As the remastered version of Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII makes its way into theaters this week, the band offers an exclusive look at its performance of “A Saucerful of Secrets” from the film.
In the video, Pink Floyd plays a portion of their classic song, which appeared as the title track to their 1968 album, the last to feature work by the band’s cofounder Syd Barrett and the first with David Gilmour, his replacement.
You can watch the clip below.
“A Saucerful of Secrets” was one of the few songs kept in Pink Floyd’s sets from the Barrett years. Running for 12 minutes in the LP’s studio version, the song became a launching pad for the group to improvise the number onstage.
It’s one of eight songs the band played during its performance at the ancient Roman amphitheater in Pompeii in the first week of October 1971.
The movie version of Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii was initially released in 1972, a year before The Dark Side of the Moon became one of the biggest-selling albums in music history.
A 1974 rerelease of the film included footage of the band working in London’s Abbey Road Studios on songs that appeared on Dark Side – including “On the Run,” “Us and Them” and “Brain Damage” – which came out in March 1973.
When Is ‘Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII’ Playing?
The newly remastered Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII opens in theaters on Thursday and features the band performing a set at the Amphitheatre of Pompeii, the first time a concert was staged at the historic venue.
The quartet performed a set – consisting of favorites “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” and songs from Meddle, which was released a month after the Pompeii performance – without an audience.
The new film was hand restored, frame-by-frame, from the original 35mm negative found in Pink Floyd’s archives and has been digitally remastered in 4K. Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII also includes a new audio mix by Steven Wilson
On May 2, a live album culled from the Pompeii set will be released on CD, digital audio and vinyl formats along with a Dolby Atmos mix.
More information about the movie, including showtimes and theaters, can be found at the band’s website.
Top 30 Albums of 1975
Classic rock found its voice by the midpoint of the ’70s.
Punk icon Billy Idol has hooked up with pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne on his propulsive new single, 77. The song comes from Idol’s new album Dream Into It, which will arrive via April 25 via Dark Horse Records, and follows the release of Still Dancing in February.
“Avril’s just fantastic on 77, it was great working with her,” Idol told Drew Barrymore on her talk show earlier this year. “With her on it, it got three times better.”
Other guest’s on Idol’s ninth album – the follow-up to 2014’s Kings & Queens of the Underground – include Joan Jett and Alison Mosshart of The Kills.
Idol’s It’s A Nice Day To… Tour Again! tour kicks off on April 30 at the Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix, AZ, and reaches the UK and Europe in June. Full details and album tracklist below.
Billy Idol feat. Avril Lavigne – 77 (Official Music Visualizer) – YouTube
Apr 30: Phoenix Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, AZ * May 03: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX * May 04: AustinMoody Center, TX * May 07: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX * May 09: Alpharetta Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, GA * May 10: Tampa MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, FL* May 13: Sunrise Amerant Bank Arena, FL * May 16: Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion, NC * May 17: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN* May 20: Tinley Park Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, IL * May 21: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH * May 23: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON *
Jun 18: Northeim Waldbuhne, Germany Jun 20: Copenhagen Copenhell, Denmark Jun 22: Milton Keynes Forever Now Festival, UK Jun 24: London Wembley Arena, UK† Jun 27: Munich Koenigsplatz, Germany Jun 29: Bonn Kunstrasen, Germany Jul 02: Wiesbaden Brita-Arena, Germany Jul 04: Klam Clam Rock, Austria Jul 05: Eisenstadt Lovely Days, Austria Jul 08: Budapest Park, Hungary Jul 09: Belgrade Kalemegdan Park, Serbia
Aug 16: Philadelphia TD Pavilion at The Mann, PA * Aug 17: Saratoga Springs Broadview Stage at SPAC, NY * Aug 20: New York Madison Square Garden Arena, NY * Aug 22: Columbia Merriweather Post Pavilion, MD * Aug 23: Mansfield Xfinity Center, MA * Aug 26: Bangor Maine Savings Amphitheatre, ME * Aug 28: Clarkston Pine Knob Music Theatre, MI * Aug 30: Noblesville Ruoff Music Center, IN* Aug 31: Milwaukee American Family Insurance Amphitheatre, WI * Sep 03: Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre, CO * Sep 05: Salt Lake City Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre, UT * Sep 12: Palm Springs Acrisure Arena, CA* Sep 14: Berkeley Greek Theater, CA* Sep 17: Wheatland Toyota Amphitheatre, CA* Sep 19: Ridgefield Cascades Amphitheater, WA * Sep 20: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA * Sep 23: Chula Vista North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, CA * Sep 25: Los Angeles he Kia Forum, CA *
* with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts † with New Model Army
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Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazinesince 2014. 39 years in music industry, online for 26. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.
Feature Photo: Tere Baker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Roy Thomas Baker, the visionary producer who helped shape the sound of rock music across five decades, died on April 12, 2025, at his home in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He was 78. While best known for his work with Queen and the creation of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Baker’s career stretched far beyond any one band or song, touching hundreds of records that defined rock, glam, punk, new wave, and arena pop.
Born in Hampstead, London, on November 10, 1946, Baker began his career in the music industry at just 14, taking an entry-level role at Decca Records. He eventually worked his way into assistant engineering roles at Morgan Studios, gaining hands-on experience with the technical side of music production. It was during this period that producer Gus Dudgeon recognized Baker’s potential and encouraged him to join Trident Studios—a hub of experimentation in 1970s London.
At Trident, Baker collaborated with some of the most groundbreaking musicians of the time, including David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, and Frank Zappa. He was present in sessions involving Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Tony Visconti, and members of The Who. This early exposure to the heart of the rock revolution gave him both the confidence and expertise to lead his own projects.
Baker’s breakthrough came when he co-founded Trident’s record label, Neptune, and began working with a then-unknown band named Queen. That relationship produced five landmark albums: Queen (1973), Queen II (1974), Sheer Heart Attack (1974), A Night at the Opera (1975), and Jazz (1978). His work on “Bohemian Rhapsody” has been widely credited with revolutionizing studio production. The elaborate layering, splicing, and multi-track innovations he engineered helped take the song from an experimental idea to one of the most beloved rock anthems of all time.
Following his success with Queen, Baker relocated to the United States and signed a multi-album production deal with CBS Music, where he launched RTB Audio Visual Productions with offices in both New York and Los Angeles. Under that deal, he produced albums for Journey, including Infinity and Evolution, as well as for Starcastle, Ian Hunter, Reggie Knighton, and even Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood.
In the late 1970s, Baker was invited by Elektra Records to attend a high school gig in Boston by an unsigned band called The Cars. He agreed to produce their debut album, and that record went on to be certified platinum, spawning hits like “Just What I Needed” and “My Best Friend’s Girl.” Baker stayed on to produce Candy-O, Panorama, and Shake It Up, helping to define The Cars’ slick, synth-laden sound and guiding the band to critical and commercial success.
