In my attempts to get over being unable to attend last night’s Lionel Richie concert (and mini-Commodores reunion with bassist Ronald LaPread), I thought I’d bust out another one of my “underrated” lists. A few days ago I wrote of Lionel Richie’s considerable funk credentials with a piece about the 10 best Commodores funk songs,…
Missing Kiwi On MH370 A Passionate Lionel Richie And Bee Gees Fan
The latest developments in the mystery of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 have turned attention towards the pilot and have in turn raised hopes, albeit faint, that the people onboard may still be alive. It’s really only when you find out the personal stories about people involved in tragedies that your cold fascination with a news…
The Top 10 Lionel Richie / Commodores Funk Songs – Lionel’s 2014 New Zealand Tour
The Commodores in the mid 70s. It’s one week today until Lionel Richie plays the first of three dates on his 2014 New Zealand tour*, so I thought it was time to remind people not just of how good he is, but how funky. I’m not one of those precious music fans who subscribes to…
Coldplay Announce New Album & Release New Single – ‘Magic’
Here’s Magic, the brand new Coldplay song and first official single from their 6th album Ghost Stories – released May 19th. The atmospheric, bass-heavy, partially falsetto-sung ballad is a song I like a lot and wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a slow-burning hit. Remembering that 2011’s Paradise didn’t fully reveal its charms to people instantly,…
Bruce Springsteen Concert Review: Auckland, March 2014 – The Extraordinary Live Appeal Of The E Street Band
UPDATE MARCH 10: I don’t know if this is some kind of record, but a week after Bruce Springsteen played to 80,000 fans across two nights in Auckland, he has no less than seven albums in the New Zealand top 40. What’s more, he has three in the top 10 and five in the top…
Bruce Springsteen Covers The Bee Gees At His Epic Brisbane Concert
This is why I love Bruce Springsteen. Last night in Brisbane he played for more than three hours*, performed an entire classic album mid-set and opened with a cover of the Bee Gees. Bruuuuuuuuuuuuce! Can’t wait for Saturday night in Auckland. In the meantime, here’s his Stax-like cover of Stayin’ Alive – chosen for the…
Bee Gees Boxed Set Of Studio LPs 1987-1991: 3 Essential Songs From Each Album
Along with a possible posthumous Robin Gibb album and talk of the first solo Barry Gibb release since 1988’s Hawks soundtrack, Bee Gees fans also have a new boxed set to look forward to in 2014. Released in April, The Bee Gees: The Warner Bros. Years 1987-1991 will comprise five CDs covering three studio…
RIP Charlotte Dawson – Elton John’s Blistering Attack Against Trolls, ‘All The Nasties.’
Charlotte Dawson. So sad to hear about New Zealand / Australian broadcaster Charlotte Dawson’s death. Whatever the details turn out to be, she was someone long tormented by online abuse. The things we say to each other online are often so staggeringly horrid – hopefully this makes some people think again before typing. As Elton…
The Finest Golf Course In The Coromandel – The Dunes Golf Resort, Matarangi – 16 Photos Included
Photo courtesy of thedunesmatarangi.com I’ve never been much of a golfer – an alleged seven shots in a row in the water April 2009 still haunts me – but this potentially career-limiting affliction doesn’t stop me from enjoying the occasional golf resort. Especially when it’s a place like The Dunes in Matarangi (Coromandel, New Zealand)…
Eminem At Western Springs, Auckland – My All-Time Hip-Hop Top 20
Eminem. Has anyone ever written blogs about Captain & Tennille and Eminem on the same day? It’s the question on everybody’s lips this summer. Suffering a whiff of FOMO* right now with 50,000 of my fellow Aucklanders at the Eminem Western Springs gig, I couldn’t resist making a semi-controversial list. Here are my top 20…
Captain & Tennille Divorce After Nearly 40 Years Of Marriage – The Forgotten Art Of Cuss-Free Pop Music
Captain & Tennille. I’m mildly gutted to hear Captain & Tennille are divorcing. After 39 years of marriage! I only found this out when I saw that this Valentine’s Day was 40 years since they married. Unsure whether they were still a couple, a quick Google search revealed they’d gotten a divorce just last month….
‘Valentine’s Day’ By Bruce Springsteen – One Of His Most Underrated Ballads
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Here’s one of the great underrated Bruce Springsteen ballads, Valentine’s Day, from 1987’s Tunnel Of Love. It’s a reflective, melancholy piece with some spiritual themes too. This has always been my favourite verse: They say if you die in your dreams you really die in your bed But honey last night I dreamed…
