It’s often in music that the light shines bright and quick. The life in the fast lane approach of the rock n’ roll lifestyle takes a lot of casualties. This is one of these stories. Paul Kossoff was one of the best blues guitarists of his era but ended up with a reliance on drugs… Continue reading 25: Blues, Drugs Dependency, and Free
24: Interviews, Criticizing, and Apologies.
Quincy Jones is one of the best, if not the best producers in the world. He has been nominated for 75 Grammy awards and won 28 of those. He is a legend in the music industry. So, on his birthday I thought I would recount a story about an interview with the Legend where he… Continue reading 24: Interviews, Criticizing, and Apologies.
23: Faces, Small Faces, and Humble Pie
In music, it’s not uncommon that many bands are intertwined with others. When bands toured in the beginning there are normally two or three others that are on the same local circuit. Like most people who are into the same hobbies, you befriend them. This is one of those stories where not only one of… Continue reading 23: Faces, Small Faces, and Humble Pie
22: Boybands, Blimps, and The Long Con
It’s a well-known cliché in music that managers of bands often screw them over. It’s been happening to all performers for hundreds of years. Right back to the 1800s. A rare site is when the manager gets their comeuppance. This is one of those instances where the manager does. This week the Beat Marches On… Continue reading 22: Boybands, Blimps, and The Long Con
21: Steroids, Hitmen, and Ex-Wives
I am guessing many of my readership wouldn’t have heard of the band “As I Lay Dying”. To be honest I am not too familiar with the band myself. When I was doing my research for a story this week this just seemed too good to resist. This week the Beat Marches On to 26th… Continue reading 21: Steroids, Hitmen, and Ex-Wives
20: Bad Management, Tragedies, and Deep Cuts
We all know that moment in a romantic comedy. The main characters have a fight and a montage of them looking gloomy and depressed in the window or doing mundane things on their own and generally, it’s raining. A few weeks have passed, and they catch each other across the room. Then the big musical… Continue reading 20: Bad Management, Tragedies, and Deep Cuts
19: Patriots, Everclear, and Crowdsurfing
Falling off the stage is not a new thing. Famously in 2015 Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters fell off the stage and broke his leg. Then came back after receiving some treatment at the hospital to finish the performance. In 1971 shortly after the Montreux fire concert Frank Zappa was pushed off stage by… Continue reading 19: Patriots, Everclear, and Crowdsurfing
18: 4 Real, Vanishing, and The Holy Bible
The British rock scene was revitalised in the 1990s. The likes of the Stone Roses, Oasis, Blur, Pulp and others help bring the genre to the forefront. One band, in particular, were about to explode worldwide until an unfortunate event happened to one of its members. This is the story of how Manic Street Preachers… Continue reading 18: 4 Real, Vanishing, and The Holy Bible
17: Talent, Madness, and Munich
When you think of Fleetwood Mac, you think of turbulent relationships, sweet little lies and rumours. But this is only half the story. Before the meteoric rise in the mid-1970s, they were a blues-rock band. A hugely successful blues-rock band. Led by guitarist Peter Green, they dominated the end of the 1960s, outselling both the… Continue reading 17: Talent, Madness, and Munich
16: A Mad Genius, The Wall Of Sound, And Murder
This article was originally produced in January 2021. Over the weekend a musical production prodigy died. Phil Spector shaped modern music as we know it today. The imprint he left in popular music can only be matched by the people who gave us digital recording or amplifying sound. Unfortunately, his early years had been overshadowed… Continue reading 16: A Mad Genius, The Wall Of Sound, And Murder