“I had a massive animosity towards those fans”: Soundgarden’s manager thought it would be a great idea for them to support Guns N’ Roses, the band disagreed
(Image credit: Lester Cohen/Ke.Mazur/WireImage)
In 1991, Guns N’ Roses were the biggest rock band on the planet but a fresh wave of groups had come along making music with a grittier, harder edge were paving the way for a new sort of sound, one that would come to be known as grunge. Instead of trying to distance themselves from these young upstarts, though, GN’R opened their door. They had just released their expansive double Use Your Illusion set and were about to embark on a similarly sprawling world tour to accompany it and they invited Soundgarden to open for them.
At the time, Chris Cornell & co. were coming off the back of their own major breakthrough in third album Badmotorfinger. The GN’R tour was the sort of high-profile jaunt that could take them to another level, putting them in front of a legion of potential new fans, bringing their songs to the ears of thousands who might not have heard them before. It was a win-win, unless, of course, you were actually in the band. For Cornell, Ben Shepherd, Matt Cameron and Kim Thayil, it turned into an important lesson in how not to act once you hit huge success.
They were dubious about the support slot from the off. “After I got the call about the Guns N’ Roses tour, I went to where they were,” Soundgarden’s former manager Susan Silver explained in Mark Yarm’s essential grunge opus Everybody Loves Our Town. “I remember walking in, I had a box of T-shirts, I was so excited: ‘Hey guys! I have something to tell you! We got an offer today… to go… on tour… WITH GUNS N’ ROSES!” They didn’t say a word. After about 30 seconds – it felt like an eternity – one of them said, ‘What’s in the box?”
For Soundgarden’s outspoken bassist Ben Shepherd, the GN’R world was a complete anathema, the opposite of what he wanted his band to be. “I’m a punk rocker, man,” he explains in the book. I like Black Flag and way more hardcore stuff. That kind of butt rock, I don’t like. I want nothing to do with that kind of world. I’m not a rock star, I don’t like rock stars, and I don’t want to be around them… the tour was a full-on metal extravaganza. It was insane. I never wanted to play stadiums… there we are, getting exposed to all these butt rockers, the same kind of people who would try to beat me up when I was a punk rocker. I had a massive animosity towards those fans.”
Drummer Cameron added that the run of dates, in particular the goings-on behind the scenes, was instructive for Soundgarden in how bands ought to behave. “It was an eye-opening lesson as far as how not to tour if you become successful,” he said. “Each guy had a bodyguard and they were completely wasted the whole time. Axl would make the band wait an hour or two before they went on.”
Cameron said he remembered one show where GN’R frontman Rose was threatening to go out and break the band up live onstage. “There were a couple of occasions like that where we had to clear the fuck out because people were predicting a riot was going to happen.”
Talking about his memories of the tour in an interview with Vulture a few years ago, the late Cornell said his main memory was feeling downhearted at seeing such a huge band mired in dysfunction and chaos. “Without saying anything negative about Axl, what I remember the most was Duff and Slash and everyone else being regular, sweet, warm guys in a rock band that just wanted to play rock music,” he recalled. “And then, like, there was this Wizard of Oz character behind the curtain that seemed to complicate what was the most ideal situation they could ever have been in: They were the most successful and famous rock band on the planet. Every single show, hundreds of thousands of fans just wanted to hear songs. For some reason there seemed to be this obstacle in just going out and participating in that. That is what I remember the most. It’s sad.”
Soundgarden obviously struggled to keep their distaste for all the GN’R circus to themselves – by the time the tour came to a close, GN’R’s crew had begun to refer to the Seattle rockers as “Frowngarden”. “Why’d we get called Frowngarden? Because we weren’t party monsters,” decided Shepherd. “We weren’t motherfucking rock stars. We were not like that. We were there to play music. We weren’t there for the models and the cocaine. We were there to blow your doors off.”
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The two bands’ respect for each other somehow remained, though. Cornell went on to cover the plaintive GN’R ballad Patience, whilst in the wake of Cornell’s death in 2017, Axl & co. performed a rendition of Soundgarden’s classic Black Hole Sun as part of their live set.
Niall Doherty is a writer and editor whose work can be found in Classic Rock, The Guardian, Music Week, FourFourTwo, on Apple Music and more. Formerly the Deputy Editor of Q magazine, he co-runs the music Substack letter The New Cue with fellow former Q colleagues Ted Kessler and Chris Catchpole. He is also Reviews Editor at Record Collector. Over the years, he’s interviewed some of the world’s biggest stars, including Elton John, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, Robert Plant and more. Radiohead was only for eight minutes but he still counts it.
Stevie Wonder was born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, and raised in Detroit, where his musical talent was recognized from a young age despite his blindness, caused by complications at birth. At eleven years old, he signed with Motown’s Tamla label after being discovered by Ronnie White of the Miracles. Berry Gordy renamed him “Little Stevie Wonder,” and by age thirteen, he had a number-one hit with the live recording of “Fingertips,” making him the youngest artist ever to top the Billboard Hot 100. That early success launched a lifelong relationship with Motown and marked the beginning of one of the most prolific and influential careers in popular music history.
Throughout the 1960s, Wonder scored multiple hits, including “Uptight (Everything’s Alright),” “I Was Made to Love Her,” and “For Once in My Life,” showcasing his dynamic voice and expanding skills as a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. But it was in the 1970s that his artistry reached full maturity. After renegotiating his contract to gain creative control, he released a string of groundbreaking albums—Music of My Mind (1972), Talking Book (1972), Innervisions (1973), Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974), and Songs in the Key of Life (1976). These albums combined elements of soul, funk, jazz, and pop, while exploring political and spiritual themes with lyrical depth. During this stretch, he won Album of the Year at the Grammys three times in four years.
