Metallica and Guns N' Roses Tour? (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 1)

James adds, "We've learned never to say never, cause you don't know what hurtle, or what great thing is gonna be handed to you." - more including the video of the press conference

Jimmy Page, Aerosmith, Eric Clapton Supergroup Project? (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 2)

Coming in at no. 2 was another story based on taking some quotes wholly out of context. This is a two parter with the original report followed by the "clarification": Led Zeppelin site Lemon Squeezings has a speculative article connecting members of Aerosmith with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page in a new supergroup project. Read and decide for yourself: While nobody knows what's happening with Aerosmith, guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford have apparently been keeping busy, and in good company too.

Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin ) have joined them in recording with engineer Kevin Shirley, the man behind the sound of Led Zeppelin's 21st century releases, How the West Was Won, DVD and the reissue of the soundtrack to The Song Remains The Same.
Shirley says he has been recording these guitarists and "many others." He hints toward some "high profile projects" about which he's been sworn to secrecy.

Writing from Malibu on his online diary today, Shirley spoke of a "supergroup" project. He said that come January he would be "producing what has the promise to be one of the most exciting 'supergroups' to come around in a long time" He adds, "But theory is just that until we see how the dynamics play out in the studio between these superb musicians. And of course the songs will make the real difference."

The next day the story changed, here is the follow up: The speculation about a Jimmy Page, Aerosmith, Eric Clapton Supergroup project has sunk like a lead balloon. We have a follow up from a report from yesterday where we ran part of speculative report from Led Zeppelin site Lemon Squeezings which connected members of Aerosmith with Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page in a new supergroup project.

They reported that Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin ) have joined Aerosmith's guitarists Joe Perry and Brad Whitford in recording with engineer Kevin Shirley and selectively quoted Shirley. They posted a follow up article on Tuesday, "clarifying" the original report. Shirley wrote to Lemon Squeezings/LedZeppelinNews.com and said "all I said was I am recording a legend (and I have done plenty in the past), and this guy is seriously thrilling! The Page/Zep thing is not what it is. There is a supergroup -- there is a classic rock remix, but the speculation is all misguided."

So there you have it. This isn't a case like when Antiquiet.com broke the big news about the existence of Them Crooked Vultures. But the good news is that Shirley is working on a supergroup project, we'll just have to wait and see who ends up being involved in that one. Given who he has worked with in the past, it could be interesting. -

Velvet Revolver May Hire American Idol's Adam Lambert As New Singer (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 3)

One of the biggest targets for rumors now that Axl finally put out Chinese Democracy is to ponder if Velvet Revolver had found a replacement for Scott Weiland. Here are a few reports touching on the subject with the conclusion that the band may hire Adam Lambert to front the group.

In March MusicRadar reported: Word spread like wildfire across the Internet today that Velvet Revolver had picked Gord Prior, a singer with a Canadian-based band called Blu Bones, as their new lead singer. Not so, says a spokesperson for Sanctuary Artist Management, which reps Velvet Revolver. "Gord Prior isn't the new guy. In fact, no decision has been made as to who the singer is." more

In April MusicRadar reported: "We need a singer soon," Velvet Revolver drummer Matt Sorum told MusicRadar in an exclusive interview. "We need the right guy in six months. We can't wait another year. Otherwise, it might not matter." Sorum told MusicRadar that the band was recently close to deciding on a singer, whose identity he declined to reveal ("I want to protect him"), but after a few recording sessions, both he and various band members ultimately decided it wasn't the right fit. more

Velvet Revolver found their man. A singer who they felt was the perfect choice to replace Scott Weiland. But the singer turned down the job... twice! Classic Rock magazine broke the story: Country rock star Shooter Jennings has confirmed that he has been offered the job of singer with Velvet Revolver – but has turned the band down TWICE! Shooter, the son of country legend Waylon Jennings, was one of the men Classic Rock tipped as potential VR singers back in April last year.

At that time Duff McKagan admitted that Jennings could make a good replacement: "Shooter's great, actually," he told CR's Scott Rowley. "That's a good idea. He's does a southern rock thing, but his old band was straight up kinda rock. He's a talented guy man, he's pretty awesome. He would be good." In a new interview with Classic Rock, Jennings confirms that he was asked – but turned the band down. And not just once

And finally there is this report which is pretty comical in hindsight: MusicRadar speculated that Velvet Revolver may find their new frontman in the form of an American Idol contestant. Slash appeared on the show to coach contestants for "rock week" and one singer apparently stood out.

Music Radar reports: all performed admirably but nobody seemed to truly hit it out of the ballpark until Adam Lambert, who had been previously coached by Slash to avoid ad-libbing in the upper register, came on and lit into an I'm-going-for-it version of the Led Zeppelin classic Whole Lotta Love. Wonder if Slash asked Lambert to come on down for a Velvet Revolver audition? If he didn't, perhaps Jimmy Page might want to give him a ring. Stranger things have happened.
- more on this story

Was Jimi Hendrix Murdered? (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 4)

Next up on our countdown, we have a couple of reports which speculate that Jimi Hendrix was murdered. The UK's Daily Mail is reporting that rock legend Jimi Hendrix was murdered by his manager as part of an insurance scam, a new book by one of former aides claims.

