Author: wamdiness

While the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has made an effort to appease overlooked metal acts in recent years, Slayer remains a notable omission.

Despite a groundbreaking career, along with the respect of their metal peers, Slayer has never so much as earned a Rock Hall nomination, let alone induction. During a recent conversation Billboard Brasil, guitarist and cofounder Kerry King expressed exasperation regarding his band’s Hall case.

“We’ve never even been on the nomination list, so I don’t know what [the Hall of Fame is] waiting for,” King remarked. “How many more decades do we have to play? Forty years isn’t enough, I guess. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

READ MORE: Metal Snubs: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 10 Worst Omissions 

“To me, if it happens, it happens, ’cause, obviously, the voting process and the election process is a little faulty,” King continued. “So we’ll see. And me here badmouthing it probably isn’t helping my situation.”

How Long Has Slayer Been Eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

Slayer has been eligible for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since 2009. While King would love to see his group enshrined, he also isn’t losing sleep over their snub.

“Is it something that’s gonna make my career complete? Absolutely not,” the guitarist noted. “If my parents were alive, I would be stoked if we got in there so I can say, ‘Hey, mom, I’m in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.’ That would be cool.”

READ MORE: When Slayer’s Kerry King Was in Megadeth

“If we ever got nominated and the fans elected us to be in, it would be honorable,” King added, “just to say these kids from Los Angeles got together and ripped the world a new fucking asshole.”

After saying goodbye in 2019, Slayer reunited in 2024. The metal giants have a handful of concerts lined up for this summer, including performances at Louder Than Life and the Black Sabbath farewell concert event, Back to the Beginning.

135 Artists Not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Many have shared their thoughts on possible induction.

Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

Bob Seger had a chance to share some special moments with his fans during the final tour dates of his farewell tour, which wrapped up in Philadelphia on Nov. 1, 2019.

One of those moments happened during the Detroit rock legend’s performance in Toronto on Oct. 26, just two shows away from the final curtain in Philly. As Seger told the Canadian crowd that evening, though the bulk of what would become the Night Moves album had already been completed, manager Punch Andrews felt like they still needed one more song. So he’d been dispatched to Toronto to work with producer Jack Richardson. It was there in the city that after several days, he finally landed on the right song, which they recorded in those closing moments before he packed up and went back home.

That song, as he revealed, was “Night Moves.” As you can imagine, the Toronto crowd went wild and it’s still a moment as a music fan that I get goosebumps, just thinking about it. It had been a last minute decision to drive to Toronto to see the gig and just getting to hear that story, I knew I’d made the right decision.

Bob Seger turned 80 on May 6 and all signs indicate that the notoriously private singer-songwriter won’t be ending his retirement. Understandably, he seems to be enjoying the time with his family. He’s made a few public appearances, including an unexpected return to the stage in 2023 to honor longtime friend Patty Loveless as she was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But largely, he’s been out of the limelight.

So what’s next, if anything? Gary Graff has been in the Detroit area covering Bob’s career for more than four decades. He recently joined the UCR Podcast to examine some of the possibilities, while also looking back at some of Seger’s past triumphs, including 1978’s Stranger in Town.

Bob’s Early Albums

Though Seger had a Top 20 hit with “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” in 1968, he entered a dry spell of nearly a decade after that and was frustrated that the albums he was releasing weren’t finding a larger audience. 1976’s Night Moves finally turned the tide with the title track peaking at No. 4. Still, as he told Graff in the book, Travelin’ Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger, he knew he was on the right path. “In that seven-year period…even though we were playing, like 250 nights a year, I could tell I had something because the audiences wanted me back…and we killed every night,” he said. “So I knew I had something.” But he surmised that perhaps the music he was making wasn’t good enough. “I played too many nights and I really didn’t have enough time to write.”

Listen to Bob Seger’s ‘Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man’

The bulk of his early catalog, from 1969’s Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man album through 1974’s Seven have remained largely unavailable and out of print for more than five decades. Only Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man and 1972’s Smokin’ O.P.’s have seen new light on the store shelves with a reissue. As music moved into the digital age, the songwriter was one of the last remaining holdouts and finally made an initial dozen albums from his output available on streaming in 2017 — but those early albums remain missing in action.

“They really merit being out there. I think Bob was a little hard on himself, but not necessarily a lot hard on on himself,” Graff says. “When you get to Beautiful Loser, you can really hear he had learned a lot of lessons, and he had taken a step back and applied a much more advanced and sophisticated attitude towards songwriting and recording to that record and then the albums that came after that. Before that, it was a little more slapdash. The songs, if anything, maybe weren’t as finished as they could have been and weren’t as polished as they could have been. There were still a lot of good songs, between Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man and and Beautiful Loser, but he didn’t always take the time to finish them.”

READ MORE: How Bob Seger Got Closer to a Breakthrough With ‘Beautiful Loser’

What’s in Seger’s Vault?

Bruce Springsteen is preparing to release Tracks II: The Lost Albums, an expansive collection featuring seven previously unreleased albums. Does Seger have albums that similarly, he put on the shelf? “Not entire albums like that, but a there’s a lot of songs,” Graff shares. “You know, there were albums where Bob worked on 20 or 30 songs and 10 or 12 made it and some were considered for later albums. So there’s material and there is a great lost Seger kind of set [that could be released]. They did the Early Seger Vol. 1 [compilation, in 2009] that had [some] old songs and then the newly recorded versions of old songs. We thought that was going to be the start of something and it’s been crickets since.”

