Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 27th, 2025

Black Sabbath guitarist Tommi Iommi gave a surprise performance at the end of the press night for the new Black Sabbath ballet stage production in London on Oct. 22. Iommi made the surprise appearance at the end of the Birmingham Royal Ballet's performance of "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" at Sadler's Wells in London. The ballet, which was first announced in 2023, has seen Iommi take a role in the creation of the ballet, working with Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta. The show includes eight of the band's tracks plus new music inspired by them, all performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. At the end of the event in London, Iommi played his iconic guitar solo to "Paranoid" as part of the evening's closing number, and the performance has been shared on YouTube. Iommi's Queen friend and fellow guitar legend Brian May was in attendance, and later shared his own video clips on Instagram, writing, "Wow! The true Father of Heavy Metal making that beautiful axe sing like a bird tonight at Sadlers Wells. Tony Iommi plus a 40 piece orchestra and a cast of 50 dancers - putting the icing on the cake of a great production of Black Sabbath the Ballet. Proud to call this infinitely modest and generous genius my friend." "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" is currently playing in London before travelling to the Edinburgh Festival Theatre from Oct. 30. - New Musical Express, 10/24/25...... In a new poem shared with RollingStone.com, Joan Baez suggests that a "little green worm" has eaten the part of Pres. Donald Trump's brain "where empathy originates." In the piece titled "Little Green Worm: A Note to the President," the folk icon and longtime social justice advocate slams the president's lack of "empathy," "impulse control" and "basic intelligence," positing that Trump has none of the above due to a "little green worm" entering his brain and eating it all up. "I've been thinking about a little green worm that has worked its way into your anterior insular cortex, the part of the brain where empathy originates," Baez wrote. "The little green worm quickly devoured yours. He then munched onward until he came to the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in impulse control and regulating social behavior. It's meant to stop us from blurting out vulgarities such as 'Grab her by the p---y' and 'S-thole countries' or accusing all Mexican immigrants of being criminals, rapists and drug dealers," the poem continued. The piece closes with Baez illustrating how the little green worm eventually moves on to the part of Trump's brain that should be "responsible for thought," only to find that he doesn't have one. "Oh s--t: there's nothing there," the musician concludes. Baez explained to Rolling Stone that turning to poetry instead of songwriting has helped her process the overwhelming nature of today's political landscape. "When I'm present and looking out at my own yard and the trees and all of that, it's still as beautiful as it ever was," she told the publication. "And then there are times of great sorrow and times of frustration, like everybody. And I found that the poetry helps -- just doing it and getting it down on paper or on computer to keep my head above water." - Billboard, 10/24/25...... In related news, Bruce Springsteen is continuing to speak out against Pres. Trump, offering up a "prayer" for "no kings" amid the ongoing protests against the politician. At the American Film Institute Opening Night Gala on Oct. 22 -- where Springsteen was in attendance to support new biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere -- The Boss performed his song "Land of Hopes and Dreams." Before diving into the track, however, he called it a "prayer for America, our community and no kings." "Outside, all hell is breaking loose in the United States," Springsteen said. "For 250 years around the world, despite all the faults that we've had, the United States has served as a beacon of democracy and hope and freedom." Despite how "terribly damaged" he thinks the country is, though, the Jersey rocker also noted that the nation's "ideals remain worth fighting for." In September, Springsteen told Time magazine that he intends on continuing to call out the faults he sees in the Trump administration. "I'm going to stay true to who I've tried to be. I can't give these guys a free pass," he said. In a June interview with the New York Times, Springsteen called Trump "a moron" and his rise on the political scene "an American tragedy." "I think that it was the combination of the deindustrialization of the country and then the incredible increase in wealth disparity that left so many people behind. It was ripe for a demagogue," he said. Springsteen's American Film Institute performance can be streamed on the AFI Instagram account. Also during the Fest, the musician told Variety that he's already planning a sequel to the Deliver Me From Nowhere film. "I suppose if you can make four Beatles movies, you can make a couple of Bruce Springsteen movies," he said in reference to Sam Mendes' four upcoming biopics of the legendary band members. Deliver Me director Scott Cooper also chimed in: "There's so many chapters in Bruce's life, in all seriousness, that are quite right for cinematic treatment," he noted. "That's something quite honestly that Bruce and I have discussed. I think he really loves this film. He's loved the experience. I think he feels incredibly comfortable with, someone telling a very painful chapter in his life. You'd have to ask him, but I think he's ready for more." - Billboard/NME, 10/23/24...... The Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh will be adding his star power to the "Knockouts" rounds of the NBC amateur talent series The Voice during season 28. Walsh will be a "mega mentor," mentoring contestants on teams for Niall Horan and Reba McEntire, while Zac Brown Band frontman Zac Brown will mentor contestants on teams for Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg. Brown and Walsh will mentor the remaining contestants as they prepare for the Knockouts round, which begin on Oct. 27. Walsh's five-decade career began with the James Gang in 1969, before he founded the trio Barnstorm and later launched a solo career. In 1975, he joined the Eagles. The Voice airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC and will stream the following day on Peacock. - Billboard, 10/20/25...... Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was laid to rest in an intimate, private ceremony in the Bronx on Oct. 22 attended by family, friends, and his three surviving KISS co-founders: singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist/singer Gene Simmons and original drummer Peter Criss. SiriusXM radio host and Frehley friend Eddie Trunk posted about the event on Instagram, including the program for the memorial service honoring the beloved guitarist who died on Oct. 16 at age 74 featuring a quote from John 14:1-3, 27 which concludes with: "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." In the accompanying note, Trunk wrote, "It has been an emotional couple of days to say the least saying farewell to a rock icon and long time friend. All of the services went as well as they could and were attended by a small group of family and close friends, including the 3 surviving original members of @kissonline." He also noted that there will also be a public event in the future to pay tribute to the musician known as "Spaceman" for his fiery guitar solos and irreverent sense of humor. In another Instagram post, Trunk added that Frehley was buried in a cemetery in the Bronx, where he grew up and close to where his parents are buried, per his request. In addition to the KISS trio, Trunk said some of Frehley's solo bandmates were on hand as well, though no fans attended the "very small, private" memorial or burial. That's why Trunk re-iterated that he's trying to pull together a public fan memorial, something he said Ace would have "loved I think he deserves that." Frehley died on Oct. 16 at his New Jersey home of undisclosed causes, with his spokesperson attributing his passing to a "recent fall at his home." According to TMZ.com, the Morris County, N.J. medical examiner's office is conducting a series of exams to determine the musician's cause of death, including a toxicological screening and external body exam, with results due in several weeks. KISS will be honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors taping on Dec. 7 -- and airing Dec. 23 on CBS -- with Frehley becoming be just the third person to receive the honor posthumously. - Billboard, 10/24/25...... Spinal Tap have announced plans for a "final" concert movie entitled Stone Henge: The Final Finale. The film, which will hit cinemas in 2026, was originally filmed in August this year and sees the definitive rock "mockumentary" boys performing their first and final concert at the historical landmark with the likes of Eric Clapton, Shania Twain and Josh Groban. The famous ancient landmark Stonehenge is an integral part in the original 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap, where the band perform the song "Stonehenge" around a hilariously small 18-inch model of the historical landmark. The track pops up again in the sequel, this time with the help of Elton John, and a much larger prop. Directed yet again by Rob Reiner, The Final Finale follows the long awaited Spinal Tap 2: The End Continues sequel which was released in September. "I'm told this is it. They're really serious this time," says Kent Sanderson, CEO of the film's distributor, Bleecker Street. "While this is ostensibly the end, how fitting is it that this actual-probable-send-off is shot, historically, at Stonehenge, the mysterious landmark that we now know must have been erected thousands of years ago purely to serve as the setting for the last act of Spinal Tap." A teaser trailer for The Final Finale can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 10/24/25...... Longtime 10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced his intention to step down from the band due to the "rigours of touring." Burgess, 75, has sat behind the kit for 10cc for 52 years, and is also known for his tenures with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works. "Having enjoyed many years with 10cc, I'm sorry to say that for me the rigours of touring have become incommensurate with age, and it's time to put excessive hours spent waiting in airports and sitting on tour buses behind me," Burgess said. "I have no intention of retiring and will continue to play, but at a more agreeable pace, working with past associates and a new band of like-minded musicians, The Guilty Men." 10cc frontman Graham Gouldman admitted it will be "strange" being onstage without his "longest-running musical associate." "When Paul and I started working together in 10cc, we never imagined in our wildest dreams that we would still be doing it even 30 years later, let alone 52," Gouldman said. Burgess' replacement will be Ben Stone, who has drummed for the likes of Mike and the Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler. Burgess, who had various stints with 10cc since he joined in 1973, played his last concert with the "I'm Not In Love" hitmakers in Alexandria, Va. in September. 