Hendrix choked to death on his own vomit when he was 27 – but the exact circumstances of his death have always been a mystery.

Now James 'Tappy' Wright, one of the rock star's roadies, claims that Hendrix's manager, Michael Jeffery, confessed to killing him. Jeffery is said to have made a drunken confession a year after the star's death in September 1970 more

BW&BK had this follow up report: The doctor who attempted to revive Jimi Hendrix on the night that the guitarist died believes that it is "plausible" that he was murdered.

John Bannister said that medical evidence was consistent with claims in a book that Hendrix was killed on the orders of his manager, Mike Jeffery.
James "Tappy" Wright, a former road manager who worked for Jeffery, writes in his new memoir, Rock Roadie, that in the early hours of September 18, 1970, a gang hired by Jeffery broke into the London hotel room where Hendrix was staying with his girlfriend, Monika Dannemann, and forced sleeping pills and wine down his throat until he drowned. - more on this story

Kills Frontwoman Denies Jack White Fist Fight (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 5)

What? Jack White got into a fist fight with The Kills' frontwoman Alison Mosshart? Someone forget to tell Jack and Alison about it before putting it in their tabloid. NME reported about Alison's response to the original story:

The Kills' frontwoman Alison Mosshart has issued a statement regarding tabloid rumors that she and Jack White recently engaged in a fist fight while drinking in a New York bar.

According to Mosshart, she and The White Stripes man, with whom she's collaborating in the new band The Dead Weather, did no such thing. "I don't usually bother responding to ridiculous fabricated tabloid rumours, but this one is particularly grotesque," she said.
- more on this story

Rolling Stones Deny Split (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 6)

Regular reader may notice that we do not put much faith in "unnamed sources" This rumor about the Rolling Stones is a case in point of why that is: An unnamed source has struck again! Music Radar has the rundown: Charlie Watts Quits The Rolling Stones. That was the shocking headline on the Australian music website Undercover.com.

News of which sent chills throughout the music community. Coming on the heels of Noel Gallagher's decesion to split Oasis, the thought that Charlie Watts would leave the Stones just shy of their 50th anniversary seemed almost too much to bear.

And as it turns out, it isn't. MusicRadar contacted the office of The Rolling Stones' spokesperson, Fran Curtis, who issued the following statement: "Contrary to a fabricated story that ran this morning, Charlie Watts has not left The Rolling Stones.''
- more on this story

Metallica's Ulrich to Join Deep Purple? (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 7)

We could have probably filled this Top 9 list with rumors centered on Metallica (we almost did). In January there was this rumor that Lars Ulrich may be joining Deep Purple:

Nightwatcher reports: Drummer Lars Ulrich is looking to take a break from Metallica to tour with members of UK rock legends Deep Purple. Ulrich has offered to join David Coverdale, Glenn Hughes and Jon Lord if the trio reteams for a world tour, as they've intimated in the media. more

Shortly after that rumor surfaced Blabbermouth posted this response: Former Deep Purple keyboardist Jon Lord has commented on rumors of a possible reunion of the Deep Purple Mk III lineup featuring a special guest appearance by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.

Writing on his official web site, JonLord.org, Jon Lord commented on the report by saying, "It all seems like a lot of hot air and wild speculation to me. I like Lars and what he has achieved with Metallica. He's obviously always been very complimentary in his comments about Deep Purple, and I love the story of his famous nine-years-old 'baptism of fire' at our '73 concert in The KB Halle in Copenhagen, but if I was asked to be involved in a 'Mark III' reunion — (which, by the way, I haven't. All I ever said was that the idea had a few good points and a few not-so-good points.) — and I indeed considered that offer, I would not be able to even imagine it without the presence of Ian Paice" - more on this story

Soundgarden Reunion On Tap? (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 8)

Reunions are also ripe for new rumors. There were some rumblings this year about Soundgarden reuniting and it prompted some interesting responses from Chris Cornell. Here is how it all went down: exclaim.ca reports: Legendary grungers Soundgarden mostly reunited for a one-off show at Seattle's Crocodile Café. Three-quarters of the band were there, minus their leader Chris Cornell.