“Days When the Rain Would Come” is one track that made it out on Early Seger Vol. 1. It’s a song which dates back to 1986’s Like a Rock and is arguably one of the best pieces that Seger left off of a record. In addition to the other unreleased songs on Early Seger, the compilation also surfaced three songs from 1974’s Seven and Seger’s version of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Midnight Rider” is another highlight, making its first appearance on compact disc. One further vault escapee to be aware of is the 2018 release of Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967, which collected all of the tracks from Bob Seger and the Last Heard. It was the first time his pre-fame band’s singles had been available since they were originally issued on 45 singles at that time.

Listen to Bob Seger’s ‘Days When the Rain Would Come’

Will We See Further Archival Releases?

Of course, the question is always in mind — will those early albums eventually be reissued? Will we get to hear any of the unreleased things that are in the archives? “I think it’s 50/50 in terms of the odds. For some reason, they’re holding back on [reissuing the early albums] and I’m not entirely sure [that it’s not] the label that says, ‘These records didn’t sell back in the day, what makes us think they’re going to sell now?’ I think there’s different feelings about how they should be packaged,” Graff explains. “I think the obvious package is these come out as Bob Seger: The Lost Era or whatever you would call it, in a box set type of package. Or you make a compilation of the best of those albums. There just doesn’t seem to be any movement or any interest from within, which I find curious and like a lot of fans, find frustrating.”

“But I remember having discussions with them about a plain old box set back when that’s what people did, three or four discs, you know, a best of with unreleased material. The Seger camp had no interest in it,” he continues. “These are the same people who had no interest in MTV in 1983. They truly do march to the beat of their own drummer when it comes to this kind of stuff. But I do think they are sometimes not tuned into what the market wants and I believe would support. Bob Seger has his own version of what Springsteen is doing in June with Tracks II. He has enough unreleased material and really, really good unreleased material, like the actual song, “Stranger in Town.” There’s great stuff around that would make a great archival release. But there really doesn’t seem to be the appetite for doing it, nor does there seem to be a lot of interest in explaining why.”

Looking Back at ‘Stranger in Town’

Speaking of Stranger in Town, the album itself was released this month in 1978 and found Seger once again mixing material he’d recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section with songs that he tracked with the Silver Bullet Band in other locations. Arriving on the heels of Night Moves, the Detroit singer had reason to feel confidence about where he was headed — and the results proved that he wouldn’t be left with disappointment. “t was the big follow-up, you know. He busted through in a big way with Night Moves. Could he do it again? Yes, he could do it again,” Graff reflects. “I like Night Moves a little better, because it was a little more gut bucket. The evolution to more polished recording was a little more prevalent on Stranger in Town and would become more prevalent on Against the Wind, but they’re still really good songs. I don’t know that there’s a bad song on Stranger in Town. With that record, I think he lets the confidence of Night Move’s success eclipse any of the follow-up pressures that somebody in that position might have felt. They were still touring — the Silver Bullet Band was on the road a lot, so he was sharp. He was honed from touring, had a bunch of good songs to do and just kind of went in and did it like he did the one before.”

Listen to Bob Seger’s ‘Brave Strangers’ From ‘Stranger in Town’

Seger’s Best Live Performances

Both Live Bullet and Nine Tonight offer important testimony when it comes to the magic of seeing Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band perform live. While I unfortunately didn’t get to see any of those shows in the ’70s and ’80s, the Toronto show in 2019, as mentioned previously, was one highlight. I was also fortunate to see a number of Seger concerts when he made his initial return to the road in 2006 after a decade’s absence from touring. One major milestone in the years that followed was definitely getting to see Bob and the band play a hometown show in the Detroit area. It was a moment, hearing the crowd roar as Seger mentioned certain local landmarks lyrically.

When pressed for his own highlights, Graff has two. “I interned for the big concert promoter in  Pittsburgh, [while I was] in college. We had Seger on the Against the Wind tour for two big nights at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena One of my duties with the promoters was when they had a big arena sell out, they made a commemorative plaque to go with all the other crap these artists received [while touring]. But the first time I went to interview Bob Seger in 1982 at his management offices in the Detroit suburbs. I’m walking up the steps, and there’s the plaque I made, sitting on the wall of their office. So that was a fun connection. But it was my first experience. I’m a newbie, a virgin, breaking my Bob Seger cherry and holy crap, that was good.. And then when he brought the Like a Rock tour home to Detroit, I think it was the first of five, maybe six shows at Pine Knob, the big amphitheater here. The vibe when they walked out on stage and then hit the first note, I mean, it felt like a coronation. It felt like an inauguration. It felt like everybody in that building, from the guys on stage to the people at the top of the lawn, they were all so happy to be there at that individual moment. That rush still sticks with me and that would have been summer of ’83.”

Listen to Gary Graff’s Thoughts on Bob Seger on the ‘UCR Podcast’

The name Sid Vicious brings up all sorts of images of debauchery, mayhem and general rock ‘n’ roll delinquency. Whether he intended to or not, the Sex Pistols member left behind quite the legacy.

Sadly, the world never got to know Vicious as an older and wiser adult — he died of a heroin overdose in 1979 at the age of 21. Both in life and death, Vicious became a symbol for the motto “live fast, die young.”

