That time of year is upon us once more folks! Time to look back over the past 12 months and vote in the 2024 Prog Magazine Readers’ Poll.
The Prog writers’ Albums Of The Year will be published in the next issue of Prog, which is on sale on December 31. Now it’s your turn to tell us wh0 and what progged your world in 2024.
Last year saw Steven Wilson walk away with the top honours but he’s not released anything this year! And there were increasingly strong showings from other artists who have begun re-establishing themselves or have made a strong early impact – just look at where last year’s New Band/Artist winners EBB are today compared with last year.
This year, everything is being collated online so need to e-mail or send anything in. To vote, all you need to do is fill in the form below* and press send. Closing date for entries is January 10.
We look forward to seeing your choices and the results will appear in issue 157, on sale February 4.
* All categories must be filled in before you can submit the form.
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Feature Photo: Jean-Luc, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
David Bowie stands as one of the most influential and dynamic figures in the history of music, celebrated for his ability to reinvent himself and challenge artistic norms throughout a career that spanned over five decades. Born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947, in London, Bowie’s early interest in art and music laid the foundation for a journey that would redefine pop and rock music. Emerging from London’s vibrant 1960s music scene, Bowie initially found moderate success with tracks such as “Space Oddity,” a haunting ballad that coincided with the Apollo 11 moon landing and showcased his knack for capturing the zeitgeist.
Bowie’s career truly gained momentum with his groundbreaking 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which introduced the world to his flamboyant alter ego, Ziggy Stardust. This period marked his ascent as a cultural icon, blending glam rock with a theatrical flair that captivated audiences. Throughout the 1970s, Bowie explored a variety of musical styles, from the soul-infused Young Americans to the electronic experimentation of his Berlin Trilogy—Low, “Heroes,” and Lodger—which he created in collaboration with Brian Eno. These albums not only redefined his sound but also influenced countless artists across genres.
The 1980s saw Bowie transition into a more commercial phase with albums like Let’s Dance, which produced global hits such as the title track and “China Girl.” This era cemented his status as a mainstream superstar, though Bowie’s penchant for risk-taking remained evident in projects like Labyrinth, a cult-classic fantasy film for which he also composed several songs. Despite experiencing creative highs and lows in subsequent years, Bowie continually pushed boundaries, experimenting with industrial rock on Outside and revisiting his early roots with the introspective Heathen.
In his later years, Bowie returned to the spotlight with a renewed artistic vigor. His 2013 album The Next Day surprised fans and critics alike, marking his first release in a decade. Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, released just days before his death in January 2016, was both a bold artistic statement and a poignant farewell. Incorporating elements of jazz and experimental rock, it demonstrated his ability to innovate until the very end, earning widespread acclaim for its depth and poignancy.
Bowie’s legacy transcends music; he was a pioneer of visual artistry, fashion, and self-expression, inspiring generations to embrace individuality and creativity. From Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke and beyond, David Bowie left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape, forever remembered as a chameleon-like figure who reshaped the possibilities of art and music.
Complete List Of David Bowie Songs From A to Z
A – B
“1917” – B-side of “Thursday’s Child” (UK CD2) (1999) “1984” – Diamond Dogs (1974) “5:15 The Angels Have Gone” – Heathen (2002) “’87 and Cry” – Never Let Me Down (1987) “Abdulmajid” – “Heroes” (1991 reissue) (1991) “Absolute Beginners” – Absolute Beginners (soundtrack) (1986) “Across the Universe” – Young Americans (1975) “Afraid” – Heathen (2002) “African Night Flight” – Lodger (1979) “After All” – The Man Who Sold the World (1970) “After Today” – Sound + Vision (box set) (1989) “Alabama Song” – Non-album single (1980) “Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?)” – Aladdin Sane (1973) “Algeria Touchshriek” – Outside (1995) “All Saints” – Low (1991 reissue) (1991) “All the Madmen” – The Man Who Sold the World (1970) “All the Young Dudes” (live) – David Live (1974) “Always Crashing in the Same Car” – Low (1977) “Amsterdam” – B-side of “Sorrow” (1973) “Andy Warhol” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Angel, Angel, Grubby Face” (demo) – Spying Through a Keyhole (2019) “Animal Farm” (demo) – Conversation Piece (2019) “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” – Pin Ups (1973) “April’s Tooth of Gold” (demo) – Conversation Piece (2019) “Art Decade” – Low (1977) “As the World Falls Down” – Labyrinth (1986) “Ashes to Ashes” – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) “Atomica” – The Next Day Extra (2013) “Baal’s Hymn” – Baal (EP) (1982) “Baby Grace (A Horrid Cassette)” – Outside (1995) “Ballad of the Adventurers” – Baal (EP) (1982) “Bang Bang” – Never Let Me Down (1987) “Bars of the County Jail” – Early On (1964–1966) (1991) “Battle for Britain (The Letter)” – Earthling (1997) “Be My Wife” – Low (1977) “Beat of Your Drum” – Never Let Me Down (1987) “Beauty and the Beast” – “Heroes” (1977) “Because You’re Young” – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) “A Better Future” – Heathen (2002) “The Bewlay Brothers” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Big Brother” – Diamond Dogs (1974) “Black Country Rock” – The Man Who Sold the World (1970) “Black Tie White Noise” (with Al B. Sure!) – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “Blackout” – “Heroes” (1977) “Blackstar” – Blackstar (2015) “Bleed Like a Craze, Dad” – The Buddha of Suburbia (1993) “Blue Jean” – Tonight (1984) “Bombers” – Hunky Dory (1990 reissue) (1990) “Born in a UFO” – The Next Day Extra (2013) “Boss of Me” – The Next Day (2013) “Boys Keep Swinging” – Lodger (1979) “Breaking Glass” – Low (1977) “Brilliant Adventure” – Hours (1999) “Bring Me the Disco King” – Reality (2003) “Buddha of Suburbia” – The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
C- D
E – G
“Eight Line Poem” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Everyone Says ‘Hi’” – Heathen (2002) “Everything’s Alright” – Pin Ups (1973) “Fall Dog Bombs the Moon” – Reality (2003) “Fame” – Young Americans (1975) “Fantastic Voyage” – Lodger (1979) “Fascination” – Young Americans (1975) “Fashion” – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) “Fill Your Heart” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Five Years” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) “Fly” – Reality (bonus disc) (2003) “Footstompin’” / “I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate” – RarestOneBowie (1974) “Friday on My Mind” – Pin Ups (1973) “Future Legend” – Diamond Dogs (1974) “Get Real” – Outside (Japanese bonus track) (1995) “Girl Loves Me” – Blackstar (2016) “Girls” – B-side of “Time Will Crawl” (1987) “Glass Spider” – Never Let Me Down (1987) “God Bless the Girl” – The Next Day Extra (2013) “God Knows I’m Good” – David Bowie (Space Oddity) (1969) “God Only Knows” – Tonight (1984) “Golden Years” – Station to Station (1975) “Good Morning Girl” – B-side of “Do Anything You Say” (1966) “Goodbye 3d (Threepenny) Joe” – Spying Through a Keyhole (2019) “The Gospel According to Tony Day” – B-side of “The Laughing Gnome” (1967) “Growin’ Up” – Pin Ups (1990 reissue) (1990)
H – J