10cc has announced plans to bring their "And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour" to the UK in 2026. - Music-News.com, 10/25/25...... Popular '50s/'60s actress June Lockhart, known for her roles in the TV series Lost In Space and Lassie and the film musical Meet Me in St. Louis, died of natural causes on Oct. 23 in Santa Monica, Calif. She was 100 years old. Ms. Lockhart became known for her performances as young Timmy's foster mother, Ruth Martin, on the CBS series Lassie from 1958 to 1964. She took over from Cloris Leachman as the Martin family moved on to the famous collie's farm and became foster parents to both the orphaned Timmy and Lassie. She then starred as Dr. Maureen Robinson on the CBS series Lost in Space from 1965 to 1968, playing a brilliant biochemist and loving mother of three who is marooned in space along with her family. In a 2024 interview, Ms. Lockhart noted that Lost in Space was the favorite of her many projects. "It was so campy," she said, "And I truly enjoyed my relationship with my space family." Over nearly eight decades on screen, Ms. Lockhart went on to appear in dozens of series and movies well into her 80s, with recurring roles on Petticoat Junction, General Hospital, Beverly Hills 90210, and guest appearances on shows from The Beverly Hillbillies to Happy Days to Full House, Roseanne and Gray's Anatomy. The daughter of actors Gene Lockhart and Kathleen Lockhart, Ms. Lockhart was born in New York City in 1925. She made her feature film debut at 13 years old, starring alongside both of her parents in Edwin L. Marin's 1939 A Christmas Carol, where she played Belinda Cratchit. After her breakout role, she appeared in films such as All This, and Heaven Too, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Yearling, and Sergeant York. In the 1950s, she guest-starred in several Western series such as Wagon Train, Cimarron City, Gunsmoke, Have Gun - Will Travel, and Rawhide. She was nominated for two Emmys, including Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series for her performance in Lassie. She also received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures and one for television. Lockhart was previously the recipient of a Special Tony Award for Outstanding Performance by a Newcomer for her role on Broadway in "For Love or Money" in 1948. Her last role was the voice of "Alpha Control" in a 2021 episode of the Lost in Space remake series and her last on-screen appearance was in the 2016 movie The Remake. A private service has been planned in her honor. - Variety, 10/24/25.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 22nd, 2025

Bruce Springsteen gave a rare live performance of "Streets Of Philadelphia" at the Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on Oct. 18. The Boss was on hand at the fifth annual event hosted by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to receive the inaugural Legacy Award, which honors artists who have "inspired generations of storytellers and deeply influenced our culture." Springsteen played an acoustic set at the event, which included a performance of his Oscar-winning track "Streets Of Philadelphia," which was written for Jonathan Demme's acclaimed AIDS drama Philadelphia. Also in his set were "Atlantic City" from 1982's Nebraska and his 2000s live favorite "Land Of Hope And Dreams." Fan-captured footage of the performance can be viewed on Instagram. - New Musical Express, 10/19/25...... The UK paper The Sun is reporting Fleetwood Mac is in talks to create a TV show and one-off concert after news that band members are planning to reunite to mark the 50th anniversary of their landmark album Rumours. Plans said to be under discussion for 2027 include a one-off live show, a television special, and a behind-the-scenes documentary revisiting the making of the 1977 record, The Sun reports, and an anniversary edition of Rumours featuring unreleased studio material is also being developed by Warner Records. Should the reunion come to fruition, it would be the band's first since 2019 and would pay tribute to late keyboardist and singer Christine McVie, who died in 2022. According to the article, drummer and band founder Mick Fleetwood, 78, is leading efforts to bring the surviving members -- singer Stevie Nicks, 77, guitarist/singer Lindsey Buckingham, 76, and bassist John McVie, 79 -- together for the project. "Fleetwood Mac are discussing new projects and how to mark Rumours' big 5-0. For certain there is a special edition version of the album coming, which the band and label have been secretly looking at," a source said. "But also there is a significant hope that it is time for the definitive documentary on all the chaos in the studio that created the magic on record. John and Christine were divorcing and she was dating their lighting guy. Stevie and Lindsey were over just before she and Mick enjoyed a brief fling. And drugs and booze were everywhere. The desire is for everyone to sit down and present their side of events on screen," the source continued. It added, however, that a new tour is "unlikely at this stage" but "there is a desire to pay tribute to Christine in some way and a live show around Rumours seems a very fitting way." - Music-News.com, 10/22/25...... In other 50th anniversary news, Neil Young has announced a 50th anniversary re-release for his 1975 album Tonight's The Night. The limited-edition reissue will contain the full album alongside six bonus tracks, made up of unreleased alternate versions of songs from the era and a collaboration with Joni Mitchell. The album will include a version of "Lookout Joe" that was recorded at S.I.R. Studio in Los Angeles in 1973 in place of the original and a new take on the record's title track. Also included are unreleased versions of "Walk On," "Everybody's Alone" and "Speakin' Out," an early version of "Wonderin'" and a collaborative version of Mitchell's "Raised On Robbery." The reissue will be released on CD, 2-LP and clear 2-LP versions on Nov. 28. Young's sixth album, Tonight's The Night was released in June 1975. It had been recorded two years earlier but Young's label Reprise delayed its release, reportedly due to the bleakness of the subject matter and its rough sound. Meanwhile, rumors that Young, Joan Baez and Willie Nelson would be performing at an "all-American alternative" to the Super Bowl halftime show appear to be the result of AI-generated fake updates that have been circulating online. One of the posts claims that the two of them will be performing there as it is "a heartfelt and patriotic alternative to the Super Bowl 60 halftime event" that will "honour the enduring legacy of Charlie Kirk," the conservative activist who was shot and killed in September. "With Joan's golden voice and Neil's grace-filled harmony, the All-American Halftime Show will turn the world's biggest stage into a moment of hope and homecoming," it read. While reps for both Young and Baez have not commented on the AI-post, it is pretty clear that neither have any intention of performing at the event. A rep for Nelson was quick to dismiss a performance by the country/pop legend at an alternative halftime show, telling Rolling Stone: "They obviously don't know anything about Willie, do they?". The rumors began after Puerto Rican rap star Bad Bunny was announced to headline the Feb. 2026 Super Bowl halftime show, which sparked backlash from right-wing leaders in the US, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Bad Bunny has admitted that he won't be touring the US during his forthcoming world tour due to fears over ICE agents raiding his concerts. - NME, 10/22/25...... In other Neil Young news, in a new interview with Rolling Stone Micah Nelson, the son of Willie Nelson and a longtime bandmate of Neil Young's, reveals that Young was feeling "really sick" and "drained" before he formed his latest band Chrome Hearts. Nelson said Young was going through a rough patch towards the end of 2024, and seemed to be taking a step back from music due to his tour with Crazy Horse being halted due to a number of health issues among members. Sharing how it took a toll on the frontman, Nelson shared: "I knew how bummed out Neil was. He wasn't feeling like making music. He was really sick. He was trying to get over that and just get his energy back. Then he was really bummed out about what happened and how it all went down. And that just kind of drained him a lot, and doused this flame. I was like: 'Is Neil fading away? This is unacceptable'." Nelson then said he was adamant to rekindle Young's love of music and encourage him to pursue a new project -- ultimately helping lead to the formation of the Chrome Hearts. "Whenever you want to do the thing again, just call me up and I'm ready to go'," Nelson said he told Young. "I'd call him a lot and check in on him and remind him how he's not old," he told the outlet. "I was like: 'Do whatever you got to do, man. Take your time. I get it. Recharge. The tank has got to fill back up, and that can take time, but whenever you want to do the thing again, just call me up and I'm ready to go'.... it took a few years once he started again to really, really get back in the groove." - NME, 10/20/25...... The Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock has told the Daily Star paper that the band "have ideas" for making new music with their new frontman Frank Carter. In 2024, bassist Matlock, guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook of the punk legends' original line-up enlisted former Gallows frontman Carter to take on lead vocals in place of John Lydon for a series of shows at London's Bush Hall. The line-up has since gone on to play tours around the UK and have announced shows in North and South America. Now, Matlock has suggested that the new version of the band is prepared to record new music together too and are currently considering their options. "We talked about it with Steve Jones," Matlock told the paper. "We have ideas and Frank is a very good lyricist. Everyone has ideas, but we're very busy at the moment and haven't had a chance to really work things out." Matlock also reflected on how any new music would impact the band's legacy. "Above all, we have to ask ourselves if the public really wants us to release new music," he said. "In the end, who knows?" The Pistols and Carter were due to kick off their North and South American dates in September, but were forced to postpone when Jones broke his wrist. They told fans that the gigs would be rescheduled when he has fully recovered. - NME, 10/22/25...... People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have reached out to former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, urging him to temporarily change his name to "Robert Plant Wool." The push comes as November, which PETA categorizes as "Plant Wool Month," raises more awareness by the organization for plant alternatives to sheep's wool. In a letter to the Plant, PETA notes that the short-term name change would make more people aware of plant-powered yarns, including those made from hemp, cotton, orange waste, and more. It also would help the push to have people turn away from animal wool and cashmere industries, which it criticises as environmentally-destructive and sometimes abusive. "Plant Wool Month celebrates animal-free and plastic-free yarns that promote sustainable fashion while lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the animals with whom we share this precious planet," said PETA Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen. "PETA is asking Robert Plant to sing the praises of plant wool with a temporary name change that reminds everyone that nothing compares to soft, natural, and eco-friendly plant wool." PETA also maintains that Plant Wool Month will generate more recognition for "hard-working crop farmers, innovative textile makers, and pioneering