Wonder’s hit singles span multiple decades and include classics like “Superstition,” “Higher Ground,” “Living for the City,” “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Boogie On Reggae Woman,” “Sir Duke,” “I Wish,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” His ability to blend melodies, innovative use of synthesizers, and lyrical emotionality made him a dominant force across radio formats. By the 1980s, he had become a household name worldwide. He collaborated with artists like Paul McCartney on “Ebony and Ivory” and took part in the We Are the World charity single.
To date, Stevie Wonder has released twenty-three studio albums, four live albums, and over one hundred singles. His commercial success is matched by an extraordinary list of accolades: he has won twenty-five Grammy Awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also an Academy Award winner for Best Original Song (“I Just Called to Say I Love You”) and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. Wonder was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014.
Beyond his music, Wonder has been a tireless activist and humanitarian. He played a central role in the campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday, using his 1980 single “Happy Birthday” as an anthem for the movement. He has also been a United Nations Messenger of Peace, advocating for persons with disabilities and other global human rights causes. His lifelong commitment to social justice and equality is deeply woven into his music and public statements.
In addition to his activism, Wonder has influenced generations of musicians across genres. His technical innovations in music production, particularly his use of the Moog synthesizer and other electronic instruments, helped shape modern R&B and pop production. His lyrics have touched on topics ranging from love and joy to racism, poverty, and spirituality, always delivered with sincerity and unmistakable musical brilliance.
Stevie Wonder’s impact on music is measured not only by his chart success or awards but by the profound emotional and cultural resonance his work continues to hold. He is revered for both his unmatched artistry and his unwavering commitment to using music as a tool for hope, unity, and change. His contributions have spanned over sixty years and show no sign of fading from the cultural conversation.
Complete List Of Stevie Wonder Songs From A to Z
A Fool for You – I Was Made to Love Her – 1967
A House Is Not a Home – Eivets Rednow – 1968
A Place in the Sun – Down to Earth – 1966
A Seed’s a Star/Tree Medley – Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” – 1979
A Time to Love – A Time to Love – 2005
A Warm Little Home on a Hill – Someday at Christmas – 1967
Ai No, Sono – Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” – 1979
Ain’t No Lovin’ – For Once in My Life – 1968
Ain’t That Asking for Trouble – Up-Tight – 1966
Ain’t That Love – Tribute to Uncle Ray – 1962
Alfie – Eivets Rednow – 1968
All About the Love Again – Non-album single – 2009
All I Do – Hotter than July – 1980
All in Love Is Fair – Innervisions – 1973
Angel Baby (Don’t You Ever Leave Me) – Down to Earth – 1966
Angie Girl – My Cherie Amour – 1969
Another Star – Songs in the Key of Life – 1976
Anything You Want Me To Do – Signed, Sealed & Delivered – 1970
As – Songs in the Key of Life – 1976
As If You Read My Mind – Hotter than July – 1980
Ask the Lonely (part of medley) – Eivets Rednow – 1968
At Last – My Cherie Amour – 1969
Ave Maria – Someday at Christmas – 1967
Baby Don’t You Do It – I Was Made to Love Her – 1967
Bam – The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie – 1962
Bang Bang – Down to Earth – 1966
Be Cool, Be Calm (And Keep Yourself Together) – Down to Earth – 1966
Beachstomp – Stevie at the Beach – 1964
Bedtime for Toys – Someday at Christmas – 1967
Beyond the Sea – Stevie at the Beach – 1964
Big Brother – Talking Book – 1972
Bird of Beauty – Fulfillingness’ First Finale – 1974
Black Man – Songs in the Key of Life – 1976
Black Orchid – Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” – 1979
Blame It on the Sun – Talking Book – 1972
Blowin’ in the Wind – Up-Tight – 1966
Boogie On Reggae Woman – Fulfillingness’ First Finale – 1974
Bye Bye World – Eivets Rednow – 1968
Can I Get a Witness – I Was Made to Love Her – 1967
Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart – Non-album single – 2024
Can’t Imagine Love Without You – A Time to Love – 2005
Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate – Non-album single – 2020
Cash in Your Face – Hotter than July – 1980
Castles in the Sand – Stevie at the Beach – 1964
Castles in the Sand (instrumental) – Stevie at the Beach – 1964
Chemical Love – Jungle Fever – 1991
Christmastime – Someday at Christmas – 1967
Cold Chill – Conversation Peace – 1995
Come Back as a Flower – Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” – 1979
Come Back Baby – Tribute to Uncle Ray – 1962
Come Let Me Make Your Love Come Down – Characters – 1987
Contusion (instrumental) – Songs in the Key of Life – 1976
Contract on Love – Up-Tight – 1966
Conversation Peace – Conversation Peace – 1995
Creepin’ – Fulfillingness’ First Finale – 1974
Cryin’ Through the Night – Characters – 1987
Dark ‘n’ Lovely – Characters – 1987
Did I Hear You Say You Love Me – Hotter than July – 1980
Do I Love Her – For Once in My Life – 1968
Do Like You – Hotter than July – 1980
Do Yourself a Favor – Where I’m Coming From – 1971
Don’t Drive Drunk – The Woman in Red – 1984
Don’t Make Me Wait Too Long – Non-album single – 2023
Eivets Rednow (1968): 10 songs (counting the medley as 2 songs)
For Once in My Life (1968): 12 songs
My Cherie Amour (1969): 12 songs
Signed, Sealed & Delivered (1970): 12 songs
Where I’m Coming From (1971): 9 songs
Music of My Mind (1972): 9 songs
Talking Book (1972): 10 songs
Innervisions (1973): 9 songs
Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974): 10 songs
Songs in the Key of Life (1976): 19 songs
Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” (1979): 20 songs (including instrumentals)
Hotter than July (1980): 10 songs
The Woman in Red (1984): 8 songs
In Square Circle (1985): 10 songs
Characters (1987) 12 songs
Jungle Fever (1991, soundtrack) 11 songs
Conversation Peace (1995) 13 songs
A Time to Love (2005) 15 Songs
Non-album singles and soundtrack appearances: 31 songs Total songs: 332
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Stevie Wonder articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
“I was always hoping that I would be taken away by aliens at some point”: The strange story of Devin Townsend’s Ocean Machine: Biomech, the album which launched his solo career
(Image credit: Kevin Nixon/Total Guitar)
Released in 1997, Devin Townsend‘s first proper solo album, Ocean Machine: Biomech, saw the then-Strapping Young Lad frontman spreading his sonic wings. In 2017, on the album’s 20th anniversary, he looked back on an album that would pave the way for his musical future.
