THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)» by AC/DC
For AC/DC, 1980 would become a year of incredible highs and lows. It started horribly, with the death of their charismatic frontman Bon Scott on […]
Hard Rock/Metal
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Kick Out the Jams» by MC5
It was late October 1968. Local heroes MC5 were playing live at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit on the 30th and 31st, recording their first […]
When Iron Maiden asked Patrick McGoohan if they could use audio from The Prisoner TV show
Iron Maiden may not have been sure of this themselves at the time, but they were going from strength to strength for the first half […]
When AC/DC were told by Atlantic Records to write a ballad
Work on AC/DC’s fourth internationally-released studio album Powerage began in earnest at Sydney’s Albert Studios in January 1978. The sessions, with long-time collaborators Harry Vanda […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «The Pack Is Back» by Raven
Some songs are timeless. The classic rock band format of vocals, guitars, bass, and drums has been fashionable since the late 1950s, and found an […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Left On Mars» by Marko Hietala and Tarja Turunen
Marko Hietala released his second solo album Roses From the Deep on 7 February 2025. This is his second solo album, which belies the amount […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «For Whom the Bell Tolls» by Metallica
It all begins with the ominous sounds of chiming church bells. Shortly after a few bars of guitars and drums announce the proper beginning of […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «I’ll Catch You» by Deep Purple
In July 2022, after over a quarter of a century as Deep Purple’s guitarist, Steve Morse announced that he would be stepping back from the […]
When Michael Palin appeared on a Motörhead album
Collaborations have become commonplace in music, but there’s no denying that some of them are a bit more… unlikely than others. Some pairings seemed downright […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Always» by Michael Kiske
Losing a friend or a loved one is one of the hardest things we can go through as human beings. Especially if we lose them […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Nightfall» by Blind Guardian
The heavy metal genre reached its commercial peak in the 1980s, but the metal bands of that decade struggled to keep their momentum as the […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Hush» by Deep Purple
They played their first show in Denmark on 20 April 1968, and their final one in Cardiff on 4 July 1969. They were active for […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «The Last In Line» by Dio
Dio’s 1983 debut album Holy Diver established the band as one of the top metal acts of the 1980s. Thanks to the world class vocals […]
“PRACTICE YOUR ENGLISH” with Black Sabbath
OK! It’s time for a bit of fun again. Today we look closer at a cassette tape compilation featuring Black Sabbath. This tape was originally […]
THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG: «Tears of the Dragon» by Bruce Dickinson
In 1993, Bruce Dickinson announced his departure from Iron Maiden. His decision to leave the band was a shock to everyone involved, from bandmates to […]