designers who grow, spin, and work with these beautiful yarns to create knitwear, suits, and more." Plant has not yet responded publicly to the letter from PETA. Meanwhile, Plant is currently on tour in the US behind his latest solo album Saving Grace, wrapping on Oct. 22 with a show at the United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles. - NME, 10/21/25...... Singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins is slamming the unauthorized use of his hit "Danger Zone" in a new AI video shared by Pres. Donald Trump which shows the president flying a plane and dumping feces on protesters set to "Danger Zone." In a statement posted to his Instagram account on Oct. 20, the former Loggins & Messina member and '80s/'90s solo star said that the POTUS' use of his song in the clip shared Oct. 18 was completely "unauthorized" and that "nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied." "I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately," he continued. "I can't imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together." "We're all Americans, and we're all patriotic," Loggins added. "There is no 'us and them' -- that's not who we are, nor is it what we should be. It's all of us. We're in this together, and it is my hope that we can embrace music as a way of celebrating and uniting each and every one of us." Trump's video with "Danger Zone" -- which was famously used in the 1986 Top Gun movie -- comes amid nationwide "No Kings" gatherings in the U.S. and around the world protesting the twice-impeached politician's policies. The video appeared to be Trump's response to the protests, as it depicts him wearing a crown while flying the plane that unleashes piles of feces onto the heads of AI-generated protestors holding up signs on the streets below. Trump's continued use of such AI videos featuring artists' music without their permission has consistently irritated musicians, and earlier in October Blue Öyster Cult distanced themselves from the president after "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" was used in an AI clip that mocked Democrats. The Trump administration has appeared to double down on their bomber video, with a White House rep responding to Loggins' complaint with a Top Gun meme: a picture of stars Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards on the tarmac with the movie's superimposed catchphrase "I Feel the Need For Speed." - Billboard, 10/20/25...... Rush has announced that German drummer Anika Nilles will be backing original members Geddy Lee (bass/vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitar) on the band's upcoming 50th anniversary tour which is set to kick off on June 7, 2026, in Los Angeles. Also, on Oct. 20 Lee and Lifeson announced that they have added 17 new shows in Philadelphia, Boston, Montreal, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Edmonton, Seattle and Vancouver to the outing on which they will pay tribute to late drummer/lyricist Neil Peart. Following the previously announced kick off on June 7 with the first of four sold out shows at the Kia Forum, the band will hit Mexico City, Fort Worth, Texas, Chicago, New York and Toronto for multiple nights before hitting Philly on Aug. 21 for the first of the newly revealed shows. The tour will then move on to Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Aug. 26, the Bell Centre in Montreal on Sept. 2 and TD Garden in Boston on Sept. 12. Fans are encouraged to sign up for a Rush artist pre-sale for the new shows at livemu.sc/rush by 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 23; no code is needed, with access tied to the user's account. The artist pre-sale begins on Oct. 27 at 12 p.m. local time in the U.S. and Canada. A general on-sale will begin at 12 p.m. local time at www.rush.com on Oct. 31 in the U.S. and Canada. German drummer/composer Anika Nilles has performed with Jeff Beck and released four solo albums. - Billboard, 10/20/25...... Oscar-winning filmmaker Cameron Crowe has recalled an interview he had with David Bowie in a new memoir called The Uncool. Crowe, who began his career as a journalist with Rolling Stone (with his experiences documented in 2000 film Almost Famous), spent 18 months on the road with Bowie in the 1970s, and in his new book he recounts the time he revisited the interviews with Bowie decades later. "He didn't want to go back there," Crowe told The Independent. "I would read his quotes back to him. Like, 'you said Patti Smith and Kraftwerk would be all that's remembered from this time', but he wouldn't bite. He kept batting it all back to me, and eventually just said, 'Cameron, those were the insane ramblings of a young man addicted to amphetamines'." Crowe reiterated: "He just didn't want to go back there. He was in love with his wife, having a beautiful life living in Soho." Crowe was then asked whether he was sad that Bowie couldn't recall a lot of their time together, reflecting: "You know what, I spent a lot of time thinking about it. I think he remembered it all. He just didn't want to remember it with me, but that's OK." Meanwhile, the director is set to helm a new Joni Mitchell biopic, and teased in his latest interview that it is "a movie about somebody worth making a movie about, and something that really has my voice in it." The film, which is rumoured to star Anya Taylor-Joy and Meryl Streep as the younger and older versions of the music icon, was expected to be released this Christmas, though will miss that deadline. Crowe has described the project as "Joni's life... through her prism. It's the characters who impacted her life that you know and a lot that you don't know. And the music is so cinematic." - NME, 10/20/25...... In related news, Debbie Harry has revealed who she'd like to play her in a potential Blondie biopic. If it were somebody like Florence Pugh, I would be in heaven... I just think she's a great actor and she could do anything," Harry told the London Times. In 2014, Harry said she supported the idea of a Blondie biopic, and that a film would help people have a "finer appreciation" of the iconic New Wave group. At the time, she said: "It's difficult. You can only really skim the surface. If it's good entertainment, honest, well-acted and directed? Maybe," she replied when asked about her thoughts on the matter. "I think many people could be informed and have a finer appreciation of the person or era." Harry released her book Face It: A Memoir in 2019, charting her rise in the downtown New York City scene of the 1970s to become a global superstar, as well as how she overcame heroin addiction, bankruptcy and Blondie breaking up. A biopic could be based on any of the Blondie members' memoirs, with Chris Stein sharing his Under A Rock in 2024, and Harry's Face It coming out in 2019. - NME, 10/20/25...... Ozzy Osbourne's daughter Kelly Osbourne has thanked fans in Ozzy's hometown of Birmingham, UK for their support while accepting a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of the metal pioneer at the Birmingham Awards, and later reflected on what the city meant to him. "Last night I had the honor of accepting my father's life time achievement award on his behalf at the @birminghamawards," she later wrote in an Instagram post," Kelly posted on Instagram. "I can't thank everyone enough for their love and support. I know that my dad was shining down on us from heaven with pride because being a #Brummy meant more to him than anything," she continued. "He loved the city and he loved the people. This honor would have meant the world to him. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. #birminghamforever." The award comes in the wake of his passing in July, aged 76, just 17 days after he played one last show as the frontman of the metal band at the "Back To The Beginning" concert in Birmingham. It was Osbourne's first full gig since 2018, having undergone multiple surgeries in the following years. He also experienced other health problems, including Parkinson's disease. - NME, 10/19/25...... The upcoming Sundance film festival in Utah will feature multiple tributes to its late co-founder Robert Redford including a screening of his first independent movie, organizers announced on Oct. 22. Hollywood legend Redford, who starred in hits like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid before becoming an Oscar-winning director, died in September at the age of 89. His passing caused an outpouring of grief from the US filmmaking community -- many of whose leading lights got their start at the indie movie festival he created, including Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh. "Robert Redford's dedication to the power of storytelling shaped independent cinema," said a festival statement. "In honor of his memory, a commemorative screening of Downhill Racer (released in 1969) will be presented, his first independent film and a passion project that was his catalyst for the creation of Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival," it said. Starring Redford as an obsessive skier competing in the Winter Olympics, Downhill Racer was described by late esteemed film critic Roger Ebert as "the best movie ever made about sports -- without really being about sports at all." In his first significant venture behind the camera, Redford pitched and developed the film, though he did not receive a formal producer credit. Multiple other celebratory events for Redford will be held throughout the festival, which starts Jan. 22. It will be the final Sundance held in Utah, before the festival -- having outgrown its base in the ski resort of Park City -- moves to Boulder in neighboring Colorado. The festival's lineup of new feature film and documentary premieres will be announced in the coming weeks, with tickets on sale from Oct. 22. - AFP, 10/22/25...... While chances of a Fleetwood Mac reunion appear to be improving, it's just the opposite for a potential Pink Floyd reunion, with David Gilmour recently doubling down on an interview in 2024 in which he said -- referring to his former bandmate Roger Waters -- he would rather "steer clear of people who actively support genocidal and autocratic dictators like Putin and Maduro." In a new interview with The Telegraph, Gilmour was asked what it would take for him to join forces with Waters again. "Nothing," he replied. "There is no possible way that I would do that." Going into further detail in the 2024 interview, Gilmour explained: "Nothing would make me share a stage with someone who thinks such treatment of women and the LGBT community is OK. On the other hand, I'd love to be back on stage with [Pink Floyd keyboardist] Rick Wright, who was one of the gentlest and most musically gifted people I've ever known." Gilmour's wife Olly Samson has also been vocally outspoken against Waters' politics, accusing him in 2023 of being "anti-Semitic to [his] rotten core" and "a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac". Gilmour re-shared Samson's post, adding that "every word [is] demonstrably true. "Waters himself issued a statement in response, in which he described Samson's comments as "incendiary and wildly inaccurate," adding that he "refutes [them] entirely." He also said that he was "taking advice as to his position" regarding the claims. Gilmour has also said he finds it "wearisome" to have to talk about Waters. "Do you know what decade of my life I was in when Roger left our pop group? My thirties. I am now 78. Where's the relevance?" he told Britain's Mojo magazine in 2024. In a Rolling Stone interview, however, he also stated that "one day there are things I will talk about." - NME, 10/19/25.

