- Follow THE PRESS | Music Reviews on WordPress.com
Categories
- Album Covers
- Albums That Never Were
- Artists
- Adrian Belew
- Alice Cooper
- Allman Brothers, The
- Andy Newmark
- Andy Summers
- Band, The
- Beatles, The
- Beta Band, The
- Bill Evans
- Bill Laswell
- Birthday Party, The
- Bob Dylan
- Brian Eno
- Bruce Springsteen
- Bryan Ferry
- Captain Beefheart
- Chet Baker
- Claire Birchall
- Clash, The
- Cliff Richard
- Cramps, The
- David Bowie
- David Crosby
- David Gilmour
- Dire Straits
- Doors, The
- Dr. Feelgood
- Duderama
- Eagles
- Elvis Costello
- Eric Clapton
- Fall, The
- Fleetwood Mac
- Frank Zappa
- Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Genesis
- George Harrison
- Gil Evans
- Grace Jones
- Gram Parsons
- Grant Green
- Guided By Voices
- Human League, The
- Ian Hunter
- Icehouse
- Iggy Pop
- Jane's Addiction
- Japan
- Jimi Hendrix
- Joan Armatrading
- Joe Walsh
- John Lennon
- Johnny Thunders
- Kinks, The
- Kiss
- Led Zeppelin
- Lemon Twigs, The
- Lindsey Buckingham
- Lou Reed
- Mazzy Star
- Michael Plater
- Mick Jones
- Mick Rock
- Mick Ronson
- Miles Davis
- Minutemen
- Mott the Hoople
- Neil Young
- Neu!
- Nick Lowe
- Pat Metheny
- Paul McCartney
- Pavement
- Peter Gabriel
- Phil Collins
- Pink Floyd
- Police, The
- Prince
- Purple Mountains
- Queen
- Ramones
- Richard Hell
- Richard Thompson
- Rick Wakeman
- Robert Fripp
- Robert Quine
- Rolling Stones, The
- Ron Wood
- Roxy Music
- Rupert Hine
- Scott Walker
- Sex Pistols
- Silver Jews
- Simon & Garfunkel
- Simple Minds
- Sly and the Family Stone
- Stephen Malkmus
- Steve Hackett
- Steve Jones
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Stevie Wonder
- Sting
- Stooges, The
- Strokes, The
- Style Council, The
- Supertramp
- Syd Barrett
- T.Rex
- Talking Heads
- Teenage Fanclub
- Thin Lizzy
- Todd Rundgren
- Tom Petty
- Tom Waits
- U2
- Van Halen
- Van Morrison
- Velvet Underground, The
- Waterboys, the
- Weezer
- Who, The
- Wilco
- XTC
- Bandcamp
- Didn't Know It Was a Cover
- Double Albums: Un-Doubled
- Downloads
- European Rock Pilgrimage
- Gigs
- Images
- Mainman
- Mixtapes
- Never Heard It Before…Until Now!
