2021 Anticipated Rock Albums

2021-albums
2021-albums

There’s no sign that live music will return any time soon, so anticipation is running higher than ever for 2021’s slate of new albums.

Stevie Nicks, ‘Live In Concert: The 24 Karat Gold Tour’

Stevie Nicks has already offered fans a limited theatrical screening and stream of selections from her 2017 solo tour, and also put out the audio. Jan. 15 sees the home video release of ‘Live In Concert: The 24 Karat Gold Tour,’ which features performances of Fleetwood Mac and solo classics, as well as stories of the songs’ inspiration.

Journey, untitled

Neal Schon revealed in October that Journey had completed 13 songs for a new record. He added that he hopes to release singles in advance of a tour planned for the second half of 2021, as well as make a documentary on the making of the album.

The Doobie Brothers, untitled

Tom Johnston discussed a five-song EP in the middle of 2019, confirming that the Doobie Brothers were writing with co-producer John Shanks (Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow). Johnston described the material as “rock ‘n’ roll, basically,” adding that one track that was “kind of a ballad.” The songs boast a “little modern edge,” offering something “different from what you expect to hear from normal Doobies,” he added, “but it’s still recognizable.”

Black Sabbath, ‘Vol. 4’ Super Deluxe Edition

An expanded reissue of Black Sabbath’s ‘Vol. 4’ arrives Feb. 12. The four-CD set features new mixes of six songs – including an instrumental version of “Under the Sun” – alternate takes, studio chatter and highlights from their 1973 U.K. tour. Also added are thoughts from all four of band members, photos and a poster of the artwork for the album under its original title, ‘Snowblind.’

Mammoth WVH, untitled

He played all the instruments, but Wolfgang Van Halen has chosen to name his solo project Mammoth WVH, after a band his father Eddie led prior to forming Van Halen. Wolfgang worked on the album for at least three years, and planned to release it in 2020 but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. So far, the world has only heard one song: “Distance,” a tribute to his father, came out shortly after Eddie’s passing.

Foo Fighters, ‘Medicine at Midnight’

‘Medicine at Midnight’ will be released on Feb. 5, nearly a year after frontman Dave Grohl announced that the Foo Fighters’ 10th album was completed. Its nine songs include the lead single “Shame Shame,” which they premiered on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in early November. Guitarist Chris Shifflet said a lot of the songs are “groove-based,” adding that Grohl’s background as a drummer means “he’s always coming up with rhythmic twists and riffs based on rhythms that he hears in his head.”

George Harrison, ‘All Things Must Pass’ 50th Anniversary Edition

George Harrison’s son Dhani followed up on one of his father’s dreams by remixing this 1970 triple album. In addition to offering a clearer sound without all the echo added by original ‘All Things Must Pass’ producer Phil Spector, Dhani revealed that he’s found “mountains of tapes” from the sessions. The release date is unknown.

Neil Young, ‘Archives Vol II: 1972-1976’

After selling out a limited release in November, Neil Young announced a second pressing of the long-awaited follow-up to his 2009 collection of unreleased material. The 10 discs on ‘Archives Vol II: 1972-1976’ contain 131 tracks, including those recorded for shelved projects like ‘The Old Homestead’ and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s ‘Human Highway,’ as well as early versions of songs that would show up on ‘Comes a Time’ and ‘Rust Never Sleeps.’

Mick Fleetwood & Friends, ‘Celebrate the Music of Peter Green and Early Years of Fleetwood Mac’

Mick Fleetwood organized a February 2020 tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s founding guitarist Peter Green, which featured performances by such notables as Pete Townshend, Billy Gibbons, David Gilmour and Steven Tyler. All 23 songs performed from the evening will be available on a two-disc set on April 23. Green passed away in July 2020.

