You've heard of swine flu.  How about the swine that flew?  Algie, the inflatable pig that Pink Floyd commissioned to be photographed floating between the smokestacks of the Battersea Power Station for the cover of the Animals album broke loose after the photo for the album cover was taken  on this day in 1976 and briefly disrupted flights at Heathrow airport before being recovered from a field in Kent.

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events that took place on December 2 include...

1952 Doobie Brothers keyboard player/vocalist Michael McDonald born.

1960 Def Leppard drummer Rick Savage born.

1968 George Harrison releases Wonderwall.

1969 George Harrison starts touring with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends.

1973 Who play Montreal Forum and get arrested after the concert for causing $6,000 damage to the suite in their hotel.

1975 Queen releases A Night At The Opera.

1979 Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge divorce.

1994 REM's Michael Stipe opens vegetarian restaurant in Georgia.

1997 Rolling Stones fan killed in a fall from the balcony during the group's Pontiac Silverdome concert in Michigan.

1998 Jimmy Buffett does benefit for Hurricane relief benefit in Mobile, Alabama.

2003 Alice Cooper gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2006 Bruce Springsteen joins two bands for songs at a Parkinsons Disease fund raiser at a club in Sayerville, NJ.

2008 Bono receives Nobel Man of Peace award in Paris.

2009 Alan Parsons Project songwriter, pianist, singer abd producer Eric Wolfson dies of kidney cancer at 64.

2012 Led Zeppelin gets Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, DC,

2014 Sax player Bobby Keys dies in Franklin, Tennessee of Liver cancer at 70.
2022 Nazz release Lost Masters and Demos... 

In a special arrangement with Julien's Auctions, Ringo Starr is releasing a limited edition book that will raise money to support the Lotus Foundation, a charitable organization that provides support services to people confronting homelessness and substance abuse. Beats & Threads includes 300 details Rich photos, many previously unpublished, of drum kits and clothing the Beatles drummer has played and worn during his remarkable career. The book is available in several configurations, including autographed editions.

The Rolling Stones have announced the following dates for an April - July Hackney Diamonds tour...

4/28 NRG Stadium Houston, TX

5/2 Jazz Fest New Orleans, LA

5/7 State Farm Stadium Glendale, AZ

5/11 Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NV

5/14 Lumen Field Seattle, WA

5/25 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ

5/30 Gillette Stadium Foxboro, MA

6/3 Camping World Stadium Orlando, FL

6/7 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, GA

6/11 Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA

6/15'Cleveland Browns Stadium Cleveland, OH

6/20 Empower Field at Mile High Denver, CO

6/27 Soldier Field Chicago, IL

7/5 BC Place Vancouver, BC

7/10 SoFi Stadium Los Angeles, CA

7/17 Levi’s Stadium Santa Clara, CA

The breathing room between dates could allow for additional shows in places where demand is deemed high enough.

The Gibson SG guitar Eric Clapton played during the recording of Cream's second album and the trio's thunderous first US concert sold this weekend at a Julien's Auction for $1.27 million.

Photo: Julien's Auctions

The custom painted axe that later belonged to George Harrison, Jackie Lomax and Todd Rundgren is the latest acquired by Jim Irsay, the owner of the Indianapolis Colts who has amassed an unrivaled private collection of iconic classic rock instruments. Guitars in the collection are frequently on display and occasionally loaned to musicians to play in concert.

Hackney Diamonds, the first rolling Stones album of new material in the 18 years, is slated for an October 20 release. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood joined Jimmy Fallon at the Hackney Theatre in London to make the official announcement on Wednesday (9/6).

R..I.P. Gary Wright. His entertainment career started as stage and TV child actor. Wright was in a couple of bands in high school before deciding to pursue a medical degree, which led to studies in Europe, where he met Island Records head honcho Chris Blackwell, who arranged for him to join a UK band that soon became the on-again-off-again band Spooky Tooth. Wright played on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass during the first Spooky Tooth hiatus and later worked on other Harrison solo projects. Wright's one big solo album came out in the summer of 1975. The title song became a staple of Album Rock radio and Love Is Alive was a moderately big song, too. Wright passed away at 80 after battling Parkinson's and dementia.

Photo Helge Øverås CC-4.0

Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni died on August 30 at 68.  Sonni got acquainted with Dire Straits member brothers Mark and David Knopfler in 1978 while working at a music store in Manhattan.  During a London visit five years later, he met-up with Mark Knopfler and was invited to join the band as a second guitarist.  His time with the group was limited to a few years.  He put his musical career on hold when he became the father of twin girls in 1988, but stayed connected with the music indiustry as a marketing exec for a company that made digital equipment for musicians and was later  named the VP for marketing communication by Guitar Center.  Sonni eventually resumed playing music in a band called The Leisure Class and played with other former Dire Straits members as the Dire Straits Legacy Project.

