows with him and got to know him a little better. He’s just one of those awesome players who just creates an atmosphere and a feeling that is hard to put into words. He’s that dynamic. I always admired him and I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d ever make a recording like that, but it worked out.

It must have been a daunting task.
He’s such a unique figure. It’s sort of hard to explain. We had talked about making this album together and he was on the West Coast. I was on the East Coast. I sent him a bunch of ideas that I had of songs I might record, and he sent me a bunch of songs that he thought we could do.
He was all excited about it and then we went out to the West Coast. My wife basically set up the whole deal with his wife, Kathleen. Tom was going to get these guys together, the band that he was going to put together included [keyboardist and accordion player] Augie Meyers and [drummer] Stephen Hodges. But they couldn’t make the rehearsals, so it was kind of going nowhere.

The studio was set up where we were going to record and Tom had a falling out with the owner. So we had no place to record. It was all going to turn to shit, and my wife said to me, “Why don’t you take him and have some coffee and talk about this. Otherwise, he’s gonna split.” So, I said to Tom, “Anything we do is gonna be good. I just know it.” So he said, “Well, I’ve got some songs that you might like,” and I said, “That’s the idea. Let’s do that.” We started out there and we did the song “2:19,” and we nailed it. The next day, he came in with a whole bunch of his songs and we just went for it. It turned out great. That’s a great one.

Jimi Hendrix is Part of Rock’s Tragic ‘27 Club’

Ever wonder what it would sound like if Kiss went country? Well, here’s your chance to satisfy that curiosity.

YouTube user marceve76, who has also posted genre or era-switching reimagined versions of albums by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Queen, has shared a countrified take of Kiss’ already divisive 1979 album Dynasty.

You can hear the entire reimagined country version of Dynasty below.

Marceve76 hasn’t revealed their true identity or their methods, but the online speculation is that AI was used to create these recordings.

Read More: The Wheels Pop Off With Kiss’ ‘Dynasty’

The original Dynasty album found Kiss flirting heavily with disco and pop songwriting and sonics, particularly on the single “I Was Made for Loving You.” The song was a big hit on the pop charts, but the change in style angered old-school fans enough that many stopped buying concert tickets and albums, sending the band into a sudden and rapid commercial decline.

When Kiss Went Country With Garth Brooks

Kiss made their own incursion into the country world back in 1994, teaming up with Garth Brooks to record a new version of their song “Hard Luck Woman” on their self-created tribute album Kiss My Ass.

Hear the Country Version of Kiss’ ‘Dynasty’ Album

Paul McCartney closed his 2024 Got Back world tour in London last night (Dec. 19) with assistance from Ringo Starr and Ron Wood.

McCartney also took the opportunity during his three-hour, 36-song set to reintroduce a bass guitar that was stolen from him more than 50 years ago.

He bought the 1961 Hofner 500/1 brand new in Germany, using it at shows and on early Beatles records before it vanished in 1972. A concerted effort resulted in its return in February.

READ MORE: In Defense of Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’

“I had a bass, besides this one,” McCartney told the audience. “It got nicked. … We’ve been looking for it for 50 years. Well, I got it back, and here to make its first stage appearance in 50 years is my original bass!”

After reporting that he hadn’t played it since its theft, McCartney tried a tone and said, “Sounds like a bass! And what is more, we’ve got a special guest for you – Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood!”

Wood took the stage for a rendition of Beatles classic “Get Back,” which can be seen below.

During the encore, McCartney announced he had another surprise for the crowd: “Bring to the stage the mighty, the one and only Mr. Ringo Starr!” The pair pretended that they weren’t sure what they should do, before McCartney said: “Should we rock? Get on your kit, la.”

Starr helped deliver two more Beatles classics, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “Helter Skelter.” Both can be seen below.

The Got Back tour began in April 2022 and has so far included 59 shows over seven legs, including an appearance at the Glastonbury festival in 2022. McCartney hasn’t yet announced any plans for 2025.

Paul McCartney and Ron Wood Perform ‘Get Back’

Ringo Starr Guests with Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney’s Got Back Tour Finale Set List

1. “A Hard Day’s Night”
2. “Junior’s Farm”
3. “Letting Go”
4. “Drive My Car”
5. “Got to Get You Into My Life”
6. “Come On to Me”
7. “Let Me Roll It”
8. “Getting Better”
9. “Let ‘Em In”
10. “My Valentine”
11. “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five”
12. “Maybe I’m Amazed”
13. “I’ve Just Seen a Face”
14. “In Spite of All the Danger”
15. “Love Me Do”
16. “Dance Tonight”
17. “Blackbird”
18. “Here Today”
19. “Now and Then”
20. “Lady Madonna”
21. “Jet”
22. “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!”
23. “Something”
24. “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da”
25. “Band on the Run”
26. “Wonderful Christmastime”
27. “Get Back” – with Ron Wood
28. “Let It Be”
29. “Live and Let Die”
30. “Hey Jude”

Encore:
31. “I’ve Got a Feeling”
32. “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)’ – with Ringo Starr
33. “Helter Skelter – with Ringo Starr
34. “Golden Slumbers”
35. “Carry That Weight’
36. “The End”

Was Paul McCartney’s ‘Broadstreet’ Doomed to Fail?

