Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – Live: Bursting Out
When the broom of Punk arrived to sweep away the dust bunnies of the old guard, Jethro Tull took the frankly baffling route of going folk-rock. Having been born out of the 60s British Blues Boom, they’d already undergone an evolutionary career which saw them dabble with hard rock, satirical concept albums, art-rock and even …
Not Forgotten: Blur – 13
At the peak of their success I was distinctly unimpressed with Blur and their run of chirpy-chappy chart toppers. Parklife and the Great Escape both sold by the lorry full, yet I struggled understand their appeal to my generation, or quite their press-derived rivalry with Oasis was considered newsworthy. Two decades later and I can …
News: John Foxx – Cathedral Oceans deluxe 5 vinyl reissue
John Foxx is one of those artists who inspires such loyalty among his fans, that every release he makes is greeted with rabid expectation, so the news that his elegant trilogy of Cathedral Oceans (1997), Cathedral Oceans II (2003) and Cathedral Oceans III (2005) is being given the comprehensive deluxe treatment, will no doubt be …
News: Ian Hunter – new album, box set and UK tour dates
Forty Four years after “All the Young Dudes” became the hit he had worked for his entire life, Ian Hunter remains one of the most compelling men in rock and roll. Furthering a legacy which bridges his years as the frontman of the beloved Mott the Hoople, and a lengthy solo career of note, Hunter …
Not Forgotten: Super Furry Animals – Rings Around the World
Rings Around the World was released to no little fanfare and received widespread acclaim back in 2001. Fifteen years after its release, it remains one of the key releases in the Super Furry Animals discography. Having signed to Sony / Epic following the collapse of Creation Records, SFA took full advantage of much-increased production and …
Not Forgotten: Tom Waits – Small Change
Sometimes you dismiss an entire era of an established artist’s career for what you convince yourself is a good reason. As much as I love Tom Waits’ debut, Closing Time, and the albums he recorded since joining Island Records in the early 80s, I dismissed the rest of his 70s material for one reason alone. …
Not Forgotten: 10cc – How Dare You!
Their fourth album in as many years, by How Dare You! 10cc had mastered the art of balancing the conflicting demands of big hit singles with fiendishly clever art-rock albums. As commercial as glam rock, but still cleverer than the vast majority of prog-rockers, their formula worked, but it never made them any less ambitious …
Not Forgotten: The Scientists – A Place Called Bad
As one of the most geographically isolated cities in the world, punk came late to Perth, but when it finally did, it caught the attention of Kim Salmon, the man who the mainstay of The Scientists. Formed in 1978, The Scientists would evolve into their own version of Post-Punk, relocating to the UK in the …
Album Review: Steven Tyler – We’re All Somebody From Somewhere
Believe it or not, this is the Aerosmith frontman’s debut solo album, something which is startling in itself. Then again, “America’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band” seem to have been a little argumentative in recent years, so maybe this was always going to be inevitable, after all, most well established rock vocalists eventually feel the …
Not Forgotten: The Cult – Sonic Temple
Sonic Temple came at an interesting point in The Cult’s career. Having evolved from paisley-patterned goths, 1987’s Electric had seen them strip back their sound to brutal and basic biker-booted hard rock riffery. Having originally attracted as a post-punk act, going full on hard rock was an interesting evolutionary move, but one that had seen …