As with many wild-spirited artists like Vicious, there is much that fans will likely never truly understand about his life, but it can be fun to look back on some of the most interesting things about him. Here are 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sid Vicious.

If you’re experiencing a crisis or need assistance, help is available 24/7 via 988lifeline.org.

1. He Got His Name From Johnny Rotten’s Pet Hamster

We were not there personally to witness this, but the story is that Vicious got his name when his bandmate John Lydon‘s pet hamster, also named Sid, bit him. Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, described the hamster’s bite as “vicious” and the name stuck. Lydon has also said that he started calling Vicious “Sid” because he was a fan of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd.

2. He Was a Fan of the Pistols Before He Joined the Band

There is a photo out there of the Sex Pistols performing at the Nashville Rooms in Kensington in the spring of 1976. Also in the photo is Vicious, who was then not a member of the band but simply a big fan, a friend of Lydon’s and the life of the party, or gig in this case. “Sid was unformed,” his friend John Wardle recalled to The Guardian in 2009. “He didn’t have any boundaries and he didn’t have any role models.”

Watch the Sex Pistols Perform Live in 1976, Pre-Sid Vicious

3. He Played Drums in Siouxsie and the Banshees Before the Pistols

The audio quality in the below video is, in a word, awful. But it’s also historic because not only was it Siouxsie and the Banshees’ first live performance, it featured Vicious on drums. That would turn out to be his one and only gig with them and you’ll find out why in the next entry…

4. He Did Prison Time for Blinding a Woman

The day after Vicious performed with Siouxsie and the Banshees, he went to see the Damned perform at the same festival. Vicious, clearly under the influence, was upset that Dave Vanian had been chosen for the lead singer position of that band, and attempted to throw a beer glass at him. He missed and the glass shattered against a pillar, sending pieces flying everywhere which led to a young woman at the show being blinded. Vicious was arrested and sent off to Ashford Remand Centre.

5. He Only (Kind of) Played Bass on One Sex Pistols Studio Song Ever 

Yes, Vicious was the second bassist in the Sex Pistols but that did not mean he was good at playing bass. In fact, he was so bad at it that guitarist Steve Jones played bass on the Pistols’ debut album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. Even the one track they let Vicious try in the studio, “Bodies,” was overdubbed by Jones. It didn’t help that Vicious wasn’t around much anyway on account of being hospitalized for hepatitis. “Actually, it was a relief because he couldn’t play,” Jones told Forbes in 2022. “So it made it a lot easier for me to say, ‘Look Sid, leave it out. I’ll just play.’ It worked out for the best, I think.”

6. He and Chrissie Hynde Almost Got Married

This is going to sound a bit crazy but at one point Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders hatched a plan to marry Vicious in order to retain her green card that allowed her, an American, to stay and work in England. But on the day they planned to do this, the register office was closed. They planned for the next day instead, but Vicious got tied up in some trouble with the police and didn’t make it. “Sid was very sweet and very honest,” Hynde recalled to The Independent in 2003. “He really told you what he thought. He was so non-discriminating.”

7. He May Have Invented the Pogo Dance Move

The pogo dance move is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: an up and down jumping movement that makes one resemble a bouncing pounce stick. Now, we can’t exactly prove this definitively, but multiple people who were part of the punk rock movement, including Viv Albertine of the Slits, Shane MacGowan of the Pogues and Vicious himself, claim that it was Vicious who invented the move.

8. He Once Assaulted Patti Smith’s Brother

Violence was a familiar phenomenon in Vicious’ life. In 1978, an incident of conflict took place at a New York City club called Hurrah between Vicious and Patti Smith‘s brother, Todd. A band named Skafish was playing that evening, with Todd working for them. According to frontman Jim Skafish’s own blog, Vicious was flirting with the band’s drum tech, Tara, who was dating Todd at the time. Long story short, when Todd calmly asked Vicious to stop, an altercation ensued that involved Vicious smashing a beer bottle across Todd’s face. Todd didn’t fight back, and Vicious was arrested and sent to Rikers Island for 55 days.

9. There Is a Plaque in Tulsa, Oklahoma Dedicated to Where Vicious Punched a Hole in a Wall

The only thing more punk rock than punching a hole in the wall is having that hole immortalized with a plaque long after your passing. If you visit the backstage of Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a venue that’s hosted everyone from Hank Williams to Robert Plant to Jack White, you will see that this is exactly what was done to the hole Vicious punched there back in 1978. Cain’s was one of only seven venues played by the Pistols in 1978 during their one and only North American tour.

10. His First Show With the Sex Pistols Was Filmed by Don Letts

For those that did not attend the Sex Pistols first show with Vicious, which we’re going to assume is most people reading this, the next best thing is probably Don Letts’ Punk Rock Movie, released in 1978. In it, you can see Vicious’ debut with the Pistols, which took place on April 3, 1977. “I have conflicting memories of him,” Letts recalled in a 2003 interview with 3:AM Magazine, “but being direct with you, he wasn’t the monster that the press made him out to be. In fact, I remember him as shy and quiet, gullible even. I remember time after time, he used to complain to us that he had been beaten up when he went out clubbing. He believed his own press which is just so sad, whilst in reality, I’d go so far as to say he was a wimp.”

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Chains That Are Closing or Have Closed Locations in 2025

The list of chains that have closed locations or have plans to shutter stores later in 2025 continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll

How Many of These Iconic Mall Food Court Restaurants Do You Remember?

