Photography used with permission, courtesy of Suzanne Allison Photography.



When you hear the name “Bee Gees,” many automatically (and erroneously) think “disco.” However, the Brothers Gibb truly were anything but, and this new HBO documentary proves beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the Bee Gees were massively underestimated. But the music journey of Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb was a tumultuous one, and How Can You Mend A Broken Heart lays it all on the line.



They’ve sold an estimated 220 million records and had six consecutive US number ones during their late-’70s phase. This achievement alone begs the question – how come the Bee Gees still remain rather underrated?



Producer/director Frank Marshall weaves an intricate tapestry of the Brothers Gibb and their lives, from their humble beginnings in the Isle of Man, to their first successes in London, to their astronomical success in Saturday Night Fever, to...

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There is usually quite an interesting story behind hit songs like Do They Know It’s Christmas?”



This particular story starts in early October 1984 in England, where Bob Geldof of Boomtown Rats fame, was watching television, and saw a BBC news report about the horrible famine in Ethiopia. This disaster had resulted from a very severe drought, and as Geldof watched, he felt compelled to do something. But the question was what could he do?



He then contacted his good friend, Midge Ure, lead singer of Ultravox, and after tossing around several ideas, they then decided their best option was to collaborate on a benefit single to be released during the rapidly approaching holiday season. Ure stated, “We knew if we made it a Christmas song, we would pull at the purse strings as well as the heartstrings”.  Since time was of the essence, the two quickly...

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Born in Ireland on October 5, 1951, Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof KBE (aka Bob Geldof) is a man who wears many hats, a singer-songwriter, author, political activist, even occasional actor, and also, a devoted father.



Geldof first achieved fame as the lead singer of the Irish rock band, the Boomtown Rats, in the late 1970s, who realized their popularity in the time of the growth of the punk rock movement. The band had UK number one hits with the songs Rat Trap and I Don’t Like Mondays.



While acclaimed for his music, Geldof is most widely recognized for his activism, especially anti-poverty efforts in Africa. In 1984, he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup, Band Aid, to raise money for famine...

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Marc Bolan was a singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and poet. He was the lead singer of the band T. Rex and was one of the pioneers of the glam rock movement of the 1970s.



Born Mark Feld, Bolan was given a guitar by his father at age 9. He formed a skiffle band, and during lunch breaks at school, he would play his guitar in the playground to a small audience of friends. At 15, he was expelled from school for bad behavior.



Bolan briefly joined a modelling agency and became a “John Temple Boy“, appearing in a clothing catalogue for the menswear store. He modeled suits for their catalogs and for the window displays. It was suggested that Bolan was in fact bisexual according to those in the music scene. When asked about his sexuality during an interview in 1975, Bolan confirmed that he was, indeed, bisexual.



The Who’s Pete Townshend stated in an...

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Formed in 1974 in Melbourne Australia, Little River Bandworked through many obstacles, and numerous band member changes, to finally achieve the success they craved, only to lose it due to personality conflicts.



In late 1974, using the band name Mississippi, Beeb Birtles, Graeham Goble, Derek Pellicci and Glenn Shorrock met with newly hired talent manager Glenn Wheatley. They had initially tried to break in through the UK market, but that idea was quickly scratched. After much discussion, and also due to the indifferent reception they had each received in the UK, they ultimately decided their new band would need to establish itself in the United States.



As for the name change, Birtles later stated in his autobiography, “Shorrock and I were sitting in the back seat of a car driving down Princes Highway to play a gig at The Golf View Hotel in Geelong. As we passed the Little River exit sign, Shorrock said ‘Little River, that’d be a good song title.’ Within a split second he...

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Peter Frampton knew he wanted to be a musician very early on in life. At the young age of 7, discovered his grandmother’s banjolele in the attic, and taught himself to play it. Not satisfied with just that, he also taught himself to play guitar, piano, and organ as well. By the time he was 8, he was enrolled in classical music lessons to immerse himself further in his chosen passion.



Frampton played in his first band, The Little Ravens, at age 12, and was classmates with David Jones A.K.A. David Bowie. Frampton’s band played on the same bill at school as Bowie’s band, George and the Dragons, and Peter and David would spend lunch breaks together, playing Buddy Holly songs, despite the 3 year difference in age.



