Classic rock
Classic Album: Elton John – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Managing to traverse the chasm between critics favourite and global commercial acceptance at the same time as David Bowie, the former Reg Dwight seemingly had the best of both worlds by the mid 70s. Like Bowie, he had segued almost effortlessly from lauded singer-songwriter to glam rock icon (and, lest we forget, had even cracked …
Not Forgotten: The Beatles – The Magical Mystery Tour
A Not Forgotten article on The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour? I must have flipped my lid right? How can any album release by the biggest act in popular music be forgotten? Okay, so maybe it hasn’t been forgotten, but it has been massively under appreciated, especially when you compare the avalanche of sycophantic praise heaped …
Not Forgotten: Little Feat – The Last Record Album
With a career that had already seen them perfect a spicy blend of southern rock, blues, country and soulful funk elements, by 1975’s The Last Record Album, Little Feat were well established as one of the most interesting American rock acts of the 70s. However, band leader Lowell George had already started to surrender a …
Not Forgotten: Bruce Springsteen – Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
I took the scenic route to being a Bruce Springsteen fan. Perhaps bizarrely I started with his critically acclaimed Tunnel of Love, before back tracking to the stadium-conquering Born in the USA. Losing interest for a while, it wasn’t until one of my closest friends started dating a Springsteen obsessive that my interest was sparked …
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: Little Feat – Dixie Chicken
The third album from Little Feat saw a subtle move towards a more groove-laden funk style. While Lowell George was still band leader, he was starting to share more in the way of songwriting duties, and the addition of new band members, Paul Barrere and Sam Clayton, saw Little Feat approach Dixie Chicken with a …
Not Forgotten: Bad Company
As radio-friendly hard rock went in 1974, Bad Company were about as generic as it gets. It’s not that they were particularly bad, it’s just that they never really went for broke or took any risks. The initial line up of Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Mick Ralphs and Boz Burrell never really advanced artistically from …
Not Forgotten: Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
After years of trying to match the commercial success of their breakthrough hit “Whiskey in the Jar”, it arguably happened at exactly the wrong time for Thin Lizzy. They had been given one last chance to record a breakthrough album and even when “The Boys are Back in Town” hit the charts in early April …
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 …
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 …