On the surface, Sly and the Family Stone‘s revolution in the ’60s may not seem all that significant.
But pull back the outer level of radio-friendly, era-equipped soul-pop music they pretty much invented and perfected over a series of albums in the latter part of the ’60s and early half of the ’70s, and you’ll uncover one of the most influential groups from the period, as our list of Sly and the Family Stone Albums Ranked proves.
The band formed in San Francisco, with Sly Stone heading a multi-racial, multi-gender outfit that indeed included a couple of his siblings. The core lineup made seven albums together. After they split – following Stone’s descent into drugs and paranoia, among other issues – he made one album under his name before collecting another group of players as Sly and the Family Stone.
It took a while for the band to find its perfect groove. The first few records sketched out a template that was perfected on 1969’s Stand!, which became an even bigger hit after the group’s history-making performance at Woodstock that year. They were the ideal band for the new generation: men, women, black, white – all playing a mix of soul and pop sprinkled with a dose of psychedelia that never strayed too far from the melody.
But then the ’60s ended, Stone retreated to his bedroom, got high and constructed the band’s masterpiece, 1971’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On, as a sort of reaction to the new era. The dark, druggy LP sounded like it was recorded under a blanket of pot smoke, deepening the bass notes and introducing the drum machine to pop audiences. It could have been career suicide, but it ended up being Sly and the Family Stone’s only No. 1 album.
Then things got darker and weirder. Stone’s drug use heightened, and after one final record in the early ’80s, he all but disappeared, making just a few public appearances in the three decades since he went away. His music holds a legacy, bridging together this idea that everyone is invited to their psychedelic soul party. And everyone was, as you’ll see in our list below of Sly and the Family Stone Albums Ranked.
Sly and the Family Stone Albums Ranked
They leveraged radio-friendly, era-equipped soul-pop music at the turn of the ’70s to become one of the most influential groups from the period.
Sly Stone, the multifaceted frontman of Sly and the Family Stone, has died at the age of 82.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, Sly Stone of Sly and the Family Stone,” a statement from his family said. “After a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend, and his extended family. While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.”
The statement noted that Stone recently completed a screenplay about his life, “a project we are eager to share with the world in due course.”
“We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time,” the statement continued. “We wish peace and harmony to all who were touched by Sly’s life and his iconic music. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your unwavering support.”
Stone had previously shared a bit about his health issues. In October of 2023, he spoke with The Guardian via email — he was too ill to speak in person.
“I have trouble with my lungs, trouble with my voice, trouble with my hearing and trouble with the rest of my body, too,” he said, referencing his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which drastically reduced his lung capacity. In 2019, he was told by doctors — not for the first time — that if he didn’t stop smoking, he’d be setting himself up for death. That time, it stuck. “Once I decided,” he said, “it just happened.”
Sly Stone in the Beginning
Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas on March 15, 1943, Stone wasn’t just a musically inclined child, but something of a prodigy. His family moved to California when he was small, and he grew up singing with his siblings and in the church choir, but by the time he was an adolescent, he’d already mastered several different instruments, including guitar, drums, keyboards and bass.
Stone worked for a time as a DJ for a radio station in San Francisco, and also landed gigs playing keyboards for acts like Dionne Warwick, the Righteous Brothers, Marvin Gaye and more. By the second half of the ’60s, he’d formed his own, multiracial band, Sly and the Family Stone, and in 1967, they released their debut album, A Whole New Thing. Though it took a couple of years, the band eventually found major success with their fourth album, Stand!, and before the decade was out, they had three Top Five singles to their name: “Everyday People,” “Hot Fun in the Summertime” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).”
But the success was not long lasting. Within six years, the lineup of the band had shifted dramatically, and working together in the studio and on the road became increasingly more difficult, partially due to issues with substance abuse. “It was a dark scene,” Stone would later explain to Madhouse Magazine. “We were all paranoid.” The group dissolved in 1975.
Stone went on to record a few solo albums — only one, 1975’s High on You was released under his own name, the rest were credited as Sly and the Family Stone records — and he also collaborated with Funkadelic. But Stone’s struggles with drugs and alcohol only worsened and he steadily withdrew from the public spotlight. (At one point, it was reported that Stone was homeless and living in a van in Los Angeles.) Between 1987 and his death, Stone only made a few notable appearances, like at his band’s 1993 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and at the 2006 Grammy Awards where he performed for the first time in close to 20 years.
And Stone never minded that other artists emulated him in later years.”I was always happy if someone took the things I was doing and they liked them enough to want to do them on their own,” he said in 2023. “I’m proud that the music I made inspired people.”
“I want people to know I am thinking about them and to know that I appreciate that they are thinking about me, remembering me and the music I made,” he wrote in the book. “That’s where the focus should be. Life has not always been easy.”
Though Stone’s latter years were sometimes marred with unfavorable or concerning headlines, the funk icon seemed not to have many regrets for the way things unfolded over the years, telling The Guardian in 2023: “I never lived a life I didn’t want to live.”
The first great drive-in movie of the summer arrived this past weekend in the form of Dangerous Animals, which adds some clever and terrifying twists to the killer shark genre.
The movie stars Hassie Harrison as a young surfer named Zephyr who gets abducted by Tucker, a psychotic shark-sighting tour boat captain. Scarred for life both physically and mentally after surviving a shark attack as a child, Tucker now gets his kicks by feeding young women to the creatures while filming their struggles.
Early on, he points out that the sharks aren’t the villains here – they’d prefer not to tangle with humans at all. He’s the real predator, using blood and chum to manipulate them into doing his dirty work. Zephyr struggles repeatedly, cleverly and mightily to escape this fate – and that’s the most you’ll want to know about the plot in advance.
Jai Courtney is mesmerizing and menacing as Tucker, who uses charisma and charm to put his victims at ease before trapping them and revealing his true malevolence. There’s no way on this wrongly-aimed Earth he’ll get an Oscar nod for this role. But in a dream world he would, and the clip they should show during the ceremony would be his cocky drunken post-murder celebration dance, set to Stevie Wright’s “Evie (Let Your Hang Hair Down).”
Dangerous Animals is the perfect movie to be watching after midnight as the second half of a drive-in double feature, which luckily enough is just how it was presented over the past weekend. (It’s also playing indoors, see it in whatever way you can.)
Obviously, there have been many other movies released this year that were fun to see on a big outdoor screen. But there’s a certain magic that happens at the drive-in when you catch a low-budget, unheralded movie that is smarter, funnier and better than it has any right to be.
Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners was amazing but is overqualified for drive-in movie of the year honors, if that helps explains things a bit better. To a lesser extent, the same is true for Final Destination Bloodlines, Thunderbolts, Ballerina and Novocaine, although the latter might be in the bronze medal position right now.