By 14, he was also a successful child singer, in a band called the TruBeats, then in another called The Preachers, both produced and managed by Bill Wyman of Rolling Stones fame. In 1969, when Frampton was 18 years...

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What do you get when you make a movie about the insane disco craze of the 70s? You get music, dancing, and a whole lot more that could have been left on the cutting room floor. Ironically, it’s the numerous and heavily choreographed musical sequences that have failed to stand the test of time.



John Travolta portrays the angry, bitter young man from Queens named Tony Manero whose one true passion is to dance. Travolta is truly mesmerizing in every scene, carrying the film despite some woeful performances from the supporting cast. Naturally, his dancing is etched on the culture’s collective consciousness, but it was his dramatic work which earned him an Oscar nomination for his performance.



This movie is full of strong language, sex, and violence. The characters take part in gang fights, as well as racist and sexist behavior, and there’s a truly disturbing gang rape scene in the back of a car. The male characters drink, smoke, and talk about sex with wild abandon, and misogyny...

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Beastie Boys were an American hip hop and rap rock group from New York City formed in 1978. During the height of their popularity, the group was composed of Michael “Mike D” Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam “MCA” Yauch (vocals, bass) and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz (vocals, guitar).



Starting as a punk band, Beastie Boys were formed out of members of the experimental hardcore punk band the Young Aborigines in 1978, with Diamond as vocalist, Jeremy Shatan on bass guitar, guitarist John Berry and Kate Schellenbach on drums. Shatan left in 1981, Yauch replaced him on bass and the band changed their name to Beastie Boys. Berry left shortly thereafter and was replaced by Horovitz.



They quickly changed gears in 1983, after achieving success with the experimental hip hop song Cooky Puss. They toured with Madonna in 1985, and a year later, released their debut album, Licensed to Ill, the first rap record to top the Billboard 200 chart, and spawned the huge mega hit, You Gotta...

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Alt-Rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins were formed in 1988 in Chicago by front man, Billy Corgan, along with D’Arcy Wretzky (bass), James Iha (guitar), and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums). While the lineup has changed over the years, the current one is Corgan, Chamberlin, Iha and guitarist Jeff Schroeder.



Disavowing the punk rock roots of many of their alt-rock contemporaries, they have a diverse, densely layered, and guitar-heavy sound, containing elements of gothic rock, heavy metal, dream pop, psychedelic rock, and progressive rock. Some have called their songs “ethereal” and “other-worldly” in nature. I would simply call them unique.



Corgan is the group’s primary songwriter; his cathartic lyrics have shaped the band’s albums and songs, which have been described as “anguished, bruised reports from Billy Corgan’s nightmare-land” on more than one...

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Van Halen was a rock band formed in Pasadena, California in 1972, and largely credited with “restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene.” But while the band is well known for their energetic rock shows, it’s best known for the legendary, masterful guitar work of founder and lead guitarist Eddie Van Halen (EVH). Van Halen consisted of EVH on lead guitar, brother Alex Van Halen on drums, vocalist David Lee Roth; and bassist Michael Anthony from 1974 until 1985.



Their music speaks very eloquently for itself. From their self-titled debut album in 1978, through their next few albums Van Halen...

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When you think of true California rock, the Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) are one of the first bands to come to mind. They’re a funk-rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, and their music combines an eclectic mix of alternative rock, funk, punk rock and psychedelic rock for a truly unique sound.



The original line-up was vocalist, Anthony Kiedis, bassist, Flea, guitarist, Hillel Slovak, and drummer, Jack Irons, but has changed a few times over the years. The first album featured Jack Sherman on guitar and Cliff Martinez on drums as Slovak and Irons both had previous commitments to other bands they had to fulfill. Both original members appeared on the band’s 3rd album, but sadly, Slovak died of a drug overdose on June 25, 1988; and Irons, devastated, left the band. Other past members include DeWayne McKnight, D. H. Peligro, Arik Marshall, Jesse Tobias, Josh Klinghoffer, and Dave Navarro. The current line-up...

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That Thing You Do is the story of a young band of Beatle-like clones, who stumble upon a hit single. Before long, the wide-eyed Wonders find themselves on the radio, touring state fairs, in a cheesy beach movie and on a popular TV show—all on the strength of one song. But what a song!



