Category Archives: Rock
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON. Often a band will change musical direction. There can be many reasons for this. Sometimes, it’s because they’re looking for commercial success, other times, they’re moving with changes in musical trends, it can even be to reflect changes in society. Another reason can be problems within …
KAREN DALTON-IN MY OWN TIME.
KAREN DALTON-IN MY OWN TIME. Imagine Bob Dylan describes you as his favorite singer in his autobiography, and compares your voice to Billie Holliday, and your guitar playing like the legendary Jimmy Reed’s. That must be the ultimate accolade for any singer. You may be wondering who is this singer that Bob Dylan rates so …
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-CATCH A FIRE.
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-CATCH A FIRE. If you ask most people to name just one reggae singer, most people will say Bob Marley. Back in the 1970s’, he was hugely influential in increasing the popularity of reggae music. It was the release of Exodus, an album I’ve previously written about, that gave Bob Marley …
OASIS-DEFINITELY MAYBE.
OASIS-DEFINITELY MAYBE. Previously, I’ve written about many different albums, and in many cases, these albums have been both innovative and commercially successful. This article is about an album that was one of the most successful of the 1990’s, but unlike many of the albums I’ve previously written about, didn’t feature a particularly innovative sound. This …
PRIMAL SCREAM-RIOT CITY BLUES.
PRIMAL SCREAM-RIOT CITY BLUES. As someone who has spent many years reading the music press, one thing that always make me smile is how quickly an artist or group fall from grace in the eyes of the music press. One minute a group are being lauded as the savior of music, having released one of …
PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS-BAND ON THE RUN.
PAUL McCARTNEY AND WINGS-BAND ON THE RUN. Sometimes your memory plays tricks on you, and things that you’ve remembered from may years previously turn out to be very different. In a way, the memory is almost spoiled, when you revisit somewhere or something. Suddenly, it isn’t quite how you remember it, and sadly, your memory, …
GLASVEGAS-GLASVEGAS.
GLASVEGAS-GLASVEGAS. In a previous article I wrote about how groups are never really an overnight success, and how usually, it takes many years for a band to make a breakthrough. The band this article is about, Glasvegas, are a good example of this. They were formed back in 2003, and five years later, released their …
AMY WINEHOUSE-BACK TO BLACK.
AMY WINEHOUSE-BACK TO BLACK. Neil Young once sang “it’s better to burn out than fade away.” It’s nothing more than a good lyric. Nobody should take this lyric seriously. Sadly, some singers seem to take this lyric seriously, witness Kurt Cobain and Sid Vicious. The way they led their lives, it was almost inevitable that …
NEW ORDER-REPUBLIC.
NEW ORDER-REPUBLIC. Sometimes a great album can emerge out of the most difficult of circumstances. Even if the four band members aren’t getting along, and fighting like cat and dog, sometimes, the music they make can be outstanding. When New Order reconvened after a four year hiatus, to record Republic, it seemed that everything that …
AZTEC CAMERA-LOVE.
AZTEC CAMERA-LOVE. Back in 1988, I went to a music festival, and one of the bands that I saw that day, were Aztec Camera. I’d been invited along to this festival by a good friend of mine. The idea, was that we’d make a weekend of it. So on the Friday night, we decamped to …
BIG STAR-RADIO CITY.
BIG STAR-RADIO CITY. Quite often, when an album that becomes highly regarded and hugely influential, is released, it isn’t a huge commercial success. Even if it’s critically acclaimed, and a few music critics realize the albums importance, its release passes almost unnoticed. This album is loved by critics and a small coterie of fans, who …
SUEDE-A NEW MORNING.
SUEDE-A NEW MORNING. Sometimes towards the end of a band’s natural lifetime, they release an album that at the time, is underrated, and it’s only some time afterwards, that its quality is recognized. This is true of the band I’m going to write about today. They were formed in 1989, and by the time they …
BON IVER-FOREVER EMMA, FOREVER AGO.
BON IVER-FOREVER EMMA, FOREVER AGO. As someone who has spent more years than I care to remember immersed in music and, as a result, reading the music press, I’ve lost count of the artists how have been hailed as the savior of music. Generally, these artists are hailed as the next Beatles, Rolling Stone or …
JOHN MARTYN-SOLID AIR.
JOHN MARTYN-SOLID AIR. Previously I have written about the artist this article is about. After I’d written that article, I was listening to some of his old albums and though that I’d write another article on this artist. The problem was, which album. With this artist, he has recorded so many good albums. Having spent …
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-FRESH.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-FRESH. The band this article is about, were one of the most important bands in the late 1960s’. They were a multiracial and multi-gender band, whose music was a fusion of styles, including, soul, funk, rock and psychedelic music. Their music influenced groups across these genres. The story of this band …
THE PEARLFISHERS-THE YOUNG PICKNICKERS.
THE PEARLFISHERS-THE YOUNG PICKNICKERS. Today I’m going to write about a group who have been recording and releasing music for twenty years. During the last twenty years, this Glasgow band have produced some beautiful melodic pop music, which has been influenced by groups such as the Beach Boys, Big Star and Big Star. When you …
TALK TALK-THE COLOUR OF SPRING.
TALK TALK-THE COLOUR OF SPRING. The album this article is about came out in 1986. This period was hardly a vintage time for music in the UK. Much of the music was throwaway pop music, music which was instantly forgettable. Granted there were some great bands from the UK, some that spring to mind, are …
THE SUNDAYS-READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC.
THE SUNDAYS-READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC. In this article I will write about a band formed by two people who had no musical background. They met while at university, and having graduated from university, and found themselves unemployed, decided that their future lay in music. This may seem like a strange career choice for an English …
JEFF BUCKLEY-GRACE.
JEFF BUCKLEY-GRACE. The artist this article is about, had a very famous father. In a previous article, I wrote about him. He was a successful singer-songwriter, who produced many great albums. Sadly he, like his son, died young, far too young. Both father and son, were blessed with wonderful voices, and leave behind some wonderful …
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