'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition Reset For June, Title Track Released

 

The release date for The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition has been reset to June 13. The five LP/Blu-ray Audio, four CD/Blu-ray Audio and Digital (including Dolby ATMOS) configurations all take a deep dive into the music and visual elements around the album. Included with the original album mix, plus remastered 96kHz/24-bit high-resolution audio and Dolby ATMOS mixes is a remastered live performance of the album from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 24, 1975. 

Three never-before-released demos from the legendary Headley Grange Session are included as part of a digital download card with the full audio from the set, as well as a 60-page coffee table style book with Alexis Petridis liner notes, who interviewed all five band members to tell the story of album – from the writing sessions to live performances – which is believed to be the only time this has happened since its original release. The book also features images from Armando Gallo, Richard Haines and other noted photographers. A 1975 tour program reproduction, replica ticket and poster round out the set.

Pre-order The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition

To appease fans while they wait, a brand new 2025 remaster of the opening track, “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway,” is available to hear for the first time across streaming platforms. Check it out below.

The new remaster by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios has been taken from the original 1974 tapes. As The Lamb’s definitive compendium, which follows the arc of the album’s creation and tour, the set was created with input from all of the band members involved in the record – Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford.

In Genesis’ incredible body of work, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is a landmark record. Originally released on November 22, 1974, at the pinnacle of their early success, it came at a pivotal point in Genesis’ history. It is rated as one of the greatest albums of its era and one of the most influential progressive rock albums of all time.

The 50th-anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is a true celebration of a remarkable album that embraces the groundbreaking music, giving the whole band’s insight alongside evocative imagery and unseen photos. Ultimately, it celebrates the huge magnitude of what this record is, which Alexis Petridis sums up perfectly in the opening paragraph of the liner notes… 

“Perhaps it makes sense that an album as complex as The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway has an equally complex history. The saga of its making is a strange and lengthy one, involving rat-infested country houses, uncanny presentiments of the future—or at least the future of rock music—Hollywood directors, personality clashes and inflatable penises. It’s also occasionally controversial: Talking to the former members of Genesis about The Lamb…nearly half a century on, it’s hard not to be struck by the fact that they seldom agree about it. Some members of the band have said they think it’s the best album of their career. Others think of it as a brave but flawed experiment. Some people view it as the absolute apotheosis of early-’70s progressive rock: a double concept album filled with dense, intricate, ever-shifting music, featuring a plot so knotty and strange even some members of the band didn’t understand it (“Ask Peter—I’m just the drummer,” shrugged Phil Collins when a journalist quizzed him about it shortly after release) and subject to one of the most famously theatrical live presentations in rock history. Some people think it presages the arrival of punk rock. In fact, there’s every chance that The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is all those things—flawed experiment, career highlight, prog masterpiece, weirdly prescient precursor of punk—at once, which might account for its longevity.”

FireAid Announces First Grants For Wildfire Relief To Los Angeles Communities

As a result of the overwhelming support for the FireAid benefit concert from thousands of individuals around the world, dozens of sponsors and streaming partners, and the generous donation of time and talent from the music industry’s top performers, FireAid has proudly raised to date an estimated $100 million, half of which is being deployed today for immediate relief through a $50 million first set of grants.

This initial phase of gifting prioritizes community-based organizations that are on the front lines of wildfire relief.  The selected organizations have the infrastructure, experience, and relationships necessary to efficiently and equitably deliver assistance to fire-impacted individuals and have each received $100,000 or more.  The need for immediate relief funding remains dire and these funds will serve to assist with that goal. Rebuilding efforts will be the focus for FireAid phase two grants.

Grants have been allocated to support a myriad of fire-affected individuals including displaced residents, workers, small business owners and first responders, with a focus on essential services, food assistance, childcare support, critical healthcare resources, housing support, rental relief, student assistance programs, and navigation services to ensure victims can access legal resources, government benefits and seamlessly work through challenging paperwork.

To see the full list of organizations, visit https://fireaidla.org/grants.

The first phase of funds will be fully distributed by the end of February.  Phase two funding will focus on additional relief needs including sustaining long-term recovery, remediation, and rebuilding, and further address environmental issues. Survivors of prior megafires and experts with whom FireAid consulted emphasized how crucial it is to reserve funds for unanticipated needs raised by communities, and to be both responsive and flexible, in planning for all phases of recovery.