When REO Speedwagon entered a public period of turmoil earlier this year, no one could save it. Not even Irving Azoff, known in the music industry as one of the legendary heavyweights and influencers who can so often seemingly make anything happen with a few phone calls — and where necessary, fix things.

So when the Illinois-bred group hit a stalemate, eventually explained to fans as “irreconcilable differences” between singer-songwriter Kevin Cronin and bassist Bruce Hall, Azoff stepped in, but he had a certain reason for doing so.

Over the decades, Azoff is probably best known for his long-running association with the Eagles, but he also oversaw record labels including Full Moon and Giant, his personal imprints, as well as a stint at MCA Records in the early ’80s. He held key positions at Ticketmaster and eventually, Live Nation and was ranked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Power 100 list in 2012

But before any of that happened, he began working with bands while he was still a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It was there that he met keyboardist Neal Doughty and the other members of the group that the world would come to know as REO Speedwagon. He proved to be an important influence on the band, taking them on as his first management client.

Decades later, when he heard there was trouble in the world of REO, he did what he so often does — he picked up the phone — and called Doughty, the last remaining founding member, who retired from the band in 2023 but remains a full partner.

“Irving Azoff, a lot of people in the industry don’t like him because he’s so successful. But to us, he’s that college kid, who said, ‘Neal, you play the piano, [and] you play the guitar…I’ll be the manager,'” Doughty recalled during a conversation on the UCR Podcast. “That’s the way it started out. When I saw I’d missed a call from Irving, I’m going, ‘Wow, they’re pulling out the big guns now.’ But it wasn’t that. He was totally sympathetic to what’s going on and why me and Bruce have to do what we’re doing. He had a talk with Kevin and called me back the next day. He said, ‘I tried. I have no stake in this. It’s just that you guys were my first band.’ It’s a shame, but he didn’t take sides. He just said, ‘I couldn’t do anything about it.'”

READ MORE: How REO Speedwagon Came to an Emotional End

“For me to actually accept a phone call from a person that most people [regard as the] most successful guy in the music business and for me to say to him, ‘I can’t vote against Bruce and you understand why. You know how close we are,’ it’s not like this was easy,” Doughty continues. “It’s not like we just said, ‘Okay, Kevin, you can’t use the name anymore because we’re mad at you.’ This was a full year of soul searching. I don’t want anybody to think Bruce and I just shut it down out of spite.”

One of the main issues centers around Hall’s time away from the band, which began near the end of 2023, for him to have a long-needed back surgery. While Cronin told UCR in an earlier conversation that it was his understanding the bassist had agreed to sit out the whole of the band’s 2024 touring plans, Hall shares a different story, “I’d set this all up with management so I wouldn’t miss any shows,” he explains. “So I could get [the surgery] done and get back to work.” There were unplanned complications with what had been sketched out and with two shows left during the group’s residency in Las Vegas near the end of last year, Hall realized he couldn’t finish out the run due to his back issues.

After the surgery was completed, by January, he says that he’d been cleared by doctors to return to active duty with REO. Voicing that he’d need to “possibly sit on a stool,” Hall says, “They didn’t want me to play. They were kind of happy with what they had going” and while he was frustrated, he decided to use the extra time to “take it easy for a little bit longer.” He rejoined the band in March to share the stage for a couple of songs in the encore during a charity gig in his home area of Orlando, Fla. Performing “Roll With the Changes” and his signature song, “Back on the Road Again,” felt good. Still, there were issues with Cronin, he says. “[He] didn’t like my posture,” Hall explains. “He kept coming up with reasons….and it became apparent that he didn’t want me coming back –and why exactly, I couldn’t tell you.”

During the previous conversation with UCR, Cronin shared his enthusiasm for the current lineup, featuring bassist Matt Bissonette in Hall’s position, plus keyboardist Derek Hilland and longtime bandmates, guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bruce Hitt. He will follow through on his expressed desire to continue with that exact grouping of players under his own name in 2025 when he begins to play solo dates.

READ MORE: Kevin Cronin Announces First Post-REO Speedwagon Show

Both Hall and Doughty stress that they don’t want to keep Cronin from moving ahead with his own plans, they just wish it would have been handled differently — with Doughty sharing frustration that certain moves were made “unilaterally” by Cronin. If this is the end of REO Speedwagon’s touring days, they’d like to see the current chapter end in a proper way. “The fans want us to do a farewell tour,” Hall points out. “That would be great,” Doughty agrees. “If there was a farewell tour with Bruce, I would also go back and be part of that. Then Kevin could go back to his solo career with the guys.”

“Honestly, we could have done that,” Hall says. “He doesn’t have to say farewell personally — as the band, we’d go out and say that and thank the fans for giving us this wonderful life and being there for us every time we come to town. If it hadn’t been for them, [we wouldn’t have had this kind of career].”

Unlike many of us, Bob Dylan isn’t a huge fan of binge watching movies.

“Two or three hours in front of the tube is a lot of binge watching for me,” he told The Wall Street Journal in 2022. “Too much time to be involved with the screen. Or maybe I’m too old for it.”

But that doesn’t mean he’s not a cinephile. He’s cited numerous filmmakers and actors over the years as influences on his own work, including Alfred Hitchcock, Sam Peckinpah, Andy Warhol, Charlie Chaplin and John Ford, to name just a few.

