A friend and I were debating who has had the longest consecutive run of classic albums in order to settle another argument. Which is cheaper? Buying records online or buying in shops? Our scientific method was to each buy the… Read More ›
I thought the answer to this question was self-evident. “It has to be cheaper buying from used record shops and record fairs.” I somewhat patronisingly advised a friend of mine. “Buying records online is more expensive. “eBay is a global… Read More ›
Chris Goss was driving through the Palm Desert in 1988, a couple of hours drive from LA, on his way to launching the career of one of rock’s most important figures of the next century. He just didn’t know it… Read More ›
It is fifty years since Brian Wilson famously set the young Paul McCartney’s hair on end with the release of Pet Sounds. It was a remarkable, almost impossible achievement – the musical equivalent of you or me writing a maths… Read More ›
You know those people who effortlessly appear to be on top of the music scene? You’ve probably met one… “The Brilldeloes? Yeah – great band from South Wisconsin – like a young Lou Reed mixed with Jess Glynne and early… Read More ›
The news that President Obama has released two summer playlists for us to enjoy – a daytime and nighttime selection of songs – rather cements his reputation as the coolest politician around, albeit this is a pretty thin field. And… Read More ›
On a day when that august (and indeed August) celebration of the best albums of the year, the Mercury Prize nominations list, was released, a small part of Southend-on-Sea was showing what a bit of DIY spirit and grit and… Read More ›
We all know that rock stars have a free pass when it comes to choosing the names of their offspring. From Chris Martin naming his child after a technology company to David Bowie wanting to find a name that rhymed… Read More ›
So many people are frightened by clowns that there is a name for the phobia. What with their scary white make up, over-size shoes and comedy songs, there should also be a word for a fear of the band Kiss…. Read More ›
Tim Burgess. You may know him as the lead singer of The Charlatans, readily recognisable from his shock of blond pudding-bowl-shaped hair and singer of some of the best songs of the last twenty-odd years. You may also know Burgess… Read More ›
The final article (of three) on Neil Young’s Ditch Trilogy… Tonight’s The Night was due to be released in January 1974, but Neil Young continued to work on mixing the rough recordings, and by May 1974 he was playing a… Read More ›
This is the Second of three parts of a trilogy of articles about the Ditch Trilogy that I originally wrote for the liner notes to my Neil Young DIY Box Set… Worst follow up albums? There are quite a few… Read More ›
The final day of Glastonbury brings a unique feeling of excitement, sadness, relief and exhaustion. Excitement at the prospect of new bands to discover and see. Sadness that it will soon all be over. Relief that soon you won’t have… Read More ›
By the time Saturday comes at Glastonbury, most festival goers are pretty battle-hardened. You begin to see people who look as though they went for a swim in the mud. The toilets begin to fester and resemble the trash compactor… Read More ›
It was a strange mood that pervaded across Glastonbury yesterday as the overnight referendum news sank in like a heavy boot into the mud. Even rumours of a secret Radiohead performance (still only rumours) weren’t enough to lift spirits. Sir… Read More ›