To begin to address that need, FireAid has also established a program for the issuance of smaller grants available to community-based organizations, ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. More details on how to apply can be found at FireAidLA.org.

FireAid, brought together more than 50 million viewers across 28 streaming platforms and featured moving performances from more than 30 artists at two venues, Intuit Dome and the Kia Forum. The estimated amount raised includes ticket sales for both venues, sponsorships led by presenting partners Kaiser Permanente and Scopely, merchandise sales, and donations from the public including generous private gifts from the Azoff family, the Eagles, Andrew Hauptman and Ellen Bronfman Hauptman and U2.  FireAid’s producing partner was Live Nation.  Operating partner LA Clippers underwrote all production expenses.  Steve and Connie Ballmer continue to match all pledges received from broadcast.  The concert is available on demand until the end of the year on YouTube. 

Styx, Kevin Cronin Band Announce 'Brotherhood Of Rock' Tour

 

Styx and Kevin Cronin, the voice and writer behind REO Speedwagon's greatest hits, recently wrapped up sold-out residencies at The Venetian Theatre. Styx performed 1977's The Grand Illusion in its entirety, while REO Speedwagon performed 1980's Hi Infidelity in its entirety.

 

Due to the response from both residencies, Styx and The Kevin Cronin Band wanted to give a very special Valentine’s Day gift to their fans with the announcement that they’re bringing these album shows, plus their hits, to the amphitheaters and arenas later this summer as part of their “Brotherhood of Rock” tour. The tour, along with special guest Don Felder (former lead guitarist of the Eagles), kicks off May 28 in Greenville, SC at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. 

 

Styx and Kevin Cronin (as part of REO Speedwagon) first toured together in 2000 and in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, they came together to form the Rock to the Rescue 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which still collects donations for local charities at every stop on Styx’s ongoing tour.

 

General tickets for the trek, produced by Live Nation, are on sale now on LiveNation.com. Styx and The Kevin Cronin Band are also offering VIP packages via their own StyxWorld.com and KevinCronin.com websites, as well as on LiveNation.com. 

As Styx declares, “When people fall in love with a great album, they fall in love with it for life. To play that album in a live concert stirs a unique set of emotions in each member of the audience and it's really a joy to experience!  Styx saw that firsthand back in 2010 when we first played The Grand Illusion in its entirety, playing those songs in the exact sequence they appear on record. Now in 2025, after performing The Grand Illusion for five sold-out nights in Las Vegas, we are excited to bring this show to our summer tour. In addition, our touring mates, Kevin Cronin and the music of REO Speedwagon will feature a full performance of their mega successful Hi Infidelity album and Don Felder will be performing the song he co-wrote, "Hotel California" and other hits from his career. It’s going to be quite a celebration!”

 

Kevin Cronin said, “We had a blast performing ‘An Evening of Hi Infidelity…and More’ for our three Las Vegas residencies in 2023/24 as REO Speedwagon. This year, that same band is called the Kevin Cronin Band. Dave Amato (lead guitar/vocals) and Bryan Hitt (drums) have been with me in REO for over 35 years. Derek Hilland (keyboards: Whitesnake, Rick Springfield) and Matt Bissonette (twelve years on bass with Elton John) came on board in 2023, and we have all been together ever since. In 2025, The Kevin Cronin Band will be performing the entire Hi Infidelity album, including 'Keep on Loving You' and 'Take it on the Run.' Plus, hits such as 'Can’t Fight This Feeling,' 'Time for me to Fly,' and 'Roll with the Changes,' which I wrote, and sang on the REO Speedwagon records. And, we get to hear our brothers, Styx play their The Grand Illusion album and all their biggest hits every night too! It’s gonna be an ‘80s-style rock and roll jam…come on out and join the party!”

For tour dates, visit StyxWorld.com and KevinCronin.com.

Nominees For 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Announced

Bad Company, Phish, Chubby Checker, Billy Idol, and the Black Crowes are among nominees announced for this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. 

This year’s ballot also includes Oasis, Joe Cocker, Mariah Carey, Cyndi Lauper, the White Stripes, Maná, and Soundgarden, as well as Joy Division and New Order, the band that members of Joy Division formed after the death of its lead singer, Ian Curtis.

