New Classic Rock Fall 2007
Upcoming Albums from Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Eagles
With Genesis turning it on again for a recent tour, Van Halen reuniting with David Lee Roth for a tour, and perhaps most surprising of all, Led Zeppelin making a rare performance at London’s 02 arena this fall, plenty of classic rock acts are keeping their names and songs in the public consciousness. But what about classic artists that are still trying to produce new music? Is it any of it worthwhile? Here’s a sampling of some with new albums out this fall, from least promising to most.
5. Duran Duran – Red Carpet Massacre
What do you do when a founding member of an old time band quits mid production? Clearly you bring a hit making producer. At least, that’s Duran Duran’s approach for Red Carpet Massacre. With Timbaland working with these eighties vets, it will be interesting to see how Duran Duran sounds modernized. It could be an exciting combination of vintage eighties rock and the modern pop sound. Or it could be an embarrassing attempt by middle aged rockers trying to recapture the pop charts, and failing, which is essentially what happened their 2004 release Astronaut.
Out: November 13th
4. John Fogherty – Revival
John Fogherty, mastermind behind Creedence Clearwater Revival, is taking one-third of the band’s name for his new album, which is supposedly closer to the classic Creedence sound than a lot of his other solo work. Will it be one third as good? Hopefully it’ll be better.
Out: October 2nd
3.Neil Young – Chrome Dreams II
Despite the fact that Young’s original Chrome Dreams never actually saw the light of day (although many of the songs did), Young decided a sequel was necessary. Although Young hasn’t made a killer album since the early 90s, Living With War, despite its lightning speed production time, showed flashes of brilliance. Hopefully Chrome Dreams II will do the same.
Out: October 16th
2. The Eagles – Long Road out of Eden
This one is a bit of wild card; after all, the Eagles haven’t put out a studio album since 1979. It’s been in production several years, and is finally going to see the light of day. Don Henley said it was their time to get in the studio, and we’ll find out soon if he was correct.
Out: October 30th
1. Bruce Springsteen – Magic
This is the easiest one to get excited about. Bruce Springsteen working with the E Street Band is always an experience, if only for the tour that follows an album’s release. This album is supposed to be high energy, and hopefully a little peppier than The Rising, his last album with the E Street Band, and perhaps the most definitive product of the times piece ever recorded by Bruce. “Radio Nowhere” has already been released, and while the lyrics are disappointing, the catchiness of the song is not. The important thing is the excitement the Boss has over this material, which should translate to some outstanding live performances. Even if Magic doesn’t equal some of the Boss’ previous albums, Bruce always has a couple of songs that stand out as winners on every album. And catch the man on tour if you can.
Out: October 2nd