“Hallo Spaceboy” – Outside (1995) “Hang On to Yourself” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1971) “The Hearts Filthy Lesson” – Outside (1995) “Heat” – The Next Day (2013) “Heathen (The Rays)” – Heathen (2002) “Here Comes the Night” – Pin Ups (1973) “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” – David Live (1990 reissue) (1990) “‘Heroes’” – “Heroes” (1977) “Hole in the Ground” – Toy (2021) “Holy Holy” – Non-album single (1971) “How Does the Grass Grow?” – The Next Day (2013) “I Can’t Explain” – Pin Ups (1973) “I Can’t Give Everything Away” – Blackstar (2016) “I Can’t Read” – The Ice Storm (soundtrack) (1997) “I Dig Everything” – Non-album single (1966) “I Feel Free” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “I Have Not Been to Oxford Town” – Outside (1995) “I Keep Forgettin’” – Tonight (1984) “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “I Pray, Olé” – Lodger (1991 reissue) (1991) “I Took a Trip on a Gemini Spaceship” – Heathen (2002) “I Want My Baby Back” – Early On (1964–1966) (1991) “I Wish You Would” – Pin Ups (1973) “I Would Be Your Slave” – Heathen (2002) “I’d Rather Be High” – The Next Day (2013) “I’ll Take You There” – The Next Day Extra (2013) “I’m Afraid of Americans” – Showgirls (soundtrack) (1995) “I’m Deranged” – Outside (1995) “I’m Not Losing Sleep” – B-side of “I Dig Everything” (1966) “I’m Not Quite” – The ‘Mercury’ Demos (2019) “I’ve Been Waiting for You” – Heathen (2002) “Ian Fish, U.K. Heir” – The Buddha of Suburbia (1993) “If I’m Dreaming My Life” – Hours (1999) “If You Can See Me” – The Next Day (2013) “In the Heat of the Morning” – The World of David Bowie (1970) “The Informer” – The Next Day Extra (2013) “It Ain’t Easy” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) “It’s Gonna Be Me” – Young Americans (1991 reissue) (1991) “It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City” – Sound + Vision (box set) (1989) “It’s No Game (No. 1)” – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) “It’s No Game (No. 2)” – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) “Janine” – David Bowie (Space Oddity) (1969) “The Jean Genie” – Aladdin Sane (1973) “Jerusalem” – Conversation Piece (2019) “Joe the Lion” – “Heroes” (1977) “John, I’m Only Dancing” – Non-album single (1972) “John, I’m Only Dancing (Again)” – Non-album single (1979) “Join the Gang” – David Bowie (1967) “Julie” – B-side of “Day-In Day-Out” (1987) “Jump They Say” – Black Tie White Noise (1993)
K – M
“Karma Man” – The World of David Bowie (1970) “Killing a Little Time” – No Plan (EP) (2017) “Kingdom Come” – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) “Knock on Wood” (live) – David Live (1974) “Kooks” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Lady Grinning Soul” – Aladdin Sane (1973) “Lady Stardust” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) “The Last Thing You Should Do” – Earthling (1997) “The Laughing Gnome” – Non-album single (1967) “Law (Earthlings on Fire)” – Earthling (1997) “Lazarus” – Blackstar (2015) “Leon Takes Us Outside” – Outside (1995) “Let Me Sleep Beside You” – The World of David Bowie (1970) “Let’s Dance” – Let’s Dance (1983) “Let’s Spend the Night Together” – Aladdin Sane (1973) “Letter to Hermione” – David Bowie (Space Oddity) (1969) “Life Is a Circus” (demo) – Clareville Grove Demos (2019) “Life on Mars?” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Lightning Frightening” – The Man Who Sold the World (1990 reissue) (1990) “Like a Rocket Man” – The Next Day Extra (2013) “Little Bombardier” – David Bowie (1967) “Little Wonder” – Earthling (1997) “The London Boys” – B-side of “Rubber Band” (1966) “London Bye Ta-Ta” – Sound + Vision (box set) (1989) “The Loneliest Guy” – Reality (2003) “Look Back in Anger” – Lodger (1979) “Looking for Lester” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “Looking for Satellites” – Earthling (1997) “Looking for Water” – Reality (2003) “Love All Around” (demo) – Spying Through a Keyhole (2019) “Love Is Lost” – The Next Day (2013) “Love Missile F1 Eleven” – B-side of “New Killer Star” (2003) “Love Song” (demo) – The ‘Mercury’ Demos (2019) “Love You till Tuesday” – David Bowie (1967) “Lover to the Dawn” (demo) – Clareville Grove Demos (2019) “Loving the Alien” – Tonight (1984) “Lucy Can’t Dance” – Black Tie White Noise (CD bonus track) (1993) “Magic Dance” – Labyrinth (1986) “Maid of Bond Street” – David Bowie (1967) “The Man Who Sold the World” – The Man Who Sold the World (1970) “Memory of a Free Festival” – David Bowie (Space Oddity) (1969) “Miracle Goodnight” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “Modern Love” – Let’s Dance (1983) “Moonage Daydream” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1971) “Moss Garden” – “Heroes” (1977) “The Motel” – Outside (1995) “Mother” – Non-album single (2021) “Mother Grey” (demo) – Spying Through a Keyhole (2019) “Move On” – Lodger (1979) “My Death” (live) – Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (1983) “The Mysteries” – The Buddha of Suburbia (1993)
N-R
“Nathan Adler (I)” – Outside (1995) “Nathan Adler (II)” – Outside (1995) “Neighborhood Threat” – Tonight (1984) “Neuköln” – “Heroes” (1977) “Never Get Old” – Reality (2003) “Never Let Me Down” – Never Let Me Down (1987) “New Angels of Promise” – Hours (1999) “A New Career in a New Town” – Low (1977) “New Killer Star” – Reality (2003) “New York’s in Love” – Never Let Me Down (1987) “The Next Day” – The Next Day (2013) “Nite Flights” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “No Control” – Outside (1995) “No One Calls” – B-side of “Thursday’s Child” (1999) “No Plan” – No Plan (EP) (2017) “Nothing to Be Desired” – B-side of “The Hearts Filthy Lesson” (1995) “Nuts” – Is It Any Wonder? (digital) (2020) “An Occasional Dream” – David Bowie (Space Oddity) (1969) “Oh! You Pretty Things” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Outside” – Outside (1995) “Pablo Picasso” – Reality (2003) “Pallas Athena” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “Panic in Detroit” – Aladdin Sane (1973) “Pictures of Lily” – Substitute: The Songs of The Who (2001) “Plan” – The Next Day Extra (2013) “Please Mr. Gravedigger” – David Bowie (1967) “The Prettiest Star” – Non-album single (1970) “The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell” – Hours (1999) “Queen Bitch” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Queen of All the Tarts (Overture)” – Reality (2003) “Quicksand” – Hunky Dory (1971) “Ragazzo solo, ragazza sola” – Non-album single (1970) “Ramona A. Stone/I Am with Name” – Outside (1995) “Real Cool World” – Songs from the Cool World (soundtrack) (1992) “Reality” – Reality (2003) “Rebel Never Gets Old” – Non-album single (2004) “Rebel Rebel” – Diamond Dogs (1974) “Red Money” – Lodger (1979) “Red Sails” – Lodger (1979) “Remembering Marie A” – Baal (EP) (1982) “Repetition” – Lodger (1979) “The Reverend Raymond Brown (Attends the Garden Fête on Thatchwick Green)” – Conversation Piece (2019) “The Revolutionary Song” – Just a Gigolo (film) (1978) “Ricochet” – Let’s Dance (1983) “Right” – Young Americans (1975) “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972) “Rock ‘n’ Roll with Me” – Diamond Dogs (1974) “Rosalyn” – Pin Ups (1973) “Round and Round” – B-side of “Drive-In Saturday” (1973) “Rubber Band” – David Bowie (1966) “Running Gun Blues” – The Man Who Sold the World (1970)
S – T
U – Z
“Uncle Arthur” – David Bowie (1967) “Underground” – Labyrinth (1986) “Untitled No. 1” – The Buddha of Suburbia (1993) “Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed” – David Bowie (Space Oddity) (1969) “Up the Hill Backwards” – Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980) “V-2 Schneider” – “Heroes” (1977) “Valentine’s Day” – The Next Day (2013) “Velvet Goldmine” – B-side of “Space Oddity” (re-release) (1975) “Volare” – Absolute Beginners (soundtrack) (1986) “The Voyeur of Utter Destruction (as Beauty)” – Outside (1995) “Waiting for the Man” (live) – Live Santa Monica ’72 (2008) “Warszawa” – Low (1977) “Watch That Man” – Aladdin Sane (1973) “Waterloo Sunset” – Reality (Japanese bonus disc) (2003) “We All Go Through” – B-side of “Thursday’s Child” (UK CD1) (1999) “We Are Hungry Men” – David Bowie (1967) “We Are the Dead” – Diamond Dogs (1974) “We Prick You” – Outside (1995) “We Shall Go to Town” – B-side of “Thursday’s Child” (UK CD2) (1999) “The Wedding” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “The Wedding Song” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “Weeping Wall” – Low (1977) “What in the World” – Low (1977) “What’s Really Happening?” – Hours (1999) “When I Live My Dream” – David Bowie (1967) “When I Met You” – No Plan (EP) (2017) “When I’m Five” – Love You till Tuesday (1984) “When the Boys Come Marching Home” – Heathen (SACD release) (2002) “When the Wind Blows” – When the Wind Blows (soundtrack) (1986) “Where Are We Now?” – The Next Day (2013) “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” – Pin Ups (1973) “White Light/White Heat” (live) – Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture (1983) “Who Can I Be Now?” – Young Americans (1991 reissue) (1991) “The Width of a Circle” – The Man Who Sold the World (1970) “Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud” – David Bowie (Space Oddity) (1969) “Wild Is the Wind” – Station to Station (1976) “Win” – Young Americans (1975) “Wishful Beginnings” – Outside (1995) “Within You” – Labyrinth (1986) “Without You” – Let’s Dance (1983) “Wood Jackson” – B-side of “Slow Burn” (2002) “Word on a Wing” – Station to Station (1976) “Yassassin” – Lodger (1979) “You Feel So Lonely You Could Die” – The Next Day (2013) “(You Will) Set the World on Fire” – The Next Day (2013) “Your Funny Smile” – Unreleased “Your Turn to Drive” – Nothing Has Changed (2014) “You’ve Been Around” – Black Tie White Noise (1993) “Young Americans” – Young Americans (1975) “Zeroes” – Never Let Me Down (1987) “Ziggy Stardust” – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
