In an unexpected development, Guns N’ Roses have released an official video which features almost an entire minute’s footage of frontman Axl Rose falling over onstage.
The 59-second clip compiles 14 different instances of Axl taking a tumble – although one, to be fair, seems to be a deliberate fall – alongside a single moment where the unsteady frontman trips but cleverly retains his balance.
Quite why the publicity-shy Rose has elected to approve this compilation of clumsiness is unclear, although we imagine it’s got something to do with publicising the band’s ongoing Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour, which kicked off at the Songdo Moonlight Park in Incheon, South Korea, at the beginning of the month.
What’s more, we’ve done the math. Guns N’ Roses have played somewhere in the region of 1092 shows over the course of their career, meaning that Axl falls over at 1.28% of the band’s performances. This is, we suspect, much higher than any other frontman, with the possible exception of Dave Grohl.
So buy a ticket. You might get lucky and witness Axl going arse-over-tit for a 15th time.
The next date on Guns N’ Roses’ tour is at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 23. Full dates below.
Guns N’ Roses Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things Tour 2025
May 01: Incheon Songdo Moonlight Park, South Korea May 05: Yokohama K Arena, Japan May 10: Taoyuan Sunlight Arena, Taiwan May 13: Bangkok Thunderdome Stadium, Thailand May 17: Mumbai Mahalaxmi Racecourse, India May 23: Riyadh Kingdom Arena, Saudi Arabia May 27: Abu Dhabi Etihad Arena, UAE May 30: Shekvetili Parka, Georgia^ Jun 02: Istanbul Tüpraş Stadyumu, Turkey^ Jun 06: Coimbra Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Portugal^ Jun 09: Barcelona Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Spain Jun 12: Florence Firenze Rocks, Italy*^ Jun 15: Hradec Kralove Rock For People, Czech Republic*^ Jun 18: Dusseldorf Merkur Spiel-Arena, Germany^ Jun 20: Munich Allianz Arena, Germany^ Jun 23: Birmingham Villa Park, UK Jun 26: London Wembley Stadium, UK Jun 29: Aarhus Eskelunden, Denmark+ Jul 02: Trondheim Granåsen Ski Centre, Norway+ Jul 04: Stockholm Strawberry Aren, Sweden+ Jul 07: Tampere Ratina Stadium, Finland+ Jul 10: Kaunas Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Lithuania+ Jul 12: Warsaw PGE Nardowy, Poland+ Jul 15: Budapest Puskás Aréna, Hungary+ Jul 18: Belgrade Ušće Park, Serbia+ Jul 21: Sofia Vasil Levski Stadium, Bulgaria+ Jul 24: Vienna Ernst Happel Stadion, Austria# Jul 28: Luxembourg Open Air, Luxembourg# Jul 31: Wacken Festival, Germany*
* = Festival appearance + = with Public Enemy ^ = with Rival Sons # = with Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter
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.
(Image credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles | KAREN BALLARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Blink-182 fans purchasing a copy of vocalist/bassist Mark Hoppus’ recent autobiography Fahrenheit-182: A Memoir might reasonably anticipate entertaining tales of on-the-road high-jinks, reflections upon the life-changing consequences of selling tens of millions of albums, and, more soberly, recollections of the Californian musician’s successful battle against blood cancer. What one almost certainly would not expect, would be learning that Hoppus maybe, just possibly, played a pivotal role in the downfall of a much-feared global dictator.
While the US military have yet to formally recognise Hoppus’ part in the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003 as part of Operation Red Dawn, the pop-punk star believes that it was his ingenious thinking which paved the way for the successful mission.
“I did, I saved the world from Saddam Hussein,” Hoppus tells NME.com in a new interview. “e were performing for the troops in the Middle East, and we were on an aircraft carrier. We performed in the hanger in the Persian Gulf while we were at war, then I was sitting down with the admiral of the fleet after dinner before we went on stage, and I told him, Hey, I have an idea of how we can capture Saddam Hussein.
“He laughed at me,” Hoppus admits, “but then I said, I’ve had this idea: you kind of know where’s he’s at, he’s releasing these video tapes to his followers with a flag up behind him where he’d say, ‘Rise up to these American dogs!’ or whatever’. I said, If you have an idea of where he might be, why don’t you fly drones or aircraft in grid patterns, blasting as time code as loud as you can above the range of human hearing but within the dynamic range that would get captured on a video cassette. Then when he releases his video cassette, you can take the audio portion and extract the time code and triangulate where he might be’.
“The admiral looks at me like, ‘What the hell?’ Then he says, ‘I’m actually meeting at the Pentagon with the Joint Chiefs of Staff next week and I might bring up your idea’. Then, four months later, they had captured Saddam Hussein, so it must have been me.”