The Bob Dylan "Rough and Rowdy Ways" tour which has been in progress for four years has released 1,500 additional tickets for the Coventry, UK show on Nov. 13 due to increased capacity at the city's Building Society Arena. The legendary singer-songwriter is due to kick off a European leg of the tour on Nov. 7 in Brighton, followed by three shows in Swansea (Nov. 9, 10, 11), Coventry (Nov. 13), Leeds (14/11), Glasgow (16, 17/11), Belfast (19, 20/11), and Killarney (23, 24/11) before wrapping in Dublin on Nov. 25. Dylan's most recent leg of the tour ran across North America in March and April and saw him dipping into his back catalogue -- including the first performance of '"The Times They Are A-Changin'" -- in 15 years. He recently announced the release of Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through The Open Window, 1956-1963, which will drop Oct. 31 via Columbia/Legacy Recordings. - New Musical Express, 10/16/25...... The Eagles will soar higher in 2026 by adding eight additional dates to their long-running residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The new dates -- Jan. 23-24, Jan. 30-31, Feb. 20-21, and Feb. 27-28 -- will make their 52-date residency the longest-running one of any band at the innovative venue so far, breaking out of a tie with Dead & Company's 48 shows. The Don Henley-led band launched its Sphere stint in Sept. 2024, and after an initial spate of dates spanning five months, have rolled out extensions a handful of concerts at a time, most recently adding eight October and November dates last April. Presale registration for the shows is available now through the Eagles.com website. Among the other acts performing at the Sphere since its Sept. 2023 debut are U2, Phish, Anyma, Kenny Chesney and Backstreet Boys, and the Zac Brown Band will debut its run in December. - Billboard, 10/13/25...... British actor James Norton, currently appearing in Netflix hit House Of Guinness, is reportedly under consideration to play The Beatles' former manager Brian Epstein in the forthcoming biopics about the band. Epstein met the band in 1961 and became their manager until his death in 1967, aged just 32. Often nicknamed "The Fifth Beatle," he was portrayed in a 2024 biopic called Midas Man by fellow British actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd. In an apparent acknowledgement of the news, Norton shared a screenshot of the Deadline article on his Instagram account with the caption "Brian d." Earlier in 2025, it was revealed that the legendary band will be portrayed by Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn, and on Oct. 9, it was revealed Soairse Ronan will be playing Linda McCartney. Beatles -- A Four-Film Cinematic Event is scheduled to be released in Apr. 2028. - NME, 10/15/25...... Elsewhere on the Fab Four front, a five-string banjo once played by John Lennon has been given a new home at The Salvation Army's iconic Strawberry Field in Liverpool, as part of a celebration of the late Beatles' 85th birthday on Oct. 9. Originally owned and played by John's bandmate Rod Davis in The Quarrymen -- the band that would later evolve into The Beatles -- the instrument is now on display at the attraction, giving Beatles fans the chance to delve deeper into the band's rich heritage. The banjo, which is kindly on loan from collector Ashley Davie, will go on display alongside the world-renowned collection of artefacts on display at Strawberry Field, including the famous "Imagine" piano, on which John composed one of the greatest peace anthems of the 20th century. The banjo was played by Rod at all The Quarrymen's early gigs, including the historic Woolton Village Fete on 6 July 1957 -- the day John first met Paul McCartney. A new incarnation The Quarrymen played performed an exclusive live performance on Oct. 9 to celebrate Lennon's birthday, part of a string of activities which included a first look at a brand-new photomosaic wall, featuring 1,300 images submitted by Beatles fans, Quarrymen members and Strawberry Field supporters from across the world. "It's an incredible honour to be here and unveil this special banjo at Strawberry Field, a place held dearly by John and where he spent much time during his childhood," said Rod Davis. "Performing here on what would have been his 85th birthday was a poignant way to mark the occasion and to remember his enduring legacy." Based in Woolton, Liverpool, Strawberry Field is an award-winning visitor attraction located at the iconic site immortalised by Lennon in The Beatles' hit, "Strawberry Fields Forever." The attraction, which is owned by The Salvation Army, tells the story of John's childhood, offering visitors an immersive experience that includes the original red gates of Strawberry Field, and the magical gardens where John played, climbed trees and dreamed as a child. As part of the schedule to mark Lennon's birthday, a group of lucky Beatles fans were also taken on an exclusive tour beyond Strawberry Field itself to the pivotal places of Lennon's childhood, from The Salvation Army site that inspired his iconic song to the very streets, schools and classrooms where his story began. Visitors are being invited to mark John's birthday by leaving their own messages of peace, which will be displayed on the original Strawberry Field gates. - Music-News.com, 10/11/25...... Actor/musician Johnny Depp joined Patti Smith on stage on Oct. 12 during a London concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Smith's seminal album Horses. Depp joined Smith during the first of two consecutive nights at the London Palladium, coming out during the encore. Smith introduced her entire band to the audience and then added: "And Johnny? And Johnny Depp? The original Johnny." It was a reference to the line, "the boy looked at Johnny" from her Horses track "Land/Horses." Depp played guitar on the album track "People Have the Power," with Smith's daughter Jesse on keyboards. Smith is currently celebrating her iconic 1975 record with her band, including two members of the original group, Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty, along with keyboardist/bassist Tony Shanahan, who has been in the line-up for 30 years. She will play further "Horses"' tour dates in Brussels, Oslo, and Paris through Oct. 21, then kick off a U.S. leg in Seattle on Nov. 10. Other stops included Oakland, Calif., San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia through Nov. 29. Horses was included in the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry, and inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2021. A deluxe 50th anniversary edition of Horses dropped on Oct. 10. - NME, 10/14/25...... English singer/songwriter Sam Fender has released a new track featuring Elton John called "Talk To You." The heartwarming tune, which has become a fan favourite in Fender's live shows, was recorded in the sessions for Fender's album People Watching, which recently won the prestigious Mercury Prize. In a joint statement about the song, Sam said: "Talk To You was written during the People Watching sessions at British Grove. It's a song about the end of a long relationship - about the regret, the mistakes and the lessons that come with it. It's that feeling of losing your best friend and coming to terms with that." He continued: "I was playing around with the riff and thought what I need is a really good pianist and then hmmm, I wonder who I can call? And of course, who better than Elton John." Sir Elton, 78, commented: "Sam was writing and recording in a studio in West London and called to say he'd written a song with a piano riff that he thought would sound great with me playing it. I couldn't resist, and it was so much fun playing it for him. I truly love Sam. He's been a friend for many, many years and it's incredible to see him grow into being a truly world class artist." "Talk To You" is set to feature on a deluxe expanded edition of People Watching, which will go on sale Dec. 5 with eight additional tracks. - Music-News.com, 10/17/25...... Carlos Santana is pushing back on viral rumors that he's opposed to his fellow Latino performer Bad Bunny being booked for the upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Show next February. Since Bad Bunny was announced as the halftime headliner, viral rumours -- partially made through AI -- have circulated the internet claiming that Mexican-American guitarist Santana pushed back against the idea of the Puerto Rican rapper playing the coveted slot. Meanwhile, other posts claimed that Santana had even petitioned to replace the "Perfumito Nuevo" rapper at the sporting event. Now, Santana and his manager have provided statements to Billboard debunking those claims. "AI has accelerated the spread of misinformation, making it harder for the truth to break through the noise. Don't rely on random or unverified posts -- even well-meaning outlets can get misled," Santana's manager wrote. Santana said in his own statement: "I congratulate and celebrate Bad Bunny's success and his position right now with the world and with the Super Bowl. I feel total oneness with what he's doing because we are here to utilize art to complement and bring the world closer to harmony and oneness." The Grammy-winner continued: "However, we're living in a time of fear, division, separation, superiority and inferiority. Fear is the flavour right now. Fear is what motivates ignorant people to put words in my mouth -- saying that I didn't want Bad Bunny to be represented at the Super Bowl. I never said that, nor would I ever. Just to be clear, my heart is in total harmony with Bad Bunny, and I celebrate his success, his triumph and his phenomenal achievement. Anything other than that is coming from people's ignorance. We're living in a time when hostile forces love to create conflict, separation and division, because the hostile forces don't like unity, harmony, oneness and joy. They want people to be miserable and to spend too much time in their minds. I spend a lot of time in my heart, and in my heart I celebrate Bad Bunny. I can't stop playing his song 'Monaco' -- there's something really magical about it." Bad Bunny's Super Bowl slot has received a wave of criticism from the ring-wing community, who believe that the rapper -- despite hailing from Puerto Rico, a territory of the U.S. -- should not be performing at the sporting event. The right-wing backlash to the news was almost immediate, with US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem criticizing the NFL for choosing him as their halftime performer, despite the largely Spanish-performing artist being a US citizen. Pres. Donald Trump's administration has also stirred controversy by confirming that ICE agents will be present at the Super Bowl to apprehend any illegal immigrants, and the President himself has branded Halftime Show slot "crazy" and says he's "never heard of him." - NME, 10/14/25...... The BBC Factual arm of the BBC has ordered five new history commissions, among them a program charting the abuse allegations against Michael Jackson. With a working title of Legacy: Michael Jackson, the three part documentary series will explore Jackson's rise to fame, as well as the "abuse allegations and enduring legacy of one of the most successful pop stars of all time," per an announcement from the BBC. "With access to rare intimate archive, and revelatory interviews with those closest to him, this is the most fully rounded and authoritative portrait of Jackson yet produced," it continued. "A deeply researched study of a trailblazing musical genius, whose personal life remains a complex enigma." The doc will also examine the stories behind Jackson's biggest hits, as well as his innovative videos and live performances, touching on how his estate is still able to generate billions of dollars from his work. The comprehensive look at his life and legacy will begin with his early Jackson 5 years in the racially segregated landscape of '60s America, to the controversies that dogged him in his final years. - NME, 10/13/25...... The family of the late Ozzy Osbourne visited a huge Halloween pumpkin mural of Ozzy Osbourne at a farm in Hampshire, UK on Oct. 11. Sharon