Category: Hard Rock
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Rush: Geddy Lee, Asterix and The Geneva Convention
There are many reasons why you should listen to Rush. They’re incredible musicians. They have, over the years, been as experimental as Radiohead. Neil Peart is unquestionably the best rock drummer alive today. Better even than John Keeble. But there is just one fly in the ointment… Back in 1986, undaunted by my premature teenage…
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Rush Release New Clockwork Angels Keyring
Rush Clockwork Angels Keyring described as “return to form” and comes with free magazine and CD. Excitement was building for Rush fans today on the eve of the band’s latest Keyring release, in association with Classic Rock Magazine. Drummer Neil Peart looked enthusiastic at the press conference to launch the Keyring. “The Keyring has been a…
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Guns n Roses at Donington ’88 – The Triumph and The Tragedy
The Donington Monsters of Rock Festival in 1988 was headlined by Iron Maiden, but Guns n Roses – and a tragedy – stole the headlines. Now known as The Download Festival, the annual pilgrimage of UK Heavy Metal fans to a field outside Nottingham (Castle Donington) is as essential a rite de passage for every…
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Guns n Roses at The Marquee Club
I have very few regrets in life…. Perhaps I should have danced with that pretty brunette at the school disco when I was ten years old instead of looking horrified. On reflection I didn’t take enough care when using that scalpel when twelve, resulting in an unscheduled trip to A&E. As a teenager that haircut…
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Kiss – Exposed!
After the Kiss Animalized Uncensored Live video, I was keen to see more. This led me to the new video release Kiss – Exposed!. This was packed with archive footage of the band, and set (apparently) at the band’s home. Yes, it appeared that like a comic book Morecambe and Wise, Kiss all lived together like…
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Kiss…..And Things You Don’t See Anymore #3: Denim Jackets With Band Names on the Back
So what is one of the most powerful advertising weapons utilised by bands such as Kiss and Aerosmith to attract the youth of Britain to buy products? YouTube? Facebook? Search Engine Optimisation? TV? Oh no. Compared to the real success story of the last forty years these things are mere bagatelles. In fact, over two…
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AC/DC’s Best Album – Live from the Atlantic Recording Studios
AC/DC’s Live from The Atlantic Recording Studios is a lost classic – and in my view is their best album. Very soon after I bought AC/DC’s Fly on the Wall, The Friday Rock Show broadcast an entire live show of AC/DC from December 1977 live from the Atlantic Recording Studios. I was there hovering over…
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AC/DC’s Worst Album?: Not what you think it is….
There are some records I own that I think are great, despite all evidence to the contrary. The album might have had a critical mauling akin to Spinal Tap‘s “Shark Sandwich“, it might not be fit to hold a candle to the band’s previous efforts, and it might, to all intents and purposes, have been…
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Shades Records – The Greatest Record Store There Ever Was: A Tribute for Record Store Day
As record store day approaches, I would like to pay tribute to just one record store that is sadly no longer with us. The Greatest Record Store There Ever Was… In the years before Napster, Songkick, Spotify and other Internet stuff spoon-fed the heavy metal-loving youth of Britain, there were just two ways to find…
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And Iron Maiden’s Best Live album is…..
Which is Iron Maiden’s best live album? (After all – with the release of En Vivo – they have released no less than ten…!) Back in December 1985 Kerrang! had given me two new ways to discover new music: their end of year critics poll (best album: Bryan Adams’ Reckless) and a 20 track K!…
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Kerrang! Magazine – Heavy Metal Bible
Kerrang! Magazine is what distunguishes a heavy metal fan from the casual observer. Investing the not insignificant sum of 85p on Kerrang! was the moment I turned to the dark side- and entered the world of being a “proper” heavy metal fan. It wasn’t that I suddenly started wearing a cowboy boots, a denim jacket…
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UFO – Strangers In The Night
When UFO played Knebworth in 1985 I was blown away by their hard rock sound. UFO were named after the famed psychedelic club that spawned Pink Floyd and even in 1985 they had been going longer than Sharon Osbourne’s Botox treatments. Their set at Knebworth displayed their back catalogue to the full. It was a set loaded…
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Mamas Boys – Ireland’s greatest band (with apologies to Thin Lizzy and U2)
Mama’s Boys are a good band to be talking about on St Patrick’s day. Surely Ireland’s finest heavy rock band of the ’80s. Mama’s Boys consisted of three McManus brothers from deepest darkest Ireland. Tommy played drums, John played bass, and Pat played guitar. Pat also played an electric violin, which was an interesting twist on…
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How to get a front row seat at a gig…
Deep Purple played Wembley Arena and the Birmingham N.E.C. on their House of Blue Light Tour – and this was my first chance to see Ritchie Blackmore. After just the one UK show in ’85, Deep Purple‘s 1987 tour to support their second comeback album “The House of Blue Light“, attracted a huge clamour for…
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Why Deep Purple have not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame…
To know why Deep Purple matter, you just have to listen to the blistering, gonzoid opening of Speed King. If you can, do it now. This was 1970 – when people still thought Roger Whittaker was edgy. Nearly 42 years later, it’s still as joyful an explosion of noise as you will ever hear. Released…
Every record tells a story 