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Upcoming Gigs & Albums
Latest Album Reviews
Latest Gig Reviews
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Gig review: ROMEO’S DAUGHTER- The Garage, London, 28 March 2025
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Gig review: SOUTH OF SALEM – Thekla, Bristol, 27 March 2025
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Gig review: JIZZY PEARL’S LOVE/HATE – The Underworld, Camden, March 13 2025
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Gig review: GRAHAM GOULDMAN – Cadogan Hall, London, 20 March 2025
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Gig review: THE DARKNESS – G Live, Guildford, 11 March 2025
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Gig review: FISH – O2 Academy, Glasgow, 9 March 2025
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Featured Album Reviews
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Album review: PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS – Spooky Action At A Distance
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Album review: ROBIN TROWER – Something’s About To Change
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Album review: JAMES OLIVER BAND – Twang
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Album Review: COSHISH – Firdous
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Album review: ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD – Heartsoulblood
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Album review: GEOFF EVERETT BAND – Cut And Run
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Features
Interviews
Single & EP Reviews
DVD Reviews
Book Reviews
News
Category Archives: FEATURES
Feature: What SAXON mean to me…
Saxon have been a life-long passion for Joe Geesin who has followed the band since the mid-1980s. More recently he has contributed sleeve notes and curation to several re-issues. And now he’s ready to write the band’s biography… Barnsley born … Continue reading
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Tagged albums, Biff Byford, heavy metal, heavy rock, history, Paul Quinn, review, Saxon
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Feature: Gigs of the Millennium – BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
For many years Andy Nathan was a non-believer of the Boss and his enduring influence in rock music. All that was to change, finally, on a summer’s night in June 2012… Of the hundreds of bands I’ve been lucky to … Continue reading
Posted in FEATURES, Gigs of the Millennium
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – HUGHES THRALL
Epic [1982] Often cited by musos as a favourite album, ‘Hughes/Thrall’ was released in 1982. By all accounts Glenn Hughes (bass and vocals in MK III and IV Deep Purple) ‘stole’ guitarist Pat Thrall after seeing him play with Pat … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged album, Glenn Hughes, hard rock, Hughes Thrall, Pat Thrall, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – IOMMI – Fused (Tony Iommi/Glenn Hughes)
Sanctuary [2005] In 2005 Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes collaborated on the album ‘Fused’. It was Iommi’s second solo album. The pair had worked together on ‘Seventh Star’ in 1986, with drummer Kenny Aronoff, and this was originally destined to … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Black Sabbath, Bob Marlette, Fused, Glenn Hughes, heavy rock, Iommi, Kenny Aronoff, metal, review, Tony Iommi
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – ELEKTRADRIVE – Living 4
Valery Records (2009) Elektradrive is one of the more significant Hard Rock/AOR bands to emerge from Italy. At the very start, in 1983, the name of the band was Overdrive and they had a four-piece line up without keyboards; after … Continue reading
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Tagged album, AOR, Elektradrive, hard rock, Italian, Italy, Living 4, melodic rock, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – JONATHAN TYLER & THE NORTHERN LIGHTS – Pardon Me
F-Stop/Atlantic [2010] I do like a good rummage through the charity and record shops bargain CDs to take a punt on an unknown album based either on the cover, band members/instruments played or song titles (the latter can be a … Continue reading
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Tagged album, Albums that time forgot, blues rock, feature, Jonathan Tyler, Northern Lights, Pardon Me, review, rock, southern rock
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – TERRAPLANE – Black And White
Back in the depths of time there was a programme on Channel 4 called No Limits. It was a youth culture show presented by Jonathan King (we will gloss over that one!) and a host of new presenters. It also … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged 1985, album, Black and White, Danny Bowes, Epic Records, Harry James, I Can't Live Without Your Love, Jonathan King, Jools Holland, Luke Morley, Moving Target, Nick Linden, No Limits, pop, review, rock, Ruby Turner, Rudy Riviere, Terraplane, Thunder
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – SARAYA – When The Blackbird Sings
Polygram (1991) There was a lot happening at the turn of the eighties and a glut of excellent CDs (and bands) that were destined for obscurity. We’ll feature some in this series, but these were good times for melodic hard … Continue reading
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – CHIMPAN A
F2 Music (2006) Chimpan A, released in 2006, was a project featuring Rob Reed (better known for his work in the prog-rock band Magenta), and two members of country rock band The Storys: Rob Thompson (guitar) and Steve Balsamo (vocals). … Continue reading
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Tagged album, ambient, chill, Chimpan A, Christina Booth, electronica, Magenta, Progressive Rock, review, Rob Reed, Steve Balsamo
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – SHADOW KING
Atlantic (1991) Shadow King was Lou Gramm’s first foray in a band format since his departure from Foreigner in April 1991. The charismatic vocalist had been working on songs with Bruce Turgon for a third solo album and these developed … Continue reading
Posted in Albums that time forgot, ALL POSTS, FEATURES
Tagged album, Bruce Turgon, Foreigner, hard rock, Lou Gramm, review, Shadow King, Vivian Campbell
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Feature: Bands that time forgot… LOVE AND MONEY (James Grant)
Love And Money formed out of Glasgow-based ‘Friends Again’ in the early eighties and whilst their debut album ‘All You Need is…’ hinted at the funky tunesmithery to come it wasn’t until 1988′s Strange Kind Of Love that the band … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Bands that time forgot, FEATURES