On November 5, 2006, Hussein was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging.
When NME journalist Andrew Trendell asks, not unreasonably, why there isn’t a statue commemorating Hoppus’ intervention in geo-politics, the musician modestly replies, “You know, I don’t need that. Just knowing that I saved the world is medal enough.”
What a guy.
The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.
A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
…And Memorial Day CD and vinyl deals for all: Save a whopping 47% off a Metallica classic, plus hearty discounts on iconic releases from Pink Floyd, Ghost & more
(Image credit: Future)
Memorial Day 2025 will officially take place on Monday, May 26, but some of the biggest online retailers in the US are already in on the action and have begun slashing prices across a wide range of vinyl box sets and CD collections.
My first pick goes to the recently released Rush 50 compilation, with Amazon reducing the price of both the 7LP edition and the 4CD box set, released to celebrate Rush’s half century. The vinyl edition is down from $249.98 to $212.48, while the CD version is down 27% from $99.98, now $73.36. It’s crammed full of classics, fan favourites and there’s even a few live rarities thrown in for good measure.
Another discount to catch my eye was 25% off the remastered 2LP pressing of Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, with Amazon knocking the price down from $99.98 to $75.35.
There are loads more Memorial Day CD and vinyl deals to discover, and I’ve included some of my favourites below.
Memorial Day takes place on the last Monday in May every year and this year it’ll take place on Monday, May 26. The day is a federal holiday in the United States and honours military personal who have died while serving their country.
When do the 2025 Memorial Day deals start?
While it’s a federal holiday, Memorial Day is also a day where retailers are known to cut prices right across the board, with sales always getting under way in the lead up to the day itself. While there are plenty of deals to be found right now on vinyl, CDs, headphones, turntables, pop culture collectables and more, the day itself will bring even more price reductions.
How can I spot the best Memorial Day deals?
The Memorial Day 2025 deals will be spread across multiple websites and I’ve provided some useful links to some of them at the top of this guide. If you’re after a bargain on headphones, turntables, speakers, vinyl or anything else, I have a few recommendations.
First, find out the RRP of the product you’re after. That way you’ll be able to see at a glance how much money you’re actually saving.
Keep a list of the products you have your eye on and check back regularly throughout Memorial Day itself to see if that must-have product has been slashed in price. Deals are likely to change as the day progresses so keep tabs on those products.
As for what makes a good deal, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a cut in price – although that will be the main focus. There could be two for one offers on or added extras included with an item. Keep your eyes on the small print – and I’ll also be highlighting some awesome CD and vinyl bargains right here.
The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.
Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He’s previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott’s favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.
System Of A Down may have not released a new studio album in almost 20 years, but judging by some incredible recent footage from their now-wrapped up South American tour, the passion from their fanbase is burning as brightly as ever – literally.
Over the past few weeks, videos from shows in Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil have gone viral across social media thanks to scenes that look like something out of a war movie, with colossal crowds shown moshing, crowd-surfing, lighting flares and, of course, singing their guts out to metal classics like Toxicity, Chop Suey and B.Y.O.B.
The most impressive footage of all has been shared by System guitarist Daron Malakian on Twitter via Audiomassacre and Pridia. Posting to System’s official Twitter account, Daron shared two incredible drone videos of System’s show from Wednesday May 14 at the Autódromo de Interlagos in São Paulo, Brazil, which boasts a capacity of over 75,000 people. In the videos, dozens of flares can be seen dotted around the stadium as huge circle pits open up all over the place.
“If you notice, we don’t have pyro on the stage… but our fans bring the fucking fire,” Malakian comments on one video, adding to another: “This is not a war zone, this is not a riot, this is a System Of A Down style Rock & Roll concert in Brazil!”
Watch the amazing footage below. System Of A Down will play six late summer shows in North America – two in New Jersey, two in Chicago and two in Toronto – before seemingly finishing up their live schedule for the year.
“This is not a war zone, this is not a riot, this is a System Of A Down style Rock & Roll concert in Brazil!!!!!!!” – @DaronMalakian🎥: @audiomassacre pic.twitter.com/o9soZ84X9BMay 17, 2025
“If you notice, we don’t have pyro on the stage… but our fans bring the fucking fire.” – @DaronMalakian 🎥: Pridia pic.twitter.com/XLj2x49S1LMay 15, 2025
Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N’ Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Inner Mounting Flame
(Image credit: Columbia Records)
Meeting of the Spirits Dawn The Noonward Race A Lotus on Irish Streams Vital Transformation The Dance of Maya You Know You Know Awakening
It’s very difficult to explain now just how jaw‑dropping and head-spinning Mahavishnu Orchestra‘s The Inner Mounting Flame sounded when it landed in 1971, seemingly from a galaxy far, far away. At times loud, heavyweight and in-your-face with its controlled cacophony of virtuosic guitar, bass, drums, synthesiser and electric violin, occasionally achingly melodic and pacific, it was truly groundbreaking.