Baker’s résumé extended far beyond Queen, Journey, and The Cars. He also worked with a sprawling roster that included Alice Cooper (Flush the Fashion), Foreigner (Head Games), Ozzy Osbourne (No Rest for the Wicked), Devo (Oh, No! It’s Devo), Cheap Trick (One on One), T’Pau (Bridge of Spies), and The Stranglers (10), among others. His production style—often rich, layered, and fiercely precise—could be adapted to the needs of hard rock, glam, power pop, or experimental rock.
In the 1980s, Baker transitioned into an executive role, serving as Senior Vice President of A&R at Elektra Records. While at the label, he helped sign and develop artists such as Metallica, Simply Red, Peter Schilling, Yello, and 10,000 Maniacs, further cementing his legacy as not just a producer but a tastemaker with commercial instincts.
He remained active well into the 2000s. In 2005, he produced One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back by The Darkness. He returned to work with The Smashing Pumpkins on Zeitgeist in 2007 and American Gothic in 2008, and later reunited with the progressive rock band Yes, producing their 2014 album Heaven & Earth—35 years after working with them on an earlier session in Paris that remained unreleased.
Baker’s discography includes dozens of essential albums and singles. He engineered or produced early work by Nazareth, Be Bop Deluxe, Free, Gasolin’, Jet, and Pilot, and lent his touch to classic soundtracks like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Heavy Metal, and Wayne’s World. His name appeared on projects by Guns N’ Roses, Lindsey Buckingham, Josie Cotton, Dokken, Dusty Springfield, Local H, Caroline’s Spine, Dangerous Toys, and even film tie-ins like Transformers: The Album.
Throughout his career, Baker was respected for his high standards, technical brilliance, and commitment to excellence. Artists often noted his attention to sonic texture, structural layering, and studio experimentation. He was known for embracing technological advances while never sacrificing musicality. His productions often bore his signature: complex, bold, and immaculately constructed.
Although he had relocated to Arizona in his later years, Baker remained an active figure in rock circles and was frequently cited in retrospectives on music production. His influence was highlighted once again when he was portrayed in the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody, introducing a younger audience to the behind-the-scenes architect of Queen’s biggest hit.
Roy Thomas Baker’s death was officially announced on April 22, 2025, ten days after his passing. In death, as in life, the scale of his contributions to popular music remains immense. He leaves behind a body of work that helped shape the sound of generations, and a legacy that continues to inform and inspire producers and musicians around the world.
(Image credit: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Image)
Legendary producer Roy Thomas Baker, most famous for his work with Queen, has died at the age of 78. The news was confirmed in a statement from his publicist, who revealed that Baker died at his home in Lake Havasu City, AZ on April 12. A cause of death has not been announced.
Baker was born in Hampstead in North London in 1946 and began his career at Decca Records in the late 1960s, where he worked alongside senior producers Tony Visconti and Gus Dudgeon on recordings by Ten Years After, Dr. John, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Savoy Brown, Moody Blues, Nazareth, Yes, David Bowie, Be Bop Deluxe, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Dusty Springfield, Free, T. Rex and many more.
After making a name for himself Baker became in-house engineer at the Central London studio Trident, where he began a long and fruitful relationship with Queen. After working on the band’s debut album, he also produced Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night At The Opera (which included the classic Bohemian Rhapsody), A Day At The Races and Jazz.
“It [Bohemian Rhapsody] was the first time that an opera section had been incorporated into a pop record, let alone a Number One,” Baker told Sound On Sound in 1995. “It was obviously very unusual and we originally planned to have just a couple of ‘Galileos‘. But things often have a habit of evolving differently once you’re inside the studio, and it did get longer and bigger.
“The opera bit was getting longer, and so we kept splicing huge lengths of tape on to the reel. Every time Freddie came up with another ‘Galileo‘, I would add another piece of tape to the reel, which was beginning to look like a zebra crossing whizzing by!
“This went on over a three or four day period, while we decided on the length of the section. That section alone took about three weeks to record, which in 1975 was the average time spent on a whole album.”
In the wake of Queen’s success Baker moved to New York to work for Columbia Records, where he produced Journey, Ian Hunter and Ronnie Wood, before being offered a senior A&R role at Elektra Records, where he looked after albums by Lindsey Buckingham, Dokken, Mötley Crüe, Joe Lynn Turner and The Cars.
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Elsewhere, Baker produced recordings by Foreigner, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Devo, Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hager, T’Pau, Devo, The Stranglers, Guns N’ Roses, The Darkness and Smashing Pumpkins. Baker also produced Yes’s 2014 album Heaven & Earth, 35 years after the infamous aborted Paris sessions that preceded the band’s Tormato album.
“My whole thing is, the more different you can sound from anything else around but still be commercially successful is great!,” he told MixOnline in 1999. “Over the years, I’ve always hearkened back to that philosophy. Back when I did Bohemian Rhapsody, who would’ve ever thought of having a single with an opera section in the middle?
“If you don’t have that identifiable sound, you are getting merged in. If the DJ isn’t mentioning who it is, then nobody will know who it is. It will just be another band, and nothing is worse than being anonymous. That is exactly what you don’t want.”
Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazinesince 2014. 39 years in music industry, online for 26. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.
Daryl Hall has extended his 2025 tour schedule with a run of performances stretching into November.
The acclaimed singer – best-known as one half of the multi-platinum, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame duo Hall & Oates – began his current trek in March, with an initial leg that took him through parts of the South and Midwest. A handful of U.K. shows are lined up for May, while a previously announced summer run will take him across the East Coast of America. Hall’s newly added dates take him to the West Coast, beginning Oct. 19 in Reno, Nevada and wrap Nov. 4 in Denver. Further stops include shows in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The full tour schedule can be seen below.
Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze will open for Hall on the West Coast run, as he has for all of the rocker’s 2025 tour.
“I am so excited to be playing with Daryl and his fabulous band this year,” Tilbrook said via press release at the start of the trek. “I look forward to reuniting with them and playing some of my favorite songs, Daryl songs and some other stuff that you’ll love! Come down and don’t break the furniture.”
What Material is Daryl Hall Performing on His Solo Tour?
According to Setlist.fm, Hall has been evenly dividing the songs on his current tour, with roughly half of the material coming from his solo career, and half coming from the Hall & Oates catalog.
Hall released his latest album, D, in 2024 – his first solo LP since 2011’s Laughing Down Crying. Former Eurythmics member Dave Stewart co-wrote and co-produced the album.
As for hopes of a reunion with John Oates, Hall has emphatically stated that will never happen. “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean,” the singer declared in March.