Osbourne, along with children Jack and Kelly Osbourne visited the Ozzy "pumpkin pyramid" at Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, Hampshire, where each year a mural is built from pumpkins, the subject of which is decided by public vote. This year, the annual poll saw 70% of the public vote for an Ozzy-themed mural in the wake of his passing in July, aged 76, just 17 days after the iconic Black Sabbath frontman played one last show as the frontman of the metal band at the "Back To The Beginning" concert in Birmingham. It was Osbourne's first full gig since 2018, having undergone multiple surgeries in the following years. He also experienced other health problems, including Parkinson's disease. On display since Oct. 4, Sunnyfields' Ozzy mural took 16 people four-and-a-half hours to create and will run through Halloween on Oct. 31. A video of the mural being created, and the Osbournes' visiting, can be viewed on YouTube. More than 73,000 people are expected to view the mural throughout October. Previous mural designs include ones based on the films Beetlejuice, Paddington and The Nightmare Before Christmas, the latter of which won a Guinness World Record for the largest cucurbit mural. - NME, 10/13/25...... The family of recently deceased Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has revealed the cause of her death on Oct. 11 at age 79 was due to pneumonia. "The Keaton family are very grateful for the extraordinary messages of love and support they have received these past few days on behalf of their beloved Diane, who passed away from pneumonia on October 11," the family said in a statement to People magazine. Her family -- which includes 25-year-old son, Duke, and 29-year-old daughter, Dexter -- went on to list the causes that were close to the Annie Hall star's heart and asked her fans to donate to charity as a tribute to her."She loved her animals and she was steadfast in her support of the unhoused community, so any donations in her memory to a local food bank or an animal shelter would be a wonderful and much appreciated tribute to her," the message concluded. People, the first outlet to report Keaton's death, spoke to a friend who said the actor's health "declined very suddenly" in recent months. She declined very suddenly, which was heartbreaking for everyone who loved her," the confidante told the outlet. "It was so unexpected, especially for someone with such strength and spirit." One of Keaton's close friends told TMZ.com that Keaton had been ill for a while and that her death was "not a shock." The source added that, "In her final months, she was surrounded only by her closest family, who chose to keep things very private. Even longtime friends weren't fully aware of what was happening." - AP, 10/16/25...... 10cc's Graham Gouldman says American rapper Doja Cat's sampling of 10cc's 1975 chart-topping hit "I'm Not in Love" has brought the veteran pop rock band's music to "a different audience." "I'm Not In Love " was was revived on Doja Cat's 2023 track "Shutco" and Gouldman has quipped that he is "down with the kids" after the unlikely crossover with the 29-year-old performer. "Ah, you see, I'm down with the kids, man! [Laughs] I don't mind these things," Gouldman recently told New Musica Express. "It's great if it works artistically, and it also helps to bring the music of 10cc to a different audience that wouldn't have normally bothered with it." "I'm Not In Love" was recently covered by Pretenders bandleader Chrissie Hynde and The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers on her Duets album, but Graham was none the wiser in the same interview. He reacted: "Really?! Our publishers never tell us anything! That's brilliant. I liked The Pretenders' version; I just love Chrissie Hynde's voice." - Music-News.com, 10/14/25...... Co-founding KISS guitarist Ace Frehley died on Oct. 16 "peacefully surrounded by family in Morristown, New Jersey, following a recent fall at his home," according to a statement shared by his family. He was 74. "We are completely devastated and heartbroken," the family wrote in the statement. "In his last moments, we were fortunate enough to have been able to surround him with loving, caring, peaceful words, thoughts, prayers and intentions as he left this earth. We cherish all of his finest memories, his laughter, and celebrate his strengths and kindness that he bestowed upon others. The magnitude of his passing is of epic proportions, and beyond comprehension. Reflecting on all of his incredible life achievements, Ace's memory will continue to live on forever!" Earlier on Oct. 16, TMZ.com reported that Frehley was on life support after suffering a brain bleed when he fell at home weeks ago. The musician had canceled his performance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, Calif., after suffering what was then described as a "minor fall resulting in a trip to the hospital." "He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time," a statement read on his Instagram at the time. Less than two weeks later, Frehley's team announced on social media that he would be canceling all of his remaining appearances in 2025 "due to some ongoing medical issues." Born Paul Daniel Frehley in New York City in 1951, Frehley co-founded KISS in 1973 with singer/guitarist Paul Stanley, bassist/singer Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss. Among the songs Ace helped write for KISS were classics like "I Was Made For Lovin' You," "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Detroit Rock City," "Love Gun" and more. The members' identities were famously kept secret until a decade after their debut, by which Frehley had left the band to pursue a solo career, coupled with his struggles with substance abuse and rising tension within the band about their direction. In the years following his exit from KISS, Frehley formed a new band, Frehley's Comet, which released two albums but failed to achieve commercial success. He reverted to using his own name for this 1989 album Trouble Walkin',, which saw former bandmate Criss provide backing vocals. Frehley would rejoin KISS for their reunion in 1996 and stayed with them until 2002. He did not join them for their farewell world tour in 2022. Frehley and Simmons had a notably rocky relationship, with Simmons in 2019 claiming that Frehley was fired from the band for his substance abuse, while Ace argued that he was 12 years sober by then and quit "of my own free will, because you and Paul [Stanley] are control freaks, untrustworthy and were too difficult to work with." Earlier in October, Frehley cancelled his remaining solo dates for 2025 due to "some ongoing medical issues," which has since been confirmed as the fall he suffered. Frehley's former bandmates Simmons and Stanley are among a slew of fellow musicians and friends that have paid tribute to the iconic rocker, also known as "Spaceman." "Our hearts are broken. Ace has passed on. No one can touch Ace's legacy. I know he loved the fans. He told me many times. Sadder still, Ace didn't live long enough to be honored at the Kennedy Ctr Honors event in Dec. Ace was the eternal rock soldier. Long may his legacy live on!," Simmons posted to X on Oct. 16. Stanley shared his "favorite photo" with his late ex-bandmate, and fondly recounted their first encounter. "I remember 1974 being in my room at the Hyatt on Sunset in LA and I heard someone playing deep and fiery guitar in the room next door," he writes. "I thought "Boy, I wish THAT guy was in the band!" I looked over the balcony He was. It was Ace. This is my favorite photo of us," he wrote on X. Alice Cooper posted on Instagram that "Ace was an absolute Guitar hero to so many people. I did more tours with him than anybody else, as far as opening for us, for quite a long time, so we became quite good friends. And you know, he always brought it every night. He did it every night. And it's just hard to see somebody like that go. We know that right now that the KISS fans are certainly in mourning and certainly his family and certainly everybody that knew him. Ace was an ACE." Other rock and music icons paying tribute include Pearl Jam, Tom Morello, Nile Rodgers, Steve Vai and Tool. KISS will be honored at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, taping Dec. 7 and airing Dec. 23 on CBS. Frehley will be just the third person to receive the honor posthumously. - Billboard/NME, 10/17/25.

Favorite Seventies Artists In The News

Posted by Administrator on October 12th, 2025

Ronnie Wood has revealed the new long-rumored Faces album has stalled because it's hard to make the Rolling Stones guitarist's schedule line up with his former Faces bandmate Rod Stewart's. Rumors of a Faces reunion, which would also include drummer Kenney Jones, have been swirling for years, and recently gained momentum in June when Wood joined Stewart during his "Legends Slot" appearance at the UK's Glastonbury 2025 for the Faces classic "Stay With Me." Earlier in 2025, Jones told The Telegraph newspaper that the band had recorded "about 11 tracks" at RAK Studios in London. However during a recent appearance on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Wood said, "We've got these songs that we're working on from back in the day, but it's hard to make our times tally... When we do get a chance to get in the studio again, we will finish off these songs. We've got a good body of songs going." In 2020, Wood, Stewart and Jones performed a live rendition of "Stay With Me" at that year's BRIT Awards. The following year, Wood spoke to The Times and said that his bandmates recently visited his new London home and that they "have been recording some new Faces music." Faces' founding keyboardist Ian McLagan died of a stroke back in 2014, and bassist Ronnie Lane passed away more than a decade earlier in 1997. Active from 1969-1975, the band recorded four studio albums after being formed from the ashes of the Small Faces. - New Musical Express, 10/12/25...... Posting on his Neil Young Archives site, Neil Young says he's pulling his music from Amazon.com because Amazon founder Jeff Bezos supports the Trump administration. "The time is here. FORGET AMAZON," Young posted under a header that includes the words, "BEZOS SUPPORTS THIS GOVERNMENT," a reference to Bezos. "Soon my music will not be there," Young continued. "It is easy to buy local. Support your community. Go to the local store. Don't go back to the big corporations who have sold out America." Young's post also included a larger call for people to discontinue shopping at Amazon and the upscale grocery chain Whole Foods, which the online retail giant acquired in 2017. The musician also seemed to call for a boycott of Facebook, writing "FORGET FACEBOOK" under a logo of the social media platform's parent company, Meta. In August, Young left Facebook after a Reuters report claimed Meta had allowed AI chatbots to communicate with minors using "romantic or sensual" language. "We all have to give up something to save America from the Corporate Control Age it is entering," Young continued. "They need you to buy from them. Don't." Finally, Young referenced the current shutdown of the U.S. government, writing, "They shut down our government your income your safety your family's health security. Take America Back together, stop buying from the big corporations support local business. Do the right thing. Show who you are." Young, who has been openly critical of Pres. Donald Trump over the years, released the song "Big Crime" with his band Chrome Hearts in September that railed against recent actions by the president -- who is never mentioned by name -- with lyrics like, "No more money to the fascists/ The billionaire fascists/ Time to blackout the system/ No more great again." An exact date when Young's music will be pulled from Amazon has yet to be announced. - Billboard, 10/10/25...... In related news, Blue Öyster Cult has addressed the use of Pres. Donald Trump's use of their 1976 hit "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" in an AI video mocking Democrats. In the clip, a rendering of Trump wearing a dark cloak hits a cowbell to the notorious beat of "Reaper," while a