He himself has dipped his toes in the water of movie-making, appearing in both fictional films and ones about himself.

“In one way I don’t consider myself a filmmaker at all. In another way I do,” he told Rolling Stone in 1978, speaking about the movie Renaldo and Clara, a four-hour, quasi-documentary film he directed and starred in. “I don’t know who will like it. I made it for a specific bunch of people and myself, and that’s all. That’s how I wrote ‘Blowin’ in the Wind‘ and ‘The Times They Are A-Changin” – they were written for a certain crowd of people and for certain artists, too. Who knew they were going to be big songs?”

READ MORE: The Best Song From Every Bob Dylan Album

As with many of Dylan’s projects, commercial success, at least in the traditional definition of it, was not the goal.

“I don’t have any cinematic vision to sell out,” he said then. “It’s all for me so I can’t sell out. I’m not working for anybody. What was there to sell out?”

Renaldo and Clara is just one of several movie releases that Dylan has in some way had a hand in. In December of 2024, a new Dylan biopic arrived in the form of A Complete Unknown starring Timothee Chalamet as the young singer-songwriter who moves from Minnesota to New York City, finding himself along the way.

But there’s much more to be seen. In the below gallery, you’ll find a guide to 10 other Dylan-related films that have either focused on him as the subject or had some direct involvement with Dylan himself.

Ozzy Osbourne may have come much closer to performing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony than originally thought.

Osbourne was inducted as a solo artist at the 2024 event. Though health woes have forced him to retire from the road, the Prince of Darkness expressed hope he’d be able to take the stage leading up to the Hall ceremony. Instead, he watched from a throne as an array of musicians honored him, including guitarist Zakk Wylde, Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Jelly Roll and Wolfgang Van Halen.

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne Celebrated With All-Star Performance at Rock Hall

During a recent appearance on the Shred with Shifty podcast, Wylde revealed how close Osbourne came to taking the stage.

“Ozzy sang ‘Mama’ the day before, because Jelly Roll wasn’t there,” the guitarist noted. “So at rehearsal, Ozzy sang it.”

Probed as to why Osbourne decided against performing at the main event, Wylde was unsure.

“I don’t know,” the rocker admitted. “I think it was supposed to be, everybody was supposed to do a tribute thing to the boss. You know, how like Kelly Clarkson was singing with Foreigner with Lou Graham. You know what I mean? But like, Kelly was mostly singing the whole thing and all that stuff.”

Will Ozzy Osbourne Perform Again?

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame gig was yet another misfire in Osbourne’s attempts to return to the stage. He was scheduled to take part in 2023’s Power Trip festival, but ultimately had to withdraw due to his linger health issues. Despite such setbacks, he’s continually maintained his desire to perform once more.

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne Wants a Black Sabbath Reunion at His Final Concert

Recently, Geezer Butler revealed that Ozzy had expressed interest in a Black Sabbath reunion, should he be able to play live again. “He suggested, at his very final concert, for the four of us to get up on stage and maybe do three or four songs together,” Butler confessed. “And that would be it, finished.”

Chrissie Hynde has issued an apology for the way she feels about fans at shows, while offering an explanation for the controversial comments she made in October.

The Pretenders leader is one of many artists who ask gig-goers not to record performances on their phones. She likens the experience to being stalked, saying it made her think of quitting.

Hynde is also asking those who came to several shows to stay away from the front rows to give others a chance to stand there instead.

READ MORE: Top 10 Pretenders Songs

“What a year! We had a great tour thanks to you, our audience,” Hynde said in a new social media post. “We can’t do this without you and we cannot thank you enough for being there for us.”

She continued: “As always, I have a few apologies to make. First of all, I’m sorry that I’ve never adjusted to the phone / filming / picture-taking culture. I’ve sworn and berated the very audience that is there for us.”

Hynde said it was difficult to explain how distracting she found it, and admitted she often suffered “a meltdown” when she saw a phone. “Every night, I come off stage scolding myself and saying it’s just not worth it and maybe it’s time to hang up the guitar and find another vocation. But I love the band and I love playing live for you. I just don’t like being stalked.”

Noting that other artists including Bob Dylan require fans to keep their phones sealed in bags while inside the auditorium, she pointed out that the Pretenders always post signs asking fans not to use their devices – “but some people just cannot resist.”

Hynde added: “I do feel baffled and bad about it. I know pop acts encourage phones because they want to be on social media. But we are not a pop act. We’re a rock band (in case you didn’t notice).”

Chrissie Hynde Still Wants Fresh Faces in Front Rows

She said she accepts that comments about front-row fans “seems to have caused offense in some quarters.” Still, “I asked that anyone who has seen more than a few shows [to] let the locals have the front.

“I will [repeat] that we love to see people come back for more, but we travel the world to play to a new audience each night, so it’s good to see the locals up front. Come one and all… but be fair!”

Signing off, Hynde acknowledged her fans again for their support and gifts. “Thank you once again for making it a joyful year for myself and the band entire, and our lovely crew,” she said.

Phil Collins admitted he isn’t the biggest fan of Genesis while looking back on his career as the band’s drummer and later singer.

The 73-year-old was asked to summarize his life and times in the new documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First, released by Drumeo and available below.

