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.
Music 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.
The night The Kinks outshone The Beatles: The 1964 Bournemouth showdown
The 1960s was a musical era defined by a breakthrough in British bands and performers on the world stage, none more famous than the seminal Beatles....
What happened to Syd Barrett? Inside the mercurial Pink Floyd man’s sad demise
Having led Pink Floyd to the forefront of sixties psychedelia, LSD both created and dismantled Syd Barrett’s career in music.
How a stint in England inspired one of Paul Simon’s most famous songs
One of Simon & Garfunkel’s most famous songs came to Paul Simon after an experience in a small town just outside of Liverpool.
Why did The Police break up? Inside their acrimonious split
In 1983, off the back of their fifth studio album Synchronicity, The Police achieved their status of ‘the world’s biggest rock band’, scoring a number one album on both sides of the Atlantic. Then they broke up.
When Kate Bush and Prince formed an unlikely musical partnership
A curious coming together of contemporary music’s greatest minds.