faux VP JD Vance plays the drumset. "Dems, you babies/ Here comes the reaper," reads onscreen text in place of the song's actual lyrics. "Gonna tie your hands Cry baby end your plan." Shortly after the video was posted, the group shared a statement on Instagram and its other socials. "Let's clarify a few things: BLUE ÖYSTER CULT was not contacted or notified in advance," the group wrote. Though the bandmates didn't explicitly say whether they personally approved of the song's inclusion, they did make sure to distance themselves from the video's creation. "The copyright in the song (Don't Fear) The Reaper is 100% owned by SONY MUSIC," their post continued. The rockers added, "BLUE ÖYSTER CULT has no legal right to either authorize or withhold usage, which is 100% controlled by SONY MUSIC." Trump's frequent use of AI has quickly become a hallmark of his social media strategy, posting countless pieces of AI-generated content to his social media, including doctored images falsely portraying Taylor Swift as one of his supporters in 2024. - Billboard, 10/7/25...... Queen has been named the UK's most played rock act of the 21st century according to a new PPL chart to celebrate the country's upcoming National Album Day 2025. The chart says the band have amassed over 400 million seconds of radio and TV airplay in the UK, the equivalent of 12.5 years of continuous play this century, with their most played track being "A Kind Of Magic." "Congratulations to Queen on this great accolade in such a significant anniversary year for their first Number One album ['A Night At The Opera']," PPL DEO Peter Leathem said in a statement. "It's a testament to their expansive and much-loved music catalogue that they continue to mean so much to UK audiences to this very day." Reacting to the accolade, guitarist Brian May said: "Astounding news! Bearing in mind that most of Queen's major works were done in the 20th century, it's amazing to top a 21st century list. Big thanks to all our fans." Queen are set to release a 50th anniversary vinyl reissue of A Night At The Opera which features their iconic hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" on National Album Day on Oct. 18. It will be given a release on crystal clear vinyl and gold labels worldwide. Other '70s acts making the top 10 include David Bowie (#2), Fleetwood Mac (#5), The Rolling Stones (#7), and The Police (#8). - NME, 10/8/25...... Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain is denying he's planning to leave the band, despite recent claims to that effect from the band's guitarist Neal Schon. On Oct. 9, Schon posted on X that Cain "announced his farewell to Journey tonight...[but] I'm nowhere near done! Journey has so much more life ahead! I'm sure we will have a great tour!" In response to Schon's comments, Cain's representatives released a statement on X, denying that he had given any confirmation that he is quitting the band: "We will be touring with Jon all through 26-27 celebrating the music we've created." Schon later clarified that Cain would still tour with the band for all dates in 2026 and 2027, although no tour dates have yet been announced. "Jonathan Cain remains an active member of Journey," the statement read. "And any reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate. He is fully dedicated to touring with the band over the next couple of years and has only expressed plans to retire at a later time." Earlier Cain did, however, suggest in a recent appearance on the Strang Report podcast that he has plans to leave Journey, describing a 2026 tour with the band as "our farewell Journey tour," adding: "So I'll be saying goodbye to that." Cain and Schon have been locked in a bitter public dispute for some time -- in 2024, Cain filed a lawsuit against Schon during the band's co-headline tour with Def Leppard, on grounds of frustrations over his "expenses related to the tour," including "budgeting and spending" of the band's credit card over personal expenses. Schon, who is the band's lead guitarist and sole original member, owns 50% of the band via entity Freedom 2020, with Cain owning the other half, making it a deadlock when it comes to company decisions. Cain is the second longest serving member of Journey, having joined it in 1980. - NME, 10/11/25...... Speaking of Def Leppard, the English hard rockers became the 2,824th entertainment act to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame during a ceremony in Los Angeles on Oct. 9. Officials from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented the band -- currently comprised of Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rick Savage, Vivian Campbell, and Rick Allen -- with the honor under the category of "Recording" in recognition of their contribution to the music industry. "Are we in good company or what?" Elliott declared. "So, from all of us up here, including (founding member) Pete Willis and the late great Steve Clark, we all say to each and every one of you, to our collective families, especially our parents who helped us get where we are now, just simply to our incredible, loving fan base out there, two words -- thank you." Also in attendance was Jon Bon Jovi, who noted his band and Def Leppard hit it off immediately after first hooking up in 1986. "Hanging out with Joe and the guys felt like hanging with my own band, but with a different accent," he quipped. - Music-News.com, 10/10/25...... Oscar-nominated Irish actress Saoirse Ronan (Ladybird, Little Women) has reportedly been cast as Linda McCartney in the upcoming Beatles "Four Film Cinematic Event" directed by Sam Mendes. Deadline.com is reporting that -- according to multiple sources -- Ronan will portray Paul McCartney's first wife in the upcoming series of biopics. Reps for distributors Sony Pictures are yet to make an official comment. Ronan, 31, has received four Oscar nominations across an illustrious career and appeared in addiction-recovery drama The Outrun in 2024. More recently, she led the dark comedy Bad Apples, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Ronan joins a cast that includes Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Harris Dickinson as John Lennon. With scripts written by Jez Butterworth, Peter Straughan and Jack Thorne, the films are expected to arrive in spring 2028, though official details currently remain scant. Linda Eastman and Paul met in 1967, and they were married until her death from cancer in 1998. She was a photographer, musician and animal rights activist who founded a vegetarian food company. She also performed alongside Paul as part of his post-Beatles band, Wings. - Billboard, 10/9/25...... KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was hospitalized after a car crash in Malibu, Calif., on Oct. 7. According to NBC4 Los Angeles the crash was reported to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department just before 1:00 p.m. PT when Simmons' Lincoln Navigator reportedly crashed into a parked car on Pacific Coast Highway. He told deputies on the scene that he had either fainted or passed out before the crash, according to the L.A. Sheriff. Simmons' wife, Shannon Tweed, told NBC4 that the rocker was recovering at home, while a rep for KISS told Billboard on Oct. 8 that Simmons is "already back to work." Also on Oct. 8, Simmons posted on his X account thanking everyone for "the kind wishes" and assuring, "I'm completely fine. I had a slight fender bender. It happens. Especially to those of us [who are] horrible drivers. And that's me. All is well." Meanwhile, in November KISS are slated to perform together for the first time since Dec. 2023, when they wrapped up their End of The Road Tour with a two-night stand at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The band also announced in March that they would reunite as part of the three-day KISS Kruise: Landlocked in Vegas event, which runs Nov. 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The event promises two makeup-free KISS Unmasked shows -- one acoustic and one electric -- plus activities with Simmons, founding frontman Paul Stanley and 2002-23 guitarist/vocalist Tommy Thayer. - Billboard, 10/8/25...... Dolly Parton is assuring fans that she's "OK" amid online rumors that had been spreading regarding the 79-year-old singer's health. "I don't think God is through with me and I ain't done workin'," the Country Music Hall of Famer said in a video on Instagram on Oct. 8. "Well, today's Oct. 8 and obviously I'm here doing some commercials for the Grand Ole Opry, which is why I'm dressed kinda like a country-western girl, but before I got started, I wanted to say, I know lately, everybody thinks that I am sicker than I am do I look sick to you?! I'm workin' hard here," she said in the video. "Anyway, I wanted to put everybody's mind at ease, those of you that seem to be real concerned, which I appreciate," she said, noting that she appreciated fans' prayers. Dolly went on to emphasize that that she's doing fine for now, though she does have some health issues to address. "I want you to know that I'm OK," she continued. "I've got some problems as I mentioned.... Nothin' major, but I did have to cancel some things so I could be closer to home, closer to Vanderbilt, where I'm kinda havin' a few treatments here and there." Rumors about Parton's health kicked into high gear on Oct. 7 after her sister Freida posted on social media, asking for people to pray for the singer. Freida soon followed up with a post apologizing for worrying fans and saying that Parton had simply been feeling "under the weather." - Billboard, 10/8/25...... Kraftwerk have added two UK shows to their 2026 "Multimedia" UK and Ireland tour due to "exceptional demand." In summer 2026, Kraftwerk will kick off the shows at Dublin's Bord Gais Energy Theatre on May 17, before heading to Belfast, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Glasgow, Stockton, Sheffield, Brighton, Bristol and Bournemouth. They will then play shows at London's Royal Albert Hall, before rounding off the tour with gigs in Liverpool, Nottingham and finally Edinburgh's Playhouse on June 9. Founder Ralf Hütter and Co. have now announced that two extra dates will be added -- a second performance at Manchester's O2 Apollo on May 23, and an evening show at London's Royal Albert Hall at 10:00 p.m. on June 5 (following a 6:00 p.m. show on the same day). The German electronic pioneers have already taken the tour through North America earlier in 2025, as well as playing a set at Coachella. Earlier in October, they announced dates for the UK and Ireland leg, their first tour in the region since 2017. While Kraftwerk have not toured the UK since 2017, they did appear at the Forever Now Festival in Milton Keynes in June. The band's "Multimedia Tour" began back in 2012 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. - NME, 10/11/25...... As Linda Ronstadt reissues a 50th-anniversary vinyl edition of her 1975 album Prisoner in Disguise, the retired iconic pop singer has written an accompanying letter looking back at the album that further cemented her reputation as a major '70s singing talent and supreme song interpreter. Ronstadt brought her powerhouse, supple vocals to the Peter Asher-produced album, whether it be on her tender version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" (the two later came together with Emmylou Harris for the revered group Trio), as well as a gorgeous interpretation of Smokey Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears" and spunky, upbeat take on Martha and the Vandellas' "Heat Wave," which reached No. 5 on the hit parade. In a letter obtained by Billboard, Ronstadt writes, "It's hard to believe that it's been [50] years since the initial release of my sixth solo album, Prisoner in Disguise. Thinking back over that half-century, there are several things that stand out in my memory." The letter serves almost as a time capsule of the history of Southern California rock and the incredible singer/songwriter community that she surrounded herself with in the '70s, whether it be Don Henley and Glenn Frey, who were in her band before leaving to found the Eagles, or upon first hearing the title