From retro favorites to the icons that are still serving customers today, take a walk down memory lane with our roundup of the most iconic mall food court restaurants of the ’80s and ’90s.

Gallery Credit: Meg Dowdy

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

It’s true what they say: success does not always happen overnight.

This is particularly accurate in the music business, where it can take years for an artist to reach a notable level of commercial accomplishment. Sure, some songs and albums will land swiftly at the top of the charts, but others are more of a slow burn.

This is what’s often referred to in the industry as a sleeper hit, a song that starts out unassuming and over time ends up hugely popular. Some of the best known songs in rock ‘n’ roll have experienced this, even if it took decades.

In the below gallery, we’re taking a look at 19 examples of sleeper hit rock songs.

1. “Here I Go Again,” Whitesnake
From: Saints & Sinners (1982)

You will notice in the below video that it’s titled “Here I Go Again ’87.” That’s because the song can actually be traced back to Whitesnake’s 1982 album Saints & Sinners. At that time, it only managed to get to No. 34 in the U.K. and 65 in the U.S. as a single, but it would get a second chance when the band re-recorded it in 1987 at the behest of their label boss David Geffen. That wound up a fantastic idea since the new version went to No. 9 in the U.K. and No. 1 in the U.S. “I wasn’t impressed, but it worked out,” David Coverdale admitted to The Independent in 2021. “It was Geffen who convinced me, and thank God they did because that does help with the mortgage!”

2. “Layla,” Derek and the Dominos
From: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)

Long before Spotify and YouTube, radio was king. But getting radio stations to play a song longer than roughly three minutes was a challenge back in the day, which is why Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla,” which clocks in around seven minutes, had to be shortened down to 2:43 in order to release it as a single in 1971. That version only got to 51 on the Billboard Hot 100. A year later though, the full version was released and jumped ahead to No. 7 in the U.K. and No. 10 in the U.S. It was released once more as a single in 1982 and inched up a bit further to No. 4 in the U.K. and, of course, has since become one of Derek and the Dominos’ best-known songs.

3. “Running Up That Hill,” Kate Bush
From: Hounds of Love (1985)

It’s never too late for a song to become a hit. A perfect example is Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” which was first released as a single from her 1985 album Hounds of Love. Back then, it was technically a hit, reaching No. 3 in the U.K. and 30 in the U.S., but the best was yet to come. Flash forward nearly 40 years to 2022 and the song appeared in the Netflix series Stranger Things, which led to it reaching No. 3 in the U.S. The year after that it reached one billion streams on Spotify. As Bush put it on her website, “Running Up That Hill” was given “a whole new lease of life.”

4. “Tiny Dancer,” Elton John
From: Madman Across the Water (1971)

“Tiny Dancer” is like the aforementioned “Layla” in that it struggled in being a bit too long for a hit single. When “Tiny Dancer” first was released in February of 1972, it stalled at No. 41 in the U.S. and never went any higher despite performing better in other countries like Canada and Australia. Despite this, it has grown into one of John’s most famous songs, as well the eighth most-performed song of his entire career. It also got used in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous in 2000, which boosted its popularity even more, and has multiple platinum certifications to its name.

5. “Dream On,” Aerosmith
From: Aerosmith (1973)

Sometimes success begins in your own backyard. That’s sort of what happened with Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” which was quite popular in their hometown of Boston when it was first released in June of 1973, though it only got to No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100. A mere two years later, Aerosmith reissued the single where it debuted at No. 81 on the same chart and eventually made its way to No. 6. Not bad for a song Steven Tyler never imagined would be much more than “just this little sonnet.”

6. “Sacrifice,” Elton John
From: Sleeping With the Past (1989)

The ironic thing about radio is that it can be both an obstacle for longer singles and also a tremendous help. Elton John’s “Sacrifice” made a very small splash when it was released as a single in October 1989, stalling at 55 in the U.K. and 18 in America. Not terrible, but it certainly left room for improvement. The year after that, however, the English DJ Steve Wright started playing the song on BBC Radio 1, which led to it being re-released in June of 1990. This time, it went to No. 1 in the U.K., making it John’s very first solo chart topper in Britain.

7. “What I Like About You,” The Romantics
From: The Romantics (1980)

By the time the Romantics put out “What I Like About You” as a single in late 1979, they’d already been playing it live quite a bit, much to the delight of their fans. But as far as commercial success, things could have been better — it only got to No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100. But later on in the ’80s the song got used in various commercials, plus got a music video on MTV, which helped make it one of the most popular songs of the decade. “I remember the first time we heard that song come through the speakers in the control room,” co-writer Wally Palmar recalled to The Washington Times in 2016, “we said, ‘I don’t think we better mess with this too much.’ It sounded too damn good.”

8. “The Whole of the Moon,” The Waterboys
From: This Is the Sea (1985)

For starters, we recommend checking out the cover versions of the Waterboys’ “The Whole of the Moon” by Fiona Apple or by Prince, the former passionate and powerful, the latter funky and downright dirty in the best possible way. Anyway, the original song was released in 1985 on the Waterboys’ This Is the Sea, but only went to No. 26 in the U.K. “I recorded it without thinking of it as a single,” frontman Mike Scott explained to Louder in 2024. “Whilst the mix was playing, I was thinking, ‘oh, everyone is going to love this,’ that’s when I got the sense that it would be a huge song. I made a classic. I’m very happy about that.” Six years later, the song got re-released and shot up to No. 3.