When Devin Townsend was a child, his parents frequently took him on trips to the beach. They would tell him about a mysterious force operating in the sea: the seventh wave.
“I don’t know if it’s an old wives’ tale, but there’s a practical reality to it as well – it gains momentum,” he explains. “There’s the first wave, the second wave, and the seventh wave is typically known as one that is surprisingly big, and it sneaks up on you. You might be in the water and you don’t recognise it, and then you get hit by it.”
Seventh Wave is the name of the pulsating opening track on Devin Townsend’s first solo record, Ocean Machine: Biomech. Released in 1997, it explores the unexpected moments that unfold as a person comes of age. Intense and driven, it lacked the immediate bludgeoning impact of his then-band Strapping Young Lad, but was soaked in the emotional heaviness of his formative years, covering everything from his time on the road with the likes of Steve Vai and The Wildhearts to a shock high school experience of confronting mortality. It would become the blueprint for his future work, as he poured his raw experiences into songs that explored the universal theme of what it means to be human.
“I’m fortunate,” he admits now. “Very young I recognised that my proclivity for writing music allowed me to channel my feelings into something really tangible.”
He started writing the songs when he was just 17, and signed to Relativity Records to release them as a collection called Noisescapes, but it never came out. The label gave him back the tapes, and while he toured the world backing high-profile musicians, he tried to get it signed as Ocean Machine. With songs that ranged erratically from brutal to quiet, nobody would touch it. But Century Media was interested in the heavier material, and Strapping was born, putting out the none-more-metal Heavy As A Really Heavy Thing.
Devin Townsend in 2013 (Image credit: Olly Curtis/Total Guitar)
Yet Ocean Machine still lingered in Devin’s mind. So when a friend suggested he should set up his own record company, and offered to licence the album through Sony Japan, he jumped at the chance. He created HevyDevy Records, and then appealed to Daniel Bergstrand, who had previously worked with Meshuggah and by then was producing Strapping’s crushing second album, City.
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“I said, ‘Look, I’m doing this other thing that’s not signed but is really important to me, and if you would help me finish the mix on this, it would be of huge leverage for me to have it sound right,’” Devin remembers. “So he agreed, and did it for basically nothing. After recording Ocean Machine slowly over years in Vancouver and with shitty quality, I took it to Spain, and we had the hardest mix I’ve ever been involved with…”
The pair arrived in the coastal hotspot of Malaga in September 1996, as holiday season was winding down. Devin had booked two weeks at a studio on the seafront that he now refers to only as ‘Shithole’, and they set to work. By this time, some of Ocean Machine’s songs were already seven years old, and Devin was desperate to get them out of his system. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas. The studio owner would kick them out every afternoon, so he could get drunk with actor Antonio Banderas and his buddies.
“Antonio Banderas plays guitar, and it was a small town that they lived in, so he would go in at night with his buddies and they’d drink brandy and bash on these acoustic guitars until six in the morning,” Devin sighs. “As much of a cool story as that is, for a 24-year-old kid that was going crazy trying to get this impossible project done, with no money, I was just like, ‘Fuck off’, you know what I mean? Just give me my studio, I’ve got to finish this stupid record! Daniel and I went crazy trying to get this thing done.”
To make matters worse, the weather took a dramatic turn in the second week, bringing “biblical storms” and power outages. The studio was a back room in an equipment supply warehouse, and Devin and Daniel had run the kick drum through a PA system and into the cavernous space, before mic’ing it up to get a natural sort of reverb. But by the time they got to recording the snare, torrential rain was hammering the building’s tin roof, making it impossible to get a decent sound. Their solution? Sampling the first snare hit from Metallica’s Sad But True.
“If you listen to Ocean Machine, every snare hit has got that guitar behind it going, ‘Chunk’,” he smiles. “I kind of wanted it to sound like a Metallica record at the time, but we couldn’t make it work, so we just pressed play on the CD.”
Eventually, Ocean Machine’s 13 tracks were finished, with Devin making full use of every available inch of tape – he added the lung-splitting scream at the end just to push it to the 74-minute mark. Unfortunately, relations with the studio manager had soured beyond repair. They argued about the cost of hire, and he threatened to withhold the album, forcing Devin to take matters into his own hands.