In 1964, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) works at his father’s appliance store until a freak accident sidelines a local quartet’s drummer. Guy joins the band, and takes a song written by the angst-driven Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech), to new heights by turning it from a sleepy ballad into a rockin’ up-tempo tune. Steve Zahn, plays the adorable cutup Lenny on guitar, Ethan Embry plays the bass player (who never has a name through the entire movie), and Liv...

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Since the 80’s, Poison has given us “nothing but a good time,” and served up some hard driving rock & roll as well. The band, initially named Paris, was formed in 1979, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and consisted of lead vocalist, Bret Michaels, and drummer, Rikki Rockett, who were childhood friends, as well as bassist, Bobby Dall, and guitarist, Matt Smith.



They changed their name to Poison and moved to California. Arriving in L.A., the group struggled to survive away from home with no family and no money, but they were determined to make it. Smith, however, was about to become a father and concerned about the band’s future and left the band to return to PA. Auditions were held, and were down to three: C.C. DeVille, Steve Silva, and...

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Funk and soul band, Commodores, were first formed in 1968 at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) from two former student music groups, the Mystics and the Jays. The new six-man band featured Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics … Richie later described some members of the Mystics as “jazz buffs;”  and Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams from the Jays. To choose their new name, King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. “We lucked out,” he remarked with a laugh when later telling this story in a magazine interview. “We almost became ‘The Commodes.’“



After signing with...

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Grease:



Retro Movie Review



Grease was the word when this movie came out in 1978, and the word is still alive and well today. Numerous re-releases of the movie, and 70s kids becoming first parents, and now grandparents have ensured that, by indoctrination of the each follow on generation that the movie remains an icon.



The movie itself is about the friendships, romances and adventures of a group of high school kids in the 1950s. The story, set in Southern California, involves a “greaser” named Danny (John Travolta), who has a summertime romance at the shore with an adorable Aussie named Sandy (Olivia Newton-John). When summer ends, they think they’re parting forever, only to find themselves at the same high school...

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John Charles Julian Lennon, also known as Jules, is so much more than just the eldest son of Beatle, John Lennon, and former first wife, Cynthia Powell. He is also a very accomplished singer, songwriter and musician, and an amazing photographer, among many other things.



Named after John’s deceased mother Julia, Julian is also an avid environmentalist, and his White Feather Foundation raises money and awareness for many different projects, such as clean water, education and health, and indigenous projects on a global scale.



We first came to know Jules as a small boy, who even had several Beatles songs written about, or inspired by him. Good-Night from the White Album, and the now infamous Hey Jude were both written about him. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was inspired by him, written by his father after Jules painted a watercolor picture of his good...

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What do the rock movies Velvet Goldmine and Still Crazy have in common, other than great music? Both are British in nature, both are heavily music oriented, and both are fictional… Or are they?



Velvet Goldmine



Velvet Goldmine is primarily about androgenous glam rock icon Brian Slade, who sets 1970s London on fire with his Ziggy Stardust-esque stage persona, Maxwell Demon. (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). Starting with Slade’s humble beginnings to his rapid, meteoric rise to stardom, as well as his equally rapid descent from the top. Slade’s married to the very dutiful Mandy (Toni Collette), who very blithely “allows” her husband’s often, and many transgressions, and poorly managed by Jerry Devine (the hilarious Eddie Izzard).



Enter the raucous, radical, and very troubled rocker, Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor), who turns Slade’s semi-charmed existence upside down. Also, a somewhat mysterious glam rocker named Jack Ferry (Micko Westmoreland), who wafts in and...

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Carole King is, undeniably, one of the most successful female songwriters of the latter half of the 20th century in the US, having written or co-written 118+ pop songs that have charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, she also wrote 61 hits that charted in the UK, making her the most successful female songwriter on the UK singles charts between 1962 and 2005. That’s a mighty impressive pedigree.



King’s first major success came in the early 60s, when she was married to first husband Gerry Goffin. Their first big hit was Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by the Shirelles in 1960. Between them, they co-wrote over two dozen hits for various artists, many of which have been recorded again and again by numerous artists. But...

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The “mockumentary,” This Is Spinal Tap, is considered to be one of the funniest movies ever made. While it’s about a lot of obscure, abstract things, the main thing is the way the real story is not in the questions or the answers, but what is continuously and hilariously occurring in the background.



The movie stars Michael McKean as David St. Hubbins. Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel, and Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls. Drummer Mick Shrimpton (R.J. Parnell) supplies percussion on borrowed time as both the previous drummers died mysteriously. One spontaneously combusted, and another choked to death on vomit, “but not his own vomit.”  