As in recent years, the latest nominees represent a mix of eras and subgenres. Those include boldface rock ’n’ roll names from the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s (Cocker, Idol), punk and alternative heroes (Joy Division, Soundgarden, the White Stripes), arena-filling giants (Oasis, Phish), a hip-hop act (Outkast) and a nod to the world outside mainstream Anglo-American pop (Maná).

Given the intense pressure the Rock Hall has faced in recent years to correct its poor record of admitting women to the pantheon, the inclusion of just two female performers — Carey and Lauper, neither of them new to the ballot — may bring yet more scrutiny to the institution despite its promises to reform.

For longtime Rock Hall watchers, the biggest news this year may be Checker. His song “The Twist” — a cover of a B-side originally released by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters — was a global phenomenon in the early 1960s, and it stands as one of the biggest hits in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. But until now, Checker, 83, has been ignored by the Rock Hall, despite years — decades, even — of complaints from his fans and protests by Checker himself. (Ballard, who died in 2003, was inducted into the hall in 1990.)

In 2001, Checker took out a full-page ad in Billboard magazine calling on the Rock Hall — along with nominators of the Nobel Prizes — to recognize him for the song that, he said, became “the biggest dance of the century.”

“I want my flowers while I’m alive,” he wrote. “I can’t smell them when I’m dead.”

In 2018, the Rock Hall included “The Twist” in a new honor, a list of singles that shaped rock ’n’ roll.

Artists become eligible for nomination 25 years after the release of their first recording. The nominations are voted on by more than 1,000 music historians, industry professionals and inducted artists.

The winning nominees are to be announced in April, and this year’s induction ceremony will be held in Los Angeles in the fall.

ZZ Top's Bill Gibbons To Be Grand Marshal For Ambetter Health 400

 

Atlanta Motor Speedway announced today ZZ Top lead singer and guitarist Billy Gibbons will be the Grand Marshal for the upcoming Ambetter Health 400.

As part of his duties, Gibbons will say the most famous words in motorsports, compelling the starting field to life when he says, “Drivers, start your engines.”

“Time to roll…fast and faster!” growls Billy F Gibbons as motors revved.

With his signature beard and African headgear, Billy F Gibbons is instantly recognizable and best known as the centerpiece of ZZ Top. His iconic vocals and riffs played a major role in the band’s ascent to becoming one of the country’s top rock bands with renowned tracks like “La Grange,” “Tush,” and later “Give Me All Your Loving” and “Sharp Dressed Man.” 

Over the course of more than five decades more than 50 million ZZ Top albums have been sold as well as a significant number of Billy F Gibbons solo albums. Billy and his ZZ Top bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, his friend and admirer. 

His solo releases include the Afro-Cuban flavored “Perfectamundo," the bluesy "The Big Bad Blues,” and the hard rockin “Hardware” all of which are underscored by what he refers to as the “Three T’s”: Tone, Taste and Tenacity.   

More recently Gibbons released “Livin’ It Up Down In Texas” as heard on the soundtrack to the hit series Land Man. It was written by Gibbons also with Billy Bob Thornton, the series star, and Nashville singer/composer and Land Man actor Mark Collie. 

Gibbons will kick off the Ambetter Health 400, the main event of Atlanta’s spring NASCAR weekend. The weekend features races across all three of the sanctioning body’s national touring series, including the Fr8 Racing 208 and Bennett Transportation and Logistics 250.

Tickets and camping accommodations for the Feb. 21-23 Ambetter Health 400 NASCAR weekend are available at AtlantaMotorSpeedway.com.

On The Blue Cruise Announces Monsters Of Rock & On The Blue Cruises For 2025

On the Blue Cruises, Inc., one of the leading music cruise experience producers over the past 20 years, has announced two groundbreaking music cruise experiences for 2025: Monsters of Rock Cruise and On the Blue Cruise will be sailing on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel.

The annual Monsters of Rock Cruise (MORC), the world’s premier hard rock and heavy metal fan immersive music cruise sailing the high seas since 2012, returns for its thirteenth year this March 10th-15th. The five-day/five-night, full-ship music charter will set sail aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Joy® for the first time in MORC history and depart from the Port of Miami, Florida. The voyage will include performances from over 35 artists (including Tesla, Night Ranger, Michael Schenker, Krokus, Extreme, Winger, Stephen Pearcy of RATT, Queensrÿche, and more), two unforgettable ports of call (Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau, Bahamas), and a variety of interactive events between artists and cruisers (including Artist/Cruiser Q&A sessions, Karaoke, “So You Think You Can Shred,” Cooking with Rock Stars presents Cupcake Wars, a new cast of Painting with Rock Stars, the comedy of Punchlines and Backlines, and more).

