Latest news with #classicRock
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Going back to a 70s sound, Styx as progressive as ever on new album
They are one of the longest-running classic rock bands and have countless hit songs. And yet to this day, Styx can still be misunderstood. Thanks to such classics as the ballad "Babe" or the soft folk-rock number "Boat On A River" which only made the charts in Europe, Styx is often considered to be a soft-rock group. This, even though they were one of the first successful progressive-rock bands in the United States. Now, on their 18th album titled "Circling From Above," this progressive style is once again clearly in evidence. A broad musical palette "I think that Styx, almost notoriously, were never critics' darlings. This is long before I was in the band," says Lawrence Gowan, who has been a singer and keyboard player for Styx since 1999. "They had a very wide palette that they drew from," the 68-year-old musician says. "They could be very much a pop band. They could be a heavy rock band, and they could also be a progressive band. There were so many ways that you could relate to them that maybe one of those elements might be not what your taste is." Yet all the criticism notwithstanding, Styx has since the 1970s succeeded in filling large concert halls with regular tours. But most recently they have once again been extremely productive in the recording studio. "Circling From Above" is their third album in eight years. This is important both for the band and the group's fans, Gowan argues. "You're proving to yourselves and to your audience that you're still viable, that you still have thoughts, musical thoughts and lyrical thoughts that are occurring to you that you feel are relevant to 2025. That's very important," he says. Song texts are a matter of interpretation On the latest album, the subject matter is the conflict between technology and nature, artificial intelligence and a bit of science fiction. Styx is never outright political—who can blame them in these turbulent times?—but they are also not completely apolitical, says Scotland-born Gowan. Listeners can interpret the songs for themselves. "I think our intention is basically to say something specific in an unspecific way," he says, adding about this approach: "It's the best." Musically, "Circling From Above" is once again a versatile work with polyphonic vocals, classic synthesizers and complex arrangements thanks to the influences of the various songwriters and singers in the group. The intro is inevitably reminiscent of Pink Floyd, but Gowan also said he was influenced by Genesis. The aim was to make a modern classic rock album in the style of the 70s. Styx succeeded in this. Highlights include the melodic rock number "It's Clear" and the folk-rock song "Blue Eyed Raven" sung by Tommy Shaw to the accompaniment of Spanish guitars and mandolins. Music that unfolds slowly The 71-year-old Shaw's voice still sounds like it did in the 70s, when he joined the band in his early 20s and immediately shaped Styx's sound with hits such as "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)" and "Too Much Time on My Hands". Such catchy songs are not immediately recognizable on "Circling From Above". But the more you listen to the album, which almost seems like a concept album, the more the music unfolds. However, Styx won't have too much space for the new songs on the upcoming US concert tour. Because they will first perform the eight-song classic album "The Grand Illusion" from 1977 in full. Solve the daily Crossword
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
The Quiz #455 - All That Glitters Is Gold
Who was the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin? Play. Share. Listen with FOX News Headlines 24/7 Anchor, Dave Anthony.
The National
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Review: Guns N' Roses play Human Being live for first time in tribute to Axl Rose's late idol
There are only two acts I can remember who came on stage precisely at the advertised 8pm start time – Selena Gomez and Guns N' Roses. That the latter was once one of the most notoriously tardy bands in the history of rock n' roll is not lost on me. But that's a testament to what Guns N' Roses have become in 2025. Their misbehaviour may be the stuff of legend, and feuds may have kept the core members – Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan – apart for more than two decades, but it's been about 10 years since they made amends. This is not a victory lap or a quick cash grab – this is a band built to last for decades to come. And it makes sense that they would follow in the footsteps of the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Elton John and Paul McCartney and potentially play into their eighties. This has always been a band built on those influences – which made them an anachronism even when they debuted in 1985. At that time, their power as a unit was so mighty that they nearly single-handedly pushed mainstream hard rock back to the 70s – the decade when classic rock came to its own – for better and for worse. And now, with each core member either in or approaching their sixties, they're one of the few bands keeping classic rock alive in 2025. Not all the band's 70s heroes are still on stage, of course. In February, the music world lost David Johansen, the front man of the proto-punk pioneers New York Dolls. Johansen's famed on-stage swagger was one of the key influences on Rose, which he has been vocal about since GNR's early days. Most famously, the band paid