9. “American Girl,” Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
From: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)

Technically speaking, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “American Girl” has never been a hit — not when it was first released as a single in February of 1977 and not ever in the history of its existence. However, we felt it deserved a spot on this list since it went from being a meager No. 40 hit in the U.K. and practically unheard in the States at the time of its release, to one of the band’s most famous songs. By the time the Heartbreakers finished touring in 2017, “American Girl” was their single most-played song live of their whole catalog.

10. “Space Oddity,” David Bowie
From: David Bowie (1969)

“Space Oddity” was rush-released as a single on July 11, 1969, five days before the launch of Apollo 11, the space trip that put humans on the moon. This was done in an attempt to maximize the song’s potential success, but it didn’t quite work out that way. Initially, “Space Oddity” only went to No. 48 in the U.K. and  No. 124 in the U.S. After a handful of television performances in the latter half of 1969, it eventually crept up to No. 5 in the U.K., but it wasn’t until the single was re-released in North America in 1972 that it finally became a hit across the big pond, reaching No. 15.

11. “The Sound of Silence,” Simon & Garfunkel
From: Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (1964)

If there’s one lesson to be learned from this article it’s that if at first your single doesn’t succeed, release it again. Simon & Garfunkel first put “The Sounds of Silence,” as it was originally called, on their 1964 folk album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. and it went basically nowhere. But the following year, it started to earn a bit of radio play which led the song’s original producer, Tom Wilson, to remix the track with electronic instruments overdubbed on it. It was this version, released in September of 1965, that went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1966, which came as a surprise to Paul Simon. “Between the ages of 15 and 22, I had made only one very minor hit at the age of 15 and then flops. So I expected everything to be a flop,” he said to Rolling Stone in 1972. “I was utterly amazed that ‘The Sound of Silence’ was a big hit.”

12. “Lust for Life,” Iggy Pop
From: Lust for Life (1977)

Never underestimate the power of a song’s placement in a film. Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” didn’t make a huge splash when it was first released in 1977, apart from being a hit in the Netherlands. Almost 20 years later, the song appeared in the 1996 British film Trainspotting which led to it reaching No. 26 in the U.K. Naturally, the song was used again in 2017’s T2 Trainspotting, a sequel to the original.

13. “Heroes,” David Bowie
From: “Heroes” (1977)

“‘Heroes’” only got to No. 24 in the U.K. when Bowie released it in 1977, and it didn’t chart in America at all. In spite of this, it grew to be a staple of Bowie’s live shows over the years — it was his fourth most-played song live of his entire catalog with over 600 performances. After Bowie’s passing in 2016, it jumped to No. 12 in Britain.

14. “Nights in White Satin,” The Moody Blues
From: Days of Future Passed (1967)

“Nights in White Satin” technically was a hit when it came out in 1967, but only in the U.K. where it went to No. 19. Over in America however, it stalled at a dismal No. 103. But when it was released again five years later, it greatly redeemed itself by going to No. 9 in the U.K. and No. 2 in the U.S, plus, it charted in Britain again in 1979 and in 2010. Even Justin Hayward, the song’s writer, remains a bit mystified by it. “It’s a curious thing,” he told Classic Rock in 2023, “because when I listen to the record there’s just this big empty space and those wonderful echoes that we had in the studios at Decca. But there’s a strange power to the song. It gave us a style that suddenly seemed to work for us. I think it identified the Moodies’ sound.”

15. “Hallelujah,” Leonard Cohen
From: Various Positions (1984)

Nowadays “Hallelujah” is well-known for being Leonard Cohen’s most famous song, but there was a time when it was literally rejected by Cohen’s record label. Cohen ended up releasing it on his album Various Positions via an independent label, but it would be another several years before anything significant would happen with “Hallelujah.” Firstly, John Cale of the Velvet Underground recorded a version in 1991, which in turn inspired Jeff Buckley to record it for his 1994 album Grace. Then in 2001, a cover of it by Rufus Wainwright appeared in, of all things, Shrek. All of this helped make “Hallelujah” into a charting song that landed at No. 59 in the U.S. and No. 36 in the U.K.

16. “Time of the Season,” The Zombies
From: Odessey and Oracle (1968)

The Zombies have Al Kooper to thank for “Time of the Season” becoming as big as it ultimately did. In addition to his work as a musician, Kooper also served as an A&R representative for Columbia Records in the late ’60s, and it was he who convinced Clive Davis that the label should release the Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle album. “Clive listened, but the wrong single was put out,” Kooper recalled to Classic Rock in 2024. “I had to complain again before ‘Time of the Season’ became huge.” It took over a year after “Time of the Season” was initially released for it to reach No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

17. “Red Red Wine,” UB40
From: Labour of Love (1983)

The English reggae band UB40 did not write “Red Red Wine” — that would be Neil Diamond‘s doing — but they did make it into an awfully popular song, even if it took several years to do so. UB40 first put out their version in 1983 and it went to No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 34 in America. Not bad, right? They didn’t stop there though. The single was reissued five years later in 1988, and that’s when it finally grabbed the No. 1 spot in the U.S. “We love the song and we don’t mind singing it a million times,” founding member Terence Wilson, known by his stage name Astro, told Billboard in 2018. “People wonder if we get sick and tired of performing it. Well the answer’s no, because we loved it before we even recorded it — and we love it even more when we see people in front of us dancing and singing.”

