Tuesday Rock Roundup

Geddy Lee of Rush (the greatest band alive) is 55 today. And lo, he is mighty.

On this day in 1973, Led Zeppelin's safe deposit box at the Drake Hotel in New York was robbed of 180-thousand dollars. It was one of the largest cash thefts ever in New York City.

AC/DC will hit the road for 18 months starting in October. The world tour will be in support of their new album, due in October and reportedly titled Black Ice. The album and tour will be the band's first since Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000. Other groups announcing tours yesterday included Eric Clapton, KISS, Journey, and Green Day.

For the past eight years Blondie drummer Clem Burke has been part of an experiment conducted by scientists at the University of Gloucestershire and the University of Chichester in England. They have been monitoring his heart rate, oxygen levels and other statistics during his performances. They discovered that his heart averaged 140 to 150 beats per minute and peaked as high as 190, which is comparable to athletes. However, athletes might reach that level only once or twice a week, while a drummer on tour is likely to do it almost every night. One of the goals of the study was to develop programs for overweight children not interested in athletics to stay fit. A few years ago, National Geographic conducted a number of tests on Steven Tyler to demonstrate the power of human speech for a documentary.

Add motorcycle maker to Billy Joel's resume. The piano man and boat manufacturer has formed 20th Century Cycles to pay homage to the heritage and legacy of motorcycling by building one-of-a-kind "non-production" bikes "for the discerning buyer." Joel caught the bug in 2005 when he asked Lighthouse Harley-Davidson of Long Island to give his Harley-Davidson Sportster a retro look. It came out so well that he did the same thing to his Harley-Davidson Springer Classic, which inspired him and Lighthouse to form 20th Century Cycles.

Curious how Motley Crue are sounding these days? Their set Friday night in Las Vegas will be webcast at DeepRockDrive-dot-com.

NEW IN STORES TODAY:

U2 Deluxe Edition Box Set [Amazon.com Exclusive] CD by U2 which includes the remastered and expanded versions of the band's first three albums.
Along Came A Spider CD by Alice Cooper also out on LP record
Venus in Overdrive CD by Rick Springfield
It's Bad for Ya CD by George Carlin
Shine a Light DVD Rolling Stones
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit - The Seventh Year DVD
Beverly Hills, 90210 - The Fifth Season DVD
The Hills - The Complete Third Season DVD
War Games (25th Anniversary Edition) DVD
Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay DVD
And all of the Jack Ryan movies...including the crappy one with Ben Affleck...are out on Blu-Ray