This is hands down the most electrifying live performance of a song on a TV show I’ve seen in years. It’s not everyday you can get everyone in a radio newsroom united behind one computer to watch a five minute video from start to finish. But this is Uptown Funk! Last Thursday about ten of us…
Category: Artists: A-C
RIP Joe Cocker – Why He Was Perfect For The Wonder Years
Joe Cocker. Joe Cocker, what a voice. The news has come through that the soul singer – one of the most distinctive soul / R&B singers England ever produced – has died aged 70 of lung cancer. I never saw him live but everyone who did during his regular visits to New Zealand always raved…
When The Bee Gees Performed The Greatest Live Medley In Brit Awards History
Maurice, Robin and Barry Gibb, 1979. Today, December 22nd, would’ve been the 65th birthday for Bee Gee twins Robin and Maurice Gibb. I was with friends playing backyard cricket on a New Zealand summer’s evening, January 12th 2003, when I got a phone-call saying Maurice had died. Fast-forward nearly a decade and it was under…
25 Years Since The Fall Of The Berlin Wall – David Bowie’s Heroes
Marking 25 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall (November 9, 1989), here’s David Bowie’s Heroes, a song I’ve often thought of as the greatest song U2 never wrote. This is in large part due to the soundscape created by producer Brian Eno who years later would go on to work with U2, but…
The Buried Treasure Of Robin Gibb – 5 Essential, Overlooked Robin-led Bee Gees Songs
Robin Gibb. *DECEMBER 2014 UPDATE: See below for thoughts on the new album. With Bee Gee Robin Gibb’s posthumous album 50 St Catherine’s Drive to be released this month, here’s a look back at five essential, too-often neglected, Robin-heavy Bee Gees songs. 1: Don’t Fall In Love With Me (1981) – I’ve written before about the…
Reissued Bee Gees LP “To Whom It May Concern” – Pop-up Bee Gees!
Bee Gees, early 70s. A couple of months back Warners in Japan asked me to help transcribe some lyrics for five Bee Gees albums they’re re-releasing and yesterday the CDs arrived in the mail. Which coincidentally times pretty perfectly with my birthday tomorrow so a big thank you to Warners and in particular, Minako Yoshida….
In Defence Of Cliff Richard – His 20 Best Deep Cuts
The LP that began the renaissance of Cliff Richard’s career, I’m Nearly Famous from 1976. I didn’t realise disturbing rumours have been swirling online for some time about British pop star Cliff Richard. I also didn’t realise until a couple of days ago that police made no attempt to contact him until at least a…
How The Band Chicago Scored 20 Top 10 Hits But Still Slipped Through The Cracks: 5 Overlooked Gems From The 70s
There was a brief moment in the mid-90s when the band Chicago only took a backseat to my perennial favourites the Bee Gees. That was before I really discovered artists like U2, the Commodores, Hall & Oates, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, Prince, Coldplay, Sheryl Crow, the Temptations etc and before rediscovering childhood heroes like Bruce…
What If Barry Gibb Did An Entire Concert At The Grand Ole Opry? 30 Country-Ready Bee Gees Songs
Barry Gibb at the Grand Ole Opry, 2012. Two years ago in July of 2012, Bee Gee Barry Gibb walked onto the most hallowed turf in country music, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. Casual fans and non-believers may’ve been surprised at the fit, but those with a wider knowledge of the Gibb back-catalogue knew it was…
The Last Great Soul Man – Bobby Womack – Dies Aged 70: His 5 Most Essential Songs
Bobby Womack. The self-described “last great soul man” is no more – Bobby Womack has died at the age of 70 having suffered from diabetes, colon cancer and the early stages of alzheimer’s in recent years. From his early days in the church, to leading the gospel group The Valentinos, to being Sam Cooke’s guitarist,…
50 Years Since The Beatles In New Zealand: My All-Time Favourite Beatles Song
Yesterday (Sunday, June 22) marked 50 years since the Beatles played their first ever New Zealand concert at the Wellington Town Hall. For the cultural impact of the tour on little conservative old NZ, check out my colleague Andrew Dickens’ piece in the latest Metro magazine. In the meantime, here’s my all-time favourite Beatles song….
LA 2014: Top 50 Photos, Including Disneyland, Universal Studios, Hollywood, Downtown, Beverly Hills, The Getty Center And Santa Monica
From behind the Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills. Hard to believe it’s already a week since me and my ankles arrived back from LA. Lesson learned, just because as a Kiwi you can save a bit of money flying via Australia instead of direct to California and back doesn’t mean you should. Am I…
