By the time grunge hit the mainstream in the early 1990s, The Rolling Stones were already rock ‘n’ roll veterans. As one of the most renowned British Invasion bands of the 1960s, they’d seen cultural empires rise and fall and had absorbed much of the music that came out of America at that time. Their […]
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Let’s give credit where it’s due. Brian May isn’t just one of the most unjustly overlooked guitarists; he’s a pivotal figure in the lineage established by Jimi Hendrix. With a unique ability to balance icy coolness and fiery expressiveness on the fretboard, May has earned his place among rock’s elite. But perhaps his greatest asset […]
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In 1968, The Beatles released their iconic self-titled album, also known as The White Album. The record featured George Harrison’s best work on ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’, the John Lennon-Paul McCartney favourite ‘Dear Prudence’, and the melancholic ‘Blackbird’. But between the album’s most iconic songs, The Beatles nestled a short, strange track titled ‘Why […]
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Heavy rock and roll isn’t the realm of music best known for virtuosic singers. As Bob Dylan, Johnny Rotten and Liam Gallagher taught us, technical skill isn’t essential. However, lyrical content, passion and originality are the key elements to success. Just before we leave technical skill to Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, one can’t help […]
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Considering John Lennon practically invented the modern concept, along with his fellow Beatles, the fact he remarks his 1970 album Plastic Ono Band as “the best thing I’ve ever done” gives you some indication into how brilliant an album this might just be. He continued, “I think it’s realistic and it’s true to the me […]
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Contrary to popular belief, Black Sabbath didn’t always get their inspiration from the funerals of dictators. Their lead singer held particular affection for blues and classic rock, with his favourite songs mostly being anything by the Beatles. Nina Simone, nor any woman for that matter, made it onto Ozzy Osbourne’s best-loved list, possibly as a […]
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The song that is widely believed to mark the shift in The Beatles‘ sound that led to Revolver is also the archetype of the synchronised songwriting camaraderie shared by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. “There weren’t many disputes,” recalled McCartney while promoting his 2021 memoir and song commentary ‘The Lyrics’. Their method of songwriting had […]
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There was a certain change in the air that occurred when Robert Plant took to the stage with Led Zeppelin. There had been blues rock before, but a lot of people had a hard time describing what they were seeing, which probably explains why the critics were so cruel to them when they first began. […]
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It’s strange to think that Brian May was aware of a time before there was rock and roll. It might seem like the simplest thing in the world to him, but the idea of someone coming of age before Chuck Berry rose to prominence or The Beatles set foot onstage would have been a lot […]
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When Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl skyrocketed to fame with Nirvana, they were never in it for the competition. The world may have magically ordained Seattle as the next hub of interesting music, but it wasn’t like Mudhoney and Mother Love Bone were trying to outdo each other on the circuit when they started playing […]
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