I think we feel such affection for the...

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“Empire Records” is one of those quirky 90s films where in a single day, in one music store, every conceivable thing happens to every conceivable character, and at the end of the day, they are all a lot wiser. Or supposedly so.



The characters all work at Empire Records, located in a fictional small town in Delaware. They’re all more or less members of Generation X, except for Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) the store manager, who serves as kind of a father figure. And they are all about to undergo a huge transformation, as the store owners are preparing to sell out to the much-hated Music City chain, which has a dress code that outlaws tattoos and body piercings and would basically disqualify the...

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Roxette was formed in 1986 as a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Both artists had very successful solo careers in Sweden but joining forces as a combined unit made them international stars.



They first met in 1981, when Fredriksson performed as a background vocalist with Gessle’s band, Gyllene Tider. Initially, they formed as a one-off deal on the advice of the managing directors of a label interested in them, Capitol/EMI. The newly named Roxette issued one near-invisible release in the US, Teaser Japanese, whose video reached MTV’s studio but received no rotation to speak of.  They continued to play, both with each other and with others, until 1986, when their...

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Forty years after its release, I consider Xanadu to be not only a cult classic, but a true guilty pleasure. “Cheesy” doesn’t even begin to describe it, yet that’s at the heart of its delightfully perverse charm. Now, that’s entertainment!



Initially panned by critics, Xanadu cannot be watched with anything resembling a serious mindset, nor should it be. Enjoy it for its silliness. Enjoy it even more for the fantastic soundtrack (the product of John Farrar and ELO). But, most of all, enjoy it for Olivia Newton-John. She may not be the greatest actress of her time, but she’s stunningly gorgeous, with a truly amazing singing voice.



The movie’s storyline is basically this: Set in...

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Almost Famous is a Cameron Crowe written and directed movie about rock and roll. But it’s far more than that – it’s a timeless coming-of-age story that appeals to viewers regardless of whether or not they were around during the 70s. It’s about bands, music, and life on the road, during the era of “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll,” and the movie doesn’t shy away from showing the extremes of the time.



Set in 1973-1974, the movie is very loosely based on Cameron Crowe’s formative years,  blissfully misspent road-tripping with the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and the Allman Brothers among others.



It’s the story of a somewhat naive, but brilliant 15-year-old kid named William Miller, who through a bit of luck gets assigned by Rolling Stone magazine to do a profile of the rising rock band, Stillwater. However, the magazine has no idea of his age, as they hired him sight unseen.  Undaunted, he presses on with his assignment, sometimes phoning his friend, the veteran critic...

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Over five decades after its release, The Beatles A Hard Days Night Movie has aged very well, and is not dated; it stands outside its time, its genre, and even rock music. It is one of the great life-affirming landmarks of musical movies.



When it opened in September 1964, many critics attended the viewing, prepared to condemn, but the movie could not be disregarded. The Beatles were already a huge phenomenon, but not yet the icons they would soon become. It was clear from the onset that this movie was very different from anything audiences had ever seen. It was wickedly smart, it didn’t take itself too seriously, and it was brilliantly shot and edited by Richard Lester in black-and-white, in a semi-documentary style that followed the boys during 36 hours in their lives.



The lads play an augmented version of themselves (John was more caustic, Paul more boyishly charming, etc.), and the result is a representation of Beatlemania...

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Cheap Trick is one of the hardest working bands in the music business and have been since the early 70s. Formed in 1973 in Rockford, IL,  the band’s classic lineup consisted of front man, Robin Zander, guitarist, Rick Nielsen, bassist, Tom Petersson, and drummer, Bun E. Carlos. Although a few members have taken a break from time to time, and Carlos was replaced by Daxx Nielsen (son of Rick Nielsen) for touring purposes, they continue to rock hard to this day.



Cheap Trick released two albums (Cheap Trick, and In Color) in 1977 to great critical praise, but mediocre popular reception in the U.S., however, they were huge in Japan. In fact, when Cheap Trick toured the country for the first time in April 1978, they were received with a frenzy reminiscent of Beatlemania. They recorded Live in Budokan in 1978, originally slated only for release in Japan. Demand for Cheap Trick at Budokan became so great that Epic Records finally released the album in the U.S. in February 1979, and...

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