- Now Reading
- On This Day
- Performance of the Day
- Podcasts
- Producers
- Rank the Songs
- Top 10 British Synth-Pop Albums
- Top 10 Remarkable Songs Off 10 Unremarkable Albums
- Top 20 Live Albums
- Top 25 Greatest "Worst" Albums of All Time
- Top 5 Songs
- Top 50 Songs
- Uncategorized
- Wig Outs
Author Archives: the press music reviews
More Album Cover Outtakes
David Bowie – Tonight (1984) Bowie’s ‘tash album? Or Bowie’s trash album? Here are three Polaroid photographs that were taken by English designer Mick Haggerty for Bowie’s Tonight album in 1984, at the Carlyle Hotel NYC following the exhausting Serious … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, David Bowie, Images
6 Comments
Didn’t Know It Was A Cover | David Bowie’s Boys Keep Swinging
Bowie’s brilliant ‘Boys Keep Swinging’ was built on an identical chord sequence as ‘Fantastic Voyage’, a point noticed by very few people when the two were paired as a single in 1979. Over time it has become common knowledge that … Continue reading
Posted in David Bowie, Didn't Know It Was a Cover
16 Comments
Stephen Malkmus – Groove Denied
Pavement mainman Stephen Malkmus’ 8th solo album was a radical new direction for the alt-rock hero, owing as much to DIY German synth-pop as late-70s high-tech experimentalism. Released after a sojourn in Berlin having jettisoned his backing-band the Jicks, Malkmus … Continue reading
Posted in Pavement, Rank the Songs, Stephen Malkmus
7 Comments
The Lemon Twigs – Everything Harmony
New York’s The Lemon Twigs release their long awaited fourth full-length studio album, Everything Harmony (2023). On Everything Harmony the prodigiously talented brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario offer 13 original songs showcasing an emotional depth and musical sophistication far beyond … Continue reading
Posted in Bandcamp, Lemon Twigs, The
6 Comments
More Album Cover Outtakes
The album cover image for Lou Reed’s New York was based conceptually on a 1932 photograph by Brassai called “La bande du grand Albert” of a Parisian gang standing in an alley. The cover for Lou Reed’s iconic New York (1989) … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Images, Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, The
9 Comments
John Lennon – #9 Dream
This slice of sublime pop from John Lennon’s Walls and Bridges album features background vocals from May Pang, John and Yoko’s Chinese-American personal assistant who became his lover in 1974. It could be assumed that it was Yoko Ono who … Continue reading
Posted in Beatles, The, John Lennon
14 Comments
Pavement | Sydney & Melbourne 2023
American indie-rockers Pavement performed in Sydney and Melbourne for the first time in 12 years as part of the Australian leg of their heroic sold-out 2022/23 world straddling tour. One of the most original, sincere and distinctive bands of the … Continue reading
Posted in Gigs, Pavement, Purple Mountains, Silver Jews, Stephen Malkmus
9 Comments
David Bowie – The 1980 Floor Show
It’s been 50 years since the first season of The Midnight Special and now they are back via their official YouTube channel with a series of extraordinary and officially unreleased David Bowie performances from 1973. The Midnight Special was an … Continue reading
More Album Cover Outtakes
The front cover to the Minutemen’s enduring masterpiece, the 45-track Double Nickels on the Dime, featured a photo of Mike Watt driving his Volkswagen beetle southbound on highway 10, aka “The Dime”, to his home in San Pedro, CA. Emerging … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Minutemen
8 Comments
The Rolling Stones | Montsalvat, 1973
Montsalvat Castle, an artist’s commune in Melbourne’s east, has been the location for countless film shoots, parties and special events, including a visit from The Rolling Stones 50 years ago to the day. In February 1973, The Rolling Stones returned … Continue reading
David Gilmour’s Best Songs
As the primary architect of Pink Floyd’s sweeping signature sound, Dave Gilmour’s ever-distinctive vocal and guitar style is often mesmeric. The Press compiles 13 of his finest moments. We all know the story: When most bands would call it a … Continue reading
Posted in David Gilmour, Mixtapes, Pink Floyd
13 Comments
Top 5 Songs – Joan Armatrading
Underrated British singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading can point to a fine body of recorded work over a 50-year career. Her material typically melds the rhythmic intensity of Afro-American blues with jazz, soul, and rock, elevated by sophisticated lyrics and melodies. A … Continue reading
Posted in Joan Armatrading, Producers, Top 5 Songs
5 Comments
McCartney – Paperback Classics: Vol VI