So far second place might go to the hysterically raunchy comedy One of Them Days, which might have provided the most “Oh my god… they didn’t” laughs since 2023’s woefully underrated Strays. But if it gets here before the drive-ins close for the winter, look for Sisu 2 to make a strong medal run.
You can find out where Dangerous Animals is playing near you at the movie’s official website. But drive-ins are often excluded from such listings, so be sure to find the drive-ins closest to you and check their websites as well.
Watch the ‘Dangerous Animals’ Trailer
20 Meanest ’80s Movie Bullies
In no era in American movies was there a more fruitful and entertaining trade in that great cinematic tradition, the ’80s big screen bully.
The couple huddled on the bench gaze open-mouthed at the scene in front of them. Parading along the shore of one of the crystal-blue lakes that sandwich the Finnish city of Tampere are six people dressed like they’ve just wandered in from an episode of Game Of Thrones: leather, buckles, beards, hair. All that’s missing are a dwarf, a couple of eunuchs and a three-eyed raven.
“Is that really them?” asks the woman in accented but perfect English. Her companion peers closer through the late-afternoon sunshine and nods uncertainly. The two of them look like students in their early 20s: tidy haircuts, unassuming clothes, warm jackets to defy the brisk air. If there’s an air of uncertainty about them, it could be because, by their own admission, they’ve “had a little smoke”.
“Holy shit,” he reiterates, just to make sure. “Can we get their autographs?”
By the lake, the six members of Nightwish – and it is definitely them – appear oblivious to the attentions of these two unlikely fans as they line up for a photoshoot. Either that or they’ve learned to take it in their stride. Already today, they’ve had their photos taken by a pair of middle-aged women in a hotel lobby, been congratulated on their achievements by the owners of the oldest sauna in Finland, and been watched from afar by a group of dog-walkers near an old observation tower deep in the woods.
This feature originally appeared in Metal Hammer issue 276 (December 2015) (Image credit: Future)
But then that’s life when you’re the most successful band Finland’s ever produced. Since they formed almost 20 years ago in the sleepy town of Kitee, eastern Finland, they’ve done more than any other group to turn symphonic metal from a cult concern into a worldwide commercial juggernaut. Tomorrow, they’ll play their biggest-ever headlining gig at a 25,000- capacity athletics stadium here in Tampere, bringing along enough pyrotechnical firepower to wipe out neighbouring Sweden.
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“We’re country boys from Finland,” says Tuomas Holopainen, the keyboard player, musical mastermind and king of understatement who’s steered Nightwish from the backwaters of the Northern European symphonic metal ghetto into the wide open seas of international success. “Here we are now, after 20 years and all the ups and downs, doing these kinds of shows. It’s odd.”
Or, as the couple on the beach would have it: “Holy shit.”
Nightwish in 2015: (from left) (Image credit: Press)
If you were asked to pick out the leader of Nightwish from a police lineup, it’s unlikely that you’d choose Tuomas Holopainen. You might go for Floor Jansen, the statuesque Dutch singer who officially joined the band before this year’s Endless Forms Most Beautiful and who everyone else can’t help but seem to orbit. Or it might be fork-bearded bassist and co-vocalist Marco Hietala, who permanently looks like he should be beating a large drum on a Viking longboat as it sails across the North Sea to raid some unfortunate hamlet near Sunderland. It might even be Troy Donockley, the band’s honorary Brit, who combines the role of multi-instrumentalist and court jester.
But no, it’s the man with the measured baritone speaking voice and the floor-length black dust coat lurking quietly on the fringes of the group who runs the show. “I would say I’m the leader of the pack,” he says in a deep, measured voice. “But not a tyrant or dictator.”
We’re sitting in a darkened room in a hotel off Tampere’s main shopping drag. Outside, the streets of Finland’s third-largest city look like they’ve been taken over by an invading army ahead of tomorrow’s show; one clad head-to-toe in black and sporting t-shirts emblazoned with his band’s logo.
Tuomas knew his band had become truly famous when the Prime Minster of Finland started giving his opinion. It was 2005, and their most recent album, Once, was on its way to selling more than 2 million copies worldwide (and at a cost of more than €1,000,000 to make, including videos, it’s a good job it did).
The PM, Matti Vanhanen, was an enthusiastic metal fan, but it wasn’t Nightwish’s music that had caught his attention. No, it was their messy split with singer Tarja Turunen, the classically trained soprano who helped bring Tuomas’s ornate visions to life, that prompted him to speak out. Despite the band’s unprecedented success, Tarja had unexpectedly been fired by the rest of the band following what should have been a triumphant end-of-tour gig in Helsinki.
The PM’s quote itself was fairly innocuous. “I’m not for either side,” he told the press. “They are young people, and hopefully will manage to go forward in this difficult situation.” But the fact he had chipped in was a sign of just how big a deal Nightwish had become in their home country. It would be like David Cameron telling The Sun how much he likes the new Bring Me The Horizon record.
A decade, and one further period of singer- related upheaval, down the line, Tuomas is still perplexed by the reaction. “The funny thing is that I never ever thought it would be such a big deal,” he says of the PM’s would-be intervention. “We just thought, ‘OK, we’re a rock band, nobody really cares.’ Then the tabloids started commenting on it. It became a national tragedy. There’s a metal band with four neanderthals and a princess, and the princess gets hurt.”
In the end, Nightwish pulled through – as they did seven years later when they parted ways with Tarja’s replacement, Anette Olzon (today, Tuomas politely but firmly declines to go over the specifics of either departure, pointing out that “they’ve already been written about”).
Unforeseen media storms aside, Nightwish’s tribulations have barely troubled their rise. Their most recent album, the grandiose Endless Forms Most Beautiful, consolidated the band’s position as mainland Europe’s most successful metal band, give or take a Rammstein, while the presence of controversial evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins on the album lent the band a gravitas their symphonic metal contemporaries often lack.
“I wish I knew,” says Tuomas, when asked about the reasons behind his band’s popularity. “Perhaps it’s the sincerity of the whole thing. That’s the biggest strength of the whole band. I mean, in many aspects we are a naive band. I still didn’t feel like I was going to work when I hopped on the train this morning.”
Troy has a different theory. A redoubtable, folk-and-prog loving northerner who’s played with everyone from Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys to former Young One Adrian Edmondson (“Ade came to Brixton Academy the last time we played there. He absolutely loved it”), he suggests it’s down to the intelligence that lurks behind Nightwish’s Andrew Lloyd Webber-meets-Dungeons & Dragons facade. “It’s intelligent music in every respect,” says the man who contributes everything from Uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes) to bouzouki (a long-necked lute). “It’s intelligent, complex, orchestral, but human at the same time. Not every band who does this sort of music has that.”
Nightwish’s Tuomas Holopainen and Floor Jansen in 2017 (Image credit: Press)
All of those things may well have played a part in Nightwish’s rise. But by far the biggest reason is that they do everything bigger and better than everyone else: stage shows, pyrotechnics, albums, movies, songs, solo albums about Scrooge McDuck. Tuomas smiles. “Well, you’ve got to give people something to remember,” he says.
