The Best Music Boxed Sets of 2019
2019 is in the books, and it’s time to take a look back and do a little summarising. From a music perspective, I will primarily […]
1980s
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Look Away» by Big Country
Look Away is the first track on Big Country’s third album The Seer, released on 30 June 1986. It was the first single from the album, released […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Drop Dead/Celebration» by Siouxsie and the Banshees
Some stories tick several boxes. This one fits perfectly well in the “story behind the song” category, but at the same time, this is a […]
CLASSIC ALBUM COVERS: «Document» by R.E.M.
R.E.M. were known for quirky, artistic album cover art. The artwork for their fifth album Document (released on 31 August 1987) does not disappoint. Reflecting […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «To Tame A Land» by Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden, and in particular their bass-playing band leader (and frequently the main song writer) Steve Harris, often base their compositions on books, TV shows, […]
The late Chris Squire
Chris Squire was the legendary bass player/vocalist for the equally legendary progressive rock band Yes. There have been many incarnations of Yes over the years, […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Handle With Care» by the Traveling Wilburys
The song Handle With Care was released as a single 30 years ago today, on 17 October 1988. It was the debut single of the […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Under the Milky Way» by The Church
Under the Milky Way is a song about nothing, and the band didn’t really like it. Not exactly a recipe for international success, but for […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Bad» by U2
As I write this, the current week marks the 33rd anniversary of the Live Aid concert which happened on 13 July 1985. I’ve always wanted […]
U2 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, 5 June 1983
It was early summer 1983. U2 were on the American leg of their War tour, supporting the album of the same name from the same […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: “Here I Stand And Face the Rain” by a-ha
a-ha has had an interesting career trajectory. After being starving artists for a few years, they exploded onto the world music scene with their debut […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Holy Diver» by DIO
Holy Diver is the landmark song that titled the equally landmark debut album by the band Dio, fronted by famed Rainbow and Black Sabbath vocalist […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «One Tree Hill» by U2
One Tree Hill is one of the stand-out tracks on U2’s classic The Joshua Tree album, released on 9 March 1987. It is not a […]
Artist spotlight: Zebra
Some of you may be aware of a band called Zebra. Yes? No? You can hear a faint bell ring? They were quite the household […]