Daryl Hall and Glenn Tilbrook 2025 Tour
May 17 – Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo May 19 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall May 21 – Birmingham, UK @ Symphony Hall May 23 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo May 25 – Brighton, UK @ Brighton Centre July 11 – Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino July 13 – Hammondsport, NY @ The Pavilion at Point of the Bluff Vineyard July 15 – Lowell, MA @ Lowell Memorial Auditorium July 17 – Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre July 19 – Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Event Center July 21 – Montclair, NJ @ The Wellmont Theatre July 23 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount July 25 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Ovation Hall Oct. 19 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort & Casino Oct. 22 – Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery Oct. 24 – Napa, CA @ Blue Note Summer Sessions Oct. 26 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Venetian Oct. 28 – Inglewood, CA @ YouTube Theater Oct. 30 – Temecula, CA @ Pechanga Resort Casino Nov. 1 – Indio, CA @ Fantasy Springs Resort Casino Nov. 4 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
The Mixes Of A Lost World set will be released acrosss multiple editions via Fiction on June 13, and includes tracks by established remixers like Four Tet and Paul Oakenfold – both out now – and Orbital, as well as artists like Deftones frontman Chino Moreno, Mogwai, 65daysofstatic, The Twilight Sad and many more.
“Just after Christmas I was sent a couple of unsolicited remixes of Songs Of A Lost World tracks and I really loved them,” says band leader Robert Smith. “The Cure has a colourful history with all kinds of dance music, and I was curious as to how the whole album would sound entirely reinterpreted by others.
“This curiosity resulted in a fabulous trip through all eight songs by 24 wonderful artists and remixers and is way beyond anything I could have hoped for. Giving our recording royalties from the project to War Child helps make Mixes Of A Lost World an even more special release.”
War Child, the charity that supports children living with the effects of war and conflict, was also the beneficiary Songs Of A Live World Troxy London MMXXlV, a live album recorded at The Cure’s album launch show at the 3100-capacity Troxy in East London last year.
Mixes Of A Lost World will be available as a 3LP/3CD/3MC deluxe edition featuring both the ‘Artists’ & ‘Remixers’ tracks, while the The 2LP/2CD/2MC edition features the ‘Remixers’ tracks only. All editions come wrapped in alternative artwork by the band’s longtime collaborator Andy Vella. Full tracklist below.
Side A 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Paul Oakenfold ‘Cinematic’ Remix) 2. Endsong (Orbital Remix) 3. Drone:Nodrone (Daniel Avery Remix) 4. All I Ever Am (Meera Remix)
Side B 1. A Fragile Thing (Âme Remix) 2. And Nothing Is Forever (Danny Briottet & Rico Conning Remix) 3. Warsong (Daybreakers Remix) 4. Alone (Four Tet Remix)
Side C 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Mental Overdrive Remix) 2. And Nothing Is Forever (Cosmodelica Electric Eden Remix) 3. A Fragile Thing (Sally C Remix) 4. Endsong (Gregor Tresher Remix)
Side D 1. Warsong (Omid 16B Remix) 2. Drone:Nodrone (Anja Schneider Remix) 3. Alone (Shanti Celeste ‘February Blues’ Remix) 4. All I Ever Am (Mura Masa Remix)
Side E
1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Craven Faults Rework) 2. Drone:Nodrone (Joycut ‘Anti-Gravitational’ Remix) 3. And Nothing Is Forever (Trentemøller Rework) 4. Warsong (Chino Moreno Remix)
Side F 1. Alone (Ex-Easter Island Head Remix) 2. All I Ever Am (65Daysofstatic Remix) 3. A Fragile Thing (The Twilight Sad Remix) 4. Endsong (Mogwai Remix)
Artists & Remixers Deluxe CD Edition
CD1 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Paul Oakenfold Cinematic Remix) 2. Endsong (Orbital Remix) 3. Drone:Nodrone (Daniel Avery Remix) 4. All I Ever Am (Meera Remix) 5. A Fragile Thing (Âme Remix) 6. And Nothing Is Forever (Danny Briottet & Rico Conning Remix) 7. Warsong (Daybreakers Remix) 8. Alone (Four Tet Remix)
CD2 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Mental Overdrive Remix) 2. And Nothing Is Forever (Cosmodelica Electric Eden Remix) 3. A Fragile Thing (Sally C Remix) 4. Endsong (Gregor Tresher Remix) 5. Warsong (Omid 16B Remix) 6. Drone:Nodrone (Anja Schneider Remix) 7. Alone (Shanti Celeste ‘February Blues’ Remix) 8. All I Ever Am (Mura Masa Remix)
CD3 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Craven Faults Rework) 2. Drone:Nodrone (Joycut ‘Anti-Gravitational’ Remix) 3. And Nothing Is Forever (Trentemøller Rework) 4. Warsong (Chino Moreno Remix) 5. Alone (Ex-Easter Island Head Remix) 6. All I Ever Am (65Daysofstatic Remix) 7. A Fragile Thing (The Twilight Sad Remix) 8. Endsong (Mogwai Remix)
Remixers Vinyl Edition
Side A 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Paul Oakenfold ‘Cinematic Remix’) 2. Endsong (Orbital Remix) 3. Drone:Nodrone (Daniel Avery Remix) 4. All I Ever Am (Meera Remix)
Side B 1. A Fragile Thing (Âme Remix) 2. And Nothing Is Forever (Danny Briottet & Rico Conning Remix) 3. Warsong (Daybreakers Remix) 4. Alone (Four Tet Remix)
Side C 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Mental Overdrive Remix) 2. And Nothing Is Forever (Cosmodelica Electric Eden Remix) 3. A Fragile Thing (Sally C Remix) 4. Endsong (Gregor Tresher Remix)
Side D 1. Warsong (Omid 16B Remix) 2. Drone:Nodrone (Anja Schneider Remix) 3. Alone (Shanti Celeste ‘February Blues’ Remix) 4. All I Ever Am (Mura Masa Remix)
Remixers CD Edition CD1 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Paul Oakenfold Cinematic Remix) 2. Endsong (Orbital Remix) 3. Drone:Nodrone (Daniel Avery Remix) 4. All I Ever Am (Meera Remix) 5. A Fragile Thing (Âme Remix) 6. And Nothing Is Forever (Danny Briottet & Rico Conning Remix) 7. Warsong (Daybreakers Remix) 8. Alone (Four Tet Remix)
CD2 1. I Can Never Say Goodbye (Mental Overdrive Remix) 2. And Nothing Is Forever (Cosmodelica Electric Eden Remix) 3. A Fragile Thing (Sally C Remix) 4. Endsong (Gregor Tresher Remix) 5. Warsong (Omid 16B Remix ) 6. Drone:Nodrone (Anja Schneider Remix) 7. Alone (Shanti Celeste ‘February Blues’ Remix) 8. All I Ever Am (Mura Masa Remix)
Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazinesince 2014. 39 years in music industry, online for 26. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.