Nightwish are indisputably Tuomas’s band, and their history is inextricably bound to his own. The keyboard player formed the band in August 1996. He’d previously played with various largely forgotten Finnish groups, including teenage black metal outfit Darkwoods My Bethrothed and Nattvindens Gråt, before being conscripted for National Service in the Finnish army. “It wasn’t my cup of tea,” he says of the latter, eyebrow raised. “I actually got accepted in the military band, which was a blessing because I’d just play my clarinet for nine and a half months, so I didn’t have to play around with guns and all that.”
One positive thing did come out of his time in the army. It was there that he wrote the music for what would become Nightwish’s debut album, Angels Fall First, released on New Year’s Eve 1996. That album was an out-of-the-gate success in Finland, entering the national Top 40. Their two successive albums continued the young band’s dramatic upswing: 1998’s Oceanborn reached Number Five in the charts, while Wishmaster made it all the way to Number One.
As is the way of these things, Germany was quick to latch on. The UK was slower. It wasn’t until a headlining turn at 2003’s Bloodstock, on the back of their fourth album, Century Child, that British fans began to embrace them en masse. Since then, the gigs have become bigger, and the albums more successful, culminating in the Top 20 success of Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Even more remarkably, North America hasn’t been much further behind – their last two albums both entered the Billboard Top 40, which is some feat in a musical climate that’s largely ambivalent to rock and metal bands.
But through it all, there’s been the perception to the outside world that Tuomas runs the band with a rod of iron. The evidence for the prosecution rests on the apparently brutal dismissal of the band’s first two singers, not to mention former bassist Sami Vänskä, who was forced out before Century Child due to ‘musical differences’ with Tuomas. He counters that not only were the changes necessary, but the band have emerged stronger from them. And anyway, someone has to have final say. “I mean, a band is not a democracy, but certain things are,” he says.
Are you saying that Nightwish is or isn’t a democracy?
“I deliberately give a lot of space to everybody in the band, artistically and in other senses,” he says after a thoughtful pause. “During the past few years, we’ve actually talked about this – that maybe other people should step up a bit more. I feel it’s a bit too identified by me as my band. Which it’s not. I do 90% of the songs, yes, but it’s still a band.”
Floor Jansen was at her sister’s wedding in 2012 when she got the call asking if she’d sing for Nightwish. She knew who they were, of course – her previous band, After Forever, had toured with them a decade earlier. And she was aware of the problems they’d had with both of her predecessors. But it still took her by surprise. “I was like, ‘What?!’”
If Tuomas is thoughtful and intense, Floor is efficient and direct. Our conversation isn’t helped by the fact that she’s having her hair and make-up done for our photoshoot, though you get the feeling she’d be the same if she wasn’t. An easy question about her background is met by an arched eyebrow and the words: “You haven’t read much about me, have you?”
Her first show with Nightwish was in Seattle in October 2012. She describes “a sense of primal fear” going through her mind in the minutes before she took the stage. “There was this evil voice in my head that said, ‘What on earth do you think you’re doing? You don’t know these songs, you’ve had no time to learn them’,” she says. “And everybody in the venue was holding a cell phone, so it would be on YouTube straight away.”
She survived the gig with dignity intact, as shaky phone-cam YouTube footage indeed shows. But at that early point, there was no sense that it would lead to a permanent position.
“No, no, no,” she says firmly. “At that point it was more survival. I wasn’t thinking any further than tomorrow.”
It was actually following a festival here in Tampere that the rest of the band asked her to become their permanent singer. “It was in the bar of a hotel that they popped the question: ‘Do you want to join?’” she says, with a laugh. “I can’t remember much about what happened after that. I can only remember that I couldn’t tell too many people.”
Joining a band who got through singers like a bottom-of-the-league football team gets through managers must have been a concern. Especially since both of her predecessors left in less-than-friendly circumstances.
Nightwish’s Floor Jansen in 2015 (Image credit: Ollie Millington/Redferns)
“No, not really,” she says, with a firm shake of her head. “I’m not like the other two – they might not be like each other either. So there’s different chemistry there, and in time we all grow more mature, we all learn from mistakes, so it would be unfair to think: ‘What if they treat me bad?’”
There’s a perception that this is Tuomas’s band. Is that accurate?
“Yeah, I think it’s his band,” she says, then adds diplomatically: “But it’s also [guitarist] Emppu [Vuorinen]’s band and it’s Marco’s band and it’s Troy’s band. Every band needs a leader, and Tuomas is the band leader. He’s the shaper, but without the input of other people it would not be where it is today. So it is his band, yes.”
Is he a hard man to be in a band with?
“[Emphatically] No, not at all.”
If he came up with a terrible idea, would you say, “That’s a terrible idea?”
“Yeah, I think so.
Do you feel like a hired hand in Nightwish?
“No, not at all. Why should I?”
So is Nightwish permanent for you? Will you be here for the next album?
“I surely hope so,” she says. “Yeah.”
It’s something that Tuomas backs up, albeit with the polite weariness of a man who has lost track of how many times he has said it .
“Tarja wore me out big time,” he says. “There’s no way that I could personally take another one of those, so I have said that Floor is the last singer of Nightwish. Period.”
Nightwish – Shudder Before The Beautiful (OFFICIAL LIVE) – YouTube
There are a few things you might not know about Tuomas Holopainen. Beginning around the time of 1998’s Oceanborn, he worked as a stand-in teacher in his hometown’s high school for two-and-a-half years. He’s a fan of Formula 1 racing: he has the phone number of Finnish driver Heikki Kovalainen in his mobile phone, and there are pictures of him rubbing shoulders with Lewis Hamilton in Brazil a few years ago. Less glamorously, it was his ill-advised decision for the band to take part in the televised competition to become Finland’s entry in the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest, in which they came second (“It seemed like a good idea at the time, though I was the only one who thought so”). He also claims he can name any capital city in the world, which is only partially correct – he gets Mongolia right (capital: Ulaanbaatar), but falls down on Malawi (correct answer: Lilongwe).
These days, he lives in a house he built himself near the town he grew up in. He has a horse (“My wife rides it, not me”) and, given his public persona as a kind of gothic Andrew Lloyd Webber, an unlikely fondness for horticulture.
“I love gardening,” he says, as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. “I grow my own chilli peppers and tomatoes and potatoes. Nightwish isn’t my whole life. It used to be my whole life.”
Was there a point where you felt trapped by the band?
“At some points during the past, yes. There have been times where it was all about music and I didn’t think about anything else.”
Did part of you enjoy that?
“Back then I did, but it cost me a lot of relationships, some bridges were burnt. The same old story.”