David Bowie Songs With Tin Machine And Other Collaborations
“Amazing” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Amlapura” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “And I Say to Myself” – David Bowie with the Lower Third – B-side of “Can’t Help Thinking About Me” (1966) “Baby Can Dance” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Baby Loves That Way” – Davy Jones and the Lower Third – B-side of “You’ve Got a Habit of Leaving” (1965) “Baby Universal” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Betty Wrong” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “A Big Hurt” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Bus Stop” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Can’t Help Thinking About Me” – David Bowie with the Lower Third – Non-album single (1966) “Cosmic Dancer” (live) – David Bowie and Morrissey – Non-album single (2020) “Crack City” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “The Cynic” – Kashmir featuring David Bowie – No Balance Palace (2005) “Dancing in the Street” – David Bowie and Mick Jagger – Non-album single (1985) “Falling Down” – Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008) “Fannin Street” – Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head (2008) “A Foggy Day (in London Town)” – David Bowie and Angelo Badalamenti – Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove (1998) “Glad I’ve Got Nobody” – Davy Jones and the Lower Third – Early On (1964–1966) (1991) “Goodbye Mr. Ed” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Gunman” – Adrian Belew featuring David Bowie – Young Lions (1990) “Hammerhead” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Heaven’s in Here” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Hop Frog” – Lou Reed featuring David Bowie – The Raven (2003) “I’ll Follow You” – Davy Jones and the Lower Third – Early On (1964–1966) (1991) “I Can’t Read” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “I Pity the Fool” – Davy Jones and the Manish Boys – Non-album single (1965) “If There Is Something” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Isn’t It Evening (The Revolutionary)” – Earl Slick and David Bowie – Zig Zag (2003) “Jewel” – Reeves Gabrels featuring David Bowie, Frank Black, and Dave Grohl – Ulysses (Della Notte) (1999) “Just for One Day (Heroes)” – David Guetta vs. David Bowie – Just a Little More Love (2003) “The King of Stamford Hill” – Reeves Gabrels featuring David Bowie – The Sacred Squall of Now (1995) “Like a Rolling Stone” – Mick Ronson featuring David Bowie – Heaven and Hull (1994) “Liza Jane” – Davie Jones with the King Bees – Non-album single (1964) “Louie, Louie Go Home” – Davie Jones with the King Bees – B-side of “Liza Jane” (1964) “Nature Boy” – David Bowie and Massive Attack – Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film (2001) “One Shot” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” – David Bowie and Bing Crosby – Non-album single (1982) “Peter and the Wolf” – Philadelphia Orchestra with David Bowie – David Bowie Narrates Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf (1978) “Perfect Day” – Various Artists – Non-album single (1997) “Piano-La” (demo) – David Bowie and John Cale – Unreleased “Planet of Dreams” – David Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey – Long Live Tibet (1997) “Pretty Pink Rose” – Adrian Belew featuring David Bowie – Young Lions (1990) “Pretty Thing” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Prisoner of Love” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Province” – TV on the Radio featuring David Bowie – Return to Cookie Mountain (2006) “Pug Nosed Face” – David Bowie – Extras (TV Series) (2006) “Run” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Sacrifice Yourself” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Saviour” – Kristeen Young featuring David Bowie – Breasticles (2003) “Sector Z” – Rustic Overtones featuring David Bowie – ¡Viva Nueva! (2001) “(She Can) Do That” – David Bowie and BT – Stealth: Music from the Motion Picture (2005) “Shopping for Girls” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Sorry” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “Stateside” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “This Is Not America” – David Bowie and Pat Metheny Group – The Falcon and the Snowman (soundtrack) (1985) “Tin Machine” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Truth” – Goldie featuring David Bowie – Saturnz Return (1998) “Under Pressure” – Queen and David Bowie – Non-album single (1981) “Under the God” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Velvet Couch” (demo) – David Bowie and John Cale – Unreleased “Video Crime” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “Wake Up” (live) – Arcade Fire and David Bowie – Live EP (Live at Fashion Rocks) (2005) “Without You I’m Nothing” – Placebo featuring David Bowie – Without You I’m Nothing (1998) “Working Class Hero” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine (1989) “You Belong in Rock n’ Roll” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “You Can’t Talk” – Tin Machine – Tin Machine II (1991) “You’ve Been Around” – Reeves Gabrels featuring David Bowie – The Sacred Squall of Now (1995) “You’ve Got a Habit of Leaving” – Davy Jones and the Lower Third – Non-album single (1965)
Check out our fantastic and entertaining David Bowie articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
On December 14, The Kovenant – featuring Nagash, Steinar Sverd Johnsen, Sarah Jezebel Deva, Astennu and Hellhammer – reunited for the first of several scheduled reunion shows at the Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2024. Fan-filmed video of the entire comeback show can be viewed below.
Setlist:
“The Sulphur Feast” “Bizarre Cosmic Industries” “Planetarium” “The Last of Dragons” “Bringer of the Sixth Sun” “Dragonheart” “Planetary Black Elements” “Chariots of Thunder” “Interlude” “Jihad” “In the Name of the Future” “Towards the Crown of Nights”
Sarah followed up with this message:
“Seriously, hands down, the most incredible experience ever. So humble, so grateful and so ready for what’s next. I think this morning, I’m on a major come down, as usual I wear my heart on my sleeve and will always say what I feel, and I have to say, not only do I love these guys so much, but the crew also. What a team. I met some old friends and met some new friends that I had only met online and worked with. It’s been a long time since I’ve cried laughing, and I cried a lot…. laughing.. think maybe a bit of wee came out too…. Thank you.”
The Kovenant originally formed as a symphonic black metal act known as Covenant in 1993, but in 1999 were forced to change their name to The Kovenant due to a dispute with a Swedish electronic band of the same name. The band’s name change also marked a change in sound/style, as the band from there on began to focus more on an aggrotech / industrial metal sound heavily influenced by Europe’s EBM scene. Despite their style change, The Kovenant did however later reissue their early albums under The Kovenant name.
The Kovenant’s live schedule is now as follows:
January / February 30-3 – 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise – Ocho Rios, Jamaica
May 1-3 – Karmøygeddon Metal Festival – Kopervik. Norway
Speaking with Guitar Player, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley discusses his most recent solo album, 10,000 Volts, and offers his thoughts on being regarded by a major influence by many of his peers and guitarists the world over. He also breaks down five KISS classics. Following is an excerpt.