Sammy Hagar and the Circle, ‘Lockdown 2020’

Sammy Hagar and the Circle kept fans entertained during the lockdown by recording covers of songs like the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie,” as well as some of his Van Halen classics, then uploading them to YouTube. ‘Lockdown 2020,’ which will be released on Jan. 8, pairs those songs and a new original: “Funky Feng Shui” was written as a pre-show warmup jam.

Alice Cooper, ‘Detroit Stories’

Alice Cooper brought back the surviving members of his original band for a tribute to the city of his birth. The 15 songs on ‘Detroit Stories,’ which comes out Feb. 26, were inspired by what he called “the birthplace of angry hard rock. … Detroit was the only place that recognized the Alice Cooper guitar-driven, hard-rock sound and our crazy stage show. Detroit was a haven for the outcasts.”

Billy Gibbons, ‘Hardware’

ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons revealed that he was planning a third solo album in 2019. He didn’t give any information on the sound of the record, but said he had a name picked out. “I think we’re going to call it ‘Hardware,'” Gibbons said, “and that’s in tribute to the late Joe Hardy, our stalwart engineer for four decades.”

Soul Station, untitled

Paul Stanley revealed that he had been in the studio with Soul Station shortly before Kiss started their End of the Road tour. He created this 10-person side band in 2015 to cover beloved R&B songs from his youth. Stanley gave another update in October 2019, saying the LP was in the “home stretch.” Then Soul Station released a socially distanced May 2020 performance video of the Miracles’ Motown classic “Ooo Baby Baby.”

Styx, untitled

Tommy Shaw said Styx were almost done recording the follow-up to 2017’s ‘The Mission’ back in July. All that was needed before mixing, he added, were a few more sessions with Lawrence Gowan and James Young, and a rewrite of a song. Drummer Todd Sucherman admitted that the pandemic slowed Styx down, but said the new material shows off their “progressive side with a big, heavy emphasis on melody and lyrics.”

Neil Young & Crazy Horse, ‘Ragged Glory II’

Expanding ‘Ragged Glory’ is another archival project Neil Young has talked about in recent years. The reissue would add 38 minutes of music to the 1990 original. Young has said this unreleased material from sessions with Crazy Horse was “equal to anything on the existing record, maybe better.”

Bob Dylan, ‘1970’

Outtakes and alternate versions of tracks Bob Dylan recorded for ‘Self Portrait’ and ‘New Morning’ form the bulk of the three-disc ‘1970.’ Highlights include all nine songs Dylan recorded on May 1, 1970 with his future Traveling Wilburys bandmate George Harrison. ‘1970’ comes out on Feb. 26.

KK’s Priest, untitled

KK Downing kept a low profile after leaving Judas Priest in 2011, before finally resurfacing eight years later with KK’s Priest. The lineup includes a pair of other ex-Judas Priest members, singer Tim “Ripper” Owens and drummer Les Binks. Downing confirmed a 2021 release for their debut, but didn’t specify a date. Owens has said KK Priest is “shooting for the top,” with “classic-sounding metal.”

Steve Lukather, ‘I Found the Sun Again’

Staying true to his roots as a session musician, Steve Lukather and his band tracked this eighth solo album completely live after only one run-through. ‘I Found the Sun Again’ features five originals and covers of Traffic’s “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys,” Joe Walsh’s “Welcome to the Club” and Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sighs.” The project will be released on Feb. 26, in conjunction with his Toto bandmate Joseph Williams’ ‘Denizen Tenant.’

Joseph Williams, ‘Denizen Tenant’

Toto frontman Joseph Williams recruited bandmates Steve Lukather and David Paich to help out on ‘Denizen Tenant.’ The album, which lands on Feb. 26, contains covers of the Beatles’ “If I Fell” and Peter Gabriel’s “Don’t Give Up,” the latter of which features Williams’ daughter Hannah on vocals.

