I don’t think there’s a town or city in the English-speaking world that doesn’t boast at least one potentially world-class rock guitarist. A big call, granted, but just think of all the great guitarists who’ve played in your local bands over the years, whom I bet remain mostly unknown. That’s the way it’s been since…
Don’t you just love thumping bass lines, bass lines that punch you in the guts, slap you around the head and slam you up against the wall. Scotland’s Jack Bruce, with that cream of rock power trios, Cream, it seems to me, was first to crank up the bass into another dimension. Jack Bruce was…
R.I.P. Tony Barrow, press officer extraordinaire. I heard that one of my old bosses died this week. He was Tony Barrow, the Beatles press officer from 1962 to 1968, the man who famously coined the term ‘Fab Four’. Paul McCartney was quick to pay tribute, tweeting: “Tony Barrow was a lovely guy who helped…
You won’t believe who’s second. John Mayall is a true blues phenomenon – an extraordinarily dedicated carrier of the blues torch. He was one of the very first to introduce electric blues onto the English music scene. Indeed, Mayall’s legendary bands, including his famous Bluesbreakers, influenced blues musicians across the UK and Europe from 1963 onwards. Now nudging an impressive 83…
He says 1971. But what’s your golden year? I’ve often though 1971 was a bit of a high spot when it came to rock, but now it’s been confirmed: sort of. According to an English rock journalist with four decades in the music business under his belt, more influential albums were released in 1971 than…