“I’m not Genesis’ biggest fan, you know,” he admits. “There’s stuff that I like, stuff I’m proud of – [but also] stuff that [I’m] less so. Sometimes it can be like people throwing bricks at you.”

READ MORE: Ranking Every Genesis Solo Album

He’s quick to add that he enjoyed his time with the band, but reflected: “I’ve been playing drums since I was 5 – there’s gonna be dogs! There’s gonna be stuff you enjoy hearing back, and others not so.”

Elsewhere in the documentary, Collins confirms his least favorite Genesis song was “Down and Out,” from 1978’s … And Then There Were Three …, which signaled a change in musical direction after guitarist Steve Hackett had left.

Listen to Genesis’ ‘Down and Out’

Why Phil Collins Dislikes Genesis’ ‘Down and Out’

The opening track on the LP, “Down and Out” was one of three written by Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks in complete collaboration. It proved to be a difficult song to complete because of its complex rhythm phrases.

“So ‘Down and Out,’ … I haven’t heard it in ages; but it’s a period piece.”

Watch ‘Phil Collins: Drummer First’

Out of all the songs written by the members of the Beatles following their 1970 breakup, Paul McCartney‘s “Wonderful Christmastime” is often considered one of the most controversial, not for its subject matter, but for its artistic worth.

At best, it’s thought of as a mediocre release from someone who clearly possesses an extraordinary amount of talent, and at worst, as an intolerable number and an affront to Christmas itself.

The latter is an inaccurate and callow perspective to hold. To be clear: “Wonderful Christmastime” is by no means one of McCartney’s most profound works, but the criticism it has garnered in the decades since its 1979 release is frankly unjustified and downright silly.

Perhaps it’s best to start there, with the word “silly.” A significant strength of McCartney’s is in writing songs that appeal to the whimsical and quirky. Yes, he wrote tender-hearted things like “Yesterday,” “Hey Jude” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.” He also wrote “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “When I’m 64” and “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey.”

READ MORE: Top 10 Beatles Solo No. 1 Singles

“Wonderful Christmastime” comes from a similar artistic vein, which is to say: it’s supposed to be fun. It’s perfectly understandable for people, in the year 2024 especially, to have a difficult time embracing the concept of uninhibited joy for its own sake, but “Wonderful Christmastime” is best enjoyed when one sheds their hard external layer for a more spontaneous one.

In other words: lighten up.

To Each Their Own

This isn’t to say that there’s not an argument to be made against the song’s…eclectic, borderline annoying arrangement. This writer once saw a social media post stating something to the effect of: “Wonderful Christmastime” sounds like McCartney walked into the studio, pressed every single button on the synthesizer he could reach and left it at that. But if you’re asking this writer — and technically you are, since you’re reading an opinion piece written by her — there is usually more fun to be had in eccentricity than in tradition. Not to pit Beatles against one another, but this writer is also a through and through John Lennon fan and still cannot seem to sit through the entirety of “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” Well-intentioned as it is, I do not want to be preached to during the holidays — they’re stuffy and conformist enough as it is.

If anything, “Wonderful Christmastime” is a representation of the things that make the holiday season bearable and worth participating in: surprise, wonder, togetherness, nostalgia, fantasy and just a dash of mayhem and corniness.

“I think structure’s great. But I also like to start with chaos in order to get the freedom,” McCartney once said of his songwriting approach. “You know, if you structure too early it’s like [makes hitting the breaks noise]. But if you’re just creating, just free and flowing from chord to chord and idea to idea, something then sort of lands that you think is a good idea.”

Listen to Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’

There is usually an emphasis in holiday music — and Christmas songs in particular — on ritual, heritage and habit. There is undeniable value in these things, but there ought to be more room for the “just creating” part.

And in case you wondered if McCartney has regrets about “Wonderful Christmastime,” he doesn’t and nor should he.

“I like the idea of Christmas songs purely because they only come around at Christmas,” he told The Paul McCartney Project in 2022. “They remind us of the fun atmosphere of the whole season, and when I was writing ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ I was trying to capture that party aspect. I did hope it would keep coming back – which it has. Sometimes people will go into a shop and hear it a little too much, but I don’t care! I’m happy!”

Paul McCartney Through the Years: 1948-2023 Photos

Bob “Slim” Dunlap, the guitarist best-known as a member on the Replacements, has died at the age of 73.

A message from an admin on Dunlap’s Facebook fan page (run by his wife) announced the rocker’s passing.

“Our beloved Slimbob passed away today surrounded by his family,” said the post. “Loved by everyone. He will live on in all our memories. There will be more words, but I don’t have them now, more than thank you, Bob! Love you, always.”

Born in Plainview, Minnesota, Dunlap started playing guitar as a child. He began playing in bands in the ‘70s, including various projects with musician and visual artist Curtiss Almsted. In 1987, while working with Almsted in the band Spooks, Dunlap caught the attention of Paul Westerberg. The singer recruited Dunlap to join his band the Replacements, who were looking for a new guitarist after ousting Bob Stinson. Though he initially rejected the invitation, Dunlap eventually joined the group.

READ MORE: Top 10 Replacements Songs

At the time of Dunlap’s arrival, the Replacements already had five studio albums under their belt. The group had risen from underground darling to major label act, having signed with Sire – a subsidiary of Warner Bros. – in 1985.