In 2001, Tuomas came close to splitting Nightwish. It was just after the tour for the Wishmaster album. They had no manager; Tuomas and drummer Jukka Nevalainen (currently on indefinite hiatus from the band, though still involved behind the scenes) were taking care of the band’s business affairs. Adding to the stresses, relationships between bandmembers were starting to fracture.
“You know, the classic, ‘You’re earning more than I am, what’s this all about?’ nonsense,” says Tuomas with a sigh. “‘Well, actually, I do the songs…’ It all piled up. I just thought it was easier to let go than try to work things out.”
Nightwish’s Tuomas Holopainen in 2015 (Image credit: Ollie Millington/Redferns)
It was his friend Tony Kakko, singer with Finish band Sonata Arctica, who persuaded him to keep going during a hiking trip in Lapland. There were casualties, most notably original bassist Sami Vänskä. “It was just that one time, 15 years ago,” he says. “But after that, no, I’ve never doubted what we were doing. Not even during the change of the vocalists.”
Do you read your own reviews?
“Sometimes, yes.”
Do negative reviews affect you?
“They do, yes. I admire people who say that criticism doesn’t touch them at all. I don’t know how they do it. Though it depends on how the argument is presented. If it makes sense, I’m OK with it, but sometimes it gets really personal.”
What’s the worst thing you’ve ever read about Nightwish?
“Well, about 10 years ago, when the big drama happened, there was a lot of writing about us being women-haters. What’s the word in English?”
Misogynist.
“Misogynist. Yes, all that kind of stuff. And a lot of death threats.”
Can you see why someone might think you’re a misogynist, having fired two female singers?
“No, no, not at all. I mean, we have a female singer in the band now.”
You said you received death threats. How did that make you feel?
“You mean was I scared? No. [Laughs] In fact, it made me feel like people were noticing us.”
Looking back, could you have handled the situation differently when it came to the singers? Were there things you could have done beforehand to stop these situations building up?
“I’m sure there could have been,” he says. “That goes for both sides. But do I have regrets? The way we handled Tarja’s departure was bad. We could have handled it better, but when you’re trapped in a corner, you just want to get out as quickly as possible, by any means. Then you make hasty decisions.”
Have you spoken to her since she left?
“No.”
Do you think you will?
He smiles wryly. “I think it’s highly unlikely.”
(Image credit: Press)
The Ratinan Stadion – to give this 1960s football ground its official name – was formerly the home to Tampere United, a team who played in the Finnish premier league until they were busted on suspicion of money laundering in 2011 and subsequently dissolved. This would be the single most rock’n’roll thing about the city, were it not for the existence of a strip club named Big Tits, above which Nightwish’s guitarist and sole Tampere resident Emppu Vuorinen lives.
In a few hours’ time, Nightwish will take to the vast stage set-up at one end of the playing field, currently being loaded with its own battery of lights and fireworks. Right now, the band are perched patiently behind a hastily stuck-together desk waiting to greet the first of a 200-strong queue of people who have paid for a pre-show meet and greet.
Even for a band like Nightwish, who seem to exist in a musical Narnia of their own creation, it’s an easy way to make extra money. But then Nightwish have never been about the sort of rebellion that most of their peers pay lip service to. This is purely about an audio and visual spectacle.
“This is an interesting subject,” Tuomas says when the topic is brought up. “I’ve never really seen Nightwish as a rock band – or as a rebellious band. We’ve never had the urge to shock people or be ‘rock’n’roll’. It’s never been of value to us. That’s not our thing.”
So what is your ‘thing’?
“Just a really strong passion to tell stories and write music. It’s the only thing that I feel like I’m good at. It’s the only way I can function as a human being.”
In fairness, no one quite tells stories like Tuomas Holopainen and Nightwish, and they come wrapped up in the sort of extravagance that no one outside of your high-end Broadway show does anymore. Onstage in Tampere, the sheer magnitude of it all lives up to the billing of The Greatest Show On Earth. In fact, the only thing missing is an appearance from Richard Dawkins (interestingly, there is talk of the estimable professor attending the Wembley show, though Tuomas can’t confirm if he’ll actually join them onstage).
Back in the hotel room, Nightwish’s leader is pondering his band’s place in the scheme of things, and his own place within it all. Is there ever a time when Tuomas Holopainen wakes up and thinks, ‘I’m bored of this’?
“Not like that,” he says, shaking his head. “There are better days and worse days. Sometimes, I might think: ‘This has become so big that I can’t handle this monster any more.’ That’s a really weird thought, and every now and then I have some trouble comprehending it.”
Holy shit, indeed.
Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 276, December 2015
Dave Everley has been writing about and occasionally humming along to music since the early 90s. During that time, he has been Deputy Editor on Kerrang! and Classic Rock, Associate Editor on Q magazine and staff writer/tea boy on Raw, not necessarily in that order. He has written for Metal Hammer, Louder, Prog, the Observer, Select, Mojo, the Evening Standard and the totally legendary Ultrakill. He is still waiting for Billy Gibbons to send him a bottle of hot sauce he was promised several years ago.
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It seems like nothing can dent Massive Attack’s moral compass. The Bristol trip-hop pioneers have always been a principled force, but since returning from a five-year concert dry spell in 2024, they’ve especially used their stature to mould live music to their design.
Earlier this week, they banned promotion for Barclays at a Manchester gig (the bank has ties to companies funding the Israeli military). Now, the first day of London’s LIDO festival has a bill hand-picked by Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, all the food on sale is vegan, and everything the crowd sees onstage is battery-powered.
From the start of tonight’s headline showcase, it’s clear those batteries are doing vital, herculean work. Massive Attack’s intro is a video about the atrocities currently being committed in Gaza, screened onto a backdrop at least 30ft tall.
That consciousness runs like a heartbeat throughout the 90-minute set. The group’s towering visuals display haunting numbers and images not just concerning the horrors in Palestine, but also the suffering within the Congo, the hoarding of data for wealth, and the news media and politicians trying to distract us from all of it. It’s a manifesto for the human race, rooted in harsh reality rather than the flimsy plucking of heartstrings.
Of course, that messaging wouldn’t land half as hard if the music underscoring it weren’t immaculate. But, Massive Attack put just as much effort into sonic presentation as they do optical information (if not more), expanding to a monumental eight-piece lineup. And that’s not including the revolving door of guest singers they’ve brought along, as well.
Such opuses as Blue Lines and Mezzanine have been benchmarks for songwriting economy ever since they came out, making just a handful of layers and motifs feel like orchestral monoliths, and this evening only furthers that sense of scale. Inertia Creeps’ distorted riffing and twin drumkits hit as hard as any metal band you can name. At the other end of the spectrum, Teardrop is even more tragic than usual, hammered home by powerful acoustic guitar.
