Classic Hits

The Rolling Stones are getting even more fashionable as they get ready to launch Hackney Diamonds, their first album of new material in 18 years.

The legendary rockers just announced they are collaborating with British fashion designer Paul Smith for a collection coinciding with the release. Details on Rolling Stones x Paul Smith are coming soon, but it will include an exclusive limited-edition Hackney Diamonds vinyl, as well as collectable T-shirts.

The Paul Smith website notes that he “couldn’t be more honored to have been asked to work with the band on this incredible project.”

But this isn’t the only unique way The Stones are promoting their upcoming album. They previously announced a collaboration with Major League Baseball for limited-edition white vinyl versions of the album, tailored to each of the 30 MLB teams.

Hackney Diamonds, dropping October 20, is available for preorder now.

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Styx is returning to Las Vegas in 2024.

The rockers just announced five new shows at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The new dates kick off January 26 and are followed by shows on January 27, 31, February 2 and 3.

A Styx fan club presale begins Tuesday, October 3, at 10 a.m. PT, with the general onsale set for Friday, October 6, 10 a.m. PT.

Styx fans still have plenty of chances to see the band onstage in 2023. They are set to play Shipshewana, Indiana, on October 12, with several dates on the books for October and November. A complete list of Styx shows can be found at styxworld.com.

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Music fans will once again be lining up at their favorite independent record stores to snag one-of-a-kind releases on Friday, November 24, for the 2023 edition of Record Store Day Black Friday.

Among this year’s releases: 

Joni Mitchell is contributing Court and Spark Demos, a collection of never-before-heard early recordings of songs off her classic 1974 album, ahead of its upcoming 50th anniversary. 

The Doors‘ Live in Bakersfield, which captures a 1970 concert around the time of Jim Morrison‘s indecent exposure trial, will be available as a two-LP and two-CD set.

The March 2, 1969, Grateful Dead concert at San Francisco’s Fillmore West will be released as a five-LP package.

War’s releasing The World is a Ghetto (50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition), featuring alternative takes, reimagined tracks and more off their classic album. 

The 2023 Record Store Day Black Friday will also include releases by Jerry Garcia, Faces, INXS, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas, Gram Parsons, Mötley Crüe, The Monkees, Gov’t Mule and the late Jeff Beck.

For the full list of releases and participating stores, visit RecordStoreDay.com.

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After Lindsey Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018, the band replaced him with two guitarists — Neil Finn and Mike Campbell — and continued. Now that Christine McVie has passed away, Stevie Nicks says the band is over, as far as she’s concerned.

Speaking to Vulture, Stevie says, “When Christine died, I felt like you can’t replace her. You just can’t. Without her, what is it? You know what I mean? She was like my soul mate, my musical soul mate … Christine was my best friend.”

“Who am I going to look over to on the right and have them not be there behind that Hammond organ?” she continued. “When she died, I figured we really can’t go any further with this. There’s no reason to.”

Stevie also talked about her new Stevie Nicks Barbie doll, which she decided should be wearing a Rumours-era outfit, complete with platform boots, chiffon skirt and feathered hair. “It’s who I was, and who I still am,” she tells Vulture.

She also reveals she has a Ken to go with the Stevie Barbie; the early ’80s model features Ken with dark hair, dressed as Elvis in a white jumpsuit.

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The upcoming Power Trip festival is bound to be a good time, and AC/DC is giving fans yet another way to enjoy themselves. 

The rockers, who’ll be hitting the stage for the first time in seven years, just announced they’re launching their very own bar outside the festival, where those headed to the shows can stop by for a drink and a fun time.

The AC/DC High Voltage Dive Bar will be open October 5-8 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s located in Indio, California, about 10 minutes away from the Empire Polo Grounds, where the festival is taking place. The bar’s Instagram page notes it will close early, at 9:30 p.m., on October 7, when AC/DC takes the stage.

“It’s the ultimate way to connect and plug in with fellow AC/DC fans over the weekend and check out iconic AC/DC props and exclusive merch,” reads the bar’s website.