Frehley: “I’d probably have practiced a little more If I knew I was going to affect that many people’s lives. It does make me proud and very happy though that I influenced a lot of great guitar players. And with so many of them, I can’t even begin to name, I have become friends with too. I recently went to see John 5 play and he gave me a picture of when he had met me when he was only 15 years old, and it made me feel old! But look at him now? He is such an amazing guitarist and now playing with Mötley Crüe!”
“Cold Gin” (1974)
Frehley: “I wrote this song when I was in my early 20s in the subways of New York City on the way down to a KISS rehearsal one day. The main riff came into my head, and when I got there, I played it to the rest of the band. Paul, Gene and Peter said that it could make a good song, so I played with it some more and then wrote some lyrics. And next thing you know, we got a song that became a Kiss classic!
I used a Gibson Les Paul Standard ‘honeyburst’ that I bought at Manny’s Music. It was only a couple of years old. I plugged that into a 100-watt JMP Super Lead Marshall. My whole career has been pretty much Les Pauls and Marshalls in the studio. Sometimes I’d overdub with Fenders and Danelectros and acoustics, but the Les Paul has always been the guitar I would cut the basic track with. I probably did this in one take. I don’t exactly remember. It’s been over 40 years ago.”
Forty-six years after its release in 1978, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley recently joined Ken Sharp of Goldmine for a conversation detailing the back story of his self-titled solo album. An excerpt follows:
Goldmine: Having a hit single off of your solo album with “New York Groove”, did that plant a seed for you to leave the group, or did it give you more confidence in yourself as an artist, songwriter and record maker?
Ace Frehley: “Well, after the success of my solo album, the writing was on the wall for me. I realized I was more creative away from those guys because they’re control freaks, and they like things the way they like them. I don’t like recording the way they record because sometimes they would do 20-25 takes and I’d say, ‘We’re beating a dead horse here on this song.’ That happened with Bob Ezrin working on the Destroyer album. When I’m recording, if I’m working with a drummer, it’s just me and the drummer. If I can’t get it in three, four, five takes at the most, I’ll just say, ‘Let’s try something else’ because after five, six, seven takes, you start losing spontaneity and you start getting bored, actually. Doing 25 takes of a song is completely absurd.”
Ace Frehley: “I don’t remember what song it was, but it was one of the songs on Destroyer, I said to Paul (Stanley) and Gene (Simmons), ‘Listen, why don’t we just put this to sleep right now and try something else? We can come into the studio tomorrow and try it again.’ And lo and behold, we came into the studio the next day and did it in two or three takes because we knew the song, we knew what the pitfalls were and the mistakes we made, and we knocked it off and it had spontaneity. Paul and Gene have a certain work ethic that I don’t have. For example, when Gene was living in Manhattan in his penthouse, he told me he’d go into his closet, he had a little amp and a recorder set up there, and he’d write a song every day. And I’d say, ‘Why do you force yourself to write a song every day?’ He goes, ‘That’s just my work ethic.’ I go, ‘I can’t work that way, Gene. I can only write a song when I feel inspired.’ So for example, I’ll go three weeks without writing a song and then the following the weekend, something would inspire me and I’ll end up writing two or three songs in a weekend. Out of 365 songs that Gene wrote in one year while he was living there, there was probably only a half a dozen songs that we used.”
To read the complete interview with Ace, visit this location.
Frehley’s latest solo album, 10,000 Volts, was released in February 2024.
Serj Tankian is an activist in the truest sense of the word. With System Of A Down, he’s campaigned vociferously to draw attention to the Armenian genocide that displaced his grandparents and parents, while his work in support of a range of social and political causes has made him one of metal’s most outspoken and galvanising figures.
He’s also an undeniable workhorse. This year alone he’s worked on numerous TV and film scores, as well as memoir Down With The System, and new solo EP Foundations. Surprisingly soft-spoken, he has a philosophical air as he reflects on some of the biggest lessons he’s learned – as an artist, an activist and as a human being.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
“I’m not sure exactly which band really got me into metal. I grew up with a lot of Armenian and European music, disco in the 70s… My upbringing wasn’t very band-based. Iron Maiden were the first metal band I saw live, because my girlfriend was a huge fan and she took me along even though I had no idea who they were. I was 16 or 17, and it was incredible – a real mind-blowing experience.”
SOMETIMES YOU’LL STUMBLE ONTO THE RIGHT PATH
“When I started playing, I was 19. It’s a different experience to a lot of musos I’ve met. Most people seem to find it when they’re eight or nine, and commit to making this dream a reality. For me, it accidentally came into my life.”
SUPPORT MATTERS
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“My parents have always been incredibly supportive. Not just my dad, who is also a musician and you’d expect, but also my mom. They never doubted what I was doing, never complained about the loud music when we lived under one roof and I was blaring very ugly low-tuned guitars through the living room. Never a peep of complaint! Of course I was respectful of their time and space too, but their encouragement has been the fuel under my wings.”
A SPOONFUL OF ‘SUGAR!’ HELPS THE MEDICINE GO DOWN
“Lyrically, System Of A Down changed over time. Early on, the songs had a lot of angst and anger, dissidence and anti-authoritarianism was balanced with humour. After Toxicity the message got a lot more refined and the lyrical themes became widened. But there were still funny moments like ‘Banana terracotta pie’ [on Vicinity Of Obscenity] – they were all over the place! Every time I write lyrics, I change as a human being. There are some overarching themes that will always stay true to the foundations and core of myself as a musician, and probably us as a group too.”
YOUR CULTURE HELPS TO SHAPE YOU AS A PERSON
“Our heritage and culture is a part of each and every one of us in System. Daron [Malakian, guitar] drew on his upbringing because he was listening to Armenian and Arabic music in the house. Same with John [Dolmayan, drums] with rhythm – his dad’s also a musician and plays saxophone, and Shavo [Odadjian, bass] had his own thing too, so we listened to a lot of different types of music growing up. You don’t intentionally bring culture through music, it just happens because it’s part of who you are.”
BE YOURSELF
“I’m honoured whenever a musician tells us we helped connect them to their own culture. [Using music to explore your cultural heritage] wasn’t a thing in rock and metal when we started but it’s the most beautiful side effect of being in the band. It’s great to encourage people to bring their ethnicity, their culture, their experiences – everything that makes them what they are into what they do. People should not feel like they need to hold anything back.”
DOING NOTHING IS STILL A CHOICE
“I had a very unique relationship with the last few [SOAD] records because I had, to a certain degree, emotionally checked out of the band while making them. Because of the push and pull, I became very passive. There was music I wanted to bring in that I felt like I couldn’t… I was in a weird place. I contributed creatively, but I didn’t… I don’t know. I needed oxygen – I felt like there was too much going on.”
BUT THERE IS BEAUTY IN A STORM
“[Recording Mezmerize and Hypnotize] had its beautiful moments. I still think those songs are great. But when I think back on it, I also remember that it was a weird phase of my life, and that’s something I have to be aware of as well. We really enjoyed recording the albums at Rick Rubin’s place in Laurel Canyon, right across from the Houdini house.”
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GET RIGHT BACK ON THE HORSE
“It was incredibly important for me to stay active [when SOAD went on hiatus]. I was writing songs while on the bus for Ozzfest [in 2006]. To a certain degree, I felt like I couldn’t do everything I wanted to within the realms of the band, and that’s fine – I don’t think anybody can. I had a vision for what I wanted to do and wanted to present a new vision, so I wrote the songs separately and ultimately put it out as my first solo record, Elect The Dead, a year after we announced the hiatus.”
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
“Meditation is incredibly important to me. When it’s lacking in my life, I am not a better person. I’d advise anyone interested in meditation to pick up a book. That’s how I started out, I read Jon Kabat-Zinn’s book, Wherever You Go, There You Are. It’s a simple book that’s almost like poetry, but every phrase rang incredibly true to me intuitively and made me just stop and feel something.
There’s many books like that – The Power Of Now by Eckhart Tolle, the work of Thích Nhất Hạnh who was a Vietnamese monk… I would start with a book. That’s a way of gently introducing the peacefulness, the understanding and slowing down that meditation requires. If someone wants to go from there to formal meditations like transcendental, body, Buddhist… various types of meditation, they can take that route.”