“I actually had to steal it!” he confesses. “He was like, ‘Well that’s it, you can’t have your tapes unless you pay me this. And I was like, ‘Go fuck yourself.’ So I went in at night with Daniel, and we made a dupe of the master. I never saw the guy again…”
Layered and dense, affecting and reflective, the resulting songs encapsulate Devin’s early life. Some were about his career; the earnest, pacey Night focuses on his success in Japan. “I had spent a significant amount of time there, and I really romanticised it to an unhealthy level,” he admits. “You go to Japan and you’re treated like your shit doesn’t stink, when it very clearly does. But at the time I was infatuated by that. ‘Oh, they really like me there. They really like me.’ I was romantically remembering my experiences.”
Meanwhile, The Death Of Music refers to his time on the road with Steve Vai and the Wildhearts. “Because of my loss of idealism, the sort of deflowering at a young age, I think all of a sudden I realised, ‘Oh, it’s all bullshit. It’s all bullshit.’ Fame has got nothing to do with what is so important to me about expression.”
He admits to being more uncertain of himself at this age, publicly thrust into touring life, with a strong desire to be noticed by others.
“I mean, I annoy myself now, but back then I was such a weird dude,” he says. “I was so desperate for attention, and so full of anxiety. I think the core of who I am was there – I don’t think that’s changed significantly – but oh my god, man, I had an exhausting energy that I think affected the people around me quite negatively.”
Perhaps this is why he often expressed a yearning to escape the planet; in Hide Nowhere, Voices In The Fan and Greetings, he wishes to be abducted and spirited into space.
“I think I was always hoping that I would be taken away by aliens at some point,” he confesses. “I remember thinking it would be great if I could just not have to participate in this sort of cruel plane of existence – if I’m the special one that the aliens take away.”
Devin Townsend performing onstage in 2013 (Image credit: Will Ireland/Prog)
But the most stirring songs on Ocean Machine are those that confront that cruel plane of existence head on. Life, a sonically uplifting rumination on the preciousness of existence, and Funeral, a hymn-like address punctuated with desperate cries, were written following the death of 16-year-old Jesse Cadman. On the evening of October 18, 1992, he was senselessly stabbed.
“He was killed walking home by a group of kids that wanted his hat,” says Devin quietly.
Though Devin and Jesse weren’t close, Devin was good friends with Jesse’s sister. He also played in local band Grey Skies, of which Jesse was a fan. When it came to organising his funeral, the Cadmans asked Devin to speak in church – something that left an indelible impact on him.
“I hadn’t experienced death in a tangible way prior to that, so when we went to the funeral and I had to speak, I remember I hadn’t anticipated they were gonna bring the body out, and I just panicked,” he says. “I couldn’t cope with it, and I wasn’t alone in that, either. It was a real heavy time for a lot of people, because it was our first experience with that sort of thing, and it was senseless. It affected my teen years profoundly.”
Jesse’s parents became involved in youth work and politics, and Devin is moved to learn that his mum, Dona Cadman, has publicly spoken alongside the mother of her son’s killer. “It’s a testament to the parts of the human condition that are worth fighting for,” he says.
Ocean Machine: Biomech was released on July 21, 1997, and the reaction was better than Devin had anticipated – he recalls that Metal Hammer awarded it 10/10. But beyond that, he had finally found a method for transmitting his innermost thoughts and shaping them into universal truths.
Devin Townsend – Thing Beyond Things – Ocean Machine In Its Entirety – YouTube
“When it comes to Jesse and Ocean Machine and Funeral, and all the things that happened, I think more than anything else, it established a mechanism for not only coping with emotions, but a process which to this day I employ with writing and performing music,” he explains. “Your life becomes the raw material for your output. One can argue that’s art in general, but had I not had the opportunity to really reflect on those things, it may have come out differently. I might have been writing rock songs about nothing.”
The record closes with Thing Beyond Things, all echoing vocals and dark imagery, moving towards the conclusion that when you examine life’s triumphs and trials hard enough, they become almost abstract components of a vast existence.
“It summarises the record by saying through all this, through all of the ups and downs, and the crests and ebbs and flows of this ocean even, it doesn’t really matter,” says Devin. “It’s all just things.”
This feature was originally published online in 2017
Eleanor was promoted to the role of Editor at Metal Hammer magazine after over seven years with the company, having previously served as Deputy Editor and Features Editor. Prior to joining Metal Hammer, El spent three years as Production Editor at Kerrang! and four years as Production Editor and Deputy Editor at Bizarre. She has also written for the likes of Classic Rock, Prog, Rock Sound and Visit London amongst others, and was a regular presenter on the Metal Hammer Podcast.
Welsh rock band Those Damn Crows have scored their very first UK No. 1 album.
God Shaped Hole, the Bridgend group’s fourth album, beat pop star Sabrina Carpenter, US singer Bon Iver, Oasis and Ed Sheeran to reach the top spot.
Writing on social media, the band say: “Really struggling to put these feelings into words right now, but I know how we’ve achieved this UNBELIEVABLE victory, there’s one word that best describes it…. TOGETHER!!
“Our dream has turned reality, our band is now permanently etched in music history and its something that cannot be taken from us as we proudly scream from the rafters… Those Damn Crows have a number one album!
“God Shaped Hole will forever be a special record, We knew it when writing and recording it and now even more so as you, our fans have embraced it like no other album we have made before. You have literally thrown it to the top of the charts and there it remained DEFIANT until the powers that be made it official!
“Your unwavering love and support means we won regardless of where the album landed, but hey!…. Make no mistake, we ALL wanted the top spot and TOGETHER we got it!
“We’re on cloud 9 right now and it’s gonna take some time for our feet to touch the floor but with the biggest smiles and tears in our eyes, we can proudly say…We fuckin did it!!!!
“Number 1!!!!!!!
“We fuckin love you CF!
“Shane, Ronnie, Lloyd, Dave and Shiner”
Those Damn Crows formed in South Wales in 2014, releasing their debut album, The Murder And The Motive, in 2018.
