music

Lemmy passes away

/ James Fenney

lemmy

Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has died aged 70. A statement from the band stated that he died from ‘an extremely aggressive cancer’ which he had only learned about two days prior to his death. Lemmy, who started out as a roadie for Jimi Hendrix and as bassist for Hawkwind before forming his own band, was well known for his outrageous rock and roll lifestyle and is said to have drunk an entire bottle of Jack Daniels every day. However his health had rapidly deteriorated in recent years, leading to several cancelled shows. He was a singular rock icon and will be sorely missed.

Must Own Albums: Weird and Wonderful

/ James Fenney

Frank+Zappa+Freak+Out+416698The Mothers of Invention – Freak Out!

Music began to break the mould in the late sixties. But before Sgt Pepper and Are You Experienced?, Frank Zappa released Freak Out! It was one of the first concept albums, one of the first double albums and brought avant garde music to a world that hadn’t known anything like it before.

yoshimiThe Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Known for the ridiculous spectacle of their live performances, the Lips’ albums are equally bizarre. The psychedelic electronica of Yoshimi, as well as telling the story of a Japanese girl fighting off killer robots, deals with some hefty topics like our apparent insignificance in the universe.

velvet undergroundThe Velvet Underground and Nico – The Velvet Underground and Nico

This album was destined from the outset to make waves. From the involvement of unorthodox artist Andy Warhol, to Lou Reed’s out of the box avant garde ideas to the controversial lyrics which discussed drug abuse and BDSM. Understandably it was a commercial flop, but it was one of the most influential albums of the time.

screamadelicaPrimal Scream – Screamadelica

Not content with being a conventional rock band, Primal Scream mixed their sound with the electronic dance music that was popular in clubs at the time. This incredibly unconventional combination was a critical and commercial success and earned them the first ever Mercury Music Prize.

 

Beatles discography added to streaming sites

/ James Fenney

the_beatles-930x523

Christmas has come early for fans of the Fab Four. The entire Beatles back-catalogue has been added to streaming services worldwide including Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music and Deezer. Thus far ‘Let It Be’ is the most streamed track. ACDC added their music to streaming services earlier in the year, whereas modern artists such as Taylor Swift and Adele have resisted allowing their music on the sites. Odd that it’s the old artists that are more open to embracing the future of music.

CBGB to become a restaurant

/ James Fenney

Street Sign dedication to Joey Ramone

CBGB, one of the most famous American music venues, is due to reopen as a restaurant. The venue closed in 2006 after lengthy disputes over unpaid rent. It originally opened in 1973 as a club for Country, Bluegrass and Blues music (hence the name) but became famous as being the heart and soul of punk and new-wave. It has hosted such famous acts as The Ramones, Blondie, Patti Smith, Television, Talking Heads and Joan Jett.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2016 inductees

/ James Fenney

rarhof logo

The famous institution has announced the latest acts to be added. Five acts have been chosen and will be inducted at a ceremony in April. After decades of being snubbed, Deep Purple are finally being welcomed into the hall of fame. They are one of many bands whose exclusion has been a key criticism of the Hall of Fame. The fact that controversial rap group N.W.A. are amongst next years inductees doesn’t do them any favours either. They will be joined by fellow new members Chicago, Cheap Trick and Steve Miller.

Top ten albums of 2015

/ James Fenney

record wall

It’s been an amazing year, and it’s time to look back on the best of what 2015 has had to offer. It’s been a particularly good year for new artists as debut albums take up half of my top ten, beating some bigger acts such as Tame Impala and Foals who deserve an honourable mention. So without any further ado, here are the best albums of the year based on Belwood Music’s ratings. Continue reading →