Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has revealed that the band will release a full album of original material following their current series of reworked older tracks. Speaking to Las Vegas radio station KOMP 92.3’s Sylvia Alvarado, Slash explained that recent singles “Atlas” and “Nothin’” represent the final songs from archived material featuring Axl Rose‘s vocals with new instrumentation. “We took a bunch of material that Axl had and we picked out all the different songs that we wanted to do, and we just took all of the guitars and bass off and re-did it,” Slash said. The guitarist indicated these vault songs will ultimately be compiled into one release, stating “then there’s really no more of that sort of old rehash stuff to release.” He promised that the project will feature “all new original stuff, and that’ll be an actual album,” which will serve as the official follow-up to 2008’s Chinese Democracy. (Billboard)
The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts unveiled the first look at the actors portraying The Beatles in director Sam Mendes‘ upcoming four-part biopic series. Students discovered postcards hidden around the campus featuring Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn as George Harrison. The school encouraged students to find the images and share them on Instagram. LIPA was co-founded by McCartney, creating a personal connection to the exclusive reveal. Mendes is directing four separate films about the legendary band, with each movie focusing on a different member’s perspective. All four Beatles biopics are scheduled for release in April 2028, marking one of the most ambitious music film projects in recent years. Other casting choices for the films include James Norton as the band’s manager Brian Epstein, Harry Lloyd as producer George Martin, Saoirse Ronan as Linda McCartney, and Anna Sawai as Yoko Ono. (Consequence of Sound)
Sharon Osbourne has confirmed that she is negotiating with Live Nation to bring back OzzFest, potentially as early as 2027. The trailblazing heavy metal festival, which she launched with her late husband Ozzy Osbourne 30 years ago, ran from 1996 until its final show on New Year’s Eve 2018 in Inglewood, California. Speaking to Billboard, Sharon said, “It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people. We really started metal festivals in this country.” The revived festival would expand beyond rock and metal to include multiple genres. Sharon previously explained on The Osbournes podcast that OzzFest ended because artist managers became too “greedy,” with some demanding additional payments. “Every manager who wants their band on our festival wants one of the fu**ing trillions they think we’ve got,” she said. (NME)
On Thursday (Jan. 29), Beck revealed details of his new EP, Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime, which features a series of cover songs and rare tracks. The project is now available digitally on all streaming services, with a physical release scheduled for February 13th. The collection takes its name from Beck’s 2004 interpretation of The Korgis‘ “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime,” originally recorded for the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind soundtrack. The eight-track album also features Beck’s versions of Elvis Presley‘s “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” The Flamingos‘ “I Only Have Eyes for You,” John Lennon‘s “Love,” and Caetano Veloso‘s “Michelangelo Antonioni.” Additional tracks include “Ramona” from the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack, plus covers of Hank Williams‘ “Your Cheatin’ Heart” and Daniel Johnston‘s “True Love Will Find You in the End.” Physical copies will be pressed on opaque “Valentine’s Day red” vinyl, with pre-orders currently available. (Consequence of Sound)