“With us Crows, it’s always a case of we can’t quit, we don’t know how, we’ve come too far, it’s not even a thought,” says singer Shane Greenhall. “It’s just another milestone towards the bigger picture, towards the so-called End Game!”
God Shaped Hole is the first hard rock/metal album to reach No. 1 since Linkin Park’s comeback album From Zero in November 2024. The band’s most previous album, Inhale/Exhale, reached No.3 in 2023.
Those Damn Crows are one of a number of British bands who have notched up Top 10 albums in the past few years, with others including Massive Wagons, Kris Barras Band, Skindred and Sleep Token.
“I grew up loving watching Roy Keane!” Linkin Park on their new football-inspired remix of Numb, their upcoming Champions League final show, Lionel Messi, Roy Keane, and America’s chances of winning the next World Cup
(Image credit: James Minchin III)
Earlier this week it was revealed that Linkin Park will be performing a special pre-match show ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final, which is being staged at the Munich Football Arena on May 31. And to mark their appearance at the inaugural Kick Off Show by Pepsi, the Los Angeles band have created a special football-inspired remix of their 2003 single Numb.
“So, the track that we made is essentially the sounds of football, done in a Linkin Park way,” says bandleader Mike Shinoda. “All the things that it’s built on are sounds of the foot hitting the ball, the sound of the ball hitting the net, the sounds of the fans stomping in the seats. These were the things that when we’ve been to football matches, struck us as being the powerful musical elements when being there.
“We had a bunch of references of past musicians, producers and artists who have made things which are special for a sport, so we wanted to take that inspiration and put our spin on it and do something made from the sounds of football.”
Linkin Park x UCL Final Kick Off Show | Presented by Pepsi – YouTube
While Shinoda’s co-vocalist Emily Armstrong credits popular Apple TV comedy drama Ted Lasso for her new-found interest in “soccer”, it’s bassist Dave ‘Phoenix’ Farrell, a proud supporter of Los Angeles FC., who is Linkin Park’s most committed and passionate football fan. Farrell cites former Manchester United and Ireland captain Roy Keane as his all-time favourite player, and his love of the game is such that he has moonlighted as a coach for his three daughters.
“Growing up, playing soccer in the USA was always a thing that people did as kids, and I think soccer has always been a bigger sport than people give it credit for internationally,” Farrell says. “We just never had a professional league until the MLS [Major League Soccer] was formed in 1993. From that point on the game has grown more and more and with [Lionel] Messi now coming, it’s offered a different focus and lens globally on what’s going on here.
“There is so much room and upside for US soccer to grow and I think having a generational talent playing here [for Inter Miami] makes that so much more readily available and visible. Now, with the World Cup coming to the USA, Canada and Mexico, it’s another opportunity for us to keep putting positive steps forward. We can get our US national team solid and we’re hoping for a good 2026. The upcoming World Cup in North America will be a huge test to see where we are at… I’m cautiously optimistic that we might pull off something special.”
“I’ve got a pretty good record coaching girls until 11’s, so if the US team need a coach, I can be available,” the bassist jokes. “I’ve won some trophies already, albeit plastic ones.”
The 2025 UEFA Champions League is now at the semi-final stage, with North London’s only serious football team Arsenal due to play Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Milan taking on Barcelona. The two-leg ties will be held on April 29/30, and May 6/7.
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Founded in 1983, Metal Hammer is the global home of all things heavy. We have breaking news, exclusive interviews with the biggest bands and names in metal, rock, hardcore, grunge and beyond, expert reviews of the lastest releases and unrivalled insider access to metal’s most exciting new scenes and movements. No matter what you’re into – be it heavy metal, punk, hardcore, grunge, alternative, goth, industrial, djent or the stuff so bizarre it defies classification – you’ll find it all here, backed by the best writers in our game.
Zak Starkey has declared himself “surprised and saddened” after getting fired by the Who after 29 years performing live with the band.
On Tuesday, the Who announced that they had made “a collective decision to part ways” with their longtime drummer. In a seemingly lighthearted Instagram reaction, Starkey – the son of Ringo Starr – said that the group had brought “formal charges of overplaying” against him after the band’s recent Royal Albert Hall shows.
In a more serious statement provided to Rolling Stone today, Starkey admitted to having suffered a serious medical emergency in January but insisted that he’s fully recovered and that it did not affect his performance.
“I’m very proud of my near thirty years with The Who. Filling the shoes of my Godfather, ‘uncle Keith [Moon]’ has been the biggest honor and I remain their biggest fan. They’ve been like family to me. In January, I suffered a serious medical emergency with blood clots in my right bass drum calf. This is now completely healed and does not affect my drumming or running.
“After playing those songs with the band for so many decades, I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night, but what can you do? I plan to take some much needed time off with my family, and focus on the release of ‘Domino Bones’ by Mantra of the Cosmos with Noel Gallagher in May and finishing my autobiography written solely by me. Twenty-nine years at any job is a good old run, and I wish them the best.”
Footage from the Who’s March 30th show at Royal Albert Hall shows singer Roger Daltrey stopping in the middle of “This Song is Over” to complain that he can’t hear the other instruments because of the drumming.
“To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t,” Daltrey declares at about the 3:10 mark. “All I’ve got is drum sound: boom, boom, boom. And I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys.” To be fair, it is unclear if he is referring to a monitor mix, overall stage volume or the actual nature of Starkey’s performance.
The Who Albums Ranked
Half of the Who’s studio albums are all classics, essential records from rock’s golden age. But where should you start?