Power Trip kicks off October 6, with performances from Iron Maiden and Guns N’ Roses, followed by Judas Priest and AC/DC on October 7, wrapping with Tool and Metallica on October 8. Complete details can be found at powertrip.live.

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Madonna is selling limited-edition merchandise for her upcoming Celebration Tour for a good cause.

The merch consists of two collectors’ item tote bags, with 100% of the proceeds going to two different charities: Madonna’s own Raising Malawi and the Chema Vision Children’s Center in Kenya, established by Julian Prolman, president of Ministry of Tomorrow. Ministry of Tomorrow is the fashion house Madonna is collaborating with for the tote bags.

You can buy the tote bags online and at select tour venues. Made of 100% certified organic and fair trade cotton, they feature two top handles, a shoulder strap, a signature charm and exclusive Madonna artwork by Prolman.  They cost $40 each.

Madonna will launch her long-awaited Celebration Tour October 14 at the O2 in London. It’ll arrive in North America starting December 13 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

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Queen’s Brian May has hit out at researchers who seem to have discovered that listening to the band’s music could help release insulin and keep diabetes under control in patients.

The guitarist shared an article originally posted in Forbes about the discovery, explaining on Instagram that while he’s happy “We will Rock You can be good for your health,” he’s not happy scientists “tortured mice” in order to test their theory.

“It’s now well known that many drugs and procedures that work in mice or rats do NOT work in humans,” he writes. “And, ethically, causing pain to one species to cure the ills of another is clearly unjustifiable. So the laws requiring tests on animals MUST be changed.”

He adds, “I’m horrified that these scientists could gaily make these unfortunate animals suffer to prove a point that should have been made using human volunteers. Then I would have been smiling.”

Finally, May concludes, “It’s so easy to gloss over the disgusting way we treat animals. It has to stop. It’s high time that scientists became responsible for what they do. Time they took responsibility for the way they behave,” adding, “I will NOT be celebrating this news tonight.”

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On This Day, October 2, 1982…

Genesis reunited with ex-singer Peter Gabriel and ex-guitarist Steve Hackett for a benefit concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl in Buckinghamshire, England.

It was the first time either had played with the band since their departures from Genesis: Gabriel left in 1975 and Hackett in 1977. It was also the last time Gabriel performed any of the band’s songs. 

The beneficiary of the concert was Gabriel, who was close to financial ruin after the failure of his World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) Festival. The money bailed him out, and he went on to stage the festival for the next 40 years.

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This Barbie is a Gold Dust Woman.

Yes, Mattel has launched a Stevie Nicks Barbie Doll, which is available now. She’s dressed in a black outfit inspired by the one Stevie wore on the cover of Rumours, and also wears platform boots and a crescent moon necklace. She even comes with a ribbon-festooned tambourine.  Her flowing blonde hair is styled in bangs, and she’s wearing smoky eye makeup.

Stevie showed off the doll to fans while onstage at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, October 1, and then presented it to an audience member.

The doll costs $55 and is available at Target, Walmart and other stores.

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Grateful Dead just released the 50th anniversary deluxe reissue of their album Wake of the Flood and is giving fans a unique way to enjoy it. 

Dead Heads can now go to the band’s website to explore Playing In The Band: Wake of the Flood, described as “an interactive mixing board” that allows them to jam along with classics on the album like “Eyes of the World,” “Stella Blue” and “Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo.”

Playing In The Band gives fans a chance to play around with the contributions of each band member. They can press solo to listen to each artist’s specific performance and even mute them in order to fill in using their own instrument.

And the Dead has even more Wake of the Flood goodies to share with fans. On October 15, exactly 50 years after Wake of the Flood was released, over six hours of never-before-heard material from the album’s recording sessions will stream as a YouTube Live exclusive event.

Released in 1973, Wake of the Flood was the first album released on the band’s own record label, Grateful Dead Records. Featuring new members Keith and Donna Godchaux, it was also the first album released following the death of founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and the temporary departure of drummer Mickey Hart.

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