rock/metal rewind
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: 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 …
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 …
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 …
Not Forgotten: Soundgarden – Superunknown
For some reason it’s those bands who almost achieved massive success but just fell short that I find the most compelling. Jethro Tull were huge, but they never made into the rock superleague like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. XTC never enjoyed anywhere near the commercial success that their talent deserved. For all their musical …
Classic Album: Queen – The Works
The Works is frequently seen as a concerted effort by Brian May and Roger Taylor to return Queen to their rocking roots after far too long dabbling with a horrible mix of funky disco pop rock. As an album, The Works contains some of the band’s biggest global hits, finds them if not creatively recharged, …
Classic Compilation: David Bowie – The Platinum Collection
A pair of compilations and a bonus disc gathered together rather than a release in its own right, on the surface of it the lazily named The Platinum Collection is just another David Bowie compilation. Where this compilation scores over most others that cover Bowie’s career, is that each disc is themed by era, with …
Classic Compilation: Joe Cocker – The Anthology
Has there ever been an artist in the history of popular music as ill-served by compilations as Joe Cocker? The racks are stuffed full of Joe Cocker compilations, covering a couple of sizeable hits in the late 60s when he was one of the great voices of British blues, and then leaping forward almost twenty …
Classic Album: Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
The New Yardbirds doesn’t sound like a particularly promising prospect does it? If you plonk the word ‘New’ at the start of something, most of the time you’re setting someone up for a fall. For all you want to make it sound like a fresh start and the exciting beginning of something, it usually denotes …
Not Forgotten: Iron Maiden – Live After Death
How? How can it be possible for you to be nostalgic for something that you didn’t personally encounter in your own youth? How come Live After Death is the fourth Iron Maiden release I had bought since the beginning of 2018, after decades of me being fairly agnostic towards them and the New Wave of …