Classic rock
Not Forgotten: Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy
Sometimes a single song becomes so synonymous with an artist, that they are unable to outrun its shadow and anyone who is not a established fan only ever associates the act with that song, regardless of how rich and varied the rest of their output. “Werewolves of London” certainly isn’t a bad song, but as …
Album Review : Ty Segall’s ‘Freedom’s Goblin’
Ty Segall is not the type of guy to sit on his laurels. He doesn’t put out an album and then sit, lay back and just coast on good reviews for awhile. It seems that usually by the time he puts a record out he’s already onto the next record, project, music obsession, etc. For …
Not Forgotten: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Framed
As 1972 drew to a close, things had seemingly settled down a little bit in the landscape of British rock music. The singles charts were full of good time glitter stompers, and the album charts full of amplified heavy rock and ambitious prog rockers. There were a few acts that bridged the chasm between singles …
Not Forgotten: Bob Dylan – John Wesley Harding
Music changed forever in 1967, primarily because in the wake of Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, it was firmly established that the long player had finally wrestled the mantle of definitive medium for rock and roll statements from the single format. Sure, it was already in the pipeline anyway, as acts like Pink Floyd …
Classic Compilation: Neil Young – Decade
Even by the standards of the late 60s and early 70s, an era where acts would generally be expected to deliver a new studio album at least as regularly as one every twelve months, Neil Young was terrifyingly prolific. Between 1966 and 1976 he released seven solo studio albums, a sound track, a collaboration with …
A beginners’ guide to Elton John
The 50 year career trajectory of Elton John has remained fascinating if not consistent. Rising to prominence during the singer-songwriter boom of the early 70s, he and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin developed a sound which started in thrall to rootsy Americana (indeed, the USA embraced him before the UK did), before striking out in their …
Album Review: The Vietnam War – The Soundtrack
How do you tackle a subject as divisive as Vietnam? Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s epic ten part series was ten years in the making and made a particular effort to interview those that had a direct involvement rather than have highly paid experts give the talking head led historical perspective. Instead this documentary series …
Classic Compilation: Queen – Greatest Hits I & II
When it comes to compilations, there is one mega-selling release that overshadows even ABBA Gold and The Beatles Red and Blue Albums for the sheer amount of units shifted. Queen’s Greatest Hits is as much a definitive statement as any of their studio albums, and is the single biggest selling album of all time here …
Album Review: Steve Miller Band – Ultimate Hits
Released as both single and double disc compilations, Ultimate Hits is an odd one. The single disc does everything a compilation should do, giving the listener the feel for the Steve Miller Band’s long career, whereas the double disc version I am reviewing is a game attempt to fill a particular niche. The single disc …
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, …