ROCK HISTORY | PoP LEGENDS : THE BEATLES SUPER DELUXE EDITION

After the success of last year’s Sgt Pepper remix reissue, this 50th anniversary edition of my favourite Beatles album was the one to look out for!

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THE LISTENING BOOTH | PoP LEGENDS : THIS IS QUEEN (SPOTIFY PLAYLIST)

Photo credit : Chris Hopper (1978)

Are you still basking in the Bohemian Rhapsody afterglow? If so, I would recommend that you check out the official Spotify playlist for Queen.

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REEL TO REAL : MUSIC DRAMA – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

It’s impossible to be objective about Bohemian Rhapsody as I have been a Queen fan since 1977.

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PoP20 | PoP LEGENDS : XTC – COAT OF MANY CUPBOARDS (2002)

Continuing our look back at our review history. Here’s one from 2002!

XTC
Coat of Many Cupboards
(Virgin)

Be warned! This 4-CD box is NOT for neophytes but for the diehard fans who can’t wait to get their grubby hands on any XTC material.

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PoP20 | PoP LEGENDS : XTC – WASP STAR (APPLE VENUS VOL. 2)

The last XTC album, reviewed in 2000.  Written in a time when I would wax lyrical about my favourite music for hundreds of words. You have been warned!

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THE LISTENING BOOTH | PoP LEGENDS : NEIL YOUNG [SPOTIFY PLAYLIST]

Definitely amongst our top ten favourite artists, here’s our PoP Legends playlist for the genius that is Neil Young!

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PoP20 | PoP LEGENDS : GEORGE HARRISON – BRAINWASHED [2003]

25th February would have been George Harrison’s 75th birthday. Thus it seems appropriate to repost a review of his final album from 15 years ago.

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TODD RUNDGREN

A WIZARD A TRUE STAR: TODD RUNDGREN IN THE STUDIO by Paul Myers (Jawbone Press)

“Todd’s aphorism was, ‘If you know what you want, I’ll get it for you. If you don’t know what you want, I’ll do it for you.’” Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group)

Todd Rundgren is without doubt, one of the giants of rock music: not only as a solo singer-songwriter-performer but also as the mastermind behind progressive rock ensemble Utopia. And if that was not enough, Rundgren is one of the most prolific and successful producers as well.

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ROCK HISTORY : ELVIS COSTELLO – UNFAITHFUL MUSIC & DISAPPEARING INK

Like most artists that emerged during the post-punk/new wave era, Elvis Costello suffers from the same dilemma, that is, of being perpetually branded as a product of the 80s music scene.

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ROCK HISTORY : BORN TO RUN BY BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Considering that rock legend Bruce Springsteen is famous for his lyrical genius, the very idea of a Springsteen memoir is exciting and intriguing. Would an autobiography match up to the cinematic lyrics found in classics like “Born in the USA”, “The Promised Land” and of course, “Born to Run”?

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ROCK HISTORY: TESTIMONY BY ROBBIE ROBERTSON

Robbie Robertson (real name: Jaime Royal Robertson) is perhaps best known for being the guitarist/principal songwriter of The Band, a highly influential group that were active mainly from 1968 to 1977. Robertson has also a solid reputation as a solo artist, film composer and producer.

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ROCK HISTORY – RAY DAVIES: A COMPLICATED LIFE BY JOHNNY ROGAN

The Kinks is a band that deserve more recognition than they have received. Although never quite valued in the same manner as many of their 60s peers, in many ways, The Kinks contributed as much to the development of rock music as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who & Pink Floyd.

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ROCK HISTORY: SONGS OF PROTEST (PART I)

With the election of Donald Trump as the 45th President-Elect of the USA, commentators have remarked that perhaps this era will also see the return of the protest song, prevalent during the tenure of hardline conservative leaders like Ronald Reagan (USA) and Margaret Thatcher (UK) in the 1980s.

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BLURB-O-RAMA FT. THE ROLLING STONES, NEIL YOUNG, STING AND BON JOVI

The year-end has witnessed a slew of new releases from classic rockers eager to demonstrate that rock ’n’ roll is still as vital as ever. Or to show their fans that they’re still alive (!)

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ROCK HISTORY: QUEEN – ON AIR

queen-photo-by-chris-hopper-in-1978

Although the legendary British rock band Queen effectively ended with the tragic death of lead singer Freddie Mercury over 20 years ago, the legacy of the band remains vital and strong. Now, add this previously unreleased set of recordings to the must-have with list of every diehard Queen fan.

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PoP ROCKS! AN INTRODUCTION

VU

Once upon a time, pop and rock came together and made a baby, and its name was Pop-Rock. Very strictly speaking, Pop-Rock is a fusion genre that mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its (typically) guitar-based rock songs. Other genres that bear similar traits would be Powerpop, Melodic Rock, Soft Rock, Jangle Pop, Glam Rock, New Wave, Indie Pop and of course, Rock ’n’ Roll.

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PoPTV: THE POP UNDERGROUND – THE PIONEERS

Jellyfish-2

“Melodic guitar pop-rock inspired by the 60s/70s” is probably the best definition I can come up with of ‘The Pop Underground’. Personally, I believe this ‘genre’ encapsulates several pop-rock styles like Rock ’n’ Roll, Power Pop, Chamber Pop, Orchestral Pop, Glam, Punk, Mod, Merseybeat, Psychedelic Rock, Garage, Alt-Country and the like. Simply put, this is retro rock music that thrived initially in the 90s but has been truly under the radar since 2000 and continues to struggle to gain prominence, dismissed as ‘irrelevant’ by the hip and the cool. Fuck ‘em, cuz GOOD music is GOOD music. Some jumping on points from way in the beginning.

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