Serj Tankian – Cartoon Buyer – Official Music Video – YouTube
“Writing a memoir was not something I had in mind. I’ve been wanting to write a philosophical book about the intersection of justice and spirituality for a long time. I met a nice young literary agent who reached out and was interested in representing me. He pitched the memoir. To me, when you write a memoir, you think of doing it when you’re no longer creating a lot of stuff. I’m still doing a lot, though – new music, scoring films and videos, TV… So many different projects.”
LEARN FROM HISTORY OR YOU’RE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT
“Justice Will Shine On [from the Foundations EP] is a very personal song. It was based in part on talking to my grandparents, but also the hypocrisy of genocide denial in a well-known democracy and paying homage to the survivors of genocide. It’s also talking about the modern issue of genocide that’s still occurring today. It’s a scourge that we haven’t been able to get rid of on this planet. It just seems to accelerate.”
CONVERSATION IS KEY
“The conversation around the Armenian genocide has changed in recent years, to a certain extent. More countries are formally recognising it as a genocide and, more importantly, there’s a lot more people aware of it now. Unfortunately, the descendants of the perpetrators , and in particular the government of [Turkish president Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan, don’t recognise it. Until we have democratic reform in that country and others like it, I don’t think we’ll see any progressive positive movements towards historic justice.”
JUST SAY NO
“I’ve learned how to say no as an artist and as a human being. When you’re young and things keep coming at you, you don’t really know how to do that. It feels like you’re going to miss out , but now I’m happy to let things go by. I’ve said no to tours and let some opportunities go by because they’re not what I’m really interested in doing. I’m clearer on my vision these days. I don’t want to stress myself out.”
DO WHAT EXCITES YOU
“I still do a lot – I’m very productive, whether it’s music, working on a book or opening a cafe. I worked on two films and a TV series in the first six months of this year! But these days I know it’s got to be something that really excites me, to make the journey worth it. If you do it right, it’s a very long journey.”
Serj Tankian’s Foundations EP is out now via Gibson. System Of A Down are on tour in 2025, for the full list of dates, visit their official website.
UK progressive rockers Circu5 (pronounced Circa-five) have shared a video for brand new track Skin Machine. It follows the release of Freakshow Train, which won the band our Tracks Of The Week back in November.
It’s taken from the trio’s upcoming album Clockwork Tulpa which they will release on March 7. It’s Circu5’s first release as a full band. Mainman Steve Tilling formed the band as a solo venture back in 2012 and the new album comes nearly eight years after the band’s eponymous 2017 debut. Tilling is now joined by former Tin Spirits leader Mark Kilminster and drummer Lee Moulding.
“With Mark and Lee in the band, Circu5 can now establish its own unique identity,” says Tilling. “I’m excited about where we can take the band next.”
Clockwork Tulpa continues the story of Grady: a troubled character moulded from birth by the band.
“It’s a reflection on how people navigate the trauma of tough childhoods without falling prey to isolating belief systems,” Tilling adds. “But ultimately, it’s about making the best songs we can.”
Pre-order supporters will have access to bonus materials, including posters, early-access downloads and ‘The Vault’: a boxed flash-drive collection featuring behind-the-scenes demos, lyrics and concepts from the album’s creation.
In the new issue of Metal Hammer, journalist Dave Everley asks Jansen why Nightwish have decided to stop playing shows for the foreseeable future.
“Everything with Nightwish, we’ve done with 120%,” she answers, “but if you don’t have the energy to do that, it’s better to take a break. It’s as simple as that. It would be great to play it but…”
(Image credit: Future)
Everley then asks if Nightwish will eventually return to performing live. “Yes. That’s what we’ve always said – it’s a break from touring, it’s not a permanent stop. Otherwise we would have said, ‘That’s it, we’re not touring, we’re just going to make albums.’”
Even though the band are enjoying a break, Jansen herself will not. She says work on the followup to her 2023 solo debut Paragon will begin shortly, and that she already has material which stretches back to before the birth of her second daughter Lucy last year.
“Not touring with Nightwish gives me time to write my second solo album,” the singer says. “I have ideas, I have people I want to work with, I even wrote a song before Lucy was born. Nothing is finished yet, but it will come.”
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The reason why Nightwish are hanging up their live gear for the Yesterwynde cycle has never been properly explained. The band chalked it up to “personal” matters when they first announced it, saying only that it was unrelated to Jansen’s then-pregnancy with Lucy.
In a Kerrang! interview this spring, keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen said fans “shouldn’t get worried” about the hiatus. “It’s not the end of the band,” he added. “[I]t doesn’t feel weird [to not be touring]. It just feels right.”
As well as the Jansen interview, the new issue of Metal Hammer offers the essential breakdown of the year in metal. The magazine ranks the best metal albums of 2024, revisits Lzzy Hale’s stint fronting glam metal stars Skid Row, gets the inside story of Gojira’s show-stealing Olympic Games performance, and so much more. Order now and get your copy delivered directly to your doorstep.
After seven years in ‘exile’, the late Jeff Beck enjoyed another renaissance in 2010 with his Grammy-winning album Emotion & Commotion, followed by the Les Paul tribute Rock’N’Roll Party in 2011. Throw in the news of a reunion with Rod Stewart, and it was clearly a good time to speak with the late maestro. So we did.
Jeff Beck comes bounding into his manager’s London office looking the same as ever, bar a few more years of experience as the guitar player’s guitarist of choice etched into his craggy features.
Beck is evidently in the mood (his Together & Apart show with Eric Clapton last year delighted both sets of fans), and he’s fitting in the Rod Stewart collaboration with a US tour and the itch to get back into the studio.
Now 66, he says he’s still as keen as ever to pursue new ground, and, as he tells Classic Rock, he’s got plenty to be happy about in a year that looks certain to put him back at the centre of a music business he’s graced for more than 40 years.
You’ve just picked up another three Grammys: two for Emotion & Commotion, and one for the Imagine collaboration with Herbie Hancock and Pink. Do you enjoy attending these awards events?
It’s a networking profile thing. If you don’t go you won’t get talked about and you become invisible. Last year I went with Imelda May (singer on Jeff’s new album Rock’N’Roll Party) and I saw it through her eyes. Lady Gaga was swinging about on a JCB; it was a bit of a circus, nothing to do with music. But this year I was nominated for six awards so I thought I’d participate in the circus. It means someone is listening to the effort I’ve put into making my records. Once I went with a bunch of mates, convinced I was going to win. I realised I wasn’t when they stuck us up in the gods. And the envelope gets opened and it’s: “The winner is… Carlos Santana!”
What do you do with your awards?
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I’ve got eight and they’re all on my mum’s piano, weighing it down. I get them for the most obscure tracks sometimes, and people say: “Never heard it.” But these [Grammys] are the Oscars of the music business. They might give the album sales a bit of a tweak.
You constantly change styles – classical, rockabilly, fusion… Are you a restless type?
Yeah, I am. I’ve got a fascination with musical sound and what that does to me. One minute I’m angry at some new rubbish, then I’m weeping buckets at Christine Johnson singing You’ll Never Walk Alone [in the 1956 Hollywood musical Carousel].
Why does that happen? Why do I get such a buzz out of Nessun Dorma, or Pavane by Ravel, and Mahler’s Fifth? The fun thing for a musician like me is I can go anywhere I want. I can play Puccini; I’m not tied down to a rock formula. People can’t expect me to be like Led Zep 2,3,4. I don’t do that. That isn’t fulfilling. I’m not doing Guns N’ Roses mark 20.
You’ve talked before about playing live with a full orchestra. How is that coming along?
I’ve done snippets, but I want the full-blown, 100-piece at the Royal Albert Hall, with French horn and the whole monty. I’d love to take that to a Madison Square Garden or a Hollywood Bowl. I’ll do it when my manager says someone has cancelled, get in there. Trouble with these big ideas if you have to book halls years in advance.
Do you remember July 3. 1973?