Dunlap contributed to a pair of the Replacements albums – 1989’s Don’t Tell a Soul and 1990’s All Shook Down – before the band’s breakup in 1991. His tenure included the band’s biggest commercial radio hit, “I’ll Be You,” which peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May of 1989.

Following the Replacements’ disbandment, Dunlap toured with ex-Georgia Satellites singer Dan Baird. The guitarist also released solo material and continued to be active in the Minneapolis music scene. In 2012, Dunlap suffered a major stroke that left him severely debilitated. Surviving members of the Replacements came together to record the EP Songs for Slim in an effort to raise funds for the musician.

Though the Replacements never achieved broad mainstream success, they’ve been hailed as pioneers of alternative rock. They were Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees in 2014, but ultimately did not earn induction.

Once one of America’s biggest record store chains, Sammy Goody has announced it will close its final two brick-and-mortar locations.

At the company’s peak, Sam Goody operated more than 800 locations nationwide. It was a staple to malls across America and a shopping destination for all kinds of music fans (a generation of consumers will likely remember the classic slogan, “Goody Got It”).

However, like most companies dependent on physical sales, the advent of digital downloads and streaming had a massive impact on the brand. Since 2022, only two Sammy Goody stores have remained open in America – one in the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, Ohio, the other in Rogue Valley Mall in Medford, Oregon. Now, both are set to shutter for good.

Watch a Classic Sam Goody ‘Goody Got It’ Commercial From 1985

“It’s changed over the years, and it sucks – I put two-thirds of my life into this place,” Rick Polanski, longtime manager of the St. Clairsville store, declared to The Times Leader. “We were a $2 million store at one point, but times have changed and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“It’s been a good run,” the manager continued, noting he’d been with the store for over 40 years. “I’ve met an awful lot of people here and made an awful lot of great friends, and I’ll miss that the most.”

When Will the Final Sam Goody Stores Close for Good?

The Times Leader noted that the St. Clairsville Sam Goody will officially close in February. Representatives for the Medford store did not disclose a timeline for that location’s closure.

Samy Goody was originally launched in the 1950s by the brand’s namesake, Sam “Goody” Gutowitz. What began as a single record store on 49th Street in New York expanded to become a nationwide brand.

Gutowitz sold the chain to American Can Company in 1978, who merged Sam Goody with their already existent record store brand, Musicland. Further acquisitions, including the purchase of Southern California chain Licorice Pizza, made Sam Goody one of the biggest music retailers in America. The bubble burst at the dawn of the new millennium, as Sam Goody hemorrhaged money and continually changed hands. Best Buy, Trans World Entertainment and Sunrise Records were among the other owners who tried, and failed, to turn the brand around.

2025 Rock Tour Preview

Gene Simmons has updated his solo band’s tour schedule, detailing a total of 16 shows to take place across the U.S. in 2025.

The Kiss icon’s road trip is currently set to begin on Apr. 5 at the Graton Resort in Rohnert Park, CA, and end on May 24 at the House of Blues in Houston, TX.

The full schedule can be seen below. Some tickets are already on general sale while others are under presale. Visit Simmons’ site for details.

Read More: Kiss Band Member Power Rankings

In a recent interview Simmons said he was personally making more money per show with his solo band than he did with Kiss at the top of their game – despite having just repeated his regular claim that rock is dead.

“The local promoters provide the back line, and we just get up there and play,” he told Billboard. He added that the entire entourage consisted of himself, three band members and two crew.

“[N]o managers, no private jets, no 20 tractor trailers, no 60-man crew, no huge shows… [T]he pyro alone for every Kiss show [was $10,000, sometimes $50,000 if you go outdoors. Enormous, enormous costs for doing that.”

His solo shows had a completely different vibe, he explained. “It’s almost as if you decided to rent some amps in a garage and plug in, and then everybody from the neighborhood comes in… It’s very informal and a lot of fun.”

Gene Simmons Band Tour Dates 2025

4/05 – The Event at Graton Resort & Casino – Rohnert Park, CA
4/25 – Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL
4/26 – Fillmore – Miami Beach, FL
4/28 – The Moon – Tallahassee, FL
4/29 – Florida Theater – Jacksonville, FL
4/30 – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL
5/03 – Beaver Dam Amphitheater – Beaver Dam, KY
5/05 – Basie – Red Bank, NJ
5/06 – Wellmont – Montclair, NJ
5/08 – Wind Creek Casino – Bethlehem, PA
5/09 – Paramount – Huntington, NY
5/15 – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ON
5/20 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, IN
5/22 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX
5/23 – Tobin Center – San Antonio, TX
5/24 – House of Blues – Houston, TX

Elton John has released a new video for his 1973 holiday classic “Step Into Christmas.”

The clip stars actress and model Cara Delevingne as John in a reimagining of what happened behind the scenes of the song’s original performance clip from more than 50 years ago.

The new video features Delevingne lip-syncing to John’s song as she replicates scenes from the original clip, including a red feather boa draped over the piano. You can watch the new video below.

“I saw Cara at Glastonbury last summer, and we talked about how much we’d love to work together if the right idea came up,” John said in a press release announcing the video. “She’s hilarious to spend time with. We both have quite a self-deprecating sense of humor.