Feature Photo: RCA Records, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Guess Who originated in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1962, initially performing under various names including Chad Allan and the Reflections and Chad Allan and the Expressions. The band achieved their breakthrough when their single “Shakin’ All Over” was released anonymously in 1965, labeled simply as “Guess Who?” to intrigue listeners into believing it might be a famous group in disguise. The success of this marketing tactic led them to permanently adopt the name “The Guess Who,” marking their formal entry into mainstream music.
Throughout their prolific career, The Guess Who released a total of 11 studio albums from 1965 to 1975, alongside several live albums and numerous compilations. Their first major international success came with their album “Wheatfield Soul” in 1969, featuring the hit single “These Eyes,” which reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This track established their presence in the United States and paved the way for greater success.
The band continued their upward trajectory with their subsequent album, “Canned Wheat” (1969), producing hits such as “Laughing” and “Undun,” both of which solidified their reputation for crafting melodic rock songs with broad appeal. However, it was their 1970 album “American Woman” that delivered the band’s signature anthem of the same name. The song “American Woman” became their first number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, accompanied by another major hit from the album, “No Sugar Tonight/New Mother Nature,” which also reached number one on the charts.
In 1970, the band experienced a significant lineup change when guitarist Randy Bachman departed due to creative differences, eventually forming Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Despite this, The Guess Who maintained their popularity throughout the early 1970s with continued chart success, producing enduring hits such as “Share the Land,” “Hand Me Down World,” and “Clap for the Wolfman.” Their versatile songwriting, blending rock with touches of blues and folk, contributed significantly to their sustained relevance and fanbase loyalty.
Throughout their extensive career, The Guess Who received multiple recognitions for their contributions to music, including inductions into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1987 and Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2001. Their song “American Woman” was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, further cementing their cultural impact. Additionally, the band’s international acclaim is underscored by their considerable sales and the enduring popularity of their classic tracks, which continue to receive significant radio airplay worldwide.
Beyond music, The Guess Who has contributed to various charitable efforts and public engagements, leveraging their visibility to support community initiatives and national pride in Canada. Members of the band have participated in reunions and benefit concerts, reinforcing their legacy and continued resonance within both the Canadian and global music communities.
The Guess Who’s enduring appeal lies in their distinctive sound, skillful songwriting, and the universal themes present in their music. Their songs have stood the test of time, resonating across generations due to their lyrical depth, catchy melodies, and relatable storytelling. With a legacy marked by critical acclaim, chart-topping hits, and lasting cultural significance, The Guess Who remains a celebrated and influential fixture in rock history.
Complete List Of The Guess Who 10 Songs From A to Z
8:15 – American Woman – 1970
969 (The Oldest Man) – American Woman – 1970
6 A.M. or Nearer – Canned Wheat – 1969
A Fool, a Fool, I Met a Fool – Flavours (2011 Remaster) – 1974
A Wednesday in Your Garden – Wheatfield Soul – 1969
Albert Flasher – So Long, Bannatyne (2010 Re-issue)/Live at the Paramount – 1971/1972
All Hashed Out – Artificial Paradise – 1973
All Right – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection)/It’s Time – 1965/1966
American Woman – American Woman/Live at the Paramount/Together Again – 1970/1972/1984
And She’s Mine – It’s Time – 1966
Arrivederci Girl – Rockin’ – 1972
As – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection)/It’s Time – 1965/1966
Attila’s Blues – Road Food – 1974
Baby Feelin’ – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection)/It’s Time – 1965/1966
Baby’s Birthday – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection) – 1965
Back to the City – Rockin’ – 1972
Ballad of the Last Five Years – Road Food – 1974
Believe Me – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection)/It’s Time – 1965/1966
Broken – So Long, Bannatyne (2010 Re-issue) – 1971
Bus Rider – Share the Land – 1970
Bye Bye Babe – Artificial Paradise – 1973
C’mon And Dance – Together Again – 1984
Cardboard Empire – #10 – 1973
Carol – Power in the Music (2014 Remaster) – 1975
Clap for the Wolfman – Road Food – 1974
Clock on the Wall – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection)/It’s Time – 1965/1966
Close Up The Honky Tonks – American Woman (2017 Re-issue) – 1970
Coming Down Off the Money Bag/Song of the Dog – Share the Land – 1970
Coors for Sunday – Power in the Music – 1975
Could This Be Love – Shakin’ All Over (US release)/Hey Ho (What You Do to Me!) – 1965
Creepin’ Peepin Baby Blues – Together Again – 1984
Dancin’ Fool – Flavours – 1974
Diggin’ Yourself – Flavours – 1974
Dirty – Flavours – 1974
Do You Miss Me Darlin’? – Share the Land – 1970
Don’t Act So Bad – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection)/It’s Time – 1965/1966
Don’t Be Scared – Shakin’ All Over (US release)/Hey Ho (What You Do to Me!) – 1965
Don’t You Want Me – Rockin’/Road Food – 1972/1974
Down and Out Woman – Power in the Music – 1975
Dreams – Power in the Music – 1975
Eye – Flavours – 1974
Fair Warning – Canned Wheat – 1969
Fiddlin’ – So Long, Bannatyne – 1971
Flying on the Ground is Wrong – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection) – 1965
Follow Your Daughter Home – Artificial Paradise – 1973
Friends of Mine – Wheatfield Soul – 1969
Get Your Ribbons On – Rockin’ – 1972
Glace Bay Blues – Live at the Paramount – 1972
Glamour Boy – #10 – 1973
Goin’ a Little Crazy – So Long, Bannatyne – 1971
Gonna Search – Shakin’ All Over (2001 collection)/It’s Time – 1965/1966
Goodnight, Goodnight – Shakin’ All Over (US release)/Hey Ho (What You Do to Me!) – 1965
Got to Find Another Way – American Woman (2000 Remaster) – 1970
Grey Day – So Long, Bannatyne – 1971
Guess I’ll Find a Place – It’s Time – 1966
Guess Who Blues – Wheatfield Soul (2009 Remaster) – 1969
Power in the Music (1975) – 12 songs (including 2014 remaster bonus tracks, including the medley songs as separate entries)
Together Again (1984) – 9 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining The Guess Who articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Canadian hardcore punks Propagandhi have released the adorable music video for new single Cat Guy.