Vocalists Deborah Miller, Horace Andy and Elizabeth Fraser are all in majestic form, despite the latter two recording their defining Massive Attack parts more than 25 years ago. Andy remains distinct and seductive at 74, especially during the darkly alluring Angel. Miller’s wails throughout Safe From Harm ignite more than one round of blown-away cheering, and Fraser leads the ominous crawl of Black Milk as gracefully as she did in 1998.
In one performance, Massive Attack have captured the purpose of modern live music, being faithful to recorded works while elevating them to new levels, and embodied the spirit of protest art. This is a collective who embrace their standing and use it to its fullest potential, both as entertainers and campaigners. Why can’t more musicians do that?
Massive Attack setlist: LIDO festival, London – June 6, 2025
In My Mind (Gigi D’Agostino cover) Risingson Girl I Love You Black Milk Take It There Future Proof Song To The Siren (Tim Buckley cover) Inertia Creeps Rockwrok (Ultravox cover) Angel Safe From Harm I Against I (feat. Yasiin Bey) Unfinished Sympathy Levels (Avicii cover) Teardrop
Contributing Editor, Metal Hammer
Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Metal Hammer and Prog, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, NME and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.
Moody Finnish prog metallers Amorphis, who recently announced they would release their brand new studio album, Biorderland, through Reigning Phoenix Music on September 26, have now shared the first new music from the upcoming album, first single, Light And Shadow.
The new single, with its uplifting piano intro and electronic sound tapestry, is a tale of self-discovery that builds in suitably epic Amorphis style.
“I threw my brain into the closet and went with the flow – without stressing about opinions,” says keyboardist Santeri Kallio, who wrote the music for Light And Shadow. “I didn’t want to repeat the old nor copy what we’ve already done before. When I heard Tomi’s final vocal parts, I realised that Light And Shadow would be the perfect introduction to our new album!”
Borderland was produced by producer Jacob Hansen at his Danish Hansen Studios and the album artwork, which you can see below, was designed by Dutch artist Marald Van Haasteren, whohas worked with Metallica, Black Sabbath and Alcest.
“Borderland is the first Amorphis album produced in collaboration with producer Jacob Hansen,” adds guitarist Esa Holopainen. “Before that, we had made three amazing records at Jens Bogren’s studio. During the planning phase of the project, we strongly felt that it was time to explore something new and see what working with a different producer might bring to the table!”
Once again the lyrics for the new album have been supplied by Finnish artist Pekka Kainulainen, who has worked on every Amorphis album with the band since 2007’s Silent Waters.
“The generations that came here before us, our ancestors, also had to face death and destruction,” he says. “Honouring the mythologies of mankind, as well as the listeners of Amorphis, I wrote lyrics that hopefully convey some of the humility and strength that mankind has always depended on.”
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Borderland will be available as a limited edition box-set including CD, 2LP vinyl and additional exclusive contents curated by the band, a limited CD+2LP earbook, as various coloured 2LP vinyl, digipak CD, jewel case CD and as a digital album.
Amorphis: Borderland 1. The Circle 2. Bones 3. Dancing Shadow 4. Fog To Fog 5. The Strange 6. Tempest 7. Light And Shadow 8. The Lantern 9. Borderland 10. Despair
Bonus Tracks (digipak-CD & vinyl only!) 11. War Band 12. Rowan And The Cloud
Writer and broadcaster Jerry Ewing is the Editor of Prog Magazine which he founded for Future Publishing in 2009. He grew up in Sydney and began his writing career in London for Metal Forces magazine in 1989. He has since written for Metal Hammer, Maxim, Vox, Stuff and Bizarre magazines, among others. He created and edited Classic Rock Magazine for Dennis Publishing in 1998 and is the author of a variety of books on both music and sport, including Wonderous Stories; A Journey Through The Landscape Of Progressive Rock.
Feature Photo: Excel23, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Behind elaborate masks and shrouded in mystery, five core musicians from London have crafted one of contemporary rock music’s most enigmatic and compelling narratives. Sleep Token emerged in 2016 as an anonymous collective dedicated to serving their fictional deity through genre-defying musical offerings. The band maintains strict anonymity through mask-wearing and stage names, creating a mystique that has only intensified their cult following and critical acclaim.
Their musical portfolio encompasses four studio albums, two extended plays, and seventeen singles that showcase their evolution from ambient beginnings to chart-topping success. Their discography includes One (2016), Two (2017), Sundowning (2019), This Place Will Become Your Tomb (2021), Take Me Back to Eden (2023), and Even in Arcadia (2025). Commercial achievements include multiple UK chart positions, with Take Me Back to Eden reaching number three and Even in Arcadia claiming the top spot, while “Emergence” became their first top 20 single and entry onto the US Billboard Hot 100.
The band structure consists of permanent core members Vessel and II, who handle all studio recordings and songwriting, alongside touring members III and IV who contribute to live performances. Additionally, the backing vocal trio Espera provides live harmonic support during performances. Sleep Token has received recognition through Heavy Music Awards nominations and wins, while maintaining their theatrical commitment to anonymity despite achieving mainstream success across multiple continents.
Vessel
Vessel joined Sleep Token as its founding member and creative architect when the band formed in London in 2016. Serving as lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Vessel has remained the singular driving force behind Sleep Token’s artistic vision throughout their existence. His identity remains officially anonymous, though he handles all vocal duties and most instrumental parts in studio recordings while maintaining the band’s mysterious persona.
His musical background includes formal training at Bristol Institute of Modern Music, which provided the technical foundation for his distinctive vocal approach. Before Sleep Token, he participated in various musical projects including the ambient duo Blacklit Canopy alongside Gemma Matthews, and a solo project called Dusk. His previous experience in atmospheric and experimental music directly informed Sleep Token’s genre-blending approach, particularly their incorporation of ambient and electronic elements.
Vessel’s contributions across Sleep Token’s albums demonstrate remarkable artistic growth and expanding creative vision. On One and Two, he established the band’s ethereal foundation through ambient compositions and clean vocal arrangements. Sundowning showcased his ability to integrate heavier elements while maintaining emotional vulnerability in his performance. This Place Will Become Your Tomb featured his growing confidence in contrast dynamics between delicate passages and powerful climaxes. Take Me Back to Eden marked his first co-producer credit alongside Carl Bown, reflecting his expanding role in shaping the band’s sonic identity. Even in Arcadia represents his most personal and direct approach to songwriting, addressing themes of intimacy and connection within their mystical framework.
Beyond his role in Sleep Token, Vessel has composed music for various multimedia projects and maintains interests in visual arts and conceptual design. His lyrical work often incorporates references to his previous musical endeavors, creating subtle connections between his past and present artistic expressions. His commitment to anonymity extends to limiting interviews and public appearances, with the band giving only minimal press interactions since their formation. His voice remains the central identifying element of Sleep Token’s sound, capable of transitioning seamlessly between whispered vulnerability and powerful emotional intensity.