READ MORE: Rock’s Biggest Christmas Songs

“When someone suggested the idea of her playing me in a riff on the 1973 ‘Step Into Christmas’’ video, I just thought it was the perfect opportunity. Thank God Cara thought the same because it came out great.”

What’s the Story Behind Elton John’s Christmas Song?

John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin – who appears in the original video – wrote “Step Into Christmas” in 1973 and recorded it shortly after Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released in October of that year. The single – backed by another holiday original, “Ho, Ho, Ho (Who’d Be a Turkey at Christmas)” – came out in late November, just in time for the holiday.

The song initially reached No. 24 in the U.K., while it topped the U.S. Christmas chart. It has since become a holiday favorite, going triple platinum in the U.K. during the 2023 holiday season.

Some of the most memorable moments on PBS’s long-running Antiques Roadshow happen when a guest learns their dusty attic find is worth a small fortune. They cry. You cry. It’s pure magic.

Equally great are the moments when an appraiser catches a glimpse of something out of the corner of their eye and instantly knows: “This is going to be special.”

A Tupperware Container Holding Christmas Magic

That’s exactly what happened in 2005 when appraiser Simeon Lipman was at the table during an Antiques Roadshow taping in Providence, Rhode Island.

RELATED: The Best Holiday TV Specials of All Time, Ranked

A man walked up carrying—of all things—a Tupperware container. Inside? Absolute nostalgic Christmas magic: the original Santa and Rudolph puppets from Rankin/Bass’s iconic 1964 holiday special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

‘When he opened the container, my heart skipped a beat. I was looking at two faces I’ve seen my entire life.’ – Simeon Lipman, Appraiser

It turns out the guest’s aunt had worked at Rankin/Bass in the ’70s and had acquired the puppets once production wrapped.

RELATED: Every Family Had These Iconic Christmas Decorations

Lipman noted that puppets like these are typically in rough shape (these were the only two that didn’t melt in an attic), but while they weren’t perfect, they were still in surprisingly good condition—though Santa’s whiskers and Rudolph’s nose needed some repairs.

Want to see how they were restored? Check out the clip here.

The iconic childhood treasures were initially appraised at $8,000 to $10,000. However, after being carefully restored, their nostalgic value skyrocketed. Considering they’re literal celebrities to millions of people worldwide, this is not surprising.

By 2020, the beautifully restored puppets hit the auction block and sold for a jaw-dropping $368,000.

Don’t worry about them being stashed away in another attic, though. The buyer donated these treasures to the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, where they’re now on display for the public to enjoy.

“Hair metal” is not an actual genre. You know it, we know it and the myriad bands that got unfairly lumped into the category know it.

That said, the pejorative phrase serves a purpose here. Critics coined the term “hair metal” as a shorthand dismissal of the countless copycat hard rock bands that cluttered the Sunset Strip and ruled the airwaves throughout much of the ’80s. Broadly speaking, it was not a subgenre that rewarded originality. So it makes sense that many of the artists on our list of 10 Underrated Hair Metal Bands That Deserved to Be Way Bigger were also the ones that went against the grain.

Whatever you want to call it — glam metal, pop-metal, party metal — the hallmarks of hair metal are consistent: massive guitar riffs, blazing solos, debauched lyrics and sticky, radio-friendly hooks. At its best, it could be pure escapist bliss. At its worst, it was garish, contrived, lightweight fluff.

As the ’80s progressed and the L.A. hard rock scene became increasingly saturated, the latter category began to outweigh the former. The writing was on the wall long before Nirvana sounded the hair metal death knell with 1991’s Nevermind. But even as the genre hurtled toward irrelevance, several bands eked out terrific music that failed to get the recognition it deserved.

Some of the bands on this list tried to shake up the hair metal formula with blues, Southern rock or heavy metal elements and floundered for their efforts. Others suffered from mismanagement or general lack of support when they needed it most. Others, still, had their careers cut tragically short and subsequently watched their acolytes take their sound and aesthetic to staggering commercial heights.

Whatever the case, many of these bands retain cult followings today, and for good reason. Read on to see our list of 10 Underrated Hair Metal Bands That Deserved to Be Way Bigger.

If you’ve ever fancied taking a ride on a different kind of Polar Express, a discussion with friends about the best and worst holiday songs might be just the ticket you’ve been waiting for.

It’s important to realize that there will be a difference of opinion….many of them, in fact. Two evergreen (intentional pun) battles center around “Last Christmas” by Wham! and separately, Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmastime.” An informal social media poll across all of my accounts revealed a nearly universal hatred for “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey. We’re sure you probably have some thoughts to contribute to the pool of opinions as well.

We dug into this and other topics during the latest episode of the UCR Podcast. You can listen to our entire discussion below (and wherever you get your podcasts). Selected excerpts from our conversation follow.

1) What are some of the trademark elements of a good holiday song?

Allison Rapp: I love the kind of Christmas covers where you can tell specifically that it is that person’s style and nobody else could have done it the same way. For example, Bruce Springsteen’s “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” that is such a quintessential E Street record to me. The recording of it, the arrangement, nobody else could have done the song that way. So those are my favorite kind of classic rock Christmas songs when you can tell it’s very much true to that person’s unique, original style.

