Every Record Tells A Story
-
Hidden Gems and Criminal Records: Forgiving Roberta Flack For That Peabo Bryson Duet
In five minutes, by the end of reading this, you will have discovered, or possibly rediscovered, an absolute belter of a song, so bear with me… I’m going to ask you to listen to a relatively obscure forty five year old album track I recently discovered. It has been rattling around in my head and…
-
The Brits 2016: Five Ways The Brit Awards Could Have Learned From Previous Shows
It’s funny how pop music and The Brit Awards seem so similar at first glance: mostly dreadful and never as good as when we were younger. At least, it might seem that way, but a quick YouTube look at the Mick Fleetwood and Sam Fox debacle of ’89 will swiftly put you straight. For…
-
Grammys 2016: Songs? Who Needs Them?
Despite all manner of performances, it was a single remark that stole the show at last night’s Grammy Awards… Awards shows are to brevity what Kanye West is to humility. And, judging from his recent Twitter activity, to solvency and sanity. But at least the fifteen hour shows (or do they just appear to…
-
David Bowie: His Music and his Legacy
What will David Bowie’s legacy be? There is (rightly) much talk about Bowie’s impact on popular culture. His greatest achievement might be that he made it okay to be one of the tall-short people, or one of the the fat-skinny people. A Mistake, Mis-shape or Misfit. An outsider. “You are not alone! Give me your…
-
Remembering Lemmy
I didn’t want the year to end before mentioning Lemmy, who sadly died on Boxing Day. Motorhead’s Facebook page has encouraged us to share our memories. They say “We cannot begin to express our shock and sadness, there aren’t words. We will say more in the coming days, but for now, please…play Motörhead loud, play…
-
When Rock Got Real: $hake Your Money Maker…
In 1990 rock music was having what football commentators euphemistically call “a transitional season”. You know, “Chelsea are one point off relegation and have sacked their manager, they’re having a transitional season…” We were still a year away from Metallica’s Black Album, Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and a follow up to Guns ‘n’ Roses’ debut LP. …
-
Operation: Mindcrime – live at Chinnerys, Southend on Sea
The best concept album ever? There’s no contest. *plays the theme tune to Hong Kong Phooey* Is it “The Wall”? No. is it “Tommy”? No. Is it “Operation: Mindcrime” by the mild mannered Queensryche? “….Could be…” I realise that anyone reading this who is unfamiliar with a) Operation Mindcrime b) Queensryche or c) Eighties…
-
The Every Record Tells A Story Albums of 2015
It’s nearly Christmas, so what better time to take a look back at all the great albums released in the year? (Rhetorical question). Christmas may bring with it traditions such as hangovers, bad office parties and over-priced Christmas menus in restaurants, but it also brings the tradition of end-of-year album lists for us all to…
-
Lee Brilleaux: Rock n Roll Gentleman
January 1976. Dr Feelgood are tearing up venues across the UK. “Malpractice”, their second album has reached the top twenty. Eighteen months earlier they were still playing two shows a night because they needed the money. But lead singer Lee Brilleaux can’t do things in half measures. The band might think about preserving their energy…
-
Chaos and Beauty: The Story of Mercury Rev
Mercury Rev: Live At The Oval Space “Invention….does not consist in creating out of void but out of chaos.” Mary Shelley. “We just knew (chords) E to A. It was a maelstrom.” Jonathan Donahue, Mercury Rev, last night. It’s funny how the most chaotic of circumstances can give rise to the most beautiful of things.…
-
Five Reasons Why You Should See Van Morrison In Concert
Tom Jones and Van Morrison: Live at the O2 Arena According to Sir Thomas Jones Woodward, it was way back in 1965 that he and Sir George Ivan Morrison Jr. first played together in a club called the Starlight Room. Some fifty years later these two Knights of the Realm, with over a hundred years…
-
A Degree in Record Collecting? Could you pass the qualifying paper?
News reaches Every Record Tells A Story today that Stax University is to offer a three year degree course in Record Collecting. According to their website, the degree will examine pupils understanding of grading the condition of records, why some records are more valuable than others, matrix numbers, stampings, the manufacturing process, mastering…
-
Dave Gahan and Soulsavers – Live at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire
Soulsavers is perhaps an apt name for Rich Machin and Ian Glover, a couple of former school friends who happen to also be a production duo with a handful of critically acclaimed albums. They do seem to have a habit of collaborating with troubled souls. Their second album, the snappily titled “It’s Not How Far…
-
Incredible Archive of Lost Photos Unearthed of Led Zep, Bowie, Rolling Stones…
In 2015 it’s only ironic hipsters who don’t have a camera on their phone, and every concert audience you attend is littered with people taking low quality photos, selfies and video footage on their smartphones. This has become an issue for the likes of Jack White who went to the extraordinary length on his last…
-
David Gilmour – Live at the Royal Albert Hall
I know that bucket lists are supposed to contain bungee jumps, trips to Pacific Islands and conjugal visits with film stars, but for a good few thousand people last night, seeing David Gilmour play “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” pretty much topped all that. Last night was the second of five dates of David…
Every record tells a story 