An easy first listen it certainly was not. But with Mahavishnu’s outrageous debut album, jazz-rock had truly arrived, the term ‘far out’ was redefined, and a new mountain peak had appeared on the musical landscape. The Inner Mounting Flame was the first jazz-rock album that rock fans in numbers found themselves being jolted and grabbed by – enough of them to make it an unlikely but important Top 20 hit.
“It was a very powerful time of upheaval,” guitarist John McLaughlin told Classic Rock. “The psychedelic revolution; the whole black and white thing in America; the assassinations; the Vietnam War on top of that. The music just reflected society as it was then. There was a great feeling that we could actually make the world a better place.”
Every week, Album of the Week Club listens to and discusses the album in question, votes on how good it is, and publishes our findings, with the aim of giving people reliable reviews and the wider rock community the chance to contribute.
Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories – Barclay James Harvest
Madman Across the Water – Elton John
The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys – Traffic
Nursery Cryme – Genesis
Farther Along – The Byrds
Gonna Take a Miracle – Laura Nyro
A Nod Is As Good As a Wink… to a Blind Horse – Faces
There’s a Riot Goin’ On – Sly & the Family Stone
Muswell Hillbillies – The Kinks
Fragile – Yes
Funny How Sweet Co-Co Can Be – Sweet
Killer – Alice Cooper
Deuce – Rory Gallagher
Anticipation – Carly Simon
“Babbacombe” Lee – Fairport Convention
Bless the Weather – John Martyn
Bonnie Raitt – Bonnie Raitt
Brain Capers – Mott the Hoople
Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime – It’s a Beautiful Day
Do You Like It Here Now, Are You Settling In? – Man
Dog Of Two Head – Status Quo
E Pluribus Funk – Grand Funk Railroad
Flowers of Evil – Mountain
For Ladies Only – Steppenwolf
Good and Dusty – The Youngbloods
Lost in the Ozone – Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Nazareth – Nazareth
Nilsson Schmilsson – Harry Nilsson
Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore – Humble Pie
Pictures at an Exhibition – Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Quicksilver – Quicksilver Messenger Service
Sanctuary – Dion
Sunfighter – Paul Kantner and Grace Slick
There’s Gotta Be a Change – Albert Collins
Whatevershebringswesing – Kevin Ayers
Year of Sunday – Seals and Crofts
What they said…
“A furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and rock a year after Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew breakthrough. It also inadvertently led to the derogatory connotation of the word fusion, for it paved the way for an army of imitators, many of whose excesses and commercial panderings devalued the entire movement.” (AllMusic)
“The Inner Mounting Flame is a classic, and a defining album in Jazz Fusion. One of the interesting aspects of the album is that it features no wind instruments, a rather unusual quality for a Jazz album, but because of its more rock-oriented sound it has also proven to be influential in several other genres outside of Jazz music.” (Sputnik Music)
“Listening to this 1971 release, one is struck by the grandiose reach of the quintet that dared to call itself an orchestra. Pieces like Meeting of the Spirits and the fragile, acoustic A Lotus on Irish Streams are like classically-inspired suites in miniature. But it was numbers like Noonward Race, Vital Information and especially Awakening, fuelled by Cobham’s smouldering intensity on the kit and McLaughlin’s raging, distortion-soaked guitar lines, that really grabbed rock crowds.” (Jazz Times)
What you said…
Mike Canoe: An intriguing and immersive album that takes my brain to places it doesn’t normally go. Guitarist John McLaughlin may be the name above the title – and his playing is phenomenal – but he also gives the rest of the band plenty of opportunity to flex their muscles.
I especially like how Jerry Goodwin’s clean and elegant violin contrasts with McLaughlin’s distorted guitar. Similarly, softer pieces like You Know You Know and A Lotus On Irish Streams balance out the headlong frenzy of the other pieces like Vital Transformation or The Noonward Race. A good album to just let the music wash over you.
Chris Elliott: There’s an iconic Morecombe and Wise comedy sketch in the UK, the punchline being, “I can assure you I’m playing the right notes… just not necessarily in the right order.”
This isn’t jazz-rock. It’s far worse. A collection of random notes with no discernible reason. Its not even freeform jazz. It’s just a cacophony. Nothing mundane like a song, a tune, or – god forbid – a melody.