Appropriately enough, the clip for the second single from the band’s impending album At Peace is four-and-a-half minutes of cute cat footage, because if that doesn’t get people watching on YouTube, nothing will. Take a look below.
In a statement, founding singer/guitarist Chris Hannah likens Cat Guy to UK metal legends Judas Priest and Canadian hardcore veterans SNFU. “From my songwriting perspective, the thing I was thinking of was capturing a little bit of Judas Priest’s [2018 album] Firepower as if [SNFU vocalist] Chi-Pig was writing the lyrics,” he says.
At Peace comes out on May 2 via Epitaph Records. The band released the title track last month and describe the album, their first studio offering in eight years, as “a plea for hope in an era allergic to it”.
Hannah says that At Peace’s lyrics are “a snapshot of me deciding whether I’m going to live out the rest of my life as [spiritual teacher] Eckhart Tolle or as [notorious terrorist] Ted Kaczynski”.
He elaborated in an interview with Metal Hammer last month: “I think everyone’s familiar with the adage, ‘Accept what you cannot change and change what you cannot accept.’ There is a sort of Eckhart Tolle movement to accept what you cannot change.
“On the other hand, how do you change what you can’t accept in a world where it’s been proven time and time again that nothing will change and, in fact, it will just get worse?”
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Formed in Winnipeg in 1986, Propagandhi have been openly anti-fascist, pro-vegan and feminist for almost 40 years. During the Hammer interview, Hannah said that the band’s outspokenness led to them being targets for the KKK.
“When we first started the band here in Winnipeg, we had lots of problems with the skinheads locally,” he remembered. “Somebody from the paper of record here in Winnipeg wrote an article about us – we have a song about the KKK that was active here at the time – and they printed a few quotes from me and the picture of the guy who was the local leader of the KKK.
“I was like, ‘Holy shit!’ These guys were phoning my house at one point and threatening me. Luckily those people were as bumbling and impotent as I am.”
Propagandhi will start a tour of continental Europe with Pennywise next month. See dates and details via their website.
Propagandhi – “Cat Guy” (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Another seven days have come and gone, and another name enters the Tracks Of The Week pantheon of greatness. This time it’s hotly-tipped Canadians Deraps who led the way, coming in just ahead of Welsh valley boys Those Damn Crows. Swedish melodic rockers H.E.A.T. complete this week’s international podium of rock triumph.
This week, another eight combatants enter the fray. You’ll find them below, bristling with rockcitement.
This week, just like every other, we’ve found another eight songs to excite all the different parts of your auditory system. They’re below.
Creeping Jean – God Bless Honking Clover
Released as part of their The Clothes Shop 7” for Record Store Day, God Bless Honking Clover finds the Brighton rock’n’rollers channelling their inner Jack White through deliciously gritty, swaggering grooves. “Honking Clover was a mysterious social media profile that interacted with our content, claiming to be the ‘tiniest man in the world’,” guitarist Rod explains. “After drinking a few too many Spritz in Venice during our tour with the Rival Sons last year, we decided to investigate and it turns out it wasn’t the tiniest man in the world, or even a man.”
CREEPING JEAN – God Bless Honking Clover (Official video) – YouTube
Peaking with one of our favourite Ace guitar solos (simple but searingly effective) from the new album The Painful Truth, Lost And Found builds up from staccato piano and minimal beats into one of their smartest, most stirring ballads yet, Skin’s voice all smoke, vulnerability and poise. “We wanted to evoke the loneliness and desperation that can occur in a split second by one tiny mistake,” she says. “Any of us at any time can lose the security built up over a lifetime whether it be via an accident, or a sudden twist of fate.”
Skunk Anansie – Lost and Found (Official Video) – YouTube
Part livewire glam stomper, part heartstring-tugging pop rocker in the vein of Cheap Trick with a touch of Thin Lizzy, One Hit Wonder had us happily bobbing along within seconds. “It’s about someone I worked with in the music industry a few years ago,” frontman Dave Winkler explains. “One Hit Wonder tells a story from the perspective of a ‘hired gun’ who has been used and discarded. The song delves into themes of exploitation and manipulation from an ego-driven individual, hiding behind a saintly, heroic persona, a ‘man of the people’ mask.”
There’s a moody yet sunny Lennon/McCartney-esque thump n’ swing to the verses of this piece of the Eurekas’ new album Everything, before easing into a warm, lighter-swaying chorus that mixes Britpop glitter with their own pensive but forward-kicking heart. All of it accompanied by a video in which the band sign a shit-tone of vinyl with the aid of many, many pints. Excellent.
The Lovers and The Lost – Eureka Machines – YouTube
Two elegantly nostalgic Gothenburg rock bands, one rather cool Record Store Day collaboration, released at the weekend as part of an exclusive 7”. Light As A Feather might not have typical pop song furniture (verses, choruses, vocals that last beyond the first stretch…) but it kept us firmly hooked, all dreamy but riffy, melodic late 60s/early 70s hippie energy, like Fleetwood Mac and The Who skipping through a meadow together after a massive bag of ‘shrooms.