Feature Photo: Koen Suyk (ANEFO), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
George Harrison was born in Liverpool, England, on February 23, 1943. As a teenager, he became close friends with Paul McCartney, who introduced him to John Lennon. Though younger than the other members, Harrison joined Lennon’s group, the Quarrymen, which soon evolved into The Beatles. While Lennon and McCartney handled the majority of songwriting in the early years, Harrison’s guitar work became an essential part of the band’s sound. He began contributing more creatively by the mid-1960s, eventually writing some of The Beatles’ most critically acclaimed songs, including “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” “Something,” and “Here Comes the Sun.”
During his time with The Beatles, Harrison also developed a deep interest in Indian music and spirituality, heavily influenced by his relationship with sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar. This cultural exploration led to his introduction of the sitar into Western pop music on tracks like “Norwegian Wood,” and eventually brought Eastern philosophy into mainstream consciousness. His spiritual beliefs became central to his personal identity and were reflected in his songwriting, particularly on later Beatles records such as Abbey Road and Let It Be. Despite the challenges of being the third songwriter in a group dominated by Lennon and McCartney, Harrison’s influence grew steadily during the final years of the band.
After The Beatles disbanded in 1970, Harrison was the first member to release a major solo project. All Things Must Pass was a triple LP that showcased Harrison’s backlog of previously shelved material and new compositions. Produced by Phil Spector, the album included the number-one hit “My Sweet Lord,” which became the first solo single by a Beatle to top the charts. The album was a massive commercial and critical success, hailed for its ambition, emotional range, and spiritual depth. It established Harrison as a formidable solo artist in his own right, no longer overshadowed by his former bandmates.
In 1971, Harrison organized the Concert for Bangladesh, one of the first large-scale benefit concerts in music history. Featuring appearances by Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, and Ravi Shankar, the event raised global awareness and significant funds for refugees of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The concert and its accompanying live album and film received widespread acclaim and earned Harrison a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. This pioneering act of musical activism became a blueprint for future benefit concerts such as Live Aid and Farm Aid.
Harrison continued to release solo albums throughout the 1970s, including Living in the Material World (1973), Dark Horse (1974), and Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976). While these albums received mixed reviews compared to All Things Must Pass, they included standout tracks like “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth),” which reached number one in the U.S., and “Crackerbox Palace.” His work during this era reflected his deepening spiritualism, commentary on fame, and love of slide guitar. Harrison also launched his own label, Dark Horse Records, which released not only his own albums but those of artists like Ravi Shankar and Splinter.
The 1980s marked a period of relative quiet for Harrison as he withdrew from public life and focused on film production. He co-founded HandMade Films in 1978, a company that would go on to finance and produce several notable British films, including Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Time Bandits, and Withnail and I. His work in cinema contributed significantly to the resurgence of the British film industry at a time when it was facing a commercial crisis. During this time, Harrison also released Somewhere in England (1981) and Gone Troppo (1982), though neither achieved major commercial success.
After a brief hiatus from music, Harrison returned in 1987 with the critically acclaimed album Cloud Nine, produced by Jeff Lynne. The album included the hit single “Got My Mind Set on You,” which reached number one in the U.S., and the beloved track “When We Was Fab,” a nostalgic nod to his Beatles past. The album’s success revitalized his musical career and led to the formation of the Traveling Wilburys, a supergroup featuring Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne. Their debut album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988), was widely praised and commercially successful, adding another remarkable chapter to Harrison’s career.
Though he slowed down musically in the 1990s, Harrison remained involved in various creative and charitable efforts. In 1991, he toured Japan with Eric Clapton, and in 1992 he released Live in Japan, a live album showcasing his enduring musicianship. He continued to advocate for peace, environmental causes, and humanitarian work, using his fame to quietly support various charitable endeavors. He also contributed to the Beatles Anthology project in the mid-1990s, collaborating with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on the production of two new Beatles tracks based on John Lennon demos.
In 1997, Harrison was diagnosed with throat cancer, and though he underwent treatment, the disease resurfaced in 2001. He passed away in November of that year at the age of 58. His final album, Brainwashed, was released posthumously in 2002, completed by his son Dhani Harrison and Jeff Lynne. The album received critical praise for its introspective lyrics and musical precision, serving as a fitting farewell from an artist who had always placed sincerity and depth above commercial trends.
Throughout his career, Harrison released twelve studio albums, two live albums, and many singles that charted across the world. He won multiple Grammy Awards and was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—first as a member of The Beatles in 1988 and again as a solo artist in 2004. His contributions to music, film, and humanitarian work have cemented his legacy as a deeply influential and beloved figure across multiple generations.
Outside of his professional life, Harrison was known for his devotion to gardening, meditation, and privacy. His estate, Friar Park, became a sanctuary for him and was a reflection of his spiritual values. His humility, gentle demeanor, and philosophical outlook stood in stark contrast to the excesses often associated with rock stardom. He built a career not around spectacle but around introspection, creative exploration, and a desire to make the world a more compassionate place.
Whether through the quiet beauty of his melodies or the searching nature of his lyrics, he offered something different than his more flamboyant peers—a kind of soulful sincerity that continues to resonate. His role in shaping modern music and culture remains immeasurable, and his legacy continues to inspire both fans and fellow musicians around the world.