Frank Zappa, ‘Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’

The soundtrack to Alex Winter’s documentary about Frank Zappa was released to streaming platforms when the movie came out at Thanksgiving. The physical product follows on Feb. 19, with three discs containing 68 tracks. Highlights include 12 Zappa performances that have never been commercially available, and songs by Alice Cooper and the GTOs. There are also 26 pieces composed by John Frizzell for the movie’s score.

and, ‘Stage Fright’ 50th Anniversary Edition

Robbie Robertson oversaw an expanded version of the Band’s 1970 album ‘Stage Fright.’ Due on Feb. 12, this 50th anniversary edition presents the songs in their originally planned sequence, while also adding nine bonus tracks and a concert from the Royal Albert Hall in June 1971.

Ringo Starr, ‘Zoom In’

“Here’s to the Nights,’ the first single from Ringo Starr’s upcoming EP ‘Zoom In,’ contains an all-star chorus led by Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, Dave Grohl and Sheryl Crow. The five-song record, which will be released March 19, is the follow-up to 2019’s full-length ‘What’s My Name.’

Dio, ‘Evil or Divine: Live in New York City’

Wendy Dio is expanding 2005’s ‘Evil or Divine: Live in New York City,’ pairing the entire concert with the previously unreleased “Lord of the Last Day” and Simon Wright’s drum solo. The vinyl edition adds studio versions of four songs from 1996-2004. Set for release Feb. 12, ‘Evil or Divine’ arrives on the same day as a reissue of Dio’s ‘Holy Diver Live’ from 2008. Both feature new cover artwork.

Barry Gibb, ‘Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers’ Songbook, Vol. 1’

Barry Gibb is giving the Bee Gees’ back catalog a rootsy polishing on ‘Greenfields.’ He recruited 12 country, bluegrass and Americana stars for new versions of such classics as “Words” (Dolly Parton), “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” (Sheryl Crow) and “Run to Me” (Brandi Carlile). His duet with Jason Isbell on the lead single “What Is a Fool” accompanied news of this Jan. 8 release.

Sting, ‘Duets’

Sting planned to release the archival ‘Duets’ in November, but pandemic-related production issues delayed it until March 19. Featured collaborators include Eric Clapton (“It’s Probably Me”), Annie Lennox (“We’ll Be Together”) and Mary J. Blige (“Whenever I Say Your Name”). ‘Duets’ also features one new track, “September,” which he sang with Italian star Zucchero.

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, ‘Macca to Mecca!’

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul played an unannounced set of Beatles songs outside Liverpool’s Cavern Club while touring Europe in 2017. The E Street Band guitarist issues audio and video of the performance on Jan. 29 as ‘Macca to Mecca,’ adding a duet with Paul McCartney on “I Saw Her Standing There” from a London club.

Dead Daisies, ‘Holy Ground’

Dead Daisies made another personnel change for their fifth album, ‘Holy Ground.’ Former Deep Purple singer/bassist Glenn Hughes joins founding guitarist David Lowy and relatively new additions Doug Aldrich (lead guitar) and Deen Castronovo (drums). They previewed new work over the course of 2020, including “Unspoken,” “Bustle and Flow” and the title track. ‘Holy Ground’ is set for release on Jan. 22.

Greta Van Fleet, ‘The Battle at Garden’s Gate’

Greta Van Fleet are following up their 2018 debut on April 16 with ‘The Battle at Garden’s Gate.’ Lead singer Josh Kiszka has said they wanted the music to be “on the scale of a film score,” revealing lyrical themes that focus on with war and religion.

Todd Rundgren, ‘Space Force’

Todd Rundgren announced in September that a new album called ‘Space Force’ would arrive in early 2021. The advance single “Espionage” was a collaboration with Muslim hip-hop artist Narcy recorded late in the sessions for Rundgren’s previous effort, 2017’s ‘White Knight.’

Rob Zombie, ‘The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy’

Rob Zombie announced his seventh solo album on the day before Halloween. ‘The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy’ comes out on March 12, with numerous limited-edition colored vinyl exclusives available for pre-order. The news was accompanied by a lead single, “The Triumph of King Freak.”

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