18. “She’s Gone,” Hall & Oates
From: Abandoned Luncheonette (1973)

John Oates and Daryl Hall sensed they had something worthy on their hands almost immediately after writing “She’s Gone,” which wound up a single from 1973’s Abandoned Luncheonette. “We knew it was a good song,” Oates recounted to American Songwriter in 2021. “We knew it was unique.” But it only landed at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. Three years later, however, Hall & Oates had a new label, RCA Records, which reissued the single and got it all the way up to No. 7.

19. “Master of Puppets,” Metallica
From: Master of Puppets (1986)

Like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” also experienced an unexpected resurgence in 2022 when it was featured in Netflix’s Stranger Things. According to reporting by Billboard, streams of “Master of Puppets” went up 400%. Pretty good for a song that only went to No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1986.

Peter Frampton made a guest appearance with Pearl Jam on Thursday night at the band’s concert in Nashville, Tennessee.

He joined them for a rendition of Pearl Jam’s “Black,” which you can watch below. (A few lines from Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do” were thrown in as well.)

“He was right up there,” Eddie Vedder said when introducing Frampton. “It was one of the reasons that you loved live records. And later, we decided to release bootlegs because of his influence. He’s such an incredible human being on top of it.”

As Vedder also noted, Frampton has recorded with Mike McCready and Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam, both of whom appeared on Frampton’s 2006 Grammy-winning album Fingerprints.

You can also see a complete set list from the show below.

Peter Frampton Is Working on a New Album

Frampton is currently at work on a new album that he is cowriting and coproducing with his musician son, Julian.

“To be able to write with your own DNA is something spectacular, it really is,” he recently told WIVB (via Yahoo Entertainment.) “Sometimes when we’re texting backwards and forwards — we have this great app called Sessionwire, so we see each other’s recording set-up and the mixer and also it’s like built-in Zoom, so it’s phenomenal.”

Pearl Jam, 5/8/25, Nashville, Tennessee, Set List:
1. “Long Road”
2. “Garden”
3. “Rearviewmirror”
4. “Hail, Hail”
5. “React, Respond”
6. “Once”
7. “Black” (with Peter Frampton) (with Peter Frampton’s ‘Do You Feel Like I Do’ tag)
8. “Even Flow”
9. “Dark Matter”
10. “Wreckage”
11. “Not for You” (with Sleater-Kinney’s “Modern Girl” tag)
12. “Wishlist”
13. “Insignificance”
14. “Won’t Tell”
15. “Spin the Black Circle”
16. “Better Man”
17. “Porch”

Encore:
18. “Just Breathe” (Ed, Boom & Josh)
19. “State of Love and Trust” (dedicated to April & Ashley, Matt and Mike wives)
20. “Crazy Mary” (Victoria Williams cover)
21. “Do the Evolution”
22. “Sonic Reducer” (Dead Boys cover)
23. “Alive”
24. “Rockin’ in the Free World” (Neil Young cover)
25. “Yellow Ledbetter”

Pearl Jam Albums Ranked

They survived the grunge era to become one of the great rock ‘n’ roll bands of the new century.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

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Billy Idol was 21 when he made his recording debut on Generation X’s 1977 debut single, “Your Generation,” a punk-rock response to the Who‘s pre-punk anthem for the previous generation. By the first part of the ’80s, he was one of the rising stars of the growing MTV generation.

Dismissed by Johnny Rotten as the “Perry Como of punk,” Idol rarely received the critical accolades of many other acts emerging from the first wave of the U.K. punk scene. But commercially, he became bigger than most of them, thanks to a larger-than-life image that fit in well with MTV’s increasing focus on the look of the music as much as the sound of it.

READ MORE: Billy Idol, ‘Dream Into It’ Album Review

As you will see in the list below of Billy Idol Albums Ranked, his records often mirrored the times, from spiky, dance-infused new wave through thorny and muscular hard rock to mature reflection in his later music.

Idol’s best albums were made with a pair of collaborators: producer Keith Forsey, a London-born drummer who cut his teeth with Giorgio Moroder on a series of influential disco songs, and Steve Stevens, a New York City guitarist who became Idol’s songwriting partner and right-hand man during his peak years.

Together, the team crafted some of the most identifiably ’80s songs of the decade, a melting pot of styles that helped define the era. With Idol as the peroxide-domed, lip-curling figure in front of it all, the music was stamped with an image that has now crossed generations.

Billy Idol Albums Ranked

The spiked-hair singer’s records mirror his life, from sneering punk to MTV star.

Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci

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The Who will say goodbye to North America with the This Song Is Over farewell tour.

The 16-date tour will kick off Aug. 16 in Sunrise, Florida, and is currently scheduled to conclude Sept. 28 in Las Vegas. You can see the complete tour itinerary below.

The tour is named after a song from the band’s 1971 album Who’s Next.

“Well, all good things must come to an end. It is a poignant time,” Pete Townshend said in a statement announcing the tour. “For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible… I must say that although the road has not always been enjoyable for me, it is usually easy: the best job I could ever have had. I keep coming back. Every time I do, I meet new fans and feel new energy. Roger and I are in a good place, despite our age, eager to throw our weight behind this fond farewell to all our faithful fans, and hopefully to new ones who might jump in to see what they have been missing for the last 57 years. This tour will be about fond memories, love and laughter. Make sure you join in.”

“To me, America has always been great,” Roger Daltrey added. “The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible. It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time.”