Among the multitude of homes and businesses destroyed by the raging fire that engulfed a coastal section of Maui this week was a restaurant owned by Mick Fleetwood. The drummer issued this statement about the catastrophic fire's toll on the community he loves.

"This is a devastating moment for Maui, and many are suffering unimaginable loss. Fleetwood's on Front Street has been lost and while we are heartbroken, our main priority is the safety of our dear staff and team members."

"On behalf of myself and my family, I share my heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the people of Maui. We are committed to supporting the community and those affected by this disaster in the days and months and years to come."

R.I.P. Randy Meisner. The founding bassist of the Eagles, who also was briefly with Poco and had played in Linda Ronstadt's Stone Canyon Band, passed away at 77 in a southern California hospital Wednesday night (7/26). In addition to being a fine bass player, Meisner also gave voice to songs that were beyond the range of other group members, most notably Take It To The Limit.

R.I.P. Journey co-founding guitarist and songwriter George Ticker who passed away recently at 76. Ticker was with the group on its first three albums. He parted on good terms to complete his education, earning a PHD in medicine at Stanford. Tickner remained an avid musician, playing regularly and shared a founding role in developing the Bay Area recording studio dubbed the Hive.

The Rolling Stones reportedly invited bassist Bill Wyman to record with his former group in LA during sessions for an expected fall, 2023 release honoring Charlie Watts. Wyman left the band in 1993 and last played with the group during a brief stint of its 50th anniversary tour in 2012. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are also expected to be included on the album, as will some drum tacks laid down by Watts himself.

R.I.P. Gordon Lightfoot, a cornerstone of Canadian folk-rock passed away at 84 in a hospital yesterday. No cause of death was provided.

The band's website countdown clock continued ticking toward the 'official' announcement this morning at 10am eastern, but the word is already out; Aerosmith will open its "Peace Out" 50th anniversary/farewell tour September 2 in Philadelphia. The 40 covert swan song for the group will include a No ew Year's Eve concert with the band's hometown, Boston.

R.I.P. Tim Bachman, co-founding guitarist and singer with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. News of his death on Friday (4/28) was shared by his son Ryder, who wrote, “My Dad passed this afternoon. Thank you everyone for the kind words. Grateful I got to spend some time with him at the end. Grab yer loved ones and hug em close, ya never know how long you have.” He later added that Tim’s final words were: “I love you… share the music.”

Dead & Company flash forward to the scene of one of the Grateful Dead's greatest concerts, Cornell university's Barton Hall.  Be there virtually with this live stream via Nugs

Sending out rapid recovery wishes to Carl Palmer, the beat keeper and sole surviving member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The 73 year old drummer had a procedure to reestablish a normal heart rhythm at a UK hospital this week. From the photo and account of the ablation on his Facebook page, it seems all went well.

Neil Young turned loose a couple of more archive releases this week. The Ducks High Flyin' is a double live 1977 recording of Young's casual band featuring Jeff Blackburn (guitar), Bob Mosley (bass) and Johnny Craviotto (drums) that played mostly club dates in SoCal. Somewhere Under the Rainbow includes core Crazy Horse members and Buffalo Springfield's Ben Keith on pedal steel and Nils Lofgren on guitar. This double disc set comes from a concert at London's Rainbow Theatre billed as Neil Young & The Santa Monica Flyers.

In an alliance that almost guarantees that a new milestone will be established for money raised by a benefit concert, the Rolling Stones and U2 will apparently share the stage at Wembley Stadium in a concert to raise money for Ukraine. According to The Sun newspaper, other already guests expected to perform include Paul McCartney Noel Gallagher, Pink and Adele. Even though the date means the benefit till fall during the Glastonbury Festival, expect more big artists to want to get involved with the Wembley concert.

R.I.P. Gary Rossington. The lone remaining long-term member in Lynyrd Skynyrd for years, the guitarist battled heart issues the last 20+ years of his life, but steadfastly managed to keep a lineup playing as Lynyrd Skynyrd on the road just about every year. Rossington had a triple bypass heart surgery 23 years ago, survived a heart attack 7 years ago and underwent another operation to address a faulty heart valve in 2020. Farewell to this musician of remarkable determination and endurance who passed away Sunday (3/5).