Complete List Of George Harrison Songs From A to Z
7 Deadly Sins – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 – 1990
Absolutely Sweet Marie (live) – Bob Dylan – The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration – 1993
All Things Must Pass – All Things Must Pass – 1970
All Those Years Ago – Somewhere in England – 1981
Almost 12 Bar Honky Tonk – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Almost Shankara – Wonderwall Music (2014 remaster) – 2014
The Answer’s at the End – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
Any Road – Brainwashed – 2002
Apple Scruffs – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Art of Dying – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Awaiting on You All – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Baby Don’t Run Away – Gone Troppo – 1982
Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Baltimore Oriole – Somewhere in England – 1981
Bangla Desh – Non-album single – 1971
Be Here Now – Living in the Material World – 1973
Beautiful Girl – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Behind That Locked Door – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – Brainwashed – 2002
Beware of Darkness – All Things Must Pass – 1970
A Bit More of You – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
Blood from a Clone – Somewhere in England – 1981
Blow Away – George Harrison – 1979
Blue Jay Way – Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles) – 1967
Brainwashed – Brainwashed – 2002
Breath Away from Heaven – Cloud Nine – 1987
Bye Bye, Love – Dark Horse – 1974
Can’t Stop Thinking About You – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
Cheer Down – Lethal Weapon 2 (soundtrack) – 1989
Circles – Gone Troppo – 1982
Cloud 9 – Cloud Nine – 1987
Cockamamie Business – Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 – 1989
Cosmic Empire (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Cowboy Music – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Crackerbox Palace – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Cry for a Shadow – The Beatles with Tony Sheridan – 1961
Crying – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Dark Horse – Dark Horse – 1974
Dark Sweet Lady – George Harrison – 1979
The Day the World Gets ‘Round – Living in the Material World – 1973
Dear One – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Deep Blue – Non-album single B-side of “Bangla Desh” – 1971
Dehra Dun (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Devil’s Radio – Cloud Nine – 1987
Ding Dong, Ding Dong – Dark Horse – 1974
Dirty World – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Don’t Bother Me – With The Beatles – 1963
Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long – Living in the Material World – 1973
Down To The River (Rocking Chair Blues) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Dream Away – Gone Troppo – 1982
Dream Scene – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Drilling a Home – Wonderwall Music – 1968
End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Everybody-Nobody (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Fantasy Sequins – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Far East Man – Dark Horse – 1974
Faster – George Harrison – 1979
Fish on the Sand – Cloud Nine – 1987
Flying – Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles) – 1967
Flying Hour (remix) – Songs by George Harrison – 1988
For You Blue – Let It Be (The Beatles) – 1970
For You Blue (live) – Songs by George Harrison – 1988
Gat Kirwani – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Get Back – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) – Living in the Material World – 1973
Glass Box – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Going Down To Golders Green (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Gone Troppo – Gone Troppo – 1982
Got My Mind Set on You – Cloud Nine – 1987
Greasy Legs – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Greece – Gone Troppo – 1982
Grey Cloudy Lies – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
Guru Vandana – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Handle with Care – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Hari’s on Tour (Express) – Dark Horse – 1974
Heading for the Light – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Hear Me Lord – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Here Comes the Moon – George Harrison – 1979
Here Comes the Sun – Abbey Road (The Beatles) – 1969
Here Comes the Sun (live) – The Concert for Bangladesh – 1971
His Name Is Legs (Ladies and Gentlemen) – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
Hong Kong Blues – Somewhere in England – 1981
Horse to the Water – Small World Big Band – 2001
Hottest Gong in Town – Songs by George Harrison 2 – 1992
I Dig Love – All Things Must Pass – 1970
I Don’t Care Anymore – Non-album single B-side – 1974
I Don’t Want to Do It – Porky’s Revenge! (soundtrack) – 1985
I Live for You – All Things Must Pass (2001 remaster) – 2001
I Me Mine – Let It Be (The Beatles) – 1970
I Need You – Help! (The Beatles) – 1965
I Really Love You – Gone Troppo – 1982
I Remember Jeep – All Things Must Pass – 1970
I Want to Tell You – Revolver (The Beatles) – 1966
I Want to Tell You (live) – Live in Japan – 1992
If I Needed Someone – Rubber Soul (The Beatles) – 1965
If I Needed Someone (live) – Live in Japan – 1992
If Not for You – All Things Must Pass – 1970
If You Believe – George Harrison – 1979
In the Park – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Inside Out – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 – 1990
Isn’t It a Pity – All Things Must Pass – 1970
It Is ‘He’ (Jai Sri Krishna) – Dark Horse – 1974
It’s All Too Much – Yellow Submarine (The Beatles) – 1969
It’s Johnny’s Birthday – All Things Must Pass – 1970
It’s What You Value – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
I’d Have You Anytime – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Just for Today – Cloud Nine – 1987
Last Night – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Lay His Head – Non-album single B-side of “Got My Mind Set on You” – 1987
Learning How to Love You – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Let It Be Me (demo) – Early Takes: Volume 1 – 2012
Let It Down – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Life Itself – Somewhere in England – 1981
The Light That Has Lighted the World – Living in the Material World – 1973
Living in the Material World – Living in the Material World – 1973
Long, Long, Long – The Beatles (White Album) – 1968
Looking for My Life – Brainwashed – 2002
The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord) – Living in the Material World – 1973
Love Comes to Everyone – George Harrison – 1979
Love Scene – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Love You To – Revolver (The Beatles) – 1966
Mama You’ve Been on My Mind (demo) – Early Takes: Volume 1 – 2012
Margarita – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Marwa Blues – Brainwashed – 2002
Māya Love – Dark Horse – 1974
Microbes – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Miss O’Dell – Non-album single B-side of “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” – 1973
Mo – Mo’s Songs – 1994
Mother Divine (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
My Sweet Lord – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Mystical One – Gone Troppo – 1982
Never Get Over You – Brainwashed – 2002
New Blue Moon – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 – 1990
No Time or Space – Electronic Sound – 1969
Not Alone Any More – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Not Guilty – George Harrison – 1979
Nowhere To Go (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Old Brown Shoe – Non-album B-side (The Beatles) – 1969
Old Brown Shoe (live) – Live in Japan – 1992
Om Hare Om (Gopala Krishna) (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
On the Bed – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Only a Northern Song – Yellow Submarine (The Beatles) – 1969
Ooh Baby (You Know That I Love You) – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
Out of the Blue – All Things Must Pass – 1970
P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night) – Brainwashed – 2002
Party Seacombe – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Piggies – The Beatles (White Album) – 1968
Piggies (live) – Live in Japan – 1992
Pisces Fish – Brainwashed – 2002
Plug Me In – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Poor Little Girl – Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 – 1989
Pure Smokey – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Rattled – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Red Lady Too – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Ride Rajbun – The Bunbury Tails – 1992
Rising Sun – Brainwashed – 2002
Rocking Chair in Hawaii – Brainwashed – 2002
Roll Over Beethoven (live) – Live in Japan – 1992
Run of the Mill – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Run So Far – Brainwashed – 2002
Sat Singing (remix) – Songs by George Harrison – 1988
Save the World – Somewhere in England – 1981
Savoy Truffle – The Beatles (White Album) – 1968
See Yourself – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Shanghai Surprise – Non-album promotional single – 1986
She’s My Baby – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 – 1990
