Anniversary
Spotlighting the impact of cultural landmarks
Anniversary
To Lose The Spark Along The Way: U2’s The Unforgettable Fire
Forty years on from its release – and with the band’s popularity in question more than ever – Wyndham Wallace returns to The Unforgettable Fire, U2’s incendiary denial of expectations and their first encounter with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. (This feature was originally published in 2014)
Anniversary
Blood Red Dues: King Crimson’s Red Turns 50
Recorded at King Crimson’s nadir, Red looked destined to be just another forgotten final album, its release playing second fiddle to Robert Fripp’s idiosyncratic “retirement”. 50 years later, its influence is immeasurable, the perfect distillation of what’s possible from a rock trio, says Jeremy Allen
Anniversary
Separate The Game From The Truth: Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready To Die
On March 10, 1997, Angus Batey was due to interview Biggie Smalls, a conversation that never took place after the rapper was fatally shot a day earlier. Here, he takes an in-depth look at the "masterpiece" that was the debut album from the hip hop luminary. This feature was first published on 11 September 2014
Anniversary
What We Do With What We Have: Björk’s Medúlla Turns 20
Medúlla is arguably the point at which Björk turned from creating pop to a journey into the radically obscure, but in reality it is one of the most fully realised examples of an artist pushing the boundaries of what pop music can be and do, writes Matthew Barton
Anniversary
Hitting It Sideways: Last Exit To Brooklyn at 60
Wayne Gooderham explores the influence of Hubert Selby Jr's transgressive masterpiece on popular music; and on the gender sensibilities of The Smiths, Van Morrison and The Velvet Underground in particular. CW: Some may find the language quoted in this article that describes LGBTQI people & sex workers outmoded or offensive
Anniversary
From The Darkest Chasms: Neil Young’s On The Beach Revisited
Forty-five years after it was first released, Joseph Burnett returns to Young's fifth solo record, an album that marked an angered transition from Harvest, bolstered by some of his bleakest and greatest moments. This feature was first published on 9 August 2014
Anniversary
An Altamont for Rock Music’s Imperial Period: June 1, 1974 Half A Century On
The diaristic title of the Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno and Nico's live record demands it be put into some kind of historical context. Michael Bellis looks at a highly unusual album released in a time of great cultural and social change
Anniversary
Technology Works: Mark Fell On The Anniversary Of The Battle Of Orgreave
The Rotherham-based musician and artist looks back 40 years and considers the noise of industry, the noise of industrial action, the noise of excessive police violence and electronic music as political resistance. Digital and 35mm photographs of the site of the former Orgreave Coking Works taken by Max Roberts. In memory of drummer and producer Keith LeBlanc
Anniversary
Creation Myth: Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds’ From Her To Eternity
It’s four decades since Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released their debut album From Her To Eternity, a record that found Cave attempting a new musical and lyrical language that could free him from his past and help him create – and curate – his future, says Wesley Doyle
Anniversary
Down To You: Joni Mitchell’s Court And Spark At 50
Joni Mitchell's sixth album was a change of gear, coming deep from within the ME decade, its romantic entanglements dissolving to reveal a deeper search within but far from being solipsistic Mitchell’s rumination strikes a universal chord, says Matthew Lindsay
Anniversary
The Fall’s Perverted By Language Revisited 40 Years On
On its 40th anniversary, Eden Tizard explores The Fall’s Perverted By Language, an album where Mark E. Smith turns his focus to the suburbs and its inhabitants. A key record in The Fall saga, featuring a group at a crossroads, on the hunt for a new mode of attack