The Who famously completed their first farewell tour over 40 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1982 in Toronto. Seven years later they mounted an overstuffed, widely criticized reunion tour that featured a 15-piece band.

Despite the 2002 death of bassist John Entwistle, surviving founding members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey have toured together ever since, in addition to releasing two new studio albums: 2006’s Endless Wire (2006) and Who (2019).

Read More: 15 Farewell Tours That Actually Weren’t Goodbye

Last March, Townshend suggested that a farewell tour was the next natural step for the band. “It feels to me like there’s one thing the Who can do,” he told The New York Times, “and that’s a final tour where we play every territory in the world and then crawl off to die. I don’t get much of a buzz from performing. If I’m really honest, I’ve been touring for the money.”

Tickets for the Who’s This Song Is Over North American farewell tour will go on sale starting May 13. For complete information visit the band’s official website.

The Who 2025 This Song Is Over North American Tour Dates:

Aug 16 – Sunrise, FL – Amerant Bank Arena
Aug 19 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
Aug 21 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
Aug 23 – Atlantic City, NJ – Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Aug 26 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
Aug 28 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
Aug 30 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
Sep 2 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sep 4 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
Sep 7 – Chicago, IL – United Center
Sep 17 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sep 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Sep 21 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sep 23 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Sep 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Sep 28 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena

For all the attention paid to late frontman Lowell George and stalwart modern-era leader Bill Payne, Little Feat always seems to come alive when a new voice enters the conversation.

The arrival of guitarist Paul Barrere, bassist Kenny Gradney and percussionist Sam Clayton gave a career-saving jolt of funk and soul to 1973’s Dixie Chicken that had been missing on Little Feat’s initial two albums. Occasional collaborator Fred Tackett’s promotion to full-time status sparked a new song-focused sense of purpose on 1988’s gold-selling Top 40 hit comeback Let It Roll. The forthcoming Strike Up the Band, Little Feat’s first album of original songs since 2012’s Rooster Rag, likewise benefits from the presence of Scott Sharrard, a lifelong fan who initially joined the touring lineup to replace the late Barrere in 2019.

Make no mistake, Little Feat is still very much a musical collective. They all chip in on vocals (including Clayton, featured on 2024’s Grammy-nominated blueser Sam’s Place), and Payne, Tackett, Sharrard and drummer Tony Leone wrote or co-wrote every song. Their sound remains thrillingly disparate, moving from country-fried R&B to shotgun shack-shaking blues to a heel-toe hootenanny vibe with remarkable ease. Camaraderie, as always, leaks out of every groove. But Strike Up the Band still feels like a new iteration of Little Feat, with Sharrard as the obvious catalyst. His first concert was a stop on Little Feat’s late-’80s Let It Roll tour. He’s clearly spent many nights inside the open tuning of their classic records.

READ MORE: How Little Feat’s Lowell George Era Ended

You hear it from the first, as “4 Days of Heaven, 3 Days of Work” (co-written by Payne, Sharrard and Leone) catches this ferocious groove. Sharrard, a former collaborator with Gregg Allman, wrote and sang the rumbling, horn-driven “Midnight Flight.” His title track is given a touch of twang by the presence of Larkin Poe on backing vocals. No Little Feat album is complete without a moment of laugh-out-loud humor. For Strike Up the Band, Sharrard cowrote the winking “Too High to Cut My Hair” with Tackett.

At the same time, Payne remains a sturdy, vital element, whether that means romping through “New Orleans Cries When She Sings,” drifting into a Cajun sway on “Dance a Little” and dusting off “Bluegrass Pines” from writing sessions with Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter that powered the Rooster Rag project. Suddenly, Little Feat had more songs than could fit on a single LP. Some were left aside. Perhaps fans won’t have to wait another 13 years for their next new album? Either way, a reworked lineup has – once again – created new momentum for Little Feat.

30 Bands With One Original Member Left

It’s down to the last man standing in these groups.

Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp

Little Feat Issued One of Rock’s Most Underrated LPs

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Skid Row emerged from Toms River, New Jersey, in 1986, fueled by the vision of bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave “The Snake” Sabo. The two musicians sought to form a band that combined the grit of hard rock with the melodic hooks of metal, and they quickly recruited guitarist Scotti Hill, drummer Rob Affuso, and vocalist Sebastian Bach, who joined in 1987. The band’s lineup solidified just in time to sign a major label deal with Atlantic Records, a contract secured with the help of Sabo’s childhood friend Jon Bon Jovi.

In 1989, Skid Row released their self-titled debut album, produced by Michael Wagener. The record was a breakout success, driven by the singles “18 and Life,” “Youth Gone Wild,” and the power ballad “I Remember You.” The album peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified multi-platinum, establishing Skid Row as one of the premier acts in the late ’80s rock scene.

The band’s success continued in 1991 with their sophomore effort, Slave to the Grind. A heavier, more aggressive album than its predecessor, it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making Skid Row the first heavy metal band to achieve that milestone. The album produced several hit singles, including “Monkey Business” and the title track, and received critical acclaim for its harder edge and socially charged lyrics.

However, as the grunge movement swept through the music industry in the early ’90s, Skid Row’s popularity began to wane. In 1995, the band released Subhuman Race, an album that showcased a darker, more modern sound. Despite positive reviews, the album struggled to match the commercial success of its predecessors, and internal tensions led to the departure of Sebastian Bach in 1996.