Christ yeah. The last night of the Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars tour. Bowie originally wanted me to be in the band but he got Mick Ronson, who he always said was his own Jeff Beck. I remember they were filming, and the cameras panned in on my wah-wah pedal during The Jean Genie and I was wearing these dirty white platform shoes. I went ballistic when they said they were using me in the film, so I refused to sign the release.
Bowie goes: “Oh, you might as well agree, they’re already showing a bootleg version at the Triple XXX theatres on 42nd Street, and you didn’t look any dafter than me.” In the end I agreed. The pitch of teenage screaming at that gig was unbelievable. I’d never experienced that. I recall it was someone’s birthday in the group, and I thought I was like a little mascot pressie. But actually Bowie is a big fan, so…
You would have looked good in face paint and a jumpsuit.
Nah. And I’m not a ‘joiner’, really. Pink Floyd wanted me but they didn’t have the nerve to pop the question. And then there’s The Rolling Stones [when they were looking for a replacement for Mick Taylor who quit in ’74]. I told them I don’t do auditions. And I wouldn’t have fitted in. I never had any regrets. I thought about it, but I had Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer in my head. I didn’t want to spend my life playing Brown Sugar. I think they’d probably made their best records by then, with Mick Taylor. He gave them a lot. A big old badge of sound.
I couldn’t deal with their looseness. I was rehearsing [with the Stones] and I hardly ever saw Mick Jagger. When he did arrive, someone else fucked off. I’m there to work, and they’re going: “Shall we pop over to Las Vegas, or Barbados?” No! I like to have bottled attention and discipline. Get the damn thing done, and then you can mess around. It was crazy.
Your new album is a tribute to the late guitar legend Les Paul. What does he mean to you?
A lot. Sadly he passed away and never got to hear us. It’s like a post- party. He was a profound influence on me when I was growing up. His records were treasured. I absorbed all his tonal variations. His music was memorable, not just a barbaric rock’n’roll thing. He had class. His guitar bends were delicious and the runs were fabulous.
Plus, in Mary Ford he had a singer so perfectly attuned that her pitching is always correct. Her voice stood out. As Imelda’s does on the tribute songs to them. That era reminds me of a time of innocence when you had a daily bombardment of new and exciting music. I was lost in all that. This was when even the idea of ever leaving my home in Surrey was a fantasy. All that music was the antidote to school. And owning the vinyl was also a great way of impressing the local schoolgirls.
This interview originally appeared in Classic Rock 157 (May 2011)
TVLIve: Jeff Beck with Imelda May – “Walking In The Sand” (Leno 2011) – YouTube
“I’m probably the one who’s most aware of everything we’ve done. I probably like our music the most”: Genesis’ Tony Banks wonders if the world needs any more of his music
(Image credit: Future)
Best known for his elaborate arrangements and ambitious solos, Genesis keyboard player Tony Banks has gathered his solo orchestral works for a new box set, 18 Pieces For Orchestra: 7-6-5. Prog catches up with the musician and composer to discuss the intense sound pictures he created over a 14-year period, going head-to-head in the charts with celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarsh and offering his old mate Peter Gabriel another gig.
After 1997’s Calling All Stations, Tony Banks realised for the first time in 30 years that he might have to consider a world fully outside Genesis. His five solo/collaborative albums to date had been support movies to Genesis’ main feature, but now the cinema show looked like it was coming to an end.
He remembered how much he’d enjoyed the experience of scoring Michael Winner’s ill-fated remake of The Wicked Lady in 1983, admiring how Christopher Palmer had extrapolated his work into discrete themes. It gave him an idea. As a result, over the next 20 years, he released three classical works, now compiled in a new box set, 18 Pieces For Orchestra: 7-6-5.
Classical music always held an appeal for Banks – from hearing Rachmaninoff as a child to some of his arrangements on Genesis records – but crossing the line into ‘serious music’ is not the easiest path to take. “In the classical world, they don’t really like rock musicians or upstarts,” he tells Prog. “The other problem is that people who like rock don’t have much time for strings and oboes. So you’re caught in the middle. I have always taken the stance that, when writing music, I’ll do something that appeals to me, and see where it goes.”
Working with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, he began the first of his forays, Seven – A Suite For Orchestra, at Abbey Road. He soon realised it would not be an easy walk over the zebra crossing. “I was totally green to it; I didn’t think the first recordings worked at all,” says Banks. “They needed streamlining. I had to get a different conductor so that we weren’t spending all our time just correcting the errors in the scores.”
In came Mike Dixon, who’d worked in both the rock and the classical worlds. Recording moved to AIR Lyndhurst in north London. Opener Spring Tide contains some classic Genesis-style motifs as well: “The slower pieces worked well on Seven. Perhaps the closer, The Spirit Of Gravity, was a slight disappointment; it didn’t quite go as well as I hoped. It’s complex – trying to do it in one three-hour session with an orchestra that’s not totally excited by the idea was a bit difficult.”
Although hemmed in by the structure and timekeeping of English orchestras, the album was released in 2004 and received rave reviews. Banks’s second classical work, Six Pieces For Orchestra, followed in 2011. It came off the back of Genesis’ first reunion and farewell tour, Turn It On Again, in 2007, when he’d announced that it was next on his agenda, even though he hadn’t fully considered it – or written a note.
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“The first one had gone pretty well, and proved the most successful of my solo albums in many ways. So when being asked what we were going to do after the tour, I had to say something. Mike Rutherford was speaking about the Mechanics, Phil had another album coming out, so I talked myself into it.”
Six was to prove an exhilarating exercise: “I really had no ideas at that point. On Seven, I’d had four tracks ready in some form or another. So it was nice to start totally from scratch, to see where it would lead me.”
I had lots of ideas… in order to get them on a Genesis album, I had to pack them all into one song
It led him to Prague. “I wanted to spend more time and find more enthusiasm, which I got in both the Czech orchestras. You could rehearse and get it right and they didn’t mind if you double tracked.”
There hadn’t been orchestras to contemplate in Genesis – the group were their own ensemble. “We were very lucky how these things can work out,” he says. “Then, I was filling in the gaps with Mellotron. Often, when you use a synthesiser, you’re trying to arrange the pieces in a way to give them that sort of sound. I love doing that, particularly when I had a free hand – like the instrumental sequence of Tonight, Tonight, Tonight [from Invisible Touch], when I’m playing that arrangement of flute, oboes and strings over Mike and Phil Collins’ backing.
Genesis – One For The Vine (Official Audio) – YouTube
“I was proud of One For The Vine [from Wind & Wuthering]: the little theme that comes at the beginning, middle and end to show that it’s a cyclic song; the lyric starts and ends in the same place. In the 70s I had lots of ideas, and in order to get them on a Genesis album, I had to pack them all into one song! Sometimes on the records we’d fight a bit about what went on, but that’s the nature of being in a group. I fought with everybody. I often won. Those albums when there were five of us were very exciting.”
Coming across orchestrator/conductor Paul Englishby to work in Prague was a breath of fresh air. “Paul’s a pretty creative chap himself, and he was quite happy to do what I needed. With pieces like Blade, it’s all there on my demo, but Paul made it sound better – more professional. My brief to everyone was to make it sound like an orchestral piece, and not like some kind an arranged piece of pop music. It was great fun.”
A lot of people around me felt that Five didn’t really get a very good shot
By 2018’s Five, he was writing more like he’d been working with Genesis. With its warmth and variation, it could almost be viewed as the group’s final album; if Tony Banks is on it, it’s got to be Genesis, really, whatever guise it’s in. “I started with the basis of piano and built from there. I replaced the synthesised parts with real strings. That was a very satisfactory way to work, and I don’t think it sounds like I’ve done that. The result ended up very close to my original vision.”
Five – orchestrated by Nick Ingman (Paul McCartney, Björk) – came out of a piece that Banks had been commissioned to write for the Cheltenham Music Festival. “And the piece, that ended up as the opening track, was unpretentiously titled Prelude To A Million Years. I wrote a few other pieces while I was about it, and a couple of others were written as I went along. I was very confident when I was writing Five. One of the main reasons for putting out this box was that a lot of people around me felt that Five, in particular, didn’t really get a very good shot.