MORC ’25 will mark the largest rock music charter ever to be hosted on an NCL vessel and will feature the largest open air Pool Deck Stage ever assembled in the cruise line’s history. The ship will also host a new outdoor custom rock venue, Spice H2O, plus a unique festival venue, The Manhattan Room, created from one of the ship’s dining rooms. For more info and booking, visit MonstersOfRockCruise.com and follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

The world’s greatest classic rock experience at sea, On the Blue Cruise (OTBC), returns August 22nd-29th. Hosted and headlined by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artist Justin Hayward, the voice of The Moody Blues, and featuring an array of events and musical performances from over 25 artists (including Alan Parsons, Dave Mason, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, Colin Blunstone from The Zombies, Al Stewart, and more), this seven-night, full-ship charter cruise will set sail aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Gem® and depart out of Boston, Massachusetts. For the first time ever, the music charter will visit four ports along the Canada/New England shoreline (including Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia, Saint John, New Brunswick, and Portland, Maine). In addition to electrifying performances, the cruise will feature well-curated activities and events, such as artist photo experiences, themed-nights, Mellow Yellow Dance Party, Painting with Rock Stars, The Blue Note Dance Club, wine tasting events, and much more.

OTBC ’25 is truly unique as it is the first seven-day cruise that On the Blue Cruises, Inc. has ever produced and it's also their inaugural journey visiting some of North America’s most incredible ports of call. Additionally, the voyage will mark the first music cruise charter to depart out of the Northeast, making it an unprecedented experience for all attendees. For booking and more info, visit OnTheBlueCruise.com. 

Jethro Tull Release Second Single From Upcoming 'Curious Ruminant' Album

After two consecutive new Jethro Tull album releases in 2022 and 2023, a new studio record called Curious Ruminant was announced and will be released on the March 7. Following the launch of the album’s title track in January, they are sharing the second single "The Tipu House." Check out the  video, directed by Costin Chioreanu, below.

Tull leader Ian Anderson describes "The Tipu House" as a song of aspiration in adversity, and comments: “Our societies are filled with those who have risen from relative poverty to positions of greatness in the world and their successes are a beacon of hope for the rest of us, even if 'greatness' is a relative concept at the end of it all.”

Anderson had been saying for months following the release of RökFlöte that he would embark on a new project in late 2023. He waited only a few weeks before the first notions began to solidify into some drafted words of intent and in May 2024, some unfinished music recorded earlier became the starting point for the new songs as they took shape.

Writing the lyrics and melodies for all the newly written material came very quickly once he began in earnest during June and just seemed to slot right in to the musical feel and styles of the earlier recordings.

Anderson's writing here is often on a more personal level of lyric content than we are used to hearing. Interspersed with his usual observational descriptions are the slightly more heart-on-sleeve moments of soul-baring – albeit not on the topics more often paraded by the usual I-me lyric merchants of pop and rock.

Some of the songs are developed from unfinished instrumental demos made some years ago although this does not result in a huge stylistic divide to jump out at the listener. Apart from the signature flute solos and melodies, accordion, mandolin, acoustic and tenor guitars feature on several tracks too, so the subtle backdrop of acoustic and folk rock serves to remind of the Tull heritage of the 70s.

Amongst the musicians featured on Curious Ruminant are former keyboardist Andrew Giddings and drummer James Duncan, along with the current band members David Goodier, John O'Hara, Scott Hammond and, making his recording debut with the band, guitarist Jack Clark.

Pre-order Curious Ruminant 

Curious Ruminant will be available on several different formats, including a Ltd Deluxe Ultra Clear 180g double LP + double CD + Blu-ray artbook and Ltd Deluxe double CD + Blu-ray artbook. Both of these feature the main album, alternative stereo mixes and a Blu-ray with Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound mixes (once again undertaken by Bruce Soord of The Pineapple Thief), as well as exclusive interview material. The Ltd Deluxe vinyl artbook also includes 2 exclusive art-prints. The album will also be available as a Special Edition CD digipak, gatefold 180g LP + LP-booklet and as digital album (in both stereo & Dolby Atmos). 

For more info, visit jethrotull.com.