Following Bach’s exit, Skid Row entered a period of instability, with various lineup changes and a prolonged hiatus. The band returned in 2003 with Thickskin, their first album with new vocalist Johnny Solinger. The record marked a stylistic shift, incorporating alternative and modern rock influences while retaining the group’s hard rock roots. Revolutions per Minute followed in 2006, but neither release gained significant commercial traction.

After nearly a decade of lineup changes and touring, Skid Row announced in 2015 that Solinger had departed the band and was replaced by Tony Harnell, formerly of TNT. Harnell’s tenure was short-lived, and by 2016, he was replaced by South African vocalist ZP Theart, who fronted the band until 2022.

In 2022, Skid Row released The Gang’s All Here, their first full-length album in over a decade, with new vocalist Erik Grönwall. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, the album was a return to the band’s classic hard rock sound and received praise for its energetic, back-to-basics approach. Grönwall’s powerful vocals revitalized the band’s dynamic, and the album was supported by extensive touring.

Throughout their career, Skid Row has been known for their blend of hard rock anthems and power ballads, with songs like “18 and Life” and “I Remember You” remaining staples of rock radio. Despite lineup changes and shifts in the musical landscape, the band has maintained a loyal fanbase and continues to tour extensively, celebrating a legacy rooted in the raw, unapologetic sound of late ’80s hard rock.

Complete List Of Skid Row Songs From A to Z

1. 18 and Life – Skid Row – 1989
2. Another Dick in the System – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
3. Beat Yourself Blind – Subhuman Race – 1995
4. Big Guns – Skid Row – 1989
5. Bonehead – Subhuman Race – 1995
6. Born a Beggar – Thickskin – 2003
7. Breakin’ Down – Subhuman Race – 1995
8. Can’t Stand the Heartache – Skid Row – 1989
9. Creepshow – Slave to the Grind – 1991
10. Disease – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
11. Down from Underground – Thickskin – 2003
12. Eileen – Subhuman Race – 1995
13. Face Against My Soul – Subhuman Race – 1995
14. Firesign – Subhuman Race – 1995
15. Frozen – Subhuman Race – 1995
16. Get the Fuck Out – Slave to the Grind – 1991
17. Ghost – Thickskin – 2003
18. Hell or High Water – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
19. Here I Am – Skid Row – 1989
20. Hittin’ a Wall – Thickskin – 2003
21. I Remember You – Skid Row – 1989
22. I Remember You Two – Thickskin – 2003
23. In a Darkened Room – Slave to the Grind – 1991
24. Into Another – Subhuman Race – 1995
25. Iron Will – Subhuman Race – 1995
26. Lamb – Thickskin – 2003
27. Let It Ride – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
28. Livin’ on a Chain Gang – Slave to the Grind – 1991
29. Love Is Dead – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
30. Makin’ a Mess – Skid Row – 1989
31. Medicine Jar – Subhuman Race – 1995
32. Midnight / Tornado – Skid Row – 1989
33. Monkey Business – Slave to the Grind – 1991
34. Mouth of Voodoo – Thickskin – 2003
35. Mudkicker – Slave to the Grind – 1991
36. My Enemy – Subhuman Race – 1995
37. New Generation – Thickskin – 2003
38. Not Dead Yet – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
39. Nothing – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
40. Nowhere Fast – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
41. October’s Song – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
42. One Light – Thickskin – 2003
43. Piece of Me – Skid Row – 1989
44. Psycho Love – Slave to the Grind – 1991
45. Pulling My Heart Out from Under Me – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
46. Quicksand Jesus – Slave to the Grind – 1991
47. Rattlesnake Shake – Skid Row – 1989
48. Remains to be Seen – Subhuman Race – 1995
49. Resurrected – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
50. Riot Act – Slave to the Grind – 1991
51. See You Around – Thickskin – 2003
52. Shut Up Baby, I Love You – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
53. Slave to the Grind – Slave to the Grind – 1991
54. Strength – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
55. Subhuman Race – Subhuman Race – 1995
56. Swallow Me (The Real You) – Thickskin – 2003
57. Sweet Little Sister – Skid Row – 1989
58. Tear It Down – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
59. The Gang’s All Here – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
60. The Threat – Slave to the Grind – 1991
61. Thick Is the Skin – Thickskin – 2003
62. Time Bomb – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
63. Wasted Time – Slave to the Grind – 1991
64. When God Can’t Wait – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
65. When the Lights Come On – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
66. White Trash – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
67. World on Fire – The Gang’s All Here – 2022
68. You Lie – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
69. You Lie (Corn Fed Mix) – Revolutions per Minute – 2006
70. Youth Gone Wild – Skid Row – 1989

Albums

Skid Row (1989): 11 songs

Slave to the Grind (1991): 12 songs

Subhuman Race (1995): 13 songs

Thickskin (2003): 12 songs

Revolutions per Minute (2006): 12 songs

The Gang’s All Here (2022): 10 songs

Check out our fantastic and entertaining Skid Row articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com

Complete List Of Skid Row Band Members

Our 10 Favorite Skid Row Songs

Scotti Hill of Skid Row Interview: 10 Albums That Changed My Life

Complete List Of Skid Row Albums And Discography

Read More: Artists’ Interviews Directory At ClassicRockHistory.com

Read More: Classic Rock Bands List And Directory

Complete List Of Skid Row Songs From A to Z article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2025