The Grande Ballroom in Detroit. The home of the MC5. In front of a rabid sell-out crowd lead singer Rob Tyner is bringing the show to a close when from the wings a man leaps onstage and shoots Tyner at… Read More ›
Rock Music
The Story of The Kinks’ “Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround”
The Kinks’ “Lola versus Powermen and The Moneygoround, Part One” was their eighth and least-snappily-titled album, released fifty years ago, in 1970. It is best known for the hit single “Lola”, a now much-loved song Ray Davies famously had to… Read More ›
The Story of Tom Petty and His Greatest Album
Just how did a boy from hillbilly country meet Elvis, Brian Wilson and George Harrison before even releasing a record? The story of Tom Petty is one that defies all the odds… It’s 1978. Bruce Springsteen, seeing a kindred spirit,… Read More ›
The Moment Adam Clayton’s Wedding Tackle Became The Cover Star of U2’s Achtung Baby
In which we discover why a naked picture of Adam Clayton nearly became the cover art of U2’s Achtung Baby…
The Origins of Elton John: From The Archives of Jackie Magazine
In which we discover how Bernie Taupin’s mum brought Reg and Bernie together by cleaning her front room, how the cost of storing vinyl in Chelsea is ruinously expensive, why Elton has only the second-worst real life name of any pop star, and why you shouldn’t kick a piano stool at work.
Pink Floyd’s Pulse Reissued: How Not To Break The Bank
You have to feel a little sorry for Pink Floyd fans. Not too much, obviously. They are more likely than you are to have a final salary pension, a second home, a car that starts on a cold day, a… Read More ›
Why Neil Young Once Tried to Drive To Belgium, and How He Nearly Killed Dylan…
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 ›
Neil Young and The Ditch Trilogy: Time Fades Away and Tonight’s the Night
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 ›
Neil Young and his Original Special One: Danny Whitten
(In anticipation of Neil Young’s show at The O2 Arena on Saturday, I thought I would share a slightly altered version of the liner notes I wrote for the Neil Young DIY Box Set earlier in the year, which has… Read More ›
Wilko Johnson Cheerfully Discusses Death, Depression, Cancer….and Canvey Island
Wilko Johnson was at Rough Trade East last night in conversation with author Zoë Howe to discuss his new book “Don’t You Leave Me Here”. The former Dr Feelgood guitarist has written about his extraordinary life: chart topping success, the… Read More ›
The Neil Young Deluxe Vinyl Box Set Project Part 5: More Records
The Project: Is it possible to make a “Deluxe” Vinyl Box Set of Neil Young albums from the original vinyl rather than spending lots of money on re-issues? I am trying to find out… The Story So Far: I… Read More ›
The Neil Young Deluxe Vinyl Box Set Project: Part 4
IV: The “Deluxe” Extras The Project: Is it possible to make a “Deluxe” Vinyl Box Set of Neil Young albums from the original vinyl rather than spending lots of money on re-issues? The Story So Far: We have the… Read More ›
The Neil Young Deluxe Vinyl Box Set Project: Putting The “Box” Into “Box Set”
The Project: To bring luxury to the masses. The plan is to make a Luxury Neil Young Box Set: DIY Edition from second hand albums and bits of string and sell it to the public. The Story So Far:… Read More ›
The Neil Young Deluxe Vinyl Box Set Project: Part 2: the records
The Project: Is it possible to make your own Deluxe Vinyl Box Set of Neil Young Records? The first part of this short series is here… The most important part of any box set, aside from the fake gimmicky… Read More ›
The Neil Young Deluxe Vinyl Box Set Project
Part 1: The Idea Robin Williams famously said cocaine was God’s way of telling you you’re making too much money. He might just as easily been referring to vinyl box sets, which are unashamedly a luxury item. The… Read More ›
Every record tells a story 