Then I remembered Massive Attack sampled it on Unfinished Symphony so I listened to that instead. Proof you can make a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.
Mark Herrington:I can appreciate the musicianship and complexity clearly on display here. Ultimately, it doesn’t resonate with me and leaves me hankering for something a little catchier and simpler to listen to. One best admired from afar and left to those it does click with.
Dale Munday: Stellar performances all round, no question about that. Reminiscent of Zappa at times and also pre-empting Larks Tongues-period King Crimson. Ultimately I find it gets just a little tedious.
John Davidson: Even as a long-time prog fan I found this a difficult listen. Yes have their jazzier moments but there is at least a song with a tune in there somewhere Not so with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Doubtlessly very talented musicians but that’s as far as it goes. Jazz-rock, less than the sum of the parts.
Philip Qvist: The Mahavishnu Orchestra are another one of those bands who I have heard of but whose music I rarely listened to – if at all. Jazz-Rock, or whatever you want to call it, has never really appealed to me, so this band has never featured on my radar – until now that is.
If I’m being truthful, The Inner Mountain Flame didn’t exactly float my boat. For sure, band leader John McLaughlin’s guitar playing is sublime, well backed up by a very tight band on top of their game; especially Jan Hammer on keyboards and drummer Billy Cobham, who was my Man of the Match here.
So there is nothing wrong with the musicianship and the songs are well crafted, but it isn’t an album that I will be rushing out to listen to again, far less buy it.
Highlights for me were opening track Meeting Of The Spirits and A Lotus On Irish Streams.
So not my cup of tea, but I can’t fault the quality of the musicians on show here. This is going to be a difficult one for me to score this week.
Gary Claydon: So many notes and chords! This is music with too many moving parts. I’ve long been an admirer of John McLaughlin’s guitar work (and the rest of the band are none too shabby either) but there’s the rub. On the ( very occasional) occasions that I give The Inner Mounting Flame a listen, I find myself admiring the musicianship, admiring the virtuosity, admiring the technique.
After 40-odd minutes of admiring, though, it feels oddly unfulfilling, like the takeaway meal that leaves you feeling stuffed but an hour later you’re hungry again. You know you’ve just had a feast but can’t help hankering for something else.
Keith Jenkin: Building on his involvement with Miles Davis on his best fusion albums (In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew and Jack Johnson) here John Mclaughlin put his own band together and delivers the sort of music I have always imagined Hendrix might have ended up delivering had he lived longer. All the musicians here are on fire and although this is slightly removed from the more typical classic rock settings most reading this will be used to, this album and its follow-up Birds Of Fire have to be among the best guitar-led all-instrumental albums to have ever graced our eardrums.
Greg Schwepe: Mahavishnu Orchestra’s The Inner Mounting Flame is yet another album (and band, for that matter) I had to check out after reading other articles where musicians (Zakk Wylde, Neal Schon, to name a few), just raved about this one. Jeff Beck was a fan of John McLaughlin and did a cover of You Know You Know on one of his live albums that I have.
I went all in; ordered a box set with this album and a few others, and slammed it into the CD player when I got it. Then realized; “Uh oh, not clicking right away, not so sure about this…”
And that began my little journey with this album. So revisiting again for this review gives me another shot at figuring all this Mahavishnu Orchestra stuff out. First thoughts were that the musicianship was off the charts. You can hear the talent oozing out of these tracks. But that doesn’t always translate to listenable music to me.
A lot of times it seems like they were being dissonant for dissonance’s sake. Kept waiting for a melody I could hum, then realized that wasn’t coming anytime soon…or ever. As I went through the album I’d find bits and pieces I really liked, then sections that were just too frenetic. The violinist at times sounded like a combination of Robbie Steinhardt from Kansas and Charlie Daniels all jacked up on Red Bull. And yes, that’s a compliment. But again, I need to little melody to guide me along.
Overall, I really wanted to like this from start to finish, but I think my jazz fusion meter goes to Blow By Blow and won’t go any further than that. My favourite song is You Know You Know, and that’s probably because I had heard the Jeff Beck version long before this and had that committed to memory.
As a wannabe guitar player, I truly admire John McLaughlin’s chops, but sometimes he’s shredding just because he can. But boy can he shred. I can see why others admire his technique and style.
I will freely admit that my ears are probably not sophisticated enough for half of this album. But there are similar proggy freeform-type albums that I am a fan of, so there’s hope for me yet. 7 out of 10 on this one for me. And the Mahavishnu Orchestra box set eventually ended up at the used book/record store.
Marcelo Morem: I love this album. More than the otherworldly guitar playing there’s a total drumming showcase by Billy Cobham.