Not Forgotten: Pulp – His ‘n’ Hers
In retrospect Pulp were a band that burned brightly and became hugely important to a generation, but whose work remains oddly preserved in a sort of musical aspic. Although they had been around since the late 70s, Pulp had remained almost comically incapable of making any sort of commercial or critical impact. That remained the …
Not Forgotten: Pixies – Doolittle
While C’mon Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa had hooked many people into the Pixies with their abrasive sounding crunching alt rock, 1989s Doolittle saw them take a different approach, with a sound which saw them being ‘produced‘ for the first time. C’mon Pilgrim had effectively been polished up demos, and Surfer Rosa had seen the band …
Classic Compilation: ZZ Top – Rancho Texicano: The Very Best of ZZ Top
Of the American stadium filling acts of the 70s, few have managed to continually extend their career like ZZ Top. These days KISS are a pale shadow of what they once were, Aerosmith succumbed to substances before a Lazarine comeback in the late 80s and seem to spend most of their time arguing with each …
Not Forgotten: Fountains of Wayne – Utopia Parkway
In the years before the tuneful “Stacy’s Mom” seared them into the subconscious of music fans as one hit wonders, Fountains of Wayne were a band enjoying medium-sized success, with a string of modestly charting power pop singles. A self titled debut album charted in the UK in 1996, albeit way outside a top 40 …
Album Review: Craig Finn – I Need a New War
Craig Finn’s solo career has been running parallel to the Hold Steady quite nicely over the last few years, with him being able to take a more introspective musical approach as opposed to the amped up bar band rock and roll of his band. Lyrically it’s much more difficult to find the line between what …
Not Forgotten: Ian Hunter – You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic
While Ian Hunter’s self-titled solo debut was met with enthusiasm, the increasingly muted reception that met his next two albums must have been disappointing for the former Mott the Hoople frontman. Reconnecting with regular collaborator and general guitar genius Mick Ronson, while also engaging the services of three members of the E Street Band, two …
Album Review: Marvin Gaye – You’re the Man
In case you were wondering, You’re the Man is a double album’s worth of prime period Marvin Gaye, one of the few Tamla Motown artists that could remotely hold a candle to his label mate Stevie Wonder over the course of an album in the early 70s. From crooner, to both solo star and duet …
Classic Compilation: The Rolling Stones – Forty Licks
There are some bands that the term ‘legendary’ just doesn’t suffice. The Rolling Stones are unarguably one of those bands that changed the course of rock and roll, and they are easily one of the most influential bands of all time. The thing is, just because they are one of the most important bands in …
Album Review: Flight of the Conchords – Live in London
As a music fan there are few disappointments more acute than realising that an act you thought you would never get to see in a live environment are touring, but there’s no way you can attend the gig due to matters beyond your control. When me and my partner heard that Flight of the Conchords …
Classic Compilation: The Cult – Pure Cult: For Rockers, Ravers, Lovers and Sinners
The Cult always seemed to be a bit of an oddity in the British landscape of music in the 80s. They weren’t a miserable indie band, they were briefly goths, they were musically opposed to synth-pop, and they weren’t a flag-waving celtic rock act either. The Cult’s transition from goth rockers to a straight ahead …