Not Forgotten: The Black Crowes – Shake Your Money Maker
The Black Crowes were a band who rose to popularity via the tried and trusted method of hard-gigging their deep-rooted traditional rock and roll sound. Both before and after the release of their classic retro rock of their debut, the recently reissued Shake Your Money Maker, they gigged relentlessly, building up a grass roots audience …
News: UFO reveal new details abou Live Sightings
In their 47 year career UFO have carved out a reputation for being one of the most stage-hardened bands, and while their commercial peak was the late ’70s / early ’80s, their last three studio albums have all charted here in the UK, and they remain a substantial live draw with a loyal and dedicated …
Album Review: Promise and The Monster – Feed the Fire
As someone that written album reviews for over a decade, I’ve learned to accept that there are some reviews which just don’t come easy. Sometimes because it’s difficult to put into words just how mind-fryingly amazing some music is. Or sometimes it’s the flip of that, where there are no words strong enough for you …
Not Forgotten: Modest Mouse – Good News For People Who Love Bad News
There are times when a band hits a point in their career where everything is just right, where they make that quantum leap forward that they’ve been threatening to make for years. Such are the vagaries of music fandom that point isn’t recognised by all their fans immediately and there are inevitably those that feel …
Not Forgotten: David Bowie – Live Santa Monica ’72
Due to the stylistic leaps that David Bowie made throughout his career, it’s inevitable that some periods of his career appeal to individuals more than others. My girlfriend loves his late 70s art-rock period, one of my closest friends will argue that Bowie’s single greatest artistic statement was 1995’s 1.Outside, another will argue that his …
Album Review: Turin Brakes – Lost Property
To me Turin Brakes are like an old friend I’ve lost regular touch with over the years that I bump into in my local one evening. We’ve not seen each other for a while, but after some initial awkwardness, we end up having one of those nights out that sticks in your memory and reminds …
Album Review: Villagers – Where Have You Been All My Life?
I liked Villagers from the moment my friend Susie slipped their debut album into her car CD player as she gave me a lift to the train station one lunchtime in early 2011. The fact that they were effectively a him (Conor O’Brien), that he / they were signed to the ever-dependable Domino Records and …
Not Forgotten: The Black Crowes – Three Snakes and One Charm
Returning to Three Snakes and One Charm almost twenty years after it’s initial release is an interesting exercise, not least because of my own personal history with this album. Back in 1996 I was a slightly impoverished student, so no small amount of consideration went into selecting what CDs I purchased. With Britpop reaching something …
Not Forgotten: Mick Ronson – Play Don’t Worry
Mick Ronson was perhaps the ultimate limelight grabbing sideman. Be he by the side of Ian Hunter, Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, or, most famously, David Bowie, Ronno always gave whoever he was backing up a certain amount of legitimacy and added star power. Quite why his own solo career consisted of merely two mid-70s efforts …
Not Forgotten: Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
The first thing that strikes you about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers ’ debut album is how rough it sounds compared to the slick and streamlined made-for American roadtrips that their reputation has hung upon. With this in mind it’s perhaps not surprising that they were initially mistakenly considered to be part of the punk …