John Lennon loved Elvis – until he heard Little Richard
John Lennon worshipped Elvis. Then he heard 'Long Tall Sally' and couldn't reconcile the two. Here's what he said about the record that changed his life.
Music History
Why Joni Mitchell has always been scathing about Madonna
Madonna has described Joni Mitchell as the most profound female influence on her songwriting. Mitchell, by contrast, has called her a terrible role model and compared her to Nero.
The most famous rooftop in rock history is opening to the public. The Beatles are coming home to Savile Row.
With a Sam Mendes four-film event arriving in 2028 and now an official Savile Row fan experience confirmed for 2027, The Beatles' cultural presence in the next two years is going to be impossible to avoid.
The one guitarist Kurt Cobain dreamed would join Nirvana
Long before Nirvana conquered the world, Cobain had his eye on one of alternative rock's most distinctive guitarists to complete his lineup.
'The greatest who ever was', according to Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry rarely spoke in superlatives, but when he did, his praise carried the weight of rock ’n’ roll history.
How Waylon Jennings was fired for playing Little Richard
Before the outlaw image, Waylon Jennings was a teenage DJ in Texas, spinning Little Richard records and angering his bosses
How The Band ended up playing for Bob Dylan
Before they became The Band, Robbie Robertson and co. were Levon and the Hawks - until word of mouth put them on stage with Bob Dylan
The genius of Chuck Berry's first hit, 'Maybellene'
Berry’s love of “white” country sounds and his fearless stagecraft paved the way for his debut single and a revolution in rock and roll
The Police member Andy Summers blames for their split
At their global peak, The Police broke up - this is Summers’ reflection on why and when things came undone
How John Mayall lost his priceless blues records in a 1979 fire
John Mayall’s Hollywood home burned down in 1979, taking with it a treasure trove of rare blues records and live tapes. We wade through the story of a profound loss to blues history.
Ride take whynow through their 10 essential shoegaze albums.
As shoegaze enjoys a resurgence, Ride take whynow through 10 albums that shaped the genre, featuring classics by My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, and more.
Muswell Hillbillies: Ray Davies and The Kink's elegy for a working-class London in decline is today's election anthem
Ray Davies' songwriting in Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks is a bittersweet love letter to a disappearing London and a powerful elegy for British working-class culture.
Kurt Cobain's near-fatal overdose after Nirvana's iconic SNL performance - a night of triumph and tragedy
On the night Nirvana soared to fame on 'SNL,' Kurt Cobain faced a near-fatal overdose, revealing the dark side of his stardom and the internal battles he fought.
Glastonbury: The Festival and Its People | A visual journey through time
Liam Bailey's photographs capture the festival's evolution and its diverse, energetic crowd from the early '90s to today.
Sex, Drugs, and Roquairol | David Bowie and the haunting influence of German Expressionism on Heroes
David Bowie's encounter with German Expressionist art in Berlin shaped the legendary Heroes album cover, reflecting his journey from self-destruction to artistic reinvention.
Why Sinead O’Connor called her hit-maker Prince a 'devil'
Never one to hold her tongue, Sinead O'Connor referred to Prince as a “devil” in her 2021 memoir Rememberings.
How ABBA - and a ‘sex club’ - had a part to play in Led Zeppelin’s final album
Led Zeppelin and ABBA share more in common than you’d expect. For starters, they were both two of, if not the most commercially successful, s...
When Lou Reed 'wept' after meeting Nick Cave in a Los Angeles studio
To elicit an emotional reaction from his fans is Nick Cave’s bread and butter. But to witness a similar response from one of his idols, Lou Reed, was humbling.
Why John Lydon denounced the British Invasion phenomenon as 'piss-poor'
The global pop culture phenomenon ignited by Beatlemania didn’t enamour The Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, calling the ideology of the British Invasion “awful”.
The night the Rolling Stones rocked Blackpool into chaos and got banned from the city for almost 50 years
In 1964, the Rolling Stones sparked a notorious riot in Blackpool, leading to a near half-century performance ban and defining their rebellious legacy.
Keith Richards' Sleepy Genius | How a dream led to 'Satisfaction', The Rolling Stones' first US No.1 hit
It's arguably The Rolling Stones’ most iconic song, and almost indisputably their most important, but the making of the track was actually one of p...
Behind the Glitter | The untold story of Mariah Carey's grunge alter-ego 'Chick'
Discover the untold story of how Mariah Carey ventured into alt-rock, exposing how beneath the polished pop persona lies a gritty, untamed side to the iconic diva.
When Keith Moon passed out on his drumkit and was replaced by a 19-year-old fan
In a twist that sounds like the plot of a coming-of-age rock 'n' roll movie, The Who's concert at California's Cow Palace in 1974 became the setting...
When Marc Bolan met Stan Lee | The crossroads of rock and comics
In a rare audio recording from 1975, T. Rex's Marc Bolan and Marvel's Stan Lee discuss the creation of a new superhero, bringing rock 'n' roll and comic books into the same room.
The night David Bowie seduced Tina Turner with wigs and sushi
David Bowie’s legendary flirtation with Tina Turner took a hilarious turn with sushi, a spare wig, and a naked rendition of 'Proud Mary'.
The time Green Day started a mud riot at Woodstock ‘94
Woodstock '94 was advertised as ‘3 Days of Peace & Music,’ but the festival turned out to be anything but for Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day.
My Sweet Lord | When George Harrison accidentally stole his biggest hit and got sued for it
'My Sweet Lord' by George Harrison sparked one of music's biggest lawsuits, blurring the lines between inspiration and infringement and changing copyright laws forever.
The Dissonance Tour: When Bowie met Reznor and redefined live music
In 1995, David Bowie and Trent Reznor embarked on the Dissonance tour, a unique live experience combining art rock and industrial metal, forever altering stage performances.
The making of Rumours: How Fleetwood Mac turned personal strife into a classic
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac stands as a testament to musical brilliance born from personal chaos, transforming intimate heartbreak into one of history's most iconic albums.
The time The Kinks' Dave Davies invented three music genres with a knife
Here's how Dave Davies of The Kinks slashed his amp with a razor, accidentally inventing distorted electric guitar, pioneering sounds for heavy metal and punk music.