II
II joined Sleep Token as the drummer and co-songwriter when the band formed in 2016, establishing the rhythmic foundation that anchors their genre-defying compositions. As the only band member besides Vessel credited with songwriting, II plays a crucial role in shaping Sleep Token’s musical direction while maintaining the group’s commitment to anonymity. His drumming style combines technical precision with emotional dynamics that complement Vessel’s vocal narratives.
His musical background includes extensive experience in metal and hardcore scenes before joining Sleep Token. Previous involvement with bands like Belial, As Winter Burns White, and She Must Burn provided him with technical skills and genre understanding that inform his approach to Sleep Token’s diverse stylistic requirements. His drumming education encompasses multiple influences ranging from metal pioneers to R&B and gospel traditions, creating a unique hybrid approach that distinguishes Sleep Token’s rhythmic identity.
Throughout Sleep Token’s discography, II has provided consistent excellence while adapting his style to each album’s specific requirements. One and Two featured his development of the atmospheric rhythmic framework that would become Sleep Token’s signature. Sundowning showcased his ability to support both ambient passages and heavier sections with appropriate dynamic sensitivity. This Place Will Become Your Tomb highlighted his growing integration of electronic elements with acoustic drumming. Take Me Back to Eden demonstrated his mastery of complex time signatures and polyrhythmic patterns that support the album’s progressive elements. Even in Arcadia represents his most sophisticated drumming, incorporating subtle details that enhance the album’s intimate emotional landscape.
II’s production involvement extends beyond performance to include creative input on arrangements and sonic textures. His understanding of electronic music production allows him to seamlessly integrate programmed elements with live drumming, creating the hybrid approach that characterizes Sleep Token’s studio recordings. His technical setup includes both acoustic and electronic elements that enable the band’s complex live presentations while maintaining the integrity of their recorded material.
III
III joined Sleep Token as their touring bassist, providing the low-end foundation for their live performances while supporting their studio work in various capacities. Although not credited as a permanent member, III has been integral to Sleep Token’s live presentation since their transition from studio project to touring act. His bass playing combines technical proficiency with musical sensitivity appropriate to Sleep Token’s dynamic compositions.
His musical background includes touring experience with prominent acts including Architects, where he developed skills managing high-profile live performances and complex touring logistics. This experience proved valuable when Sleep Token began expanding their live activities from small venues to major festivals and arenas. His approach to bass playing emphasizes both rhythmic precision and melodic contribution, adapting to songs that range from ambient minimalism to aggressive metal passages.
III’s contributions to Sleep Token’s live performances have been essential to translating their studio material to stage settings. His bass work provides harmonic foundation for both subtle atmospheric moments and powerful climaxes that define Sleep Token’s concert experience. His stage presence maintains the band’s mysterious aesthetic through costume and movement while delivering technically demanding performances. His equipment choices reflect the band’s needs for versatility, incorporating both traditional bass tones and electronic processing that matches their recorded sound.
Outside Sleep Token, III has maintained involvement in other musical projects while balancing his commitment to the band’s touring schedule. His technical skills and professional experience have made him a sought-after collaborator within the UK music scene. His dedication to Sleep Token’s artistic vision extends beyond mere performance to include understanding and embodying their conceptual approach to anonymity and theatrical presentation.
IV
IV joined Sleep Token as lead guitarist and backing vocalist, adding crucial instrumental and vocal elements that distinguish their live performances from studio recordings. His guitar work provides both rhythmic support and melodic counterpoint to Vessel’s vocals while his backing vocals add harmonic depth during live presentations. His transition from guitar technician to full band member represents one of Sleep Token’s most significant lineup developments.
His musical foundation includes extensive experience with the metalcore band Continents, where he developed the heavy yet melodic guitar style that characterizes his Sleep Token contributions. His time with Continents from 2013 to 2019 provided him with understanding of aggressive guitar techniques and stage performance that inform his approach to Sleep Token’s heavier material. His ability to balance technical precision with emotional expression makes him particularly suited to Sleep Token’s genre-spanning compositions.
IV’s guitar work has become increasingly prominent across Sleep Token’s evolution from studio project to live phenomenon. His contributions encompass both rhythm and lead guitar parts that support and enhance Vessel’s vocal melodies while providing textural variety through different guitar tones and techniques. His backing vocals add harmonic complexity during live performances, creating three-dimensional sound that differs from the studio albums’ approach. His stage presence maintains Sleep Token’s mysterious aesthetic while allowing his personality to emerge through his instrumental expression.
His equipment setup reflects Sleep Token’s needs for sonic versatility, incorporating both traditional and modern guitar technologies that enable him to recreate their diverse recorded material in live settings. His collaboration with the band’s production team ensures that live performances maintain the quality and impact of their studio work while adapting to venue-specific acoustic conditions. His commitment to Sleep Token’s artistic vision includes understanding their conceptual framework and contributing to their ongoing creative development.
Espera
Espera joined Sleep Token as their backing vocal trio, consisting of Mathilda Riley, Lynsey Ward, and Paige Lucip, who provide harmonic support during live performances. Their contributions add essential atmospheric elements that distinguish Sleep Token’s concert presentations from their studio recordings, where Vessel handles all vocal parts himself. Each member brings distinct vocal qualities and musical backgrounds that complement Sleep Token’s genre-defying approach.
Mathilda Riley contributes soulful, warm vocals that add depth to Sleep Token’s harmonic arrangements. Her diverse musical background encompasses various styles and genres, providing flexibility in adapting to Sleep Token’s wide-ranging material. Her session vocalist experience has equipped her with skills necessary for the demanding technical and artistic requirements of Sleep Token’s live presentations. Her social media presence documents her musical journey while maintaining connection with Sleep Token’s fanbase.
Lynsey Ward provides powerful, resonant vocals while also contributing keyboard skills from her work with progressive rock band Exploring Birdsong. Her classical music background complements Sleep Token’s experimental elements, while her intensity and energy enhance their live performances. Her dual role as vocalist and keyboardist demonstrates versatility that aligns with Sleep Token’s multi-dimensional approach to music creation. Her involvement with other musical projects showcases the breadth of talent that Espera brings to Sleep Token.
Paige Lucip adds ethereal, light vocals that create beautiful contrast with Vessel’s deeper tones and the band’s heavier musical elements. Her dreamlike vocal quality provides atmospheric enhancement that elevates Sleep Token’s live emotional impact. Her versatility allows seamless transitions between different musical passages within individual songs and across setlists. Her work as session vocalist demonstrates professional capabilities that match Sleep Token’s high performance standards.
Collectively, Espera enhances Sleep Token’s live mystique while providing crucial musical elements that translate their studio vision to concert settings. Their harmonies are meticulously crafted to complement rather than compete with Vessel’s lead vocals, creating layered vocal textures that define Sleep Token’s live sound. Their stage presence maintains the band’s anonymous aesthetic through costume and movement while allowing their individual personalities to contribute to the overall performance experience.