Two of the all-time best Paul McCartney paperback classics and two songs that just happen to be among the artist’s most timeless recordings either for quality or unrealised hit-potential. The Press unearths these historically interesting tracks for your listening pleasure. … Continue reading
Posted in Albums That Never Were, Downloads, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Producers
5 Comments
More Album Cover Outtakes
Artist Charles Burns’ cover for Iggy Pop’s 1990 LP Brick By Brick included references to many of the album’s songs, such as a joint-smoking Kate Pierson, and even Roy Orbison! Iggy Pop’s solo career had become something of a hit … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Iggy Pop, Images
2 Comments
David Crosby – If I Could Only Remember My Name
David Crosby’s debut solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name, was recorded during a traumatic time for the musician. Following the death of his girlfriend Christine Hinton in a car accident, the musician hunkered down in San Francisco … Continue reading
Posted in David Crosby, Neil Young, On This Day
14 Comments
Iggy Pop / David Bowie Collaborations in 16 Tracks
Iggy Pop and David Bowie were strong musical partners throughout the ’70s and ’80s, and this 16-track compilation provides an insight into the depth and breadth of their collaborations and friendship. “Some bands do Stones. Some bands do Chuck Berry. … Continue reading
Bowie – Deep Cuts Pt.3
Continuing the Bowie Deep Cuts series, Part 3 reveals alternative mixes, unearthed demos, live versions, and album tracks, finding the artist stretching out, yielding some interesting results. David Bowie – Deep Cuts Pt.3 mp3 TRACKS 1. Right On Mother – Recorded … Continue reading
More Album Cover Outtakes
This untreated Polaroid of John’s piercing gaze has recently surfaced, believed to have been taken by Andy Warhol. John Lennon – Imagine (1971) The photograph for the Imagine album cover was taken by Yoko Ono using a Polaroid camera. It … Continue reading
#13: The Clash – Sandinista! (1980)
Here at The Press we take a look at expansive double albums (in this case ‘triple’) and trim it back to a single, filler-free listening experience, negating the need to reach for the skip button or needle repositioning. In some … Continue reading
Dr. Feelgood – Stupidity (1976)
With the recent passing of Wilko Johnson, best known as guitarist and songwriter for UK rock group Dr. Feelgood, The Press takes a look at one of their finest albums: the chart-topping live document, Stupidity. Wilko Johnson, who recently passed … Continue reading
Posted in Clash, The, Dr. Feelgood, Ian Hunter, Mick Jones, Mott the Hoople, Nick Lowe, Ramones, Richard Hell, Sex Pistols, Who, The
3 Comments
Japan – Tin Drum (1981)
Released on this day in 1981, Japan’s fifth and final studio album Tin Drum found the band embracing a new synth-heavy style, but sounded like nothing else at the time. When English new wave band Japan released TIN DRUM (1981) ★★★★½, … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, On This Day, Top 10 British Synth-Pop Albums
8 Comments
The Beatles | 1967
“Nobody else in the group digs When I’m Sixty Four.” Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Mick Jagger & Maggie McGivern (who was having an affair with McCartney at the time) at Paul’s home in Cavendish Ave, St. John’s Wood, London, 1967.
High Fidelity – The Best of Elvis Costello in the ’80s
This 20 track collection covers the albums, artistic phases, evolutions, and bouts of fancy from Elvis Costello in the 1980s – arguably the bespectacled one’s most artistically rewarding decade. Emerging from Britain’s new wave scene in the late-70s era, Elvis … Continue reading
Posted in Beatles, The, Chet Baker, Doors, The, Downloads, Elvis Costello, Images, Mixtapes, Nick Lowe, Paul McCartney
12 Comments
Sound & Vision | Bowie’s Album Covers Ranked
From the 1967 self-titled debut to his final masterpiece Blackstar, The Press puts their spin on the album artwork of every David Bowie album, including some honourable (and dishonourable) mentions. Bowie’s albums were never just about the music. They concurrently … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Iggy Pop, Images, Kinks, The, Mick Rock, Mick Ronson, Mott the Hoople, Robert Fripp, T.Rex
24 Comments
John Lennon | September 1962
It’s all in the eyes. This rarely seen photograph of John Lennon on the precipice of superstardom was taken around the back of Paul McCartney’s childhood home in Liverpool 60 years ago to the day. We’ve seen a few shots … Continue reading
Posted in Beatles, The, George Harrison, Images, John Lennon, On This Day, Paul McCartney, Podcasts
10 Comments
David Bowie | Thank you for the cigs!!