Tagged feature, introduction, James Grant, Love And Money, pop rock, review, singer, songwriter
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Feature: Bands that time forgot…RIVER CITY PEOPLE
River City People consisted of two brothers Tim and Paul Speed (guitars and drums respectively)and Dave Snell (bass) who in 1987 were all studying at Liverpool Polytechnic. Vocalist Siobhan Maher had previously worked with Snell in a band called Peep … Continue reading
Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to NIGHT RANGER
Andy Nathan favourites Night Ranger remained a largely USA-based phenomenon until their reformation in the late 1990s. Their UK gigs from 2011 onwards would make grown men cry… When Night Ranger played their first-ever headline show in England at the … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged AOR, Brad Gillis, feature, introduction, Jack Blades, Jeff Watson, Joel Hoekstra, Kelly Keagy, melodic rock, Night Ranger, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – GRAND PRIX – Samurai
Chrysalis [1983] Back in 1983 I ventured along to my first gig on my own at the tender age of 14 to see Iron Maiden at the Playhouse in Edinburgh (Friday 13th May to be exact) and what a show … Continue reading
Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to RORY GALLAGHER
Rory Gallagher’s legacy has been maintained with a raft of posthumous releases including the more recent ‘Blues’ anthology. Joe Geesin takes up the story. Irish born blues/rock guitarist/vocalist Rory Gallagher made his name in the 70s and 80s, and is … Continue reading
Posted in Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged blues, blues rock, discography, feature, Gerry McAvoy, guitar, guitarist, introduction, review, Rory Gallagher, TASTE, Ted McKenna
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – IT BITES – Map Of The Past
Inside Out (2012) www.itbites.com The second (and final) album released by the reformed It Bites, that saw John Mitchell (Arena, Kino) take over from Francis Dunnery in fronting the band. John Beck (keyboards) and Bob Dalton (drums) remained from the … Continue reading
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Tagged Albums that time forgot, Bob Dalton, feature, Inside Out, It Bites, John Beck, John Mitchell, Map of the Past, melodic, pop rock, progressive, rock
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – PRIDE OF LIONS – The Roaring Of Dreams
Frontiers (2007) With his Pride of Lions project, former Survivor keyboardist and songwriter Jim Peterik recreated the glory days of eighties AOR with no concession to 2000′s musical trends other than updated production values. As a result both their first … Continue reading
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Feature: What GILLAN mean to me
Gillan (the band) made an impression on a young Joe Geesin but he maintained his interest interviewing band members and writing their sleevenotes. Here he recounts an enduring hard rock and collecting passion. Gillan in 1978 (left to right) Liam … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, FEATURES, What a Band/Artist means to me...
Tagged albums, Bernie Torme, Colin Towns, Deep Purple, discography, feature, Gillan, Ian Gillan, introduction, Janick Gers, John McCoy
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Feature: What THE MOTORS mean to me
Joe Geesin reveals his first vinyl purchase and a longer term love of the pop rock band The Motors Many will remember the track ‘Airport’, by The Motors, or at least recognise it, a pop track often played on television … Continue reading
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Tagged albums, Andy McMaster, Bram Tchaikovsky, feature, introduction, Nick Garvey, pop, rock, The Motors
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Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to DEMON
Jason Ritchie highlights the recording history of NWOBHM band Demon Formed in Stoke back in the NWOBHM the band initially lived up to their name with singer Dave Hill rising up from coffins on stage, along with lots of devil references … Continue reading
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Tagged classic rock, Dave Hill, DEMON, feature, hard rock, heavy metal, introduction, melodic rock, NWOBHM, prog rock, review
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – DISTANCE – Under The One Sky
Reprise Records [1989] The Distance were a natural successor to the Power Station who featured legendary producer Bernard Edwards and Tony Thompson, both of who were members of Chic. Taking the place on vocals of Robert Palmer was Robert Hart, … Continue reading
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Tagged Bernard Edwards, Chic, Distance Under The One Sky, funk, melodic rock, Power Station, review, Robert Hart, rock, Tony Thompson
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Feature: Albums that time forgot – LENNY KRAVITZ – 5
Virgin [Release date 12.05.98] Lenny Kravitz has always been hard to define; it’s entirely possible to imagine Kravitz in the crowd at Woodstock or strutting down a Parisian catwalk. Despite being effortlessly cool and the very embodiment of old school … Continue reading
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Tagged 5, album, Austin Powers, funk, Guess Who, Lenny Kravitz, review, rock, soul
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Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to WISHBONE ASH
GRTR!’s melodic rock maestro Andy Nathan charts the progress of Wishbone Ash, currently celebrating their 50th anniversary Wishbone Ash may have a criminally low profile in the wider world, but there aren’t many bands that can boast both a history … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged albums, Andy Powell, classic rock, feature, introduction, Laurie Wisefield, Martin Turner, Steve Upton, Ted Turner, Wishbone Ash
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Feature: Call Collect – An introduction to COZY POWELL
Joe Geesin recalls Cozy Powell’s long career, the key albums, and a friendship with one of rock’s finest drummers Colin Flooks, better known as Cozy Powell, was a renowned rock drummer who, like many, lived like he played – hard … Continue reading
Posted in ALL POSTS, Call Collect, FEATURES
Tagged Black Sabbath, classic rock, Cozy Powell, discography, drummer, drums, feature, hard rock, introduction, Rainbow, Whitesnake
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Feature: Call Collect: An introduction to FOCUS
In their own words, Thijs van Leer and Jan Akkerman discuss the early days of Focus and their wider success…and demise in the late 1970s. This feature is based on interviews in 1990 for a ‘Record Collector’ article published in … Continue reading
