Classic Hits

KISS’ Paul Stanley is giving fans an inside look into his guitar collection.

The rocker appears in the latest episode of Gibson TV’s The Collection, where he gives folks a behind-the-scenes look at the KISS warehouse, where he stores his guitars.

In the video, Stanley shares that seeing Eddie Cochran on TV inspired him to want to play guitar, noting, “There was something about him that was rogue and seemed ruthless, a great attitude.”

“So that was really the start of my introduction to guitar, although I grew up in a family with a lot of folk music and bluegrass and opera and classical music and all,” he says. “But I was convinced I could play the guitar when I had no knowledge of the guitar, just because there was some sort of connection.”

Stanley says he kept trying to get his parents to buy him a guitar, and requested an electric guitar for his 13th birthday, but instead he got a “used nylon-string guitar.”

“I was shattered ’cause you can’t play rock ‘n’ roll on this,” he said. “A couple of months later, I said, ‘You know, let me give that a go.’ So that was really the start … I took to it really quickly.” 

He adds, “I took a few lessons, and I wanted to go faster, and for some reason the teacher was, ‘No. You have to stay at this pace.’ So he went and the guitar stayed.”

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The Rolling Stones have given fans a look inside the studio as they recorded their 20th studio album, Voodoo Lounge. 

The band shared a behind-the-scenes clip from inside the studio, where guitarist Keith Richards talks about drummer Charlie Watts hitting his peak during the recording. There’s also a clip where Watts is chatting about his performance with Keith, Mick Jagger and producer Don Was.

The clip reveal comes as The Stones are set to reissue Voodoo Lounge in honor of its 30th anniversary. The album will be reissued on red- and yellow-colored vinyl on July 12, along with a limited-edition Rolling Stones store exclusive 10-inch single, containing B-sides “I’m Gonna Drive,” “So Young,” “Jump On Top Of Me” and “The Storm.”

The Voodoo Lounge 30th anniversary reissue is available for preorder now.

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Bruce Springsteen is featured on the song “Sandpaper,” on Zach Bryan’s new record, The Great American Bar Scene, and the country star took to social media to thank The Boss for his participation. 

“thank you for the day @springsteen,” he writes next to a picture of Springsteen holding a guitar. “thank you for your kind words thank you for letting me take this picture thank you for making my whole life a dream of a younger me a reason to believe.”

“Sandpaper” has similarities to Springsteen’s classic “I’m On Fire.” The pair first performed the tune together in concert back in March, when Springsteen flew from San Diego to join Bryan on stage at his concert at Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center. 

And Springsteen isn’t the only collaborator on Bryan’s album. John Mayer is on the track “Better Days,” and he showed his appreciation to Zach on social media.

“I always knew this song Zach wrote was special. I had no idea how beautiful, powerful and deep an album it would be a part of,” he wrote. “I’m stunned. I’m blessed to have been able to fulfill my dreams of making music. What I never saw coming: to be asked to play with an artist as deeply tapped in as @zachlanebryan is. Thank you for inviting me into your dream-coming-true.”

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Def Leppard is getting ready to launch their Summer Stadium Tour with Journey, and guitarist Phil Collen is excited for what’s in store.

The two bands previously toured together in 2018, and Collen tells ABC Audio that it’s a pairing that works well.

“We always do great with Journey, even when Journey are not doing great with themselves,” he says, adding he’s a “huge fan” of the band.

Collen says that with the recent 40th anniversary of their third studio album, Pyromania, fans can expect the set list to “lean heavily” on that album. He also says they plan to clean things up from some of their previous tours, noting, “We’ve got rid of a lot of chaff.” 

“When I say that, I mean, you know, stuff that bands do that you don’t realize you’re doing,” he explains. “We don’t need to waffle on and do this here and audience participation that lasts so long that you could actually fit another song in there.”

He notes, “We’ve kind of really surgically … chopped things up and made it just way more exciting.”

The tour marks another summer Def Leppard is spending headlining stadiums, and for Collen there’s nothing better.

“I think when you start playing, that’s the dream is to be able to do that and, you know, the bigger the better,” he says. “You get your rock star on. … It’s really cool.” 

Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium Tour, with special guests Steve Miller Band and Cheap Trick, kicks off Saturday in St. Louis. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.

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While Hootie & the Blowfish were racking up huge hits in the ’90s, like “Only Wanna Be With You,” there was one particular song of the era that frontman Darius Rucker wishes he wrote.

Speaking with the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, Rucker shares that he and his Hootie bandmates were jealous of the Stone Temple Pilots track “Interstate Love Song.”

