One week until Christmas and as is normally the case at this time of year, you look back and go “wow, that year went quick,” which is such a cliche, but most likely because it’s true. A year ago I was the sound engineer / DJ / unofficial tennis guy at Club Med in the…
Tag: Music
Robin Gibb Suffering From Liver Cancer – Forgotten Bee Gees Classic ‘Walking Back To Waterloo’
You know you really are a passionate fan when yesterday’s awful news of 61 year old Robin Gibb’s liver cancer manifests itself in a dream where he visits the family home. As is usually the case with dreams, things make perfect sense and absolutely none in almost equal measure. In typical unnecessary dream randomness, Robin…
Paul Simon’s 70th Birthday – His 10 Greatest Songs
I’ve been listening to Paul Simon pretty much from day one, so being that he turned 70, I thought I’d compile a list of my 10 favourite songs from one of America’s greatest songwriters and in particular, lyricists. As a kid I remember the family driving around Kuala Lumpur in our big yellow Datsun van listening…
The Greatest Bagpipe Songs Of All Time – Who Knew Glen Campbell Could Play The Bagpipes?
Glen Campbell. With the killjoy minor tragedy of no bagpipes allowed into Rugby World Cup games, we had a rip-roaring discussion on Newstalk ZB that spanned not one, but two mornings, on the finest bagpipe songs of all time. This was much to the screwed-up face scorn of Mike Hosking’s producer Glenn who is “suspicious of…
Barry Gibb’s 65th Birthday – The Finest Bee Gees Song Of Them All
UPDATE JUNE 2012: Barry’s brother Robin lost his battle with cancer a couple of weeks ago. Click here to read my tribute, focusing on the fight for the Bee Gees’ legacy and the challenges these remarkable songwriters overcame. Today is Barry Gibb’s 65th birthday so as I am wont to do, it’s time to wind…
Hall & Oates Announce New Zealand Tour – Why They Were So Underrated
Daryl Hall & John Oates. I was a music geek, even as a kid and can still remember going to the public library in downtown Kuala Lumpur as a 7 year old, taking out the book 20 Names In Pop Music and learning about all the acts who would soon become my heroes. As a…
Legendary Motown Songwriter Nickolas Ashford Dies – His Greatest Ever Song
Nickolas Ashford, of the famed soul songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, died yesterday in New York from throat cancer, aged 70. His death will not attract the column inches of someone like Amy Winehouse, though he departs this world as one of the greatest soul hitmakers of the 20th century. And thanks to Winehouse, he and…
The Edge Turns 50 – U2’s Best Soul Song
The vitriol against U2 fascinates me. A recent article here in New Zealand about Bono being the biggest prat in music attracted pages and pages of comments, most of them agreeing. Here is arguably the most dominant band of the last 30 years, a musical outfit capable of rock, pop, soul, electronica, dance, rock ‘n’ roll,…
Amy Winehouse Dead At 27 – Is The 27 Club Real?
Amy Winehouse. This morning the news arrived that so many music fans had feared for years. Amy Winehouse is dead, found by paramedics in her North London home a few hours ago. It is uncomfirmed what killed her and though she had been suffering emphysema, her rampant drug and alcohol addicitions must have ultimately played a…
Did TLC Rip-off Paul McCartney?
Amidst all the excitement that the latest addition to the Beckham clan has the middle name Seven (Harper Seven Beckham), another equally historic piece of entertainment news has semi-slipped through the cracks. Rumour has it Paul McCartney will play a part in the 2012 London Olympics, be it the opening or closing ceremony, and will most…
Bruce Springsteen’s Spectacular Eulogy To Clarence Clemons
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the death of Clarence Clemons, the famous sax player who stood alongside Bruce Springsteen in the E Street Band for 40 years. I analysed the friendship of Clarence and Bruce, one that Clarence had described as “the most passion without sex,” which is really as poignant as it is…
Barry Gibb & Michael Jackson – The Completed, Full Length Duet ‘All In Your Name’.
The Bee Gees with Michael Jackson in the mid 80s. Well, it is finally here in its entirety. All In Your Name, a nearly 10 year old duet between Barry Gibb and Michael Jackson is now complete and presented to the world on the second anniversary of Michael’s death. Barry had fed fans a couple…