Former Members
Annina Melissa served as Sleep Token’s original keyboardist and backing vocalist from 2016 to 2020, contributing to their early development and studio recordings. Her involvement included piano arrangements and vocal harmonies that helped establish Sleep Token’s signature sound during their formative years. She departed to pursue opportunities in video game music composition, including work on Total War: Warhammer III and other Creative Assembly projects.
Her musical background includes brief involvement with She Must Burn alongside II, demonstrating the interconnected nature of the UK metal scene from which Sleep Token emerged. Her transition from Sleep Token to game audio work reflects the band’s ability to serve as a launching point for varied creative pursuits. Her contributions to Sleep Token’s early material can be heard in their BBC Maida Vale Session and debut releases.
Jasper Lyons served as Sleep Token’s lead guitarist during their early years from 2016 to 2020, developing the guitar approaches that would later be continued by IV. His departure coincided with the band’s transition to larger-scale touring and increased profile within the metal community. His guitar work appears on Sleep Token’s early recordings and established many of the techniques that define their instrumental approach.
His background includes ownership of Eastbourne Music Collective and involvement with other UK bands, demonstrating his continued connection to the music community beyond Sleep Token. His collaborative relationships with other early band members, including III, illustrate the tight-knit nature of Sleep Token’s founding lineup. His departure marked a significant transition period for Sleep Token as they evolved from underground project to internationally recognized act.
Feature Photo: Andre Luiz Moreira / Shutterstock.com
Sam Smith was raised in Great Chishill, Cambridgeshire, and attended St Mary’s Catholic School in Bishop’s Stortford before enrolling in London’s Youth Music Theatre UK and the Sylvia Young Theatre School. Early on, they pursued training in both music and performance, laying the foundation for a professional career in entertainment. However, it wasn’t until Smith’s vocal contribution to Disclosure’s 2012 single “Latch” that they first captured widespread attention. The track’s success across the UK and European charts introduced a new voice in electronic and soul-pop fusion and set the stage for Smith’s rapid ascent in the music industry.
The next pivotal moment arrived in 2013 when Smith featured on Naughty Boy’s “La La La,” a chart-topping hit that earned them their first number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. Riding this momentum, Smith released their debut single “Lay Me Down,” followed by “Money on My Mind,” which became another UK chart-topper. These songs helped build anticipation for their debut studio album, In the Lonely Hour, which was released in May 2014. The album included the breakout hit “Stay with Me,” which became an international success, reaching the top ten in numerous countries and becoming a defining ballad of the decade.
In the Lonely Hour cemented Smith’s position in global pop music. The album produced other major singles such as “I’m Not the Only One,” “Like I Can,” and “Leave Your Lover,” each marked by Smith’s expressive vocal delivery and themes of unrequited love and vulnerability. The project was both a commercial and critical triumph, earning Smith four Grammy Awards in 2015, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year (for “Stay with Me”), and Best Pop Vocal Album. The album also won the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act and the MOBO Award for Best Song.
Smith followed their debut’s success with a high-profile contribution to the James Bond franchise. In 2015, they released “Writing’s on the Wall” as the theme song for Spectre. The track made history as the first Bond theme to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart and later won both the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. This achievement not only added to their award collection but also reinforced their versatility and broad appeal across genres and audiences.
In 2017, Smith returned with their second studio album, The Thrill of It All, which debuted at number one in both the UK and the US. The lead single “Too Good at Goodbyes” continued their streak of chart success, reaching number one in the UK and top five in the US. The album’s tracks, including “One Last Song” and “Pray,” reflected themes of heartbreak, self-reflection, and emotional growth. While maintaining the soulful foundation of their debut, the second album introduced more gospel and R&B influences, showcasing an evolving sound.
The next phase of Smith’s career brought changes not only musically but also personally. In 2019, they released the upbeat, disco-influenced single “Dancing with a Stranger” with Normani, which became a global hit and marked a sonic departure from their ballad-heavy catalog. This shift continued with the release of their third studio album, Love Goes, in 2020. The album featured a variety of collaborations and incorporated pop, dance, and electronic influences while still retaining their signature vulnerability. Tracks like “Diamonds” and “How Do You Sleep?” demonstrated a willingness to embrace different styles while remaining emotionally resonant.
In 2022, Smith released “Unholy,” a provocative and genre-bending collaboration with Kim Petras that became a massive global success. The song topped charts in over 20 countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States—marking Smith’s first number-one single in the U.S. as a lead artist. The track’s success culminated in a Grammy Award win in 2023 for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, making Petras the first openly transgender woman to win in that category, with Smith playing a key role in elevating the moment’s visibility.
Their fourth studio album, Gloria, arrived in 2023 and showcased a confident, experimental version of Smith, willing to tackle themes of self-empowerment, gender identity, and liberation. The album featured collaborations with artists such as Jessie Reyez and Ed Sheeran, and while it drew mixed critical responses, it reinforced Smith’s refusal to be boxed into any one genre or artistic image. Songs like “I’m Not Here to Make Friends” and “Gimme” pushed boundaries in both lyrical content and visual presentation.
Outside of music, Smith has become an outspoken figure on issues of gender identity and mental health. In 2019, they publicly came out as non-binary and adopted they/them pronouns, using their platform to advocate for better representation and understanding of non-binary individuals in media and entertainment. Smith has discussed their personal struggles with body image, anxiety, and identity in interviews and public appearances, further connecting with fans through openness and honesty.
In addition to their advocacy work, Smith has contributed to various charitable initiatives, supporting organizations focused on LGBTQ+ rights, homelessness, and mental health awareness. Their influence extends beyond their discography, as they continue to use their fame to bring attention to critical social issues. Smith’s visibility and openness have helped broaden the cultural conversation about gender and identity within mainstream music.
Smith’s live performances remain a major component of their artistry, with tours supporting each album drawing large international audiences. Their concerts blend dramatic visuals, heartfelt ballads, and up-tempo crowd favorites, often accompanied by messages of love, inclusivity, and resilience. Smith has headlined festivals and appeared on major televised stages, further establishing their status as a global performer.
As of 2025, Sam Smith’s catalog includes four studio albums—In the Lonely Hour (2014), The Thrill of It All (2017), Love Goes (2020), and Gloria (2023). Their list of accolades includes Grammy Awards, a Brit Award, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award, among others. Across all their work, Smith has consistently delivered deeply personal music, exploring the complexities of love, identity, heartbreak, and healing.
Smith’s ability to navigate the evolving landscape of pop while staying true to their voice has earned them a dedicated global fanbase. With a career marked by critical recognition, commercial success, and meaningful cultural impact, they continue to shape what it means to be an artist in today’s world—one who leads not only with talent but with authenticity and purpose.