This charming two-page note written by a 30-year old David Bowie to his friend and confidant Tony McGrogan in September ’77 with his shopping list of records, shows he was keeping his finger on the pulse of rock. Bowie made … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Clash, The, David Bowie, On This Day, T.Rex, Talking Heads
13 Comments
Lou Reed | I’m So Free – The 1971 RCA Demos
Fifty years on from his self-titled solo debut album, and nine years since his untimely death, Lou Reed is still nabbing headlines with a collection of rare demos released over the holidays and just as quickly withdrawn in an apparent … Continue reading
More Album Cover Outtakes
The retro-yet-modern album cover for Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ Get Happy!! LP was designed based on a photo of Elvis lying on a street grill. The packaging for Elvis Costello’s Get Happy!! (1980) sleeve was designed by brilliant graphic artist … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Elvis Costello, Images
8 Comments
Cliff Richard and Steve Jones – Don’t Talk to Him
Steve Jones accompanied the ageless Sir Cliff Richard on one of his best songs, Don’t Talk to Him. This interview and acoustic jam session was from a long-lost broadcast of Jonesy’s Jukebox on indie 103.1 in 2007 when Sir Cliff … Continue reading
Posted in Cliff Richard, Performance of the Day, Podcasts, Sex Pistols, Steve Jones
8 Comments
More Album Cover Outtakes
These slightly strange unused portraits of David Bowie were taken by photographer Nick Knight in December 1992, originally intended for the cover of his comeback solo album Black Tie White Noise. The album cover concept for Bowie’s 1993 dance-rock oddity Black … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, David Bowie
5 Comments
David Bowie, 1981
On the face of it, 1981 was the quietest year of Bowie’s career so far. Having spent the last ten years redefining the rock landscape, there was no new album nor was there another world tour in support of the … Continue reading
Top 5 Songs – The Sales Brothers
Born into show business, hired guns Tony and his brother Hunt Sales were the rhythm section and driving force behind some key moments in rock history. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, bassist Tony and drummer Hunt’s father was well known comedian … Continue reading
Posted in David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jimi Hendrix, Sex Pistols, Steve Jones, Stooges, The, Todd Rundgren, Top 5 Songs
15 Comments
More Album Cover Outtakes
The photograph on the cover of The Kinks’ country-rock masterpiece Muswell Hillbillies was shot at the Archway Tavern in London, a couple of miles away from Muswell Hill in North London where band leader Ray Davies and guitarist Dave Davies grew … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, European Rock Pilgrimage, Images, Kinks, The
10 Comments
T.Rex | The Slider
Released on this day 50 years ago, the timeless photograph of Marc Bolan on the cover of The Slider was credited to have been taken by Ringo Starr. But was it? The iconic photograph of Marc Bolan with his “corkscrew … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, David Bowie, Images, Mainman, On This Day, T.Rex
14 Comments
The Human League | Reproduction
The image on the cover of The Human League’s debut album Reproduction, anticipates their definitive line-up. Before the mainstream success of ‘Don’t You Want Me’, one of the most enduringly popular songs of the 80s, and before the twin sultry … Continue reading
Mick Jones | I Turned Out a Punk
The guitarist and founding member of one of the most important and influential bands of the rock era recently turned 67. To celebrate, The Press compiles Mick Jones’ best songs with The Clash. The late Joe Strummer may have been … Continue reading
Posted in Clash, The, Downloads, Mick Jones, Mixtapes, On This Day
16 Comments
Steve Hackett | Genesis Revisited
Innovative guitarist Steve Hackett and his band of supremely accomplished musicians brings to life the majestic music of mid-70s Genesis at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre. Genesis only ever made it to Australia once, in 1986 – years after guitarist Steve Hackett … Continue reading
Posted in Genesis, Gigs, Phil Collins, Steve Hackett
17 Comments
You Must Get Them All | Steve Pringle
