Album Review: Richard Thompson – Acoustic Rarities
The new Richard Thompson album, Acoustic Rarities, arrives barely two short months after the release of its sibling, Acoustic Classics Vol II, and is released both separately, and as a bonus disc to its predecessor. Where Acoustic Classics Vol II revisited well loved numbers from Thompson’s songbook, Acoustic Rarities takes the opportunity to compliment and …
Classic Compilation: Randy Newman – Lonely at the Top: The Best of Randy Newman
I hate Randy Newman. Previous to me discovering his work via Lonely at the Top, I was living in blissful ignorance, occasionally putting pen to paper to scribble down a few lines of poetry or would-be lyrics for a band in need of a non musical wordsmith. I thought I was pretty damn good too. …
Classic Album: R.E.M. – Automatic for the People
R.E.M. may have taken the scenic route to international fame, but if the only thing they ever released had been Automatic For The People, that lengthy trip would have still been worth it. After years of hip college-rock credibility, a springboard into stadiums and a huge international success with Out of Time, R.E.M. were on …
Obituary: Tom Petty
Of all the luminaries of pop music that we have lost in the last couple of years, it is the music of Tom Petty which I have had the longest and most committed relationship with. A radio-friendly American Heartland rocker, Tom Petty was less earnest then Springsteen and more consistently brilliant than Bob Seger. Originally …
Classic Album: Electric Light Orchestra – Out of the Blue
When it comes to bloated and pompous 70s pop / rock not many matched Electric Light Orchestra for ridiculously overwrought statements, and 1977’s Out Of The Blue is their most overwrought album by some distance. Nevertheless, I think it’s fair to say that Out Of The Blue is my (as long as many others’) favourite …
Album Review: Randy Newman – Dark Matter
Back in 2004 Green Day released American Idiot, an album on which they took the American government of the time to task for the less than wise decisions that were being made. Wind forward thirteen years, and frankly we need something a little more substantial than a pop-punk power trio to take the current American …
Track: Bang Bang Romeo – Natural Born Astronaut
Since I first encountered Bang Bang Romeo in early 2014, their potential was immediately obvious to me. In the years since then they have gained themselves an ever-growing fanbase, enjoyed national radio play and established themselves as one of the most thrilling live acts doing the rounds today. “Natural Born Astronaut” is one of Bang …
Not Forgotten: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band – Live / 1975-85
40 tracks of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band live and rocking in various theatres, arenas and coliseums over a decade may seem excessive, until you consider the fact that, over three decades later since this live monolith’s initial release, few live acts can come close to matching the heavyweight reputation of their epic, …
Classic Compilation: Kirsty MacColl – Galore: The Best of Kirsty MacColl
There’s a parallel universe somewhere where Kirsty MacColl receives all the respect she deserves. A universe where the wider public knows her for more than a decent, but overplayed, festive tune, or the wonderful, but ultimately kitsch “There’s a Guy Works Down the Chipshop Swears He’s Elvis”. A universe where her late career highlight “In …
Classic Album: Peter Gabriel – Us
In 1992 Peter Gabriel was the last word in mature pop artists. Having achieved immense success after leaving Genesis in the mid-70s, his solo career had seen plough a compelling art-rock path which found him develop a deep interest in world music that continues to colour his music to this day. He complimented his worthy …