Watch Bruce Springsteen Perform ‘Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town’

Corey Irwin: In terms of characteristic, I think any Christmas song needs to capture that spirit. I know that’s a very general term, but I think there’s something about Christmas that’s very whimsical. It’s got a sense of nostalgia to it. So if anybody is trying to create something new, it needs to tap into that. If it doesn’t, I feel like immediately, everybody’s going to dismiss it as just a cash grab.

READ MORE: 30 Sad Holiday Songs

2) What do you find annoying about holiday songs that are perhaps more formulaic?

Irwin: There’s the checklist theory — I’m making a Christmas song, so I need to hit all of these points. I need to hit Santa, I need to hear reindeer, I need to hit snowmen — I need all of these things. It’s wedging something in that’s unnecessary if it doesn’t fit the story to the song, to the lyrics, it feels disingenuous. I think that can really sound grating to a listener. Also, one example that happened to me recently, you’ll hit Spotify or whatever and it will start giving you a playlist. You start with artists that you know and then of course, the algorithm throws in things and you don’t know what you’re getting . I got this Gwen Stefani / Blake Shelton Christmas song, “You Make it Feel Like Christmas,” and it’s possibly one of the worst, not just Christmas song, but recordings I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s just so painful, because it doesn’t even sound like they like each other. I know they’re a couple, but I don’t believe they like each other in the song. It just sounds like they’re both kind of “pasting on the Christmas schtick” to get some streams and that’s it. It’s like, well, that’s not Christmas. That’s not fun. That’s not something I want to listen to while I’m trying to spend some time with my family. It just felt very fake and phony.

Bryan Rolli: That’s just capitalism, which one could argue is actually the true reason for the season. But when we’re talking about musical merit, that makes for a pretty bad song. I think unsuccessful Christmas songs, they take all of these elements that are supposed to traditionally be in a Christmas song and they’re using those things in place of an actual narrative and story to tell. They can also go the other direction where they become overly maudlin and sentimental. I have nothing against a melancholic Christmas, but for example, I was out running an errand earlier today and I happened to turn on the radio. Bob Seger’s version of “Little Drummer Boy” was playing and that’s not one of my favorite Christmas songs. I just feel like it’s so overwrought. There’s such an effort there to convey, “Yes, this is a serious Christmas song. I am singing about a serious topic. You must listen to the song with reverence and respect.” And it’s like, nobody was questioning the merit of the song in the first place. That version becomes so heavy handed that it makes it a challenging listen.

Watch Wham!’s ‘Last Christmas’ Video

3) How do you feel about the whole Whamageddon thing where people try to avoid hearing “Last Christmas” by Wham! until Christmas Eve?

Matt Wardlaw: For me, it’s kind of like Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” and people getting “Rickrolled.” This has become kind of the holiday version of that, with people going out of their way to avoid getting “caught” by “Last Christmas.” The song itself is such a polarizing thing. People either like it or they hate it. But if you like it, why would you want to wait to experience that joy by trying to avoid the song?

Rolli: I get it. In this instance, I’m a big fan of “Last Christmas.” I think it’s a beautiful song and I think it’s one of my favorite Christmas rock/pop songs. I don’t place myself in as many scenarios where it’s likely I’m going to hear Christmas music. I don’t have the radio on very often. I don’t work in retail. Most days, I don’t really leave my house between the hours of 9 and 5, because of the perk of working remotely. If I were to be in those environments more, I’d proably get sick of it really fast, the same way I’m perpetually sick of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You.” If I never heard that one again, it would be too soon. So I understand the logic behind a game like that. But honestly, I’m at the point where if “Last Christmas” comes on, I still see it as kind of a reprieve from some of the worst Christmas songs.

READ MORE: 20 Christmas Songs Everyone Should Play Instead of Mariah Carey

4) What are some of the worst Christmas songs in your opinion?

Rapp: I’m a longtime dedicated, devoted John Lennon fan. I always have been, always will be. But I cannot sit through “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” I don’t know if it’s the children’s choir aspect of it. I can’t even put my finger exactly on it, but to me, it just drones on and on and I can’t sit through the whole song. I don’t think I’ve sat through the whole song in years. I can’t stand it.

Wardlaw: I’m glad to hear you say that. When that song comes on the radio, I know there’s supposed to be a positive message there….

Rapp: …yeah, of unity and goodness. I don’t know what that says about me, but I hate it.

Rolli: I’m with you both. I think if I have to look at it as objectively as possible, structurally, the song is fine. But at this point, its goodness and sincerity and importance, it’s like it insists upon itself. Because people use it as a counterpoint to “Wonderful Christmastime,” normally, they’re trying to argue that “Happy Xmas” is a better song than that one. It’s like, “Look at this, the real Christmas song, between the two! It’s evidence that John Lennon was better than Paul McCartney!” It’s overwrought and I have a Pavlovian response to it. Similarly, I cannot hear the whole thing anymore.

