Let’s make one thing clear before we move on, that awful pun was absolutely necessary! Okay, now we’ve cleared that up it’s time to move on to a serious musical issue. It’s a well documented fact that the majority of second albums don’t live up to the band or artist’s debut. In some cases the second albums are that bad that it spells the end of an otherwise promising musical career. What causes this worrying trend and how can you avoid the pitfalls? Continue reading
This year’s Kennedy Centre Honours have taken place to praise artistic contribution to American culture. Among this year’s honourees was prolific songwriter Carole King. The ceremony featured Aretha Franklin’s rousing rendition of ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’, which was originally written by King and was a big hit for the both of them. It follows in the ceremony’s tradition of astonishing covers, such as Heart’s cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ at the 2012 ceremony.
Reports from multiple sources have stated that a partial reunion of the classic Guns N’ Roses line-up is scheduled for 2016. They are rumoured to be headlining California’s Coachella festival as well as doing a 25 stop stadium tour across North America over the summer. However frontman Axl Rose has never been the most predictable of people, and he hasn’t played with Slash since 1993.
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.
The 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.
The 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.
The 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.
Primal 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.
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.
There’s been some excellent music this year, and as Belwood Music is rapidly approaching it’s first birthday it seems like a perfect time to hold the first ever annual awards. There are dozens of artists that are thoroughly deserving of praise, but I’ve chosen to narrow down the awards to 8 categories. Continue reading
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.
Cage The Elephant – Tell Me I’m Pretty
Belwood Music 