Now Reading: Comprehensively immortalised in print by author Steve Pringle, You Must Get Them All is the first book to cover the entire catalogue of Britain’s post-punk colossus The Fall. The Fall produced a huge volume of high-quality work between … Continue reading
Posted in Fall, The, Now Reading
4 Comments
Didn’t Know It Was A Cover | David Gilmour’s There’s No Way Out Of Here
While enjoying some much-needed respite from the claustrophobic Pink Floyd machine, David Gilmour summed up his fraught situation with one of his best solo efforts and the great ‘missing’ Floyd song: ‘There’s No Way Out of Here’ – but it … Continue reading
Posted in David Gilmour, Didn't Know It Was a Cover, Pink Floyd
9 Comments
The Rolling Stones – Emotional Rescue Outtakes & Demos
Defining the sounds of the 70’s by appropriating contemporary rock, funk and disco stylings on Emotional Rescue, these album outtakes and demos capture a band keeping things fresh within a changing musical landscape. The logical continuation of their tough and … Continue reading
Posted in Downloads, Mixtapes, On This Day, Rolling Stones, The, Ron Wood
12 Comments
Top 5 Songs – Andy Newmark
Andy Newmark’s prolific treasure trove of session work spans decades with some of the biggest names in the music business. The Press counts down the American drummer’s Top 5 Songs. The drummer impacts the music more than anyone else in … Continue reading
More Album Cover Outtakes
Curiously, the cinematic image that would grace the cover of U2’s classic album The Joshua Tree was not taken at California’s namesake national park, but rather some 250 miles north at Zabriskie Point. Many fans assume that the cover was … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Images, U2
15 Comments
Top 5 Songs – Sex Pistols
It’s been well over 40 years since the Sex Pistols’ furious rock and rollercoaster ride and poke in the eye of the establishment changed the world, and no one has come close to equalling their cultural impact or influence on … Continue reading
Posted in Sex Pistols, Steve Jones, Top 5 Songs
35 Comments
Duderama – No I In Dream (2022)
Duderama’s latest creative endeavour has just been released in Bandcamp: No I In Dream. Purchase: Bandcamp / Amazon Stream: Spotify / Soundcloud / YouTube Follow: Facebook / Twitter The singles The Gist, Annihilate Together and Unmasked videos below. Treat yourself! Written, performed and produced by Duderama Recorded … Continue reading
Posted in Bandcamp, Downloads, Duderama
4 Comments
Frank Zappa – Läther
Originally conceived as a contractually obliged four-record set in 1977, the ill-fated Läther was eventually released posthumously as a triple album on Rykodisc and remains among the artist’s finest work. Zappa’s career was peppered with conflicts and legal problems with … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Albums That Never Were, Downloads, Frank Zappa
9 Comments
Queen – News of the World (1977)
The terrifying cover art for Queen’s sixth album, 1977’s News of the World, is an adaptation of a painting by science fiction illustrator Frank Kelly Freas. Originally designed for an October 1953 issue of the comic book “Astounding”, it features … Continue reading
Posted in Album Covers, Images, Queen
11 Comments
Top 10 British Synth-Pop Albums
Britain in the 1970s, when bloated supergroups and progressive rock bands roamed the Earth, young pioneers obsessed by European experimental music like Kraftwerk, punk’s attitude, and Bowie’s glam-rock and icy Berlin-trilogy, were distilling these influences and dreaming of a future … Continue reading
More Album Cover Outtakes
Kiss – The solo albums (1978) The painted images used for the Kiss solo albums, all released on 18 September 1978, were based on the cover of a 1977 Kiss world tour glossy. Only Ace Frehley’s image doesn’t match up. … Continue reading
Talking Heads | Lifetime Piling Up
The band’s final single before their split was a return to upbeat anxiety and existential paranoia while effortlessly fusing avant-garde with Afro-pop. Sharing a similar title to two of their greatest ever recorded moments (Life During Wartime and Once … Continue reading
Posted in Talking Heads
5 Comments
Eno: Masterworks 1974 – 1977
There’s a little more to oblique strategist Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno’s career than just that ambient guy or big time producer of bands such as U2 and Talking Heads, or for inventing the … Continue reading
Posted in Brian Eno, David Bowie, Downloads, Mixtapes, Robert Fripp, Talking Heads
20 Comments
THE PRESS | Music Reviews 