track, written by J.D. Souther. Linda says she wanted to record Robinson's "Tracks of My Tears" because they are both sopranos, and he "has a beautiful, soprano-like voice and sings in my keys, so I could easily sing along with him on the radio." She also revealed she admonished her old bandmate Glenn Frey, an aggressive card player, to take it easy on Smokey during poker games "because I had a crush on [him] and I was afraid he wouldn't like me if he lost too much money to my guitar player." In addition to addressing the now legendary singer/songwriters who contributed tracks, including Neil Young, James Taylor, Jimmy Cliff and Lowell George, Ronstadt gives special credit to a source of support who was left out of the original liner notes -- a teddy bear named Alfred. "[That] was the name I gave to the three-foot teddy bear that Peter Asher installed in the vocal booth for me during the sessions for the project... I guess you could say that Alfred would qualify as a support animal, for he was certainly a great comfort to me. Sadly, his name did not make it into the original credits, but I'm taking this opportunity to correct that right now. Thank you, Alfred." The 180-gram, 45RPM two-LP Prisoner in Disguise vinyl set is available for order on the Mobile Fidelity Labs website and was mastered from the original analog master tapes. In 2021, Ronstadt, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2012, sold her recorded music assets to Irving Azoff's Iconic Music Group. The deal formed a partnership between Iconic and Ronstadt and her business team -- including manager John Boylan and Janet Stark -- to market her catalog and preserve her legacy in the digital era. - Billboard, 10/8/25...... Drummer Thommy Price, known for his work with Joan Jett and the Blackhawks and Billy Idol, died on Oct. 10 of as yet undisclosed causes. He was 68. Posting on Instagram, Price's wife Stefunny confirmed the death, calling him "a devoted husband and proud father and powerhouse drummer and songwriter." Price played with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts from 1987 until 2017 and Jett was among those to pay tribute to him on Instagram. "He was a drummer's drummer and admired by so many. Our hearts are heavy. Sending love to his beautiful family. We love you Thommy," the post reads. Also paying tribute on Instagram was Billy Idol. "Thommy was a fantastic musician and drummer who, in 1983, came in at the last minute and put his definitive stamp on my 'Rebel Yell' album," he wrote. "He helped us to bring it to an incredible finish and toured with us on the Rebel Yell and Whiplash Smile tours." Price was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1956 and also played with Scandal, Mink DeVille and Love Crushed Velvet. He also played on studio records by a range of artists, including Roger Daltrey, The Waterboys, Blue Oyster Cult, The Psychedelic Furs, Ronnie Spector and Debbie Harry. He is survived by his wife Stefunny and daughter Brooklyn. - NME, 10/11/25...... Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning star of the 1977 Woody Allen comedy classic Annie Hall and 1972's acclaimed The Godfather, has died at the age of 79. No details about the cause of death have been provided. Keaton won an Oscar for her performance in the title role of Annie Hall and was nominated three more times, for Reds (1981), Marvin's Room (1996) and Something's Gotta Give (2003). Known as a master of both comedy and drama, Keaton landed an early role as Kay Adams-Corleone, the wife of Al Pacino's Michael Corleone, in Francis Ford Coppola's epic mafia classic The Godfather. The same year, she starred in Play It Again, Sam, opposite Allen, with whom she would make a total of eight feature films, including Manhattan, Sleeper and Love And Death. Born on Jan. 5, 1946 in Los Angeles, Keaton and studied drama at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, where she began performing on stage. She gained notice in the 1968 Broadway production of Hair and made her screen debut in 1970's Lovers And Other Strangers. After winning the Oscar for Annie Hall, she pivoted to more serious work, including playing the feminist and political activist Louise Bryant in Warren Beatty's Reds and a leukemia patient in Marvin's Room. The prolific actor continued to show off her comic talents, in titles such as The First Wives Club, Baby Boom, Father Of The Bride and Something's Gotta Give, and found success later in her career with Morning Glory, Book Club and Hampstead. Her directoral credits include the 1987 video for Belinda Carlisle's hit "Heaven Is a Place on Earth," the same year as her directorial debut film Heaven, a documentary about the afterlife, was released. She is survived by her adopted daughter Dexter and son Duke. - NME, 10/11/25...... The Moody Blues bassist/vocalist John Lodge died "suddenly and unexpectedly" on Oct. 10, according to a Facebook post by his family. He was 82. "It is with the deepest sadness that we have to announce that John Lodge, our darling husband, father, grandfather, father-in-law and brother, has been suddenly and unexpectedly taken from us," his family said. "As anyone who knew this massive-hearted man knows, it was his enduring love of his wife, Kirsten, and his family, that was the most important thing to him, followed by his passion for music, and his faith," they continued, nodding to his evangelical Christian beliefs. We will forever miss his love, smile, kindness, and his absolute and never-ending support. We are heartbroken, but will walk forwards into peace surrounded by the love he had for each of us. As John would always say at the end of the show, thank you for keeping the faith." His family continued: "He was never happier than being on stage. He was just a singer in a rock'n'roll band and he adored performing with his band and son-in-law, Jon, and being able to continue sharing this music with his fans." Born in Birmingham, England on July 20, 1945, Mr. Lodge joined the Moody Blues in 1966 with fellow singer Justin Hayward, following the departures of guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine and bassist Clint Warwick. He featured on some of band's best-known albums including 1967's Days Of Future Passed and 1968's more experimental effort In Search Of The Lost Chord. Mr. Lodge also played on hits including "Nights In White Satin," "Question" and "Isn't Life Strange." In 1975, he collaborated with Hayward on the U.S. top 20 album Blue Jays, and in 1977 released the solo LP Natural Avenue. Mr. Lodge continued making records with the Moody Blues until their final album, December, Christmas LP released in 2003. They performed live until 2018, the same year that they were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. His death follows the recent passing of Moodies keyboard player and founding member Mike Pinder, whose death was confirmed by Mr. Lodge in Apr. 2024. - NME, 10/10/25.

Elton John played to the biggest crowd since he quit touring in 2023 on Oct. 5 after a Grand Prix race in Singapore. Elton's 16-song set lasted for 90-minutes before an audience of 70,000 people after the Formula One race, and packed with the biggest songs from his illustrious career. The performance came two years on from the conclusion of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, which wrapped with an emotional concert in Stockholm, Sweden in the summer of 2023. "Singapore, you were electric!" John wrote on Instagram after the show. "What a feeling being with over 70,000 of you - thank you for being such an incredible crowd." John always said that he would possibly still play "the odd show" after retiring from touring. So far, these have included the 50th annual Candlelight Concert in the US in Dec. 2024 and the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center last summer. In 2023, Sir Elton also played live at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony, where he inducted his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. His final UK headline performance took place in June 2023, when he delivered a historic, career-spanning set on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival. Fan-captured footage from the Singapore show can be viewed on YouTube. - New Musical Express, 10/7/25...... On Oct 6 Rush surviving members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson announced they'll embark on their first tour in 11 years beginning in June 2026. The legendary prog rockers announced dates for a 12-show North American swing they are calling the "Fifty Something Tour." It will mark the first time singer/bassist Lee and guitarist/vocalist Lifeson hit the road since the group wrapped their "R40" 40th anniversary tour on Aug.1, 2015 at the Forum in Los Angeles. According to a press release, the outing will be a celebration of Rush's "music, legacy and the life of late drummer and lyricist Neil Peart"; the band's time-keeper and primary lyricist died of the brain cancer glioblastoma on Jan. 7, 2020 at age 67. Fittingly, the tour will kick off on June 7 with the first of two shows at the KIA Forum in L.A., followed by shows in Mexico City, Fort Worth, Chicago, New York and Toronto, wrapping up on Sept. 17 at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The "evening with" shows will feature the band playing two sets a night, with each show featuring a distinctive set of songs pulled from a setlist of 35 hits and fan favorites. They will be joined on the dates by German drummer/composer/producer Anika Nilles, 41, who has performed with Jeff Beck and released four solo albums. "It's been over 10 years since Alex and I have performed the music of RUSH alongside our fallen bandmate and friend Neil," wrote Geddy Lee in a statement. "A lifetime's worth of songs that we had put our cumulative hearts and souls into writing, recording and playing together onstage. And so, after all that has gone down since that last show, Alex and I have done some serious soul searching and come to the decision that we f---ing miss it, and that it's time for a celebration of 50-something years of RUSH music... No small task, because as we all know Neil was irreplaceable," he added. Fans can get in on a Rush artist pre-sale by signing up at Ticketmaster.com by Oct. 9 at 11:50 p.m. ET; the general on-sale beings on Oct. 17 at 12 p.m. local time for the U.S. and Canada and 11 a.m. local time for Mexico. Meanwhile, in January Rush released the 50-track super deluxe anthology RUSH 50, which runs from the first-ever reissue of their 1973 debut single through a live recording of the final song the trio played together during the "R40 Tour" closer at the Forum. - Billboard, 10/6/25...... Among the more salacious claims in Lionel Richie new memoir Truly is that his "We Are The World" collaborator Michael Jackson was nicknamed "Smelly" for poor hygiene and would "wear pants until they were unwearable." Richie says the King of Pop led an "eccentric" day-to-day life, "like an absent-minded professor but still a kid." He went on to claim that late music producer Quincey Jones, who worked with Jackson on some of his most famous songs, would tease Jackson with the nickname "Smelly." He also claims in his book: "Michael would laugh too, realizing that he was oblivious to the fact that he hadn't changed or washed his clothes for a couple of days or so... We all have our quirks." Richie says his poor hygiene was partly due to his extreme level of fame, saying he couldn't simply visit a department store to buy things or risk being mobbed by fans. Also, he says when he sent clothes for cleaning, they'd often never be returned on account of his fame. "Everybody kept something for a souvenir," writes Richie. "He just got into the habit of wearing the same pants until they were unwearable." He continues: "(Michael) was on tour performing in the elaborate costumes made for him by his stylists, or he was in his pyjama bottoms and slippers in the studio or he was in his going-out attire. Or he was at home in something loose and comfortable so he could practice his dance moves and play with his menagerie of pets." - NME, 10/6/25...... As she kicked off her 2025 North American tour