“It just sounded perfect on the radio and it was so hard,” Rucker says. “You know, why can’t we play that?” 

Flash forward some 30 years and Hootie is covering “Interstate Love Song” during their current tour.

“Now I guess we’re just old dudes. We play whatever we want to play,” Rucker says. “So I love rocking that song.”

Hootie’s tour also features another ’90s alt vet on the bill, Collective Soul. The outing continues July 10 in Denver.

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Elton John headlined England’s Glastonbury Festival in 2023, and he just revealed the surprising gift he received from Paul McCartney following the performance.

At one point during the Glastonbury set Elton was heard complaining about his pants falling down, which apparently prompted the gift from McCartney. 

During a Glastonbury-focused online Q&A, Elton was asked why his pants were dropping during the show and he replied, “Because they were too big!”

He then revealed that McCartney, who was on hand to witness the set, later sent him gold suspenders “to keep my trousers up the next week,” noting the gift “made me laugh so much!”

Elton’s Glastonbury set was his first time playing the iconic festival. It was also his final U.K. performance. He retired from the road in July 2023 after a show in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Sammy Hagar is getting ready to kick off his The Best of All World tour, and he’s giving fans a sneak peek at what to expect.

The rocker has been sharing clips of rehearsals on Instagram, including one with him and the band – Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitarist Joe Satriani and drummer Jason Bonham – performing the Van Halen track “Poundcake” from the album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. And for those who don’t think Satriani can fill the late Eddie Van Halen‘s shoes, the clip ends with a taste of an epic Satriani guitar solo.

In another clip, Sammy gives fans a look at Bonham’s drum kit, which the drummer says features “a surprise,” to which Sammy exclaims, “I love surprises.”

Sammy then added a clip of the band performing the OU812 track “When It’s Love,” sharing, “Last night’s ending of rehearsal felt like the beginning of something great,” adding a variety of hashtags, including #10days, #enjoyingrehearsals and #Cantwaitforthistour.

Hagar’s The Best of All World tour, which will have him performing Van Halen classics along with solo tunes and tracks from his other bands, The Circle and Chickenfoot, kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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Pink Floyd fans who are holding out hope for a reunion are bound to be disappointed.

In a new interview with Reuters, Roger Waters was asked if there was any chance of him performing with his former Pink Floyd bandmates Nick Mason and David Gilmour again. He replied, “No, whatever for?” He added that “it’s not in me.”

Waters says he doesn’t “regret” their last reunion in 2005 at Live 8 in London, particularly because keyboardist Rick Wright was still alive at the time.

“We played reasonably well and the people liked it,” he said. “And so I’m really, really glad. Do I want to do anything like (it)? No, I don’t, particularly as there’s only three of us left alive.”

Waters insists his feelings about a reunion have “nothing to do with any rancor or anything.” Referring to his public spats with Gilmour, he notes, “David and I are very, very different people and that’s okay.”

Besides, Roger says he’s “busy doing other things,” including working on a new album, The Bar, and a memoir. He adds, “I’m a busy chap.”

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Deep Purple has shared another new single from their upcoming album, =1.

The latest is the track “Lazy Sod,” the third song they’ve released from the album, following “Pictures of You” and “Portable Door.” 

You can listen to “Lazy Sod” now via digital outlets.

=1, Deep Purple’s first album of new material since 2020’s Whoosh!, will be released July 19. According to the press release, the title “symbolizes the idea that in a world growing ever more complex, everything eventually simplifies down to a single, unified essence. Everything equals one.”  

It is available for preorder now. 

Deep Purple, currently made up of frontman Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, drummer Ian Paice, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Simon McBride, will kick off their North American =1 More Time tour on Aug. 14 in Hollywood, Florida. A complete list of dates can be found at deeppurple.com.

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On This Day, July 3, 1971 …

The Doors frontman Jim Morrison was found dead in a bathtub in his apartment in Paris, France. He was discovered by his girlfriend, Pam Courson.

Morrison was 27 at the time of his death, with the official cause of death listed as heart failure, although there have been conspiracy theories surrounding his death for years.

He was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, where both Oscar Wilde and Édith Piaf are buried. The location has since become a tourist attraction. 

Morrison co-founded The Doors with Ray Manzarek in July 1965. Drummer John Densmore joined in August of that year, followed by guitarist Robby Krieger.

The band released their self-titled debut in January 1967, containing future classics “Light My Fire” and “Break On Through (To The Other Side).” “Light My Fire” has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, with the album chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry in 2015. 

The Doors went on to sell over 34 million records worldwide and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

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