Listen to the ‘Best and Worst Christmas Songs’ Episode of the ‘UCR Podcast’

Irwin: I like it. You know, part of that is — and this kind of goes for all Christmas songs — I remember my parents playing that song when I was little, so I have a very positive recollection of hearing that song around Christmastime. It has that nostalgia for me, so I have a personal connection to it. I probably kind of overlook some of those things you guys are talking about. That being said, I’m certainly in the camp of hating “Wonderful Christmastime.” I think I understand to some degree, why. Let’s say it’s 1979 and somebody comes to you and says, “Babe, wake up! Paul McCartney’s released a Christmas song!” You’re thinking, “Are you serious?? This is one of the greatest, if not the greatest songwriter ever, this is going to be amazing. This is going to change Christmas every year. It’s going to be special.” Then, you hear “Wonderful Christmastime” and it’s such a letdown. You know, the Band Aid song, “Do They Know it’s Christmas,” it’s probably the same idea. You have some of the greatest musical minds ever in one room and that’s what you got? It’s a letdown. So there’s a certain level of expectation that comes with it that I think probably affects the way you view it. If somebody I’d never heard of had released “Wonderful Christmastime,” I’d probably just ignore it. But because it’s Paul McCartney, I’m like, man, this is so lame!

Watch Paul McCartney’s ‘Wonderful Christmastime’ Video

5) What are some of the Christmas songs that you really like?

Wardlaw: I know this is not a hard sell for Allison, but I like “Christmas All Over Again” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. That’s a longtime favorite — and it’s for similar reasons like Corey talked about. Some of these songs, I heard them for the very first time when I was a kid, so I’m still very sentimental about them and that Petty song is definitely one of those for me.

READ MORE: Rock’s Biggest Christmas Songs: The Stories Behind 15 Classics

Irwin: I think Joni Mitchell’s “River” is a classic song, one of those that will hit you in the heart pretty much anytime you listen to it. It kind of goes with what Bryan was saying about having that melancholy aspect to it and also being personal and relatable — and a Christmas song that’s only lightly about Christmas. It’s not hitting you over the head with it. So that’s one I’ll always listen to, no matter what.

Rapp: “River” is definitely on my list too. Joni Mitchell, I don’t think you can have a Christmas playlist without there being at least one or two sad Christmas songs. Along those same lines, “Please Come Home for Christmas,” the Eagles song. That one is usually on my rotation. Also, I really love and I was just listening to it the other day, because I got roped into hosting my friend’s annual little holiday party and I was in charge of music — I stumbled across the Ray Charles version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” That version is really great, really smooth and authentic to his own style.

Rolli: I really like “Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boys. Lyrically, it goes against a lot of what I said about what constitutes a good Christmas song, maybe, but it just lets their strengths as a band shine. I love the harmonies. It’s so catchy. I always remember the Coca-Cola commercial it features in with the big polar bear, so there’s positive memories there, great associations. Also, I’m a big fan of Elvis Presley’s version of “Blue Christmas.” I love the vocal on it. It’s got this blend of being a tiny, tiny bit melancholy, maybe in its subject matter, but it’s also a bit campy at the same time. It’s a classic.

Watch the Beach Boys’ ‘Little Saint Nick’ Video

Ringo Starr says the Beatles organization remains wary of AI, despite having harnessed the technology to deliver “the last Beatles song” in 2023.

“Now and Then” was built out of recovered elements of John Lennon’s 1977 demo, with 1995 recordings of George Harrison’s guitar added. Paul McCartney and Starr then recorded new parts to complete the song.

The AI system involved was developed by Peter Jackson for his 2021 documentary series The Beatles: Get Back – meaning the band were well aware of machine learning’s abilities.

READ MORE: Peter Jackson Says More Beatles Music is ‘Conceivable’

“We tried it in the ’90s when we got ‘Free As A Bird’ out,” Starr told Music Week in a new interview. “[B]ut we didn’t take much interest because it didn’t sound like John, and George got a bit fed up.

“He didn’t want to do a third [1995 single] and so we just put it to bed – but now they’ve got better equipment. They lifted John’s voice off a cassette, for God’s sake; off a cassette! And it was like John was suddenly in town.”

He hailed McCartney for overseeing the project. “I put the drums on and sang on the chorus… He put the strings on and the lead guitar that gave the track its emotion. It worked out really great.”

Ringo Starr: AI Can Hear Five Songs and Have My Voice

Starr then turned to the controversies surrounding AI, which includes the possibilities of computer-generated songs based on unpaid artists’ work and the replication of voices being used to sell tracks which the singer has no control over.

“We’re all a bit afraid of it, because it can steal you,” the drummer said. “Anyone who knows how to use it can steal you. If they just play any five of my songs into the computer, AI gets all of it and knows my every vocal move. They can have me sing anything and it will sound like me, because it’s taken from my personality.”

He continued: “But the good side is the way we used it on ‘Now And Then.’ God knows where it’s going to go. We’re all worrying about it; but nobody’s really stolen anything yet.”

Watch The Beatles in ‘Now And Then’

Why the Beatles Hated One of Their Own LPs

Michael Brewer of Brewer & Shipley passed away on Tuesday at the age of 80.

The news was confirmed in a press release, noting that Brewer had been battling multiple illnesses for the last three years.

Brewer & Shipley were best known for their Top 10 hit, “One Toke Over the Line,” released as their debut single in 1971.

“Who would have guessed they [the duo’s record label] would release it as a single, it would go shooting up the charts, and the Nixon administration would try to ban it?” Brewer said to UCR in 2016. “We made Nixon’s ‘hate list,’ which we held as a badge of honor and still do to this day, and the Vice President, Spiro Agnew, named us personally on national TV one night as ‘subversives to America’s youth.’ I mean, you can’t buy that kind of publicity.”