So it started like this. I was trawling the net for Del Amitri stuff, you know anything that might tell me I wasn't alone. It's tough sometimes when you think you're on your own. Then it happened I clicked on a line on Google and there it was Uncle Wheaty (wtf) and http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/del-amitri-now-there-was-a-band . I read the comments, mostly positive, it drew me in you know,...
NEW YORK -- The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Annex keeps decades of music alive through rare videos of rock's greatest musicians playing on wall-sized screens, along with a display of prized artifacts including guitars, clothing and original sheet music from legends like John Lennon and Mick Jagger. Turn it up to 11: Tech's contributions to rock and roll Guarding the extensive collection, which is...
There I was, forty years ago, calling in requests to KIMN radio at my brother's behest for "Yellow Submarine," when I heard the news. Oh boy. Paul was dead. The round-faced guy who wrote all the songs was dead. How could this be? From where I was sitting, the Beatles ruled the world. The king of the world was dead. How could we be sure? Well, he was the only one barefoot on the cover of "Abbey...
We're headlong into gift-giving season, so feel free to make your year-end list, as it's no mans land as far as quality releases. That being said, there are a couple albums that provide more than stocking fodder. The Led Zep/Queens of the Stone Age/Foo Fighters supergroup Them Crooked Vultures doesn't disappoint, and Macca's got a live album that aims to please. Elsewhere, it's mostly meh in new releases...
All this reminiscing around the career of the mighty ELO got me musing about something. Is Jeff Lynne basically the single luckiest/most fulfilled bloke in the entire history of rock music? Let's look at the evidence... Here's Jeff, a member of an obscure Brummy beat combo who's grown up being heavily influenced by a range of artists, each of which have blended to form a part of his musical DNA. There's...
Went to see an encore performance of Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs last night at City Winery. Another fun show, this time with fewer technical glitches and WAY BETTER seats. They did essentially the same line-up as when they came through in September , with the notable exception of George Harrison's Beatles classic "Here Comes the Sun," below, which was so beautiful it's hard to believe...
This photo is in a Guardian article about an auction of Beatles memorabilia and autographs. I'm struck by how much smaller Ringo's head is compared to George's and John's. They are equidistant from the camera, so it's a true difference. A quick Google suggests that Ringo was chronically ill as a child and may have been about 4" shorter than the other two, so perhaps it's just a reflection of overall...
Teenage expedition to Beatles film set was rewarded with autographs, photos and a handshake from John Lennon A rare collection of Beatles autographs and photographs, given to a 14-year-old who traipsed across Salisbury plain in the rain to catch a glimpse of her heroes on the set of Help!, sold for £2,200 at auction in Berkshire yesterday. Gwyn Blanchard was still in school uniform when road...
John Lennon continuously inspires popular music, but his style is inspiring clothes-makers as well. Rock & Roll Religion and English Laundry designer Christopher Wicks looked to the Beatles frontman for his latest menswear collection, Designs Inspired by the Art of John Lennon by English Laundry. The collection, which retails at price points from to 0, features t-shirts, woven shirts and even...
Robbie Williams is expected to perform with Take That Thursday night. The "Bodies" hitmaker - who left the group in 1995 following a rift with his bandmates - has reportedly agreed to perform with Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Mark Owen for the first time in 15 years for British charity Children In Need. Former Beatles star Sir Paul McCartney is also believed to be joining...
Hi, I’m Lorne Michaels, the producer of Saturday Night . Right now, we’re being seen by approximately 22 million viewers, but please allow me, if I may, to address myself to just four very special people—John, Paul, George, and Ringo—the Beatles: Lately there have been a lot of rumors to the effect that the four of you might be getting back together. That would be great. In...
We'll let James Dacey of physicsworld.com explain this miracle: "It was whilst writing a story this afternoon about water-repellency in lotus leaves that I noticed something very strange. Bizarrely, everybody’s favorite mop-topped Liverpudlian seems to reveal himself in the high-speed photo images of water-droplets being ejected from the leaf surface." It looks more like George Harrison...
I recently read an article claiming that Paul " L'Oreal Chestnut Brown Tint For Men" McCartney wrote The Long And Winding Road for Tom Jones, who then turned it down. Doubtlessly he was too busy struggling in and out of his tight trousers and brushing his chest hair to contemplate hollering a song written by a mere Beatle . I find that just too hard to believe. OK, The Long And Winding Road...
This is something that I wrote back when we lost Kurt Vonnegut. I reread it tonight, and it struck me as probably one of the better things that I have written at HJHOP. So, I inflict it upon you again. When George Harrison died, I was surprised by how upset I was. During the inevitable retrospectives on the local oldies station, I was simply overwhelmed, when I listened to his solo work, by his contribution...
Speaking to the Chicago Tribune , Dhani Harrison has gone on the record to say that Rock Band 3 not only exists in some form, but that it's going to rock our worlds with hefty educational value. "I'm working on Rock Band 3 and making the controllers more real so people can actually learn how to play music while playing the game. Give me a couple years, it’s going to happen." Could Harmonix...
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