tribute to the Dolls on their 1993 album The Spaghetti Incident?, covering their 1974 deep cut, Human Being. But for decades, the band never played their New York Dolls cover live. That made it particularly moving when Guns N' Roses played Human Being live on stage in Abu Dhabi for the first time in their history. Rose noted the debut with a smile, along with a tribute to his late hero. It's rare the band has looked this happy and healthy. Rose no longer sports the long hair and bandana, and looks and sounds noticeably better than he did when the band reformed in 2016, which allows him and his cohorts to breeze through a more than three-hour show at Etihad Arena – hitting all the right notes. Slash, on the other hand, remains ageless – his style has never changed, nor has his immaculate and virtuoso playing style. And most importantly, their camaraderie is palpable, with no signs of discord between them. The band, accompanied by their capable new drummer Isaac Carpenter, who joined the band in March, toured through all their beloved hits, starting with Welcome to the Jungle and ending with Paradise City, as they often do. Sweet Child o' Mine, and their covers of Bob Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Wings' Live and Let Die were joyously performed. They even reached for some deep cuts, performing Attitude and Reckless Life for the first time on their current tour, and Used To Love Her for the first time since 2018. While the energy of the crowd may not have matched their 2017 show at Dubai's Autism Rocks Arena, which had 30,000 thrilled fans comes to see the reunited line-up for the first time – that is to be expected. This is the band's fifth time in the UAE, after all – and second time in Etihad Arena so far this decade. But their return is welcome, nonetheless, and marks perhaps their best performance yet. If this is the Guns N' Roses we're going to get for the next few decades, the UAE will welcome them back gladly each time.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Rick Derringer dead at 77: 60s guitarist of The McCoys passes away as tributes pour in
Rick Derringer, a renowned classic rock guitarist, has died at the age of 77 on Monday. Derringer's longtime friend and caretaker, Tony Wilson, confirmed the news on Facebook as he shared that the guitarist was surrounded by his wife Jenda and himself at the time of his passing. Though no cause of death has yet been revealed, an official joint Facebook page for Derringer and his wife revealed he had been facing several health issues in recent months and had recently undergone an ankle bypass. The musician was known for founding the rock band The McCoys and was known for recording the 1965 hit song Hang On Sloopy at just age 17. The Grammy-winning rocker was also known for working with other music legends like Alice Cooper and Barbra Streisand. Tributes started pouring in following the tragic news as his loved ones took to social media to remember his legacy and honor his memory. The musician was known for founding the rock band The McCoys and was known for recording the 1965 hit song Hang On Sloopy at just age 17; pictured January 1970
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock Icon, 79, Plays His ‘Favorite' Deep Cut For First Time In 42 Years
is known for many classic songs, which have become part of rock's history. His early days in Buffalo Springfield gave us "For What It's Worth" and "Mr. Soul." His tenure in Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young yielded "Teach Your Children," "Our House," and "Ohio." As a solo artist, Young has made music for generations with such endearing classics as "Heart of Gold," "Old Man," "Rockin' In The Free World," and "Harvest Moon." But the outspoken 79-year-old's favorite song is not one you'd expect, mainly because he hasn't played live for over four decades—until now. On May 23, Young performed a benefit show at Lakefield College in Ontario, Canada. About halfway through the show, he played "My Boy," a song from his 1985 album, Old Ways. It's a song Neil hasn't performed since 1983, according to Stereogum. The mid-80s country album produced three singles, none of which were "My Boy," making it a deep cut that only die-hard Neil Young fans would know about. Thankfully, a fan shared footage of Neil playing the song from the 2025 concert on YouTube. "Practicing for Lakefield, I was playing 'My Boy,' [and] thinking about my own dad," wrote Young in a blog post before the show. The rock icon said that his father, journalist and novelist Scott Young, who died in 2005, "must have heard this song." "My dad was a great guy and Zeke is a wonderful son," continued Young. "I think 'My Boy' is my favorite recording of all the ones I have done." Neil wrote how much he loved pedal steel guitar player Ben Keith and pianist Spooner Oldman's playing on the song, "as well as all the others on it. They are soulful musicians. I have really been so lucky!" Young said that the benefit show would help pay for refurbishing the Canadian Heritage Farmhouse on Lakefield Campus. "It was built in 1900 along the lakeshore, and we will be bringing it back so all the fortunate kids who come to Lakefield College from around the world can appreciate the wonderful Canadian feeling," he wrote. Young and his wife, Daryl Hannah, visited the school's Northcote campus last fall, per The Peterborough Examiner, and fell in love with its commitment to sustainability-focused, hands-on Icon, 79, Plays His 'Favorite' Deep Cut For First Time In 42 Years first appeared on Parade on May 25, 2025