“It started strongly: it came on the classical chart at No.1, which was very nice. All the people who wanted it went out and bought it in the first week – after that it disappeared. I was knocked off the top spot by [gardener] Alan Titchmarsh, reading poetry to somebody who’d written some music behind it [The Glorious Garden, with Debbie Wiseman and the National Symphony Orchestra]. I thought, ‘Well, that sort of sums up the world. I mean, what is classical nowadays?”
Prog wonders if Five will be his final word in the classical realm. “Can I do anything that’s really going to add to what I’ve done – that’s the question, isn’t it?” he says. “I’ve imposed quite a lot of Tony Banks music on the world already, with Genesis and solo albums. I’m not sure if it’s crying out for any more. But if I was excited by something, I probably wouldn’t be able to stop myself from doing it again.”
Mike and I have been there all the way through… although Mike is always a little bit more detached from everything
What does his week look like these days? “Lots of gardening, a bit of golf, a bit of tennis. I play music and write, and just carry on. It’s part of what I do and I love doing it – but I’m an old man.”
There’s always talk of Genesis reissues, and Banks curated their recent BBC Sessions album. Does that mean he’s the Genesis archivist? “Not really. Nick Davis, our regular producer, was involved in all this: he was the one who made most of the decisions; but it was nice to listen back to the live versions, and it gave me a chance to look at the old videos.
Genesis – Tonight, Tonight, Tonight (Official Music Video) – YouTube
“I’m probably the one who’s most aware of everything we’ve done, and I probably like our music the most. Mike and I have been there all the way through, of course; although Mike is always a little bit more detached from everything.”
He reports that communication is good between the band of brothers, who are on the verge of celebrating the 60th anniversary of their fledgling first shows at Charterhouse school. “I speak with Mike a lot; Phil a certain amount, but he’s in Switzerland, so we don’t tend to see him. I communicate with the others, particularly Peter Gabriel, every now and then, and Ant.
I was pleased to get the Prog God award; in the world of prog I have a status which I don’t have elsewhere
“Extraordinarily enough, I bumped into Steve Hackett the other day. I was walking down the street, and suddenly a voice said, ‘Hello Tony!’ There he was. We had a long chat, which was great. I was amazed to find him in the country – he’s always somewhere else. I look at his schedule so I don’t feel tired.”
The 7-6-5 box set comes complete with new Stefan Knapp artwork, which offers continuity of the series, in the same way as Soviet label Melodiya or Blue Note. It unmistakably enrobes the work of Banks the classical composer. “It needs to be heard by more people. The trouble is whether it’s the right way to make people hear it by giving them three hours of music. It looks good on a shelf.”
Tony Banks – Prelude to a Million Years (Official) – YouTube
There’s one more question: Where does Banks keep the Prog God trophy, bestowed upon him by Gabriel at the Progressive Music Awards in 2015? “It’s in here in my music room,” he says. “I rearranged the bookshelves, and Margaret [his wife of 52 years] helped me do it, and she left one shelf completely free.”
She told him the shelf was free for “the next lot of awards.” He comically sighs. “I’m afraid there hasn’t been any, apart from this thing. It was a surprise to get it, because Peter had it the previous year and I thought maybe they’d run out of Genesis people. I was very pleased to get it; in the world of prog rock, I have a certain status which I don’t have elsewhere.”
I saw Peter’s last tour and he was great… I said, ‘We kind of could use a singer’
Prog can’t help but comment on the fact that Gabriel and Banks are one of the most amusing double acts. “Peter is absolutely right in saying we were the greatest of friends and could be the worst of enemies. He’s obviously an incredibly special person in my life. But banter about the hair is always good.”
There’s still a gap in the market for the pair to go out and do a two-piano tour – small venues, just stories and songs, like a prog Rostal and Schaefer or Flanders and Swann. Banks laughs at the thought. “Peter wants to do a bit more touring, doesn’t he? I saw his last tour and he was really great – in good voice. I said, ‘Look, we kind of could use a singer, if you fancy another gig?’” Banks chuckles at how unlikely it all is. “It was good to see him still sounding good.”
Daryl Easlea has contributed to Prog since its first edition, and has written cover features on Pink Floyd, Genesis, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Gentle Giant. After 20 years in music retail, when Daryl worked full-time at Record Collector, his broad tastes and knowledge led to him being deemed a ‘generalist.’ DJ, compere, and consultant to record companies, his books explore prog, populist African-American music and pop eccentrics. Currently writing Whatever Happened To Slade?, Daryl broadcasts Easlea Like A Sunday Morning on Ship Full Of Bombs, can be seen on Channel 5 talking about pop and hosts the M Means Music podcast.
Feature Photo: Mark Kent, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Bon Jovi emerged in the early 1980s as one of the definitive rock bands of their era, blending arena-sized anthems with heartfelt ballads that resonated with millions worldwide. Formed in Sayreville, New Jersey, the band features lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, and bassist Alec John Such, who was later replaced by Hugh McDonald. Their meteoric rise began with Slippery When Wet (1986), cementing their place in music history with hits like “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Over the decades, Bon Jovi has released over 15 studio albums, garnered numerous awards, including a Grammy, and achieved induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Known for their dynamic live performances and anthems of resilience and love, Bon Jovi has left an indelible mark on the landscape of rock music.
Complete List Of Bon Jovi Songs From A to Z
A – C
“99 in the Shade” – New Jersey (1988) “Ain’t No Cure for Love” – Non-album release (2000) “Alive” – Non-album release (2002) “All About Lovin’ You” – Bounce (2002) “All Hail the King” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “All I Wanna Do Is You” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “All I Want Is Everything” – These Days (1995) “Always” – Cross Road (1994) “Always Run to You” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “Amen” – What About Now (2013) “American Reckoning” – 2020 (2020) “Another Reason to Believe” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Any Other Day” – Lost Highway (2007) “Army of One” – What About Now (2013) “A Teardrop to the Sea” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Backdoor to Heaven” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Bad Medicine” – New Jersey (1988) “Beautiful Drug” – 2020 (2020) “Beautiful World” – What About Now (2013) “Because We Can” – What About Now (2013) “Bed of Roses” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Bells of Freedom” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Billy” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Bitter Wine” – These Days (1995) “Blame It on the Love of Rock & Roll” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Blind Love” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Blood in the Water” – 2020 (2020) “Blood on Blood” – New Jersey (1988) “Borderline” – Non-album release (1986) “Born Again Tomorrow” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Born to Be My Baby” – New Jersey (1988) “Bounce” – Bounce (2002) “Breakout” – Bon Jovi (1984) “Breathe” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Brokenpromiseland” – The Circle (2009) “Brothers in Arms” – 2020 (2020) “Bullet” – The Circle (2009) “Burning Bridges” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Burning for Love” – Bon Jovi (1984) “Cama de Rosas” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Captain Crash and the Beauty Queen from Mars” – Crush (2000) “Christmas Isn’t Christmas” – Non-album release (2020) “Color Me In” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Come Back” – Bon Jovi (1984) “Come on Up to Our House” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Complicated” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Como Yo Nadie Te Ha Amado” – These Days (1995) “Crazy Love” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004)
D-I
“Damned” – These Days (1995) “Diamond Ring” – These Days (1995) “Dirty Little Secret” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Do What You Can” – 2020 (2020) “Does Anybody Really Fall in Love Anymore?” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Dry County” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Edge of a Broken Heart” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “Every Beat of My Heart” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Everybody’s Broken” – Lost Highway (2007) “Everyday” – Bounce (2002) “Fast Cars” – The Circle (2009) “Fear” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Fields of Fire” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Fingerprints” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Flesh and Bone” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Full Moon High” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Garageland” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Get Ready” – Bon Jovi (1984) “God Bless This Mess” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Good Guys Don’t Always Wear White” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Goodnight New York” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Gotta Have a Reason” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Growin’ Up the Hard Way” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Happy Now” – The Circle (2009) “Have a Nice Day” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Hearts Breaking Even” – These Days (1995) “Hey God” – These Days (1995) “Hollow Man” – Forever (2004) “Homebound Train” – New Jersey (1988) “Hook Me Up” – Bounce (2002) “Hush” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “I Am” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “I Believe” – Keep the Faith (1992) “I Could Make a Living Out of Lovin’ You” – Crush (2000) “I’d Die For You” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “I Don’t Want to Live Forever” – Non-album release (2000) “(I Don’t Wanna Fall) To the Fire” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “If I Can’t Have Your Love” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “If I Was Your Mother” – Keep the Faith (1992) “If That’s What It Takes” – These Days (1995) “I Get a Rush” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “I Got the Girl” – Crush (2000) “I Just Want to Be Your Man” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “I’ll Be There for You” – New Jersey (1988) “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” – Keep the Faith (1992) “I Love This Town” – Lost Highway (2007) “I’m With You” – What About Now (2013) “I’m Your Man” – Burning Bridges (2015) “In and Out of Love” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “In These Arms” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Into the Echo” – What About Now (2013) “(It’s Hard) Letting You Go” – These Days (1995) “It’s My Life” – Crush (2000) “I Want To Be Loved” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “I Want You” – Keep the Faith (1992) “I Will Drive You Home” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas” – Non-album release (1992) “I Wrote You a Song” – Forever (2004)