Complete List Of Sam Smith Songs From A to Z
Another One – Love Goes – 2020
Baby, You Make Me Crazy – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Blind Eye – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Breaking Hearts – Love Goes – 2020
Burning – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Dance (‘Til You Love Someone Else) – Love Goes – 2020
Dancing with a Stranger (live from the Royal Albert Hall) – Gloria – 2023
Dancing with a Stranger (with Normani) – Love Goes – 2020
Diamonds – Love Goes – 2020
Dorothy’s Interlude – Gloria – 2023
Fire on Fire – Love Goes – 2020
Fix You (live) – Love Goes – 2020
For the Lover That I Lost – Love Goes – 2020
Forgive Myself – Love Goes – 2020
Gimme (with Koffee and Jessie Reyez) – Gloria – 2023
Gloria – Gloria – 2023
Good Thing – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Heavenly Sent – Gloria – 2023
Him – The Thrill of It All – 2017
How Do You Sleep? – Love Goes – 2020
How Do You Sleep? (live from the Royal Albert Hall) – Gloria – 2023
How to Cry – Gloria – 2023
Hurting Interlude – Gloria – 2023
I’m Not Here to Make Friends – Gloria – 2023
I’m Not the Only One – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
I’m Not the Only One (live from the Royal Albert Hall) – Gloria – 2023
I’m Ready (with Demi Lovato) – Love Goes – 2020
In the Lonely Hour (Acoustic) – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
I’ve Told You Now – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Kids Again – Love Goes – 2020
Kissing You – Gloria – 2023
La La La (Naughty Boy featuring Sam Smith) – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Latch (Acoustic) – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Laurel Canyon – Love Goes – 2020
Lay Me Down – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Leader of the Pack – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Leave Your Lover – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Life Support – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Like I Can – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Lose You – Gloria – 2023
Lose You (live from the Royal Albert Hall) – Gloria – 2023
Love Goes (featuring Labrinth) – Love Goes – 2020
Love Me More – Gloria – 2023
Make It to Me – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Midnight Train – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Money on My Mind – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
My Oasis (featuring Burna Boy) – Love Goes – 2020
Nirvana – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Nirvana (Acoustic) – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
No God – Gloria – 2023
No Peace (featuring Yebba) – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Not in That Way – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Nothing Left for You – The Thrill of It All – 2017
One Day at a Time – The Thrill of It All – 2017
One Last Song – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Palace – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Perfect (with Jessie Reyez) – Gloria – 2023
Pray – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Promises (with Calvin Harris) – Love Goes – 2020
Reminds Me of You – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Restart – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Safe with Me – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Say It First – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Scars – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Six Shots – Gloria – 2023
So Serious – Love Goes – 2020
Sober – Love Goes – 2020
Stay with Me – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Stay with Me (Darkchild Remix) – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Stay with Me (Darkchild Remix featuring Mary J. Blige) – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Stay with Me (live from the Royal Albert Hall) – Gloria – 2023
The Thrill of It All – The Thrill of It All – 2017
To Die For – Love Goes – 2020
Together (Disclosure, Sam Smith, Nile Rodgers and Jimmy Napes) – In the Lonely Hour – 2014
Too Good at Goodbyes – The Thrill of It All – 2017
Too Good at Goodbyes (live from the Royal Albert Hall) – Gloria – 2023
Unholy (featuring Kim Petras; live from the Royal Albert Hall) – Gloria – 2023
Unholy (with Kim Petras) – Gloria – 2023
Who We Love (with Ed Sheeran) – Gloria – 2023
Young – Love Goes – 2020
Albums
In the Lonely Hour (2014): 22 songs
The Thrill of It All (2017): 16 songs
Love Goes (2020): 20 songs
Gloria (2023): 22 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Sam Smith articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Yacht rock is one of the more unexpected musical success stories of the last couple of decades. Conceived in the 2000s as an online series that semi-ironically celebrated the super-smooth easy-listening sounds of the 70s and 80s, it went on to become a legitimate phenomenon that ultimately re-popularised the likes of Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross and Toto.
Surprisingly, many of the people it sought to lovingly lampoon actually had no problem with the series, or the idea of ‘yacht rock’ as a whole. Among them was quintessential yacht rock poster boy Michael McDonald.
Speaking in the brand new issue of Classic Rock, Doobie Brothers singer and solo star McDonald has nothing but praise for the genre and its creator, JD Ryznar.
“As far as that goes, I feel fortunate to be counted as one of the people in that genre, along with Hall & Oates, Toto, the Eagles and whoever,” he explains affably. “I have no problem with it due to the company I’m keeping. My kids made me watch those videos as they went viral and I found them pretty amusing.”
But one person apparently unamused by it all was Steely Dan’s Donald Fagen, who made internet headlines by swearing at director Garret Price when the filmmaker called about licensing the band’s music for his HBO movie Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary. Except McDonald, who was an auxiliary member of Steely Dan in the 70s, suggests that all was not what it was it seemed.
“You have to know Donald’s sense of humour,” McDonald grins. “When the guy called him, Donald said: ‘You can have the licence, but do something for me. Hang up, pretend like we haven’t talked and let’s have another conversation.’ So that’s what happened. He called back and Donald told him: ‘Go fuck yourself’ and hung up. That’s my understanding. It was a total set-up.”
Read the full interview with McDonald as part of a feature on the latest Doobie Brothers in the brand new issue of Classic Rock, onsale now. Order it online and have it delivered straight to your door.
Classic Rock is the online home of the world’s best rock’n’roll magazine. We bring you breaking news, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes features, as well as unrivalled access to the biggest names in rock music; from Led Zeppelin to Deep Purple, Guns N’ Roses to the Rolling Stones, AC/DC to the Sex Pistols, and everything in between. Our expert writers bring you the very best on established and emerging bands plus everything you need to know about the mightiest new music releases.
Black Sabbath‘s final show will now be live streamed for fans across the world to watch at home.
The Back to the Beginning concert will take place on July 5 in Birmingham, England and feature the original lineup of the band – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – performing together for the first time since 2005.
Osbourne, Iommi and Butler have toured repeatedly without Ward, most recently on their 2016-2017 The End tour. The upcoming show has been described as Osbourne’s last-ever live performance. The singer has been battling a series of health issues in recent years, including a 2020 Parkinson’s diagnosis.
They’ll be joined by some of rock and metal’s biggest names, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon, Sammy Hagar and more.
The show is being billed as a celebration, with the openers performing covers of Sabbath and Osbourne songs in addition to their own material. For example, Hagar has said that he will be performing “Flying High Again” from 1981’s Diary of a Madman. Due to his health, Osbourne himself is only expected to perform in a limited capacity.
“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath, but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,” the singer explained on a recent episode of his SiriusXM show Ozzy Speaks (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”
Live stream tickets for the Back to the Beginning show are on sale for $29.99 now at BacktotheBeginning.com. The show will start Saturday, July 5 at 3:00PM BST (10:00 AM EST.)
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