Simply Shady – Dark Horse – 1974
Singing Om – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Ski-ing – Wonderwall Music – 1968
So Sad – Dark Horse – 1974
Soft-Hearted Hana – George Harrison – 1979
Soft Touch – George Harrison – 1979
Someplace Else – Cloud Nine – 1987
Something – Abbey Road (The Beatles) – 1969
Something (live) – The Concert for Bangladesh – 1971
Sour Milk Sea – Non-album single – 1968
Stuck Inside a Cloud – Brainwashed – 2002
Sue Me, Sue You Blues – Living in the Material World – 1973
Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond) – Living in the Material World (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2023
Tabla and Pakavaj – Wonderwall Music – 1968
Taxman – Revolver (The Beatles) – 1966
Taxman (live) – Live in Japan – 1992
Teardrops – Somewhere in England – 1981
Tears of the World – Songs by George Harrison 2 – 1992
Tell Me What Has Happened To You (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Thanks for the Pepperoni – All Things Must Pass – 1970
That Is All – Living in the Material World – 1973
That Which I Have Lost – Somewhere in England – 1981
That’s the Way It Goes – Gone Troppo – 1982
That’s What It Takes – Cloud Nine – 1987
Think for Yourself – Rubber Soul (The Beatles) – 1965
This Guitar (Can’t Keep from Crying) – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
This Is Love – Cloud Nine – 1987
This Song – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Tired of Midnight Blue – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
True Love – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Try Some, Buy Some – Living in the Material World – 1971
Tweeter and the Monkey Man – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Unconsciousness Rules – Somewhere in England – 1981
Under the Mersey Wall – Electronic Sound – 1969
Unknown Delight – Gone Troppo – 1982
Wah-Wah – All Things Must Pass – 1970
Wake Up My Love – Gone Troppo – 1982
Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
What Is Life – All Things Must Pass – 1970
When We Was Fab – Cloud Nine – 1987
Where Were You Last Night? – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 – 1990
While My Guitar Gently Weeps – The Beatles (White Album) – 1968
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (live) – The Concert for Bangladesh – 1971
Who Can See It – Living in the Material World – 1973
Wilbury Twist – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 – 1990
Window Window (demo) – All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) – 2021
Within You Without You – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) – 1967
Woman Don’t You Cry for Me – Thirty Three & 1/3 – 1976
Wonderwall to Be Here – Wonderwall Music – 1968
World of Stone – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
Wreck of the Hesperus – Cloud Nine – 1987
Writing’s on the Wall – Somewhere in England – 1981
You – Extra Texture (Read All About It) – 1975
You Like Me Too Much – Help! (The Beatles) – 1965
You Took My Breath Away – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 – 1988
Your Love Is Forever – George Harrison – 1979
Zig Zag – Non-album single B-side of “When We Was Fab” – 1988
Albums
With The Beatles (The Beatles) (1963): 1 song
Help! (The Beatles) (1965): 2 songs
Rubber Soul (The Beatles) (1965): 2 songs
Revolver (The Beatles) (1966): 3 songs
Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles) (1967): 1 song
Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles) (1967): 2 songs
Wonderwall Music (1968): 18 songs
The Beatles (White Album) (1968): 4 songs
Yellow Submarine (The Beatles) (1969): 1 song
Electronic Sound (1969): 2 songs
Abbey Road (The Beatles) (1969): 2 songs
Let It Be (The Beatles) (1970): 2 songs
All Things Must Pass (1970): 18 songs
All Things Must Pass (2001 remaster) (2001): 1 song
All Things Must Pass (50th anniversary deluxe edition) (2021): 11 songs
Living in the Material World (1973): 10 songs
Living in the Material World (50th anniversary deluxe edition) (2023): 1 song
Dark Horse (1974): 9 songs
Extra Texture (Read All About It) (1975): 9 songs
Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976): 10 songs
George Harrison (1979): 10 songs
Somewhere in England (1981): 10 songs
Gone Troppo (1982): 10 songs
Cloud Nine (1987): 11 songs
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (1988): 10 songs
Songs by George Harrison (1988): 2 songs
Best of Dark Horse 1976–1989 (1989): 2 songs
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 (1990): 8 songs
Songs by George Harrison 2 (1992): 2 songs
Live in Japan (1992): 6 songs
The Bunbury Tails (1992): 1 song
Mo’s Songs (1994): 1 song
Early Takes: Volume 1 (2012): 2 songs
Wonderwall Music (2014 remaster) (2014): 1 song
Brainwashed (2002): 11 songs
Non-album singles, B-sides, and other appearances: 17 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining George Harrison articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Footage of Liverpool metalcore favourites Loathe debuting a new song has been uploaded to social media.
The band, who released their last metal album I Let It In And It Took Everything in 2020, have been testing out new material on their current North American tour supporting Spiritbox. On Saturday (April 12) at the UPMC Events Center in Pennsylvania, they played an as-yet-unheard track and got Code Orange singer Jami Morgan onstage for guest vocals.
Based on the footage, it seems that Loathe are returning to full-force heavy metal, having experimented with more ambient soundscapes on 2021’s The Things They Believe. Watch and listen below.
Even though the world hasn’t heard new Loathe music in four years, the band have been wildly busy on the road. Since the release of I Let It In… they’ve been supporting Spiritbox, Korn, Gojira and more around the world.
In August 2022, the band cancelled a run of UK and European shows to finish work on their upcoming fourth studio album. They said in part in a statement: “People of United Kingdom and Europe. After much painstaking deliberation, it is with regret that we have made the very difficult decision to cancel our upcoming September and October headline dates.
“We are currently in the penultimate stages of completing our new album, which the tour was initially booked to promote, and believe that opening up our time to focus entirely on the music is the correct thing to do, as using this time in September and October will allow us to complete the recording process.”
Loathe have a history of struggling in the studio. In an interview with Metal Hammer in 2020, singer Kadeem France and guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe said that recording I Let It In… was arduous, due to the band self-producing the album.
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“We didn’t want others to go, ‘Oh, this is what Loathe should and shouldn’t be,’” explained France. “But it was the most stressful time we’ve had as a band.”
Bickerstaffe added: “Every song was an argument. Five creatives really do need that one person to tell them what to do.”
Loathe’s tour with Spiritbox, also featuring Dying Wish, continues on Friday night (April 18) at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. The run of shows will wrap in May, and Loathe are booked to tour Canada with Korn and Gojira in September.
Loathe – New song Ft. Jami from Code Orange. Moon, PA. 4/12/25 – YouTube
Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.
“Out of nowhere, all these frat kids are all doing this weird dance, all in lines. ‘You’re ruining my band!’ Then it was no longer ours”: From bitter experience, Maynard James Keenan conspires to keep knuckleheads away from his music
(Image credit: BMG)
When A Perfect Circle made their unexpected return with Eat The Elephant in 2018, Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howerdel told Prog about the creative importance of rearranging closets, proficiency versus creativity, and keeping “knuckleheads” away from their art.
Things no one was expecting in 2018: that the President of the USA would have a fling with a porn star and society would act like that’s normal; that Facebook would give everyone’s data to a dodgy lobbying group; that A Perfect Circle would release a new record.
The last time Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan’s band launched new music was in 2004 – but after a 14-year gap, they’ve leapt back into the fray with their long-awaited fourth album Eat The Elephant. Can it be a coincidence that, after eight years of Barack Obama in the White House and now with the human Cheeto in charge, suddenly APC have returned?
“Friction is where the art happens, really, in anything,” says Keenan. “The violin is the perfect metaphor for that friction. It’s wood bent in impossible angles and directions, the strings are tied tight and it’s the friction of the bow on the strings – everything about it is friction. The resonance that comes off is the release and the art, but there’s a lot of tension there. So I’ve been making music even with a Democrat in office, but about different things, I guess. Nothing like a good Nazi to get you going.”
Howerdel’s explanation for the emergence of the album is a little more prosaic. “It comes down to Maynard’s many other things,” says the guitarist. “The first thought was to do a record, but then, ‘Hey, let’s go on tour and exercise the old songs, remember how to play and get in that place.’