J – N
“Joey” – Bounce (2002) “Judgement Day” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Just Older” – Crush (2000) “Keep the Faith” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Kidnap an Angel” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “King of the Mountain” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “Kiss the Bride” – Forever (2004) “Knockout” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Labor of Love” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Last Chance Train” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Last Cigarette” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Last Man Standing” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Lay Your Hands on Me” – New Jersey (1988) “Learn to Love” – The Circle (2009) “Legendary” – Forever (2004) “Let It Rain” – 2020 (2020) “Let It Rock” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “Let’s Make It Baby” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Letter to a Friend” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Lie to Me” – These Days (1995) “Life Is Beautiful” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Limitless” – 2020 (2020) “Little Bit of Soul” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Live Before You Die” – The Circle (2009) “Living in Paradise” – Forever (2004) “Living in Sin” – New Jersey (1988) “Living Proof” – Forever (2004) “Living With the Ghost” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Livin’ On A Prayer” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “Lonely” – Lost Highway (2007) “Lonely at the Top” – These Days (1995) “Lost Highway” – Lost Highway (2007) “Love Ain’t Nothing But a Four Letter Word” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Love for Sale” – New Jersey (1988) “Love Hurts” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Love Lies” – Bon Jovi (1984) “Love is War” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014) “Love Me Back to Life” – Bounce (2002) “Love’s the Only Rule” – The Circle (2009) “Lower the Flag” – 2020 (2020) “Lucky” – Non-album release (2002) “Luv Can” – 2020 (2020) “Maybe Someday” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Memphis Lives in Me” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Miss Fourth of July” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Misunderstood” – Bounce (2002) “My First Guitar” – Forever (2004) “My Guitar Lies Bleeding in My Arms” – These Days (1995) “Mystery Train” – Crush (2000) “Neurotica” – Crush (2000) “Never Say Goodbye” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “New Year’s Day” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Next 100 Years” – Crush (2000) “No Apologies” – Greatest Hits (2010) “Nobody’s Hero” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “No Regrets” – Bounce (2002) “Novocaine” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Now and Forever” – New Jersey (Deluxe Edition) (2014)
O – S
“One Step Closer” – Lost Highway (2007) “One Wild Night” – Crush (2000) “Only in My Dreams” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Only Lonely” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “Open All Night” – Bounce (2002) “Open All Night (#2)” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Ordinary People” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Outlaws of Love” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Out of Bounds” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Pictures of You” – What About Now (2013) “Postcards from the Wasteland” – Bounce (2002) “Prostitute” – These Days (1995) “Put the Boy Back in Cowboy” – Lost Highway (2007) “Raise Your Hands” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “Real Life” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Real Love” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Reunion” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Rich Man Living in a Poor Man’s House” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Ride Cowboy Ride” – New Jersey (1988) “Right Side of Wrong” – Bounce (2002) “Roller Coaster” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Room at the End of the World” – What About Now (2013) “Roulette” – Bon Jovi (1984) “Runaway” – Bon Jovi (1984) “Satellite” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Save a Prayer” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Save the World” – Crush (2000) “Say It Isn’t So” – Crush (2000) “Scars on This Guitar” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Seat Next to You” – Lost Highway (2007) “Secret Dreams” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “Seeds” – Forever (2004) “She Don’t Know Me” – Bon Jovi (1984) “She’s a Mystery” – Crush (2000) “Shine” – 2020 (2020) “Shot Through the Heart” – Bon Jovi (1984) “Shut Up and Kiss Me” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Silent Night” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “Social Disease” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night” – Cross Road (1994) “Someday Just Might Be Tonight” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Something for the Pain” – These Days (1995) “Something to Believe In” – These Days (1995) “Standing” – Non-album release (2002) “Starting All Over Again” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Stay” – Non-album release (2000) “Stick to Your Guns” – New Jersey (1988) “Story of Love” – 2020 (2020) “Story of My Life” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Summertime” – Lost Highway (2007) “Superman Tonight” – The Circle (2009)
T – Z
“Take Back the Night” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Taking It Back” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Temptation” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Thank You for Loving Me” – Crush (2000) “That’s What the Water Made Me” – What About Now (2013) “The Devil’s in the Temple” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “The Distance” – Bounce (2002) “The End” – These Days (1995) “The Fighter” – What About Now (2013) “The Fire Inside” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “The Hardest Part Is the Night” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “The Last Night” – Lost Highway (2007) “The More Things Change” – Greatest Hits (2010) “The One That Got Away” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “The People’s House” – Forever (2004) “The Price of Love” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “The Radio Saved My Life Tonight” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “These Arms Are Open All Night” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “These Days” – These Days (1995) “These Open Arms” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Thick as Thieves” – What About Now (2013) “Thief of Hearts” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “This Ain’t a Love Song” – These Days (1995) “This House Is Not for Sale” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “This Is Love, This Is Life” – Greatest Hits (2010) “This Is Our House” – Greatest Hits (2010) “Thorn in My Side” – The Circle (2009) “Till We Ain’t Strangers Anymore” – Lost Highway (2007) “Tokyo Road” – 7800° Fahrenheit (1985) “Too Much of a Good Thing” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Touch of Grey” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Two Story Town” – Crush (2000) “Unbreakable” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Unbroken” – 2020 (2020) “Undivided” – Bounce (2002) “Walk Like a Man” – Lost Highway (2007) “Walls” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Walls of Jericho” – Forever (2004) “Wanted Dead or Alive” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “Waves” – Forever (2004) “We All Fall Down” – Burning Bridges (2015) “We Can Dance” – Non-album release (2002) “Wedding Day” – Non-album release (1995) “We Don’t Run” – Burning Bridges (2015) “We Got It Going On” – Lost Highway (2007) “Welcome to the Good Times” – Non-album release (2000) “Welcome to Wherever You Are” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “We Made It Look Easy” – Forever (2004) “We Rule the Night” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “We Weren’t Born to Follow” – The Circle (2009) “What About Now” – What About Now (2013) “What Do You Got?” – Greatest Hits (2010) “What’s Left of Me” – What About Now (2013) “When She Comes” – These Days (1995) “When We Were Beautiful” – The Circle (2009) “When We Were Us” – This House Is Not for Sale (2016) “Whole Lot of Leavin’” – Lost Highway (2007) “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Who Would You Die For” – Burning Bridges (2015) “Why Aren’t You Dead?” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “Wildflower” – Have a Nice Day (2005) “Wild in the Streets” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “Wild Is the Wind” – New Jersey (1988) “Without Love” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “With These Two Hands” – What About Now (2013) “Woman in Love” – Keep the Faith (1992) “Work for the Working Man” – The Circle (2009) “You Can Sleep While I Dream” – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong (2004) “You Can’t Lose at Love” – Non-album release (2000) “You Give Love a Bad Name” – Slippery When Wet (1986) “You Had Me from Hello” – Bounce (2002) “(You Want To) Make a Memory” – Lost Highway (2007)
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Bon Jovi articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