But now there's real reason to get your flannels in a knot: the rumor mill continues to spin that Cornell will be joining his buds for a full-on reunion.
In a recent interview with Kerrang! [via TwentyFourBit], Brent Smith of the band Shinedown dropped hints that he's heard the news, saying, "There's talk of a reuniting of Soundgarden in the States soon. I know actually someone specific who told me that, who is actually specifically in their organization. Kinda told me that they're talking about it." more

Chris Cornell told Rolling Stone that Soundgarden have been talking — not about touring or recording, but about the band's legacy. "The only thing that we have talked about is trying to put together an album of B sides and maybe a box set with some unreleased tracks we have," Cornell says. more

That's fair enough but Cornell then took it one step further: Gibson.com has a new interview with Chris Cornell, here is part of the intro and an excerpt where he discusses his aversion to reuniting with Soundgarden. Here you go: we finally got him on the phone, pulled out our extensive list of queries and got maybe three in before he went on a monologue that lasted nearly 30-minutes, at which point his publicist jumped on the line and said it was time for his next interview. What can we say, the guy is a pro.

Fortunately, Cornell touched on all the things we were dying to ask him about anyway, such as the miracle of Twitter, the backlash against the new album and the general horrors of touring. Sadly, he didn't offer any advice for our ongoing battle with frizzy hair.

Why playing Soundgarden's rocket-fueled metal on the reunion circuit doesn't appeal to him: "That, to me, is similar to playing the back of Chinese restaurant. My heart needs to feel good while I'm playing a song. In order to play old songs from my history, I need to be able to also play songs from the present and songs that will literally turn into the future in a moment's notice. That does work for me." - He goes on to explain why his much hated hip-pop solo album was a good idea - here

The Big Four of Thrash: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax Tour (Top 9 Rumors of 09 - No 9)

In September the rumor started that the big four of Thrash, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, may team up for a tour. The rumor took on a life of it's own with members from the bands commenting on it, some semi confirmations, a denial and finally news that all four bands would indeed share the same stage. Here is the progression of stories:

Slayer guitarist Kerry King has told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine that he has heard through the grapevine that Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich is plotting a tour that would include Metallica, Megadeth , Slayer and Anthrax. more

Then Blabbermouth) Megadeth's Dave Mustaine was asked during an interview about the rumored "Big Four" tour that would feature Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax. Dave being Dave, he had A LOT to say about the rumor: "I don't know... I think anything is possible. But the whole beauty of what we did with the 'Clash Of The Titans' [U.S. tour in 1991] was the three of us [Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax], we really had a common thread that ran through all of us and we were very close in a lot of different areas. Of course, Metallica's success really put them in a kind of unapproachable position where they were just so high in stature, we kind of were all left behind, if you know what I mean. But not saying that in a bad way, because I'm totally satiated with my success right now; I'm very happy with what I've done in my life. Going into what the 'Clash Of The Titans' was, we all had this mutual respect, and we all rotated. And the lineup was always the same — Anthrax played before Megadeth, and Megadeth always played before Slayer. So whoever was headlining, the rotation swapped. Like, if Slayer was headlining, it would be Anthrax, me, then Slayer. If I was headlining, Slayer would open, then Anthrax, then me. Now, I don't know that, because of the stature of Metallica versus [the other three bands], if it would really be a balanced kind of four-way show, you know what I'm saying? . . . [But] I'm not gonna rule anything out.

And as much as I'm trying to tap-dance around in this, it's just gossip and rumors. It would be foolish of me as a businessman to not take that opportunity, and it would be dumb of me as a bandleader to not do that for the guys in my group and for the fans of the band." more

Then Metromix conducted an interview earlier this week with Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo where they discussed the rumor of a possible Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax tour. Here is part of that exchange:

Metromix: There's a rumor going around now about the four classic thrash bands (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax ) touring together. How would you feel about being part of that?

Trujillo: I think it's great. We've had a few different conversations on the subject. I'm friends with (Slayer's) Kerry King and had dinner with him a few months back, and it came up there. I think (Megadeth's) Dave Mustaine is amazing. I've never had a problem with him personally. I think it'd be great if Metallica shared the stage with his band. Metallica's still great friends with (Anthrax's) Scott Ian. There's a lot of history there. I think it'd be great for metal. I don't think all four bands have played together at the same time.

Metromix: So there's truth to the rumor?

Trujillo: There is, but nothing's concrete. It's not a sealed deal. We're working on it. more

Shortly after, Kirk came an rained on the parade: The much-rumored Big Four thrash metal tour is not going to happen, says Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, who told the WKLS Project 9-6-1 Morning Show with El Jefe and Shaffee: "That tour is not gonna happen. I've been hearing that. We've all been hearing it for a while. I get asked regularly. It's a good idea and I can see the significance of playing a tour like that." He says. "There's conflicting schedules, conflicting personalities - a lot of conflicting things. It's not gonna happen."

Finally the dream became a reality earlier this month: You wanted the thrash, you got it! Metallica had this big news announcement on their website Monday: You've been posting and chatting about it for months and we're here now to confirm it . . . Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth , and Anthrax will all share the same stage for the first time EVER! Look for the four of us at the Sonisphere shows in Warsaw, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic on June 16 and 19, 2010 with a few more of the festival dates still in the works, you can be sure these shows won't be the only ones. more -

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