Photo: CC 4.0 Helge Overas

Sad to note the passing of guitarist David Lindley at 78. Jackson Browne is among the many artists who considered Lindley's contributions to his recordings extraordinarily important to his songs. His exceptional playing on Browne's great 1977 album Running On Empty, Lindley also is featured on Jackson's For Everyman and Late for the Sky and Hold Out albums and frequently toured with Browne. Linda Ronstadt enlisted him for her Heart Like a Wheel album. Other credits include Warren Zevon's self-titled 1976 album, Rod Stewart's Atlantic Crossing and A Night On The Town albums, Graham Nash's Songs for Beginners, Nash's albums with David Crosby Wind on the Water, and Whistling Down the Wind, Joe Walsh's There Goes the Neighborhood, and was featured on several dozen other artist's albums and tours. Early in his career he teamed with Chris Darrow in the band Kaleidoscope on four albums and released his first solo album El Rayo-X in 1981.

No cause of death was provided, but Lindly had reportedly been facing health complications in recent months.

Rod Stewart has little hesitation when it comes to diving in on solving something. Some months back, the 78 year old rocker took it upon himself to repair potholes on the street near his some. This past week, he did another good deed. After learning of delays at a nearby hospital for MRI procedures due to advance payment paperwork processing, Stewart went to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Essex, UK Friday to let them know he would cover the costs of the procedure for 20 patients to speed up access to them for others. He has also indicated a willingness to foot the bill to reduce wait times at other hospitals.

London's Victoria & Albert Museum will inherit what we expect will be the largest collection of instruments, letters, set designs, stage worn outfits, awards, album artwork and other artifacts ever assembled with 80,000 items owned, created or used by David Bowie. The collection is so vast that the museum is currently constructing an entire new facility to display it in. Slated to open in 2025, the David Bowie Centre for the study of Performing Arts at the V&A Storehouse aspires to be a place where visitors can get an up-close and personal look at "...the creative process of one of the most pioneering and influential figures in the history of live and recorded music, film, fashion and beyond". Fortunately, fans that can't venture to London to take it all in in person, the V&A has an outstanding website and will hopefully include Bowie exhibit space virtual tours on it.

Graham Nash will release his first album of new original songs in seven years on May 19. Fans of the Hollies, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and CSN singer songwriter can expect another introspective album from Graham, who says of it, “I believe that my new album Now is the most personal one I have ever made. At this point in my life, that’s something to say.”  Accompanying Nash on the release are odd Caldwell (Hammond organ), Jay Bellerose (drums, percussion), Jennifer Condos (bass), Patrick Warren (piano), Shane Fontayne (guitars).

Very little in the way of details has emerged since the Rolling Stones acknowledged that they were working on a new album, the group's first since the passing of drummer Charlie Watts. Variety broke the news that Paul McCartney accepted an invitation to play bass on the album and also brought up the possibility that Ringo Starr would play drums on it. Ringo's involvement has now been walked back by the publication, and Rolling Stone seems to have sussed out that McCartney may only appear on one song on the release.

Billy Joel's 1975 concert at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall will be one of the offerings available at indie record stores on April 22, the day designated as this spring's Record Store Day. The set recorded during the Piano Man's Streetlife Serenade Tour was only previously available to fans as one of multiple LPS in his 2021 box set released as Billy Joel - The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1.

Photo: CC 2.0 Ralph_PH

It was a good week for Sting. The Police veteran has already racked up 7 Novello Awards for excellence in British and Irish songwriting. He has now earned a rare recognition from the Ivors Academy by being named a Fellow - one of the just 22 musicians the nearly 80 year old organization currently relies on to decide who to honor each year. In addition to Sting, the elite group currently includes Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Kate Bush, members of the Bee Gees and Annie Lenox. This year's recipients will be announced May 18th.

Photo: 2.0 Tony Hisgett  

Bonhams will auction the vast guitar collection of trailblazing guitarist Peter Green in June. All told, 150 instruments and a considerable amount of musical equipment and personal items that belonged to the late Fleetwood Mac guitar great be included in the sale being authorized by his estate. The online only sale will be conducted from June 16 - June 28.  Click here for details.
 

nugs boosts the number of Doors concerts subscribers can listen to with the recent addition of concerts from London in 1966, the Hollywood Bowl in 1968, Detroit in 1969, Isle of Wight and New York city in 1970 and the group's homecoming concerts at LA's Aquarius Theatre.   Get in on hearing them here.

Few bands managed to merge hard rock, blues rock and prog rock as commandingly as Wishbone Ash. Argus, the group's third and most successful album has been remastered and expanded on in this new edition. Listening to it loud on a good system will dispel all doubts.

The CBGB, New York based punk rock scene was the launch pad for several high energy, incendiary bands, but it was also a scene some much more nuanced groups emerged from. One that never attained a high level of commercial success but became very influential for lots of bands and artists was Television. We were sad to learn that the group's front man and guitarist, Tom Verlaine, passed away today at 73.