A Perfect Circle – Eat The Elephant (2D Version of Hologram Video) – YouTube
“I’m really glad we did that because we started making the record before we went on tour and I felt… stuck isn’t the right word, but I didn’t have that energy of being on the road. The last time we toured was 2013 – we did South America and Australia, then we played just two shows for Maynard’s birthday the following year. So it’s good to remember the energy of being on stage and translate that into the record.”
Eat The Elephant sees the band spreading their musical wings from quiet, melancholic piano passages in Disillusioned to the barbed vitriol of The Doomed, and the Devo-style art rock of Hourglass. Howerdel and Keenan mainly worked and wrote separately, sending files and ideas back and forth. One creative burst saw them write three songs in the space of two days.
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“There’s definitely a mindset you have to get into where you’ve opened up all the channels,” says Keenan. “Nothing is ever going to be perfect. But when you’re on that roll, it’s best to keep on that roll. There are a lot of moments when I’ve rearranged seven closets and a garage because you’re on that roll but you have to walk away from it; turn your brain off, get some distance.”
You don’t have to play the riff through the whole song… your ear still hears it
Maynard James Keenan
For Howerdel, the creative spark can catch light at any time, even if it’s not convenient. “I hope it doesn’t go away, but I’d like it if I didn’t get my best ideas when I’m late to be somewhere – it’s always the way it happens.”
He singles out the song Judith, from the band’s 2000 debut album Mer De Nomss,as an example. “I got out of the shower in a towel andsat down at the computer because I heard the melody in my head. I put it down on a keyboard, then just got deeper and deeper. That was at six o’clock at night. The next thing you know, it’s three in the morning, I missed the birthday party I was going to – but the song was done. I felt really bad, but that’s just the way it goes. I need some kind of pressure, I guess.”
A Perfect Circle – Disillusioned [Official Video] – YouTube
Howerdel grew up idolising Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads, yet Eat The Elephant sees the group dialling down their metal influences and widening their canvas. For Keenan, there’s more room in the music now. “Billy tends to fill in gaps; he fills in conversations where there are no words and he does the same with music,” says Keenan.
“So this time I was very conscious of, ‘Let’s turn that off; let’s leave some space here.’ We forget that there’s a closure that happens with riffs. You don’t have to play the riff through the whole song. You can play it here and not play it here – but your ear still hears it in that space; and that’s hard for guitar players to wrap their heads around.”
“Maybe a little less metal; there’s probably less riffage going on,” suggests Howerdel, who says he’s never knowingly heard anything by King Crimson, but admired The Cure and Echo And The Bunnymen as a young musician. “I feel like there’s more density in parts on this record, but I don’t know. I’d have to sit and listen.”
I like the form of an album, and for whatever superstitious reason, that’s 12 songs
Billy Howerdel
In a departure from previous APC albums, this time Howerdel did most of his writing on the piano. While he says he’s not a very accomplished pianist, he believes his limited knowledge of the formalities of the instrument are a benefit rather than a hindrance. “It’s nice to fumble in the dark a little bit,” he reflects. “I took like six piano lessons three years ago, with our old bass player Paz Lenchantin’s mother – she’s an amazing pianist. I bought a piano from her father. I told her, ‘I don’t want to learn how to read music; I don’t want to learn about chords and structure; but I really want to get better. What can you do?’
“It was so out of her element, so she just gave me some exercises for coordination and it really helped get me to be a solid B-minus player now. I can play, but I really struggle at it, and I think that’s what songwriting and creation is. The people I know who are super proficient aren’t the most creative.”
A Perfect Circle – The Doomed [Official Video] – YouTube
As time was of the essence, with the band setting themselves deadlines in order to keep on schedule, Keenan worked on vocals with Puscifer bandmate Mat Mitchell, either in their North Hollywood studio or at Keenan’s home in Arizona. Meanwhile, Howerdel and producer Dave Sardy recorded the music in studios around LA.
“Initially it was just me going, ‘Okay, I hear this thing you’ve got going on, but there’s so much going on,’” Keenan says. “‘Turn a bunch of shit off. Give me the piano part or the guitar part and the drums. Strip it down. Then I’ll start to hear things in a better way. Okay, follow that path. Come up with something with Dave; I’ll put something on it and you’ll hear where I’m going with it.’
David Bowie told us, ‘In the future, our records will just be advertisements for our live show’ … It’s spooky how true that’s become
Billy Howerdel
“Rather than talk about it sitting in a room – waiting for him to do his thing and then him waiting for me to do my thing – having those two studios going at the same time was great. We were like, ‘Do your thing,’ ‘I’m inspired,’ ‘Hey, thanks, that was awesome,’ and then he hears what I did. We played tag team on tracks.”
Despite the prevalence of streaming, Howerdel still believes in the value of creating an album’s worth of music. “I’m just a dinosaur,” he says, “so I like the form of an album, and for whatever superstitious reason, that’s 12 songs. The hope is that people will take it as a body of work and give it that time.
“It’s like being mindful of what you’re eating. If you slow down, chew slowly, it’ll taste better. If you’re like, ‘I’ve got to eat and get out the door,’ then you might miss the point of what delicious food is. Music is the same way.”
The guitarist remembers an incident where David Bowie displayed an almost eerie prescience with regards to the future of the music business. “I worked for Bowie in 1996. One day he turns to us, Reeves Gabrels, Coco Schwab and I. He was reading a book; he puts it down and says, ‘I believe in the future, our records will just be advertisements for our live show.’ And then went back to it.
“It‘s so spooky how true that has become. It’s your calling card for your live show, but more so, it sells people the culture of your product. At the end of the day, you’re selling something so you can keep doing what you’re doing.”
The Doomed is one of the album’s most provocative songs as Keenan sings, ‘Fuck the doomed, you’re on your own,’ in a very pointed critique of the state of American society. “It seems like that’s everyone’s attitude, isn’t it?” the vocalist says. “Growing up in a Baptist indoctrination in Ohio, I was pretty sure that guy nailed to that stick had a lot of better things to say about what’s going on in the world than ‘Fuck ’em.’ I don’t really think that was his message – but that seems to be the prevailing attitude.”
I just think we do what we do and I guess we try to categorise it afterwards
Maynard James Keenan
With any music, but perhaps particularly with heavy, intense music, there’s no guarantee that an artist’s message will be interpreted in the manner it was intended. Once a piece of music or art has been sent out into the world, the creator surrenders their control of it. Keenan says he’s experienced that sense of discovering a band, only to lose the feeling of ownership as they became popular. “In Grand Rapids, going to art school, I was a big fan of REM – the first EP and the first couple of albums.
“Then out of nowhere in Grand Rapids, at one of the arenas, all of a sudden there are all these frat kids all doing this weird dance, all in lines, watching REM. What the fuck happened? These guys are shoegazer weirdos like Camper Van Beethoven, then there’s all these IZOD sweater-wearing white people. ‘Get the fuck out of here – you’re ruining my band!’ Then it was gone; it was no longer ours.”
A Perfect Circle – The Contrarian (2D Version of Hologram Video) – YouTube
The only response is to become weirder, to keep out what Keenan dubs the knuckleheads. “Then you start Puscifer, outrun them,” says the singer. “Throw wrestlers at them. ‘What the fuck is he doing?’ ‘Exactly – get out.’”
Asked if he feels like part of the progressive rock scene with A Perfect Circle, Keenan replies, “I just think we do what we do and I guess we try to categorise it afterwards. If you try to duplicate your steps to maintain what you were, then you’re stuck with what you were.
”Being where you are and looking forward is better – but there are nods back to what you did just because you were doing it. I suppose that’s relevant. I try to look forward as much as possible.”
After starting his writing career covering the unforgiving world of MMA, David moved into music journalism at Rhythm magazine, interviewing legends of the drum kit including Ginger Baker and Neil Peart. A regular contributor to Prog, he’s written for Metal Hammer, The Blues, Country Music Magazine and more. The author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film, David shares his thoughts on kung fu movies in essays and videos for 88 Films, Arrow Films, and Eureka Entertainment. He firmly believes Steely Dan’s Reelin’ In The Years is the tuniest tune ever tuned.
Black Sabbath‘s 1979 split with Ozzy Osbourne was the rare breakup that resulted in two excellent new bands.
The original Sabbath lineup’s last album together, 1978’s Never Say Die!, betrayed a burned-out and fractured band with a diminished creative spark. But the addition of Ronnie James Dio as their new singer completely revitalized the group. His soaring, operatic vocal style inspired fresh new ideas from guitarist and riff lord Tony Iommi, resulting in the excellent 1980 album Heaven and Hell.
Meanwhile, Osbourne’s substance abuse issues had worsened to the point that he was considered a lost cause. But after recruiting and creatively unleashing unheralded guitar wizard Randy Rhoads from a pre-fame Quiet Riot, Osbourne stunned the world with 1980’s sublime Blizzard of Ozz.
The next step for each camp was to take the show on the road. Black Sabbath launched the Heaven and Hell tour on April 17, 1980 in Aurich, West Germany, while Osbourne’s Blizzard of Ozz tour kicked off Sept. 12 in Glasgow.
As you can see below, there were both similarities and differences in how Osbourne and his former bandmates approached their respective set lists:
Ozzy Osbourne’s First Solo Tour’s Set Lists Were Dominated by New Songs
Making a clean break from his past, Osbourne played the majority of Blizzard of Ozz at the start of every concert, adding a couple of tracks from his as-yet unreleased second album (1981’s Diary of a Madman) most nights as well. He then closed out the shows with a trio of Sabbath classics including “Iron Man,” “Paranoid” and “Children of the Grave.”
“I’d be talking out of my arse if I said I didn’t feel like I was in competition with Black Sabbath when we made Blizzard of Ozz,” Osbourne admitted in his 2009 book I Am Ozzy. “I wished them well, I suppose, but part of me was shitting myself that they were going to be more successful without me. … [But] I knew we had a cracking album of our own. And it was magic to be in control – like I’d finally pulled something off. …Everywhere we went, the venues were full, and there were more people queuing up outside.”
Ozzy Osbourne, Average ‘Blizzard of Ozz’ Tour Set List
1. “I Don’t Know” (from 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz) 2. “Crazy Train” (from Blizzard of Ozz) 3. “Believer” (later released on 1981’s Diary of a Madman) 4. “Mr. Crowley” (from Blizzard of Ozz) 5. “Flying High Again” (later released on 1981’s Diary of a Madman) 6. “Revelation (Mother Earth)” (from Blizzard of Ozz) 7. “Steal Away (The Night)” (from Blizzard of Ozz) 8. “Suicide Solution” (from Blizzard of Ozz) 9. Guitar Solo 10. “Iron Man” (from Black Sabbath’s Paranoid) 11. “Children of the Grave” (from Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality) 12. “Paranoid” (from Black Sabbath’s Paranoid)
Black Sabbath Mixed New and Old Songs on the Heaven and Hell Tour
The new-look Black Sabbath were equally pleased with their new material. “Tony would tell me how overjoyed he was to finally be able to take Sabbath to the next level,” Dio recalled in his posthumous 2021 biography Rainbow in the Dark. “Full of light and shade, tracks like ‘Heaven and Hell,’ he said, belonged in the same pantheon as Sabbath classics like ‘War Pigs’ and ‘Iron Man,’ only now there was a real sense of melody involved.”
Still, the band seems to have felt more of a responsibility to perform their old songs than Osbourne did. The band nearly completely flipped Osbourne’s set list ratio, performing eight Ozzy-era songs and only four from Heaven and Hell. In addition to playing the same three songs Osbourne played at his concerts, Sabbath added a show-opening “War Pigs” as well as classics such as “N.I.B.” and “Sweet Leaf.”
Dio admitted to being nervous about how Sabbath fans would take to him.”Tony and the guys acted cool, reassuring me there would be no problem at all. But I knew in my bones that things are never quite that simple. I knew it wouldn’t just be a case of whether I could sing the songs – that was the least of my worries. It would all come down to how relatable I was to the fans.”
“Ronnie had to put up with people in the front, like ‘Where’s Ozzy?’ signs and all this ‘Where’s Ozzy?’ stuff, and he had to do that, recalled drummer Vinny Appice, who took over for Bill Ward on Sabbath’s 1981 Mob Rules tour. “And he hated singing those songs. He hated singing ‘Iron Man’and ‘Sweet Leaf’ and the Ozzy ongs.”
Despite Dio’s displeasure, Appice says the singer did an excellent job tackling the Osbourne-era material. “It was totally different. It was just a powerful voice singing the melody and the whole thing. So it was incredible.”
Dio himself credits the introduction of his now-famous “horned hands” gesture for helping him connect with the fans. “The fans picked up on it and began flashing them back. Just a few dozen at first, but more each night as word of mouth spread—and the music press reviews began to mention it. Soon, I began to feel like I really belonged up there on the stage with Sabbath.”
Black Sabbath, Average ‘Heaven and Hell’ Tour Set List
1. “War Pigs” (from 1970’s Paranoid) 2. “Neon Knights” (from 1980’s Heaven and Hell) 3. “N.I.B.” (from 1970’s Black Sabbath) 4. “Sweet Leaf” (from 1971’s Master of Reality) 5. “Children of the Sea” (from Heaven and Hell) 6. Drum Solo 7. “Black Sabbath” (from Black Sabbath) 8. “Heaven and Hell” (from Heaven and Hell) 9. “Iron Man” (from Paranoid) 10. Guitar Solo 11. “Orchid” (from Master of Reality) 12. “Die Young” (from Heaven and Hell) 13. “Paranoid” (from Paranoid) 14. “Children of the Grave” (from Masters of Reality)
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