rock/metal rewind
Classic Compilation: The Faces – The Best of The Faces: Good Boys… When They’re Asleep
The early 70s were a weird time. Elton John had some natural hair, David Bowie was a genderless alien and Britain’s best pop band were four Brummies with an in-built spelling disorder. Most strange to modern ears though is the fact that, back then, Rod Stewart was actually listenable. His solo albums were ballad-heavy, but still comparatively listenable, …
Classic Album: AC/DC – Highway to Hell
Held in higher esteem than is perhaps strictly necessary, Highway To Hell has the sad distinction of being the last AC/DC album on which vocalist Bon Scott appeared. As has been proved repeatedly in the music industry, few things enhance the reputation of an artist more than death, so perhaps that is why so many …
Not Forgotten: Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs – Under the Covers Vol. 2
When the Under the Covers collaboration between power pop veteran Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles fame was announced, there must have been a fair bit of head scratching from fans of one but not necessarily the other. Then you hear their voices together and it makes absolute sense. Hoffs, despite her Paisley …
Not Forgotten: Elton John – Caribou
Bless him, for all his tantrums (and tiara’s), Elton John has enjoyed a career reassessment over the last two decades to the point where he’s now arguably as popular as he’s ever been since the mid 70s. Perhaps more crucially, Elton understands and agrees that his 1970-1975 work is his most popular material, and does …
Classic Album: Queen – Live Killers
Live Killers found Queen at a fascinating crossroads. Over the course of seven studio albums they had established themselves as an arena filling colossus with a sound which had started out as stodgy prog rock, before applying the glitter, shedding their less dynamic sensibilities, and morphing into one of the finest classic rock acts ever. …
Classic Album: Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
For some reason I can’t help liking Bruce Springsteen. For all his bluster, forced blue-collar worthiness and the odd questionable career move, his heart has always seemed to be in the right place. Released a dozen years after his debut, Born In The U.S.A. is the album that made Springsteen an international household name and …
Classic Compilation: Aerosmith – Big Ones
Aerosmith’s career is a strange one. During the 70s they came out of nowhere to establish themselves as America’s home-grown stadium fillers, take all the drugs and make minimum commercial impact outside of north America. As the decade closed they carelessly lost not just one, but both, of their guitar players, Brad Whitford and Joe …
Not Forgotten: Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
It was with Buffalo Springfield where the embryonic talents of Neil Young were first displayed, then his self-titled debut album revealed Neil Young the solo artist, while it was Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere that introduced Neil Young the guitar icon. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere is primarily remembered for being the first album that …
Classic Compilation: Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young – So Far
For years I shied away from the work of Crosby, Stills and Nash (both with and without Neil Young). There was something a little too soft and fluffy about them, and they seemed to embody the self-congratulatory happy-clappy West Coast vibe of millionaire rock stars totally out of touch with their audience. They were the …
Not Forgotten: Terrorvision – How to Make Friends and Influence People
Terrorvision were one of those acts that really deserved more than they got in the 90s. Forging a sturdy pop metal alloy at a time when so many acts at the time were playing frequently flimsy retro obsessed rock, Terrorvision were no less derivative than their contemporaries, but where others were in thrall to 60s …