Classic Rock Summer 2019

Welcome The heavens have just opened as I type this, which can only mean one thing–it’s the beginning of the Great British Summer and festival time is upon us. To celebrate, this issue is something of a summer special. We asked musicians and readers to ‘edit’ the mag and decide which features we should run this month. Some choices may surprise you – Venom’s Cronos waxing lyrical about Jethro Tull was an eye-opener for me, Perry Farrell extolling the virtues of Lou Reed perhaps less so… And if you find yourself sunning yourself on a beach (or perhaps more realistically, sheltering from the rain in the pub) and you need something more to read, we recommend the best books about rock (page 64). But first you’ve got plenty to keep…

This month’s contributors CHRIS ROBERTS This issue Chris enjoyed listening to Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson talk about watching sheep while naked first thing in the morning (page 28), and was glad it wasn’t a Skype interview. His book on Talk Talk is reissued in July as a tribute to the late Mark Hollis, and his new book on Elton John is published worldwide in September. ED MITCHELL Freelance writer and GuitarKult blogger Ed fulfilled a lifelong ambition when he rounded up all three Stray Cats for us this month (page 60). In addition to Classic Rock he contributes to Guitarist and Total Guitar magazines. In his spare time he runs errands for a chihuahua called Elvis. Guitar nuts can follow him on Twitter @GuitarKult STEVE MITCHELL Regular readers of Classic…

“I thought I could live without it, but I can’t” Geezer Butler talks about life after Black Sabbath, and his new band with rhythm-section partner Matt Sorum, Deadland Ritual. This is the story of an unlikely rebirth. The resurrection of a Midlands legend whose glory days were widely assumed to be over. But enough about Aston Villa FC, the long-suffering football club that Geezer Butler has spent the last 90 minutes cheering to Premier League promotion from his California home. “I hope I’m making sense,” says the man who has spent most of his life in Black Sabbath, picking up the phone in Los Angeles after the final whistle. “I’m still hoarse after staying up all night shouting at the TV. I’m going back to bed after this…” Butler has…

RIP Thank you and good night. Leon Redbone August 26, 1949 – May 30, 2019 Born Dickran Gobalian in Cyprus, Leon Redbone was a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor who traded in jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley classics. The 69-year-old passed away following complications from dementia, leaving a catalogue of 16 full-length albums. Jake Black Died May 21, 2019 Jake Black, aka the Very Reverend D Wayne Love, was a co-founder of the London-based Alabama 3, whose song Woke Up This Morning was used for the opening credits of the TV series The Sopranos. He had pneumonia earlier in the year, and had been suffering from Addison’s disease. He was 59. Eric Moore Died May 17, 2019 Eric Moore, the frontman with Ohiobased cult band The Godz, has lost…

Roky Erickson Farewell to the psychedelic pioneer with the 13th Floor Elevators. July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019 ROKY ERICKSON, frontman with legendary psychedelic band the 13th Floor Elevators, has died at the age of 71. The news was confirmed by his brother Mikel Erickson, who wrote on Facebook: “My brother Roky passed away peaceably today. Please allow us time. Music and laughter forever.” The many musicians and associates paying tribute to Erickson include Mark Lanegan, who tweeted: “Devastated to hear of Roky Erickson’s passing. One of the reasons I began singing. A huge inspiration and giant in the history of rock. I used to call him every day in the eighties, he would actually pick up once every couple months and talk horror films with me. Such a loss.…

Woodstock At 50 Massive box set imminent. THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY of the original Woodstock festival of 1969 is to be celebrated with a comprehensive 38-CD, 432-track boxed set that includes a whopping 267 previously unreleased tracks. Woodstock 50 – Back To The Garden: The Definitive Anniversary Archive is released by Rhino Records on August 2. Co-producer Andy Zax and colleague Steve Woolard located and sifted through the 60 multi-track reels recorded by Eddie Kramer and Lee Osborne, and remastered the material over a 14-year period. The press release says the package is “a near-complete chronological reconstruction” of the festival. So which of the recorded performances are missing? “There are two songs that the Jimi Hendrix estate just wouldn’t allow access to,” Zax tells Classic Rock. “Beyond that, everything else that exists…