Jimi Hendrix. This weekend marked 45 years since the death of Jimi Hendrix so with him and his colossal take on Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower in mind, here’s a list of five of my all-time favourite cover songs. I played All Along The Watchtower (featured at the bottom of this article) on my radio show…
Category: Artists: A-C
The 40th Anniversary Of Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’ LP – The Oddly Beautiful Piano Playing Of The Boss
Bruce Springsteen in the mid 1970s. A quick post to acknowledge two things: firstly, an all-time hero of mine is marking one of the more important anniversaries of his career*. Secondly, sometimes I feel there’s little I can add analysis-wise to one of the most analysed recording artists ever. And then something pops into my…
‘We’d have the most fun’ – Barry Gibb Explains His Friendship With Michael Jackson
Maurice Gibb, MJ, BarryGibb, Robin Gibb – circa 1985. If Michael Jackson was still alive August 29th would’ve been his 57th birthday. That seems reason enough for me to remind fans of the personal and creative friendship that Michael shared with Bee Gee Barry Gibb. Over the years they always spoke very warmly of each…
The Redemption Of Cliff Richard – Why His Singing At Cilla Black’s Funeral Resonated So Much
Cliff Richard with Cilla Black (and with Lulu as well – bottom left). A link I put on my Newstalk ZB Facebook pages (facebook.com/timroxborogh and facebook.com/zbthetwo) yesterday showing Cliff Richard singing at Cilla Black’s funeral has quickly become one of the most liked and viewed posts I’ve ever shared. And so while there’s a good…
When The Bee Gees Went Disco They Also Went Country – 40 Years Since Jive Talkin’ Hit #1
Maurice, Robin & Barry Gibb – 1975. It’s 40 years today since the Bee Gees returned to US #1 with Jive Talkin’ and kicked off one of the most exceptional comebacks in music history. After five years of international hits between 1967-72, the Gibb brothers popularity in the US and UK dipped to such an…
Why Bruce Springsteen Delayed The Release Of ‘Independence Day’
Happy 4th of July with a very sad song! The song is Bruce Springsteen’s Independence Day which seemingly makes it the perfect song to refer to on this day, though analysis of Bruce’s lyrics reveal a different subject matter altogether. Written in 1977 but left off 1978’s Darkness On The Edge Of Town, Bruce reportedly felt…
Funk Bass Pioneer Louis Johnson Dead, Aged 60
Louis Johnson. It’s been a tough few weeks for fans of classic soul and R&B with the deaths of Ben E. King, then Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown, followed by blues giant B.B. King and now Brothers Johnson bassist Louis Johnson. Johnson has died at the age of 60 and he leaves this world widely regarded…
RIP Ben E. King & Hot Chocolate’s Errol Brown – An Aretha Franklin Cover + What ‘Emma’ Is Really About
Errol Brown. A belated RIP to two soul stars who’ve recently passed away. Other than their time of departure from this world, both the American Ben E. King (76) and the Brit (by way of Jamaica) Errol Brown (71) were also linked by being disproportionately known for solitary songs. The serious and the slightly silly,…
My Favourite Interviews, A Montage Including Barry Gibb, Lionel Richie, Lindsey Buckingham, Sheryl Crow, Paul Michael Glaser and More
With Barry Gibb, February 2013. Over the course of my broadcasting career I’ve been incredibly fortunate to interview so many people I admire, from music legends to sporting heroes to movie stars to Prime Ministers. People often want to know who was the funniest, friendliest, the most down-to-earth and of course, the worst. The truth…
Barry Gibb Unveils Autobiographical New Track: ‘The Home Truth Song’
Barry Gibb. Sandwiched between a couple of classic early-period Bee Gees recordings, Barry Gibb unveiled a spirited new song during his 12-song set at the Miami Beach Centennial concert last week. Following the soul of perhaps the most covered Gibb song To Love Somebody* and before the Beatle-esque foot-stamper Lonely Days, Barry inserted a track…
Barry Gibb on friendships with Michael Jackson, Chris Martin & Olivia Newton-John – our extended 2009 London interview
Bee Gees with their Saturday Night Fever Album Of The Year Grammy, 1979. Celebrating the Bee Gees Lifetime Achievement Grammy from earlier this month, I thought it might be nice to provide a transcription of highlights from one of my interviews with Barry Gibb over the years. Add to that the news that Barry will…
Chris Martin Was Right – Rihanna Can Sing Anything – ‘FourFiveSeconds’ By Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Kanye West. I remember Coldplay’s Chris Martin once saying the reason he so badly wanted to write a song for Rihanna was that she could sing anything. One listen to FourFiveSeconds, the brand new Rihanna / Kanye West / Paul McCartney collaboration, and you understand Martin was so, so right. Princess Of…