This is one of our favourite tracks on Ally and Danny’s latest album, The House Beyond The Fires, so we were delighted to see it getting the full single/video treatment. Brimming with urgent heat that thumps you square in the chest, it soars with a brilliantly fiery yet stirring chorus that Ally started cooking up years ago, and now comes to fruition as an ode to the love in his life. Catch them out on tour across the UK in April and May – the show the VMs put on as a duo is blinding, well worth seeing.
Canadian rocker Joel Plaskett turns 50 this week, and, to mark the occasion, a shedload of fellow musicians recorded a tribute album entirely in secret. In addition to acts like current Sex Pistol Frank Turner andBluenose icons Sloan, you’ll find our old favourites The Sheepdogs, who’ve turned Plaskett’s 2001 slow-burning Down at the Khyber into something suitably smooth and Sheepdoggian. Plaskett didn’t know anything about the release until he was confronted with it while visiting a record store in Victoria, B.C, a moment captured in a rather lovely video.
The Sheepdogs – Down At The Khyber (Joel Plaskett cover) – YouTube
Last month, The Mars Volta supported Deftones and played their then-unreleased latest album Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos Del Vacío in full, a typically Mars Volta thing for the Mars Volta to do. The album also confounds expectations, with the high-octane fury of their early work replaced by jazz-flecked streams of woozy, atmospheric transience. The rather lovely Cue The Sun is typical, like Herbie Hancock fooling around with Massive Attack while simultaneously toying with Hans Zimmer. You might have missed it, but the album’s out now.
Polly is deputy editor at Classic Rock magazine, where she writes and commissions regular pieces and longer reads (including new band coverage), and has interviewed rock’s biggest and newest names. She also contributes to Louder, Prog and Metal Hammer and talks about songs on the 20 Minute Club podcast. Elsewhere she’s had work published in The Musician, delicious. magazine and others, and written biographies for various album campaigns. In a previous life as a women’s magazine junior she interviewed Tracey Emin and Lily James – and wangled Rival Sons into the arts pages. In her spare time she writes fiction and cooks.
Todd Rundgren will return to U.S. stages this summer for the Still Me, (Still We) Tour.
He said he thinks of these dates as an extension to the last leg of 2024’s Me/We Tour. “The show is kind of a story with a message,” Rundgren said in an official statement. “Even though a year has passed, I still think the story needs to be told.”
Shows kick off on June 21 in Rhode Island and continue through July in Florida. Along the way, Rundgren will play Chicago, Cincinnati, Minneapolis and Cleveland. Other stops include New York’s Syracuse Jazz Festival and a two-night stand at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock.
Artist presales begin at 10AM ET on Tuesday (April 15), with the password VICTORY25. General ticketing begins at 10AM local time on Wednesday (April 16).
Rundgren has been touring a Burt Bacharach-themed show. He also played Japan and Australia this year. His most recent studio project was 2022’s guest-packed Space Force, which featured Rick Nielsen, Adrian Belew, Thomas Dolby and others.
“New music is definitely percolating,” Rundgren recently told the UCR Podcast. “I’ve had a lot of different distractions that prevent me from knuckling down and doing it, but those are going to ideally dissipate as the year goes on. I’m a bit busy now but I do have a break coming up in April [until] mid-June, so I’ll be doing music before year’s end.”
Rundgren’s touring band will include the long-time rhythm section of bassist Kasim Sulton and drummer Prairie Prince, along with guitarist Bruce McDaniel, keyboardist Gil Assayas and horn player Bobby Strickland. McDaniel and Assayas were part of Kasim Sulton’s Utopia before following the bassist into Rundgren’s lineup for the Clearly Human Tour in 2021.
Todd Rundgren’s 2025 Still Me, (Still We) Tour 6/21 – Park Theatre @ Cranston, RI 6/22 – Cary Hall @ Lexington, MA 6/25 – Memorial Hall @ Plymouth, MA 6/26 – Twilight Series @ Pennsauken, NJ 6/28 – Syracuse Jazz Festival @ Syracuse, NY 6/29 – The Egg @ Albany, NY 7/2 – Count Basie Center @ Red Bank, NJ 7/3 – Artpark @ Niagara Falls, NY 7/5-6 – Bearsville Theater @ Woodstock, NY 7/8 – Andrew J. Brady Center @ Cincinnati, OH 7/9 – Bell’s Beer Garden @ Kalamazoo, MI 7/11 – Riverside Casino and Golf Resort @ Riverside, IA 7/13 – Riviera Theatre @ Chicago, IL 7/15 – Sweetwater Pavilion @ Ft Wayne, IN 7/16 – Pantages Theater @ Minneapolis, MN 7/19 – The Agora @ Cleveland, OH 7/20 – Capital One Hall @ Tysons, VA 7/22 – Wilson Center at Cape Fear College @ Wilmington, NC 7/24 – Knight Theater @ Charlotte, NC 7/25 – Charleston Music Hall @ Charleston, SC 7/27 – The Plaza Live @ Orlando, FL
Todd Rundgren Albums Ranked
For more than half a century, the superstar producer has made some of the weirdest records to hit the charts.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
When Todd Rundgren Quit Working on Kanye West’s Album
![Someday At Christmas[LP]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Y-ufu-jbL._SL500_.jpg)
![Signed, Sealed And Delivered[LP]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51y9d1FBcWL._SL500_.jpg)
![Music Of My Mind [Remastered]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51LtUtKphTL._SL500_.jpg)
![Talking Book [LP]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61ZFIPQq-hL._SL500_.jpg)