at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 1, Stevie Nicks performed a Fleetwood Mac track no one could have expected. Towards the end of her career-spanning set, Stevie surprised the audience by performing "Angel" for the first time since 1983. Not only was it the first time she's performed the track in over four decades, it's also the first time she's played the track solo. Elsewhere during her set, she performed a slew of other FM classics such as "Dreams," "Gypsy," "Gold Dust Woman," "Rhiannon" and "Landslide." She also covered Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" and performed her own solo hits "Outside The Rain," "The Lighthouse," "Stand Back," "Edge Of Seventeen" and more. Fan-shot footage of Stevie's "Angel" performance has been shared on X.com. Nicks's tour was originally set to kick off in August, but was rescheduled after the singer suffered a shoulder fracture. The August and September dates have since been rescheduled for late October, November and December. Meanwhile, a reissue of Nicks and her former partner Lindsey Buckingham's 1973 LP Buckingham Nicks recently debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart in the US. - NME, 10/3/25...... On Oct. 1 The Who performed their final show of their North American farewell tour at the Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, Calif. Surviving co-founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend and co. opened the performance with a live rendition of "I Can't Explain," before rocking other Who chestnuts including "Substitute," "Who Are You," "I Can See For Miles" and "Pinball Wizard." The penultimate track of the night was "The Song Is Over" from the band's 1971 fifth studio album, Who's Next, and the band made a final goodbye with a tender performance of "Tea & Theatre" -- a single from their 11th studio set, 2006's Endless Wire. "I suppose, you know, it's goodbye," Townshend told the audience at the end. "That's what it is. To what we know as The Who, it's goodbye. What Roger and I will get up to next, who knows? If we last any longer, I'm sure we'll get up to all kinds of mischief. We'll do stuff together, I'm sharing some stuff, all kinds [of] bits and pieces. But for this kind of thing, it's goodbye. And you were last!" Daltrey said: "Thank you so much for your support, over all the years. It means so much to us. It was every band's dream in the '60s to make it in America. And thanks to you guys, you made it happen for us. Thank you so much!" A fan-shot clip of the moment has been shared on YouTube. It currently seems unlikely that there will be a final album from The Who. Townshend expressed his desire for the band to make another record in 2024, but said there was "a bit of a river to cross" in convincing Daltrey. "What's the point?" Daltrey said in 2023. "We released an album four years ago [2019's WHO], and it did nothing. It's a great album too, but there isn't the interest out there for new music these days. People want to hear the old music. I don't know why, but that's the fact." - NME, 10/3/25...... In a new Ozzy Osbourne documentary aired by BBC One on Oct. 2, Ozzy reflected on the "emotional" yet "terribly frustrating" final Black Sabbath show this summer. Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home is an intimate film that charts the final years of the rock icon's life as he prepared to get fit enough to perform at the huge "Back To The Beginning" farewell show in Birmingham on July 5. In poignant scenes at the end of the documentary, Osbourne spoke about the experience of performing in front of 44,000 people for one final time. In footage captured five days after the show, Ozzy sat in his kitchen with his son Jack and daughter Kelly Osbourne, and they reflected on their favorite moments from the gig. "I have to say that my favourite part of the whole weekend was when dad sang 'Mama, I'm Coming Home'," Kelly said. "I don't feel like there was one dry eye. Oh my god, dad, everybody was crying." Ozzy responded: "I got all emotional with that. I couldn't f---ing get the words out, I was just swallowing my f----ing emotion." Jack interjected to say: "The guys from Metallica, Slayer, Tool, everybody was just up there, like, crying." The conversation prompted Ozzy to share: "The only thing I really got what was terribly frustrating for me, I had to sit there instead of running across the stage. That was fucking torture, because I wanted to get off that [chair] so much... It was very humbling, to sit in that chair for nine songs. What a great way to go out, that gig was." Another new Ozzy documentary, No Escape From Now, details the Prince Of Darkness' final six years and is now streaming in the US via Paramount+. Its trailer can be viewed on YouTube. - NME, 10/3/25...... AC/DC has been hit with a formal noise complaint by the Edinburgh council after playing a show at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium over the summer. On Aug. 21, AC/DC played their first gig in Scotland in a decade with a high-octane set that garnered eight complaints from locals about the noise pollution, the BBC reported. Environmental health officers were said to have carried out noise measurements at the venue and other city locations, and reported that the "permitted noise level was exceeded" during the AC/DC concert, with officials pointing largely to fireworks set off at the end of the shows for the excessive noise. A spokesperson for the council said they will now recommend that fireworks are not used during future events at the stadium. Also hit with a noise complaint was Oasis, who played three concerts earlier in the month that also attracted complaints. - NME, 10/2/25...... It has been revealed that the surviving members of The Cars -- guitarist Elliot Easton, drummer David Robinson and keyboardist Greg Hawkes -- have been working on new music started by late Cars frontman Ric Ocasek. The trio of the legendary new wave band have been building a collection of tracks from the dozens of demos Ocasek left behind, as was teased in the new Cars biography The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told by Buffalo Tom frontman Bill Janovitz. According to Janovitz, after Ocasek's passing Hawkes received a trove of more than 20 demo recordings, curated by one of Ocasek's longtime confidants. Among them was "I Just Can't Stay," a rare gem showcasing vocals from both Ocasek and late bassist Benjamin Orr, believed to originate from their collaborative days before The Cars officially formed. After initial production work with Ed Valauskas and engineer Joel Edinberg, Hawkes invited drummer David Robinson and guitarist Elliot Easton to join the effort. Easton is said to have started adding his guitar parts in Aug.2024, starting with "I Just Can't Stay" and "Can't Stop the Rain." The latter boasts an epic solo by Easton. Janovitz penned: "Elliot's twenty-five second solo on 'Can't Stop the Rain' is sure to put smiles on the faces of fans, as it did for me." As it stands, there is no official release date for the project. The book notes that the estates of Ocasek and Orr are said to be "optimistic that disagreements about Cars' business would not get in the way of giving their fans unheard Cars music." Ocasek died at the age of 75 from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in 2019. His last music release was his final solo album, 2005's Nexterday. Orr lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 53 in 2000. The Cars, formed in Boston in 1976, reunited in 2010 and released the album Move Like This in 2011, but disbanded again shortly afterward. The band came together once more for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2018. - Music-News.com, 10/2/25...... Film and television actor James (Jim) Mitchum, the son of the legendary Hollywood star Robert Mitchum, died on Sept. 20 at his home in Skull Valley, Ariz. He was 84. Jim Mitchum appeared in over 35 titles between 1949 and 1994, including such titles as Thunder Road and Moonrunners. - Variety, 10/2/25...... Ike Turner, Jr., musician and son of Ike Turner and Tina Turner, died on Oct. 4 in Los Angeles, just one day after his 67th birthday. The musician had suffered from kidney failure after several years of ill health. His niece also told TMZ.com that he had struggled with heart problems and had a stroke in September. The musician, who largely stayed away from the spotlight despite the fame of his parents, lost his father, Ike, in 2007 at the age of 76, followed by Tina, who died at 83 in 2023. Ike and Tina married in 1962 and shared four children. Tina adopted Ike Sr.'s two sons from his previous relationship -- Ike Jr. and Michael Turner. When he was a teenager, Ike Sr. took his son out of the studio to join him in running his recording studio. He also worked for a short time as Tina's sound engineer. Both Ike Jr. and his father went on to win a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album, Risin' with the Blues,, in 2007. - NME, 10/6/25...... Chris Dreja, a core member of the seminal British blues-rock band The Yardbirds and who helped shape the sound of some of their biggest hits, passed away on Oct. 2, according to his sister-in-law, Muriel Levy. He was 79. "It is with a deep sadness that I have to announce that my brother-in-law Chris Dreja, former member of legendary band The Yardbirds, rhythm guitarist and also bass player has passed away after years of health problems," Levy posted. "I share the pain with my sister Kate who took care of him during all those years and his daughter Jackie... May he RIP." The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, into which Dreja was inducted as a member of The Yardbirds in 1992, paid homage to the band's "innovations in feedback and distortion" and credited them for informing a slew of burgeoning genres like psychedelic rock, progressive rock, and punk in their short-lived but highly influential tenure" in a post on X/Twitter. They also noted that Dreja co-wrote all their material once he joined in the early '60s, including the seminal hit "Over Under Sideways Down'" on their self-titled 1966 album and several tracks on 1967's Little Games. Dreja's former Yardbirds bandmate Jimmy Page also paid tribute on Instagram, sharing a picture of the two of them together and writing: "I heard today of the passing of musician Chris Dreja, who passionately played with the iconic Yardbirds, on rhythm guitar and then the bass. I hadn't seen him in a while, and I wish I had. RIP Chris." Born Christopher Walenty Dreja, the musician grew up in Kingston Upon Thames and was immersed in rock and roll music from his teen years. His brother was a classmate of original Yardbirds lead guitarist Anthony "Top" Topham, who he'd ultimately form The Yardbirds with. In 1963, Dreja and Topham, alongside Jim McCarty, Keith Relf, Paul Samwell-Smith, co-founded the Metropolitan Blues Quartet, a blues band which later evolved into The Yardbirds. Dreja started out as their rhythm guitarist but switched to bass in 1966 following Samwell-Smith's departure and Page's arrival. Subsequent years saw Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck pass through the band as lead guitarist. The years that followed saw Clapton leave the band for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Beck's addition to their line-up. The years that followed were their most successful, spurning tracks like "Evil Hearted You," "Still I'm Sad," "Over Under Sideways Down" and their 1966 self-titled album -- often called "Roger the Engineer," after the cover Dreja illustrated. His artistic endeavours also saw him work as as a photographer for many years, shooting the likes of Bob Dylan, Tina Turner and Led Zeppelin. After the Yardbirds split, Page went on to form the latter band and offered Dreja a spot as their bassist, which he wound up declining, instead opting to pursue photography. Dreja went on to co-found Box of Frogs with former bandmates McCarthy and Samwell-Smith in the early 1980s. He later reunited with drummer Jim McCarty to revive The Yardbirds in the '90s, touring and recording with a rotating cast of musicians until stepping back in 2013 due to health issues. - NME, 10/2/25.