Classic rock quickies
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry made his second appearance in the U.K. on July 1st when he performed as part of the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium. He joined Tom Jones and his band and Joss Stone on "Ain't That A Lot of Love" and covers of Prince's "Kiss" and the Arctic Monkey's "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor." His previous appearance there was on June 24th, when Aerosmith performed at the Hyde Park Calling concert. Aerosmith is currently on a 20-country world tour.
Brian May: The Definitive Biography, by writer Laura Jackson, is due in stores on October 25th. The 240-page hardcover chronicles the Queen guitarist's life from childhood through his astrophysics studies and teaching, his time with Queen and his post-Queen years, including his volatile relationship with actress Anita Dobson. The book also looks at both the friendships and conflicts within the legendary band, the disintegration of his first marriage, the death of his father and the impact of Freddie Mercury's death. First-hand exclusive interviews with Tony Iommi, Joe Elliott, Richie Sambora, Bruce Dickinson, Paul Rodgers, and Cliff Richard, among many others, give further insight into May's life. (Blabbermouth)
Ozzy Osbourne received a special star in his hometown of Birmingham, England on Friday (July 6th) and told the Birmingham Mail that there's a chance he may reunite with his Black Sabbath bandmates for a tour or album. "They're touring as Heaven And Hell at the moment with Ronnie James Dio, but I never say never," said the 58-year-old singer. "I'd be completely nuts not to put out another Black Sabbath album. The problem is, we could go into the studio now and make an album but it would have to be better than anything we'd done before. But if I ever retire I'd love to end my career performing with the band I first played with." His wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, said, "We're definitely talking to the guys, just talking. I think when they finish their tour and we finish Ozzfest, we can sit down and spend more time on it." (Blabbermouth)
To commemorate their 25th anniversary, Great White will issue Back to the Rhythm, on July 17th, via Frontiers Records. Singer Jack Russell said of his reunion with guitarist Mark Kendall, keyboardist/guitarist Michael Lardie, drummer Audie Desbrow and bassist Sean McNabb, "It's just like old times. There's a bond that forms between people that is very special. I've missed my friends." Lardie, who mixed, produced and engineered the album, said, "The new songs sound fresh to me -- very Great White, but with an approach of what we sound like in a live performance situation. Kendall and I are having fun channeling our Stones roots and playing off each other in the Richards/Woods tradition."
Just prior to what would have been his Live Earth performance, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose issued a statement saying, "Guns N' Roses or myself will not be performing at Rio Live Earth for a couple of reasons. The first is that we were not asked until the last couple weeks while we were on tour in Australia and have upcoming sold-out dates already rescheduled in Japan. Our gear is already en route to Japan for these shows. We have attempted to find a solution to be able to perform in Rio, but unfortunately none has been suggested." He further says that both the promoters and Al Gore asked him to perform individually with Lenny Kravitz, but Kravitz temporarily canceled his performance after injuring himself. By the time he reconfirmed his performance, it was too late for Axl to take action. He finished off his statement by writing, "We wish all involved, the performers, the organizers, the fans and audiences around the world all the best and a very successful event." (Blabbermouth)
R.E.M. has finished its "working rehearsal" shows at the Point in Dublin, where they are busy working on a new studio album. The band wrapped up with a show July 5th that included 11 new songs, plus a range of old favorites such as "Gardening At Night," "Romance," "West of the Fields", "Pretty Persuasion," "Second Guessing," and "Auctioneer (Another Engine)." (Billboard)
Brian May: The Definitive Biography, by writer Laura Jackson, is due in stores on October 25th. The 240-page hardcover chronicles the Queen guitarist's life from childhood through his astrophysics studies and teaching, his time with Queen and his post-Queen years, including his volatile relationship with actress Anita Dobson. The book also looks at both the friendships and conflicts within the legendary band, the disintegration of his first marriage, the death of his father and the impact of Freddie Mercury's death. First-hand exclusive interviews with Tony Iommi, Joe Elliott, Richie Sambora, Bruce Dickinson, Paul Rodgers, and Cliff Richard, among many others, give further insight into May's life. (Blabbermouth)
Ozzy Osbourne received a special star in his hometown of Birmingham, England on Friday (July 6th) and told the Birmingham Mail that there's a chance he may reunite with his Black Sabbath bandmates for a tour or album. "They're touring as Heaven And Hell at the moment with Ronnie James Dio, but I never say never," said the 58-year-old singer. "I'd be completely nuts not to put out another Black Sabbath album. The problem is, we could go into the studio now and make an album but it would have to be better than anything we'd done before. But if I ever retire I'd love to end my career performing with the band I first played with." His wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, said, "We're definitely talking to the guys, just talking. I think when they finish their tour and we finish Ozzfest, we can sit down and spend more time on it." (Blabbermouth)
To commemorate their 25th anniversary, Great White will issue Back to the Rhythm, on July 17th, via Frontiers Records. Singer Jack Russell said of his reunion with guitarist Mark Kendall, keyboardist/guitarist Michael Lardie, drummer Audie Desbrow and bassist Sean McNabb, "It's just like old times. There's a bond that forms between people that is very special. I've missed my friends." Lardie, who mixed, produced and engineered the album, said, "The new songs sound fresh to me -- very Great White, but with an approach of what we sound like in a live performance situation. Kendall and I are having fun channeling our Stones roots and playing off each other in the Richards/Woods tradition."
Just prior to what would have been his Live Earth performance, Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose issued a statement saying, "Guns N' Roses or myself will not be performing at Rio Live Earth for a couple of reasons. The first is that we were not asked until the last couple weeks while we were on tour in Australia and have upcoming sold-out dates already rescheduled in Japan. Our gear is already en route to Japan for these shows. We have attempted to find a solution to be able to perform in Rio, but unfortunately none has been suggested." He further says that both the promoters and Al Gore asked him to perform individually with Lenny Kravitz, but Kravitz temporarily canceled his performance after injuring himself. By the time he reconfirmed his performance, it was too late for Axl to take action. He finished off his statement by writing, "We wish all involved, the performers, the organizers, the fans and audiences around the world all the best and a very successful event." (Blabbermouth)
R.E.M. has finished its "working rehearsal" shows at the Point in Dublin, where they are busy working on a new studio album. The band wrapped up with a show July 5th that included 11 new songs, plus a range of old favorites such as "Gardening At Night," "Romance," "West of the Fields", "Pretty Persuasion," "Second Guessing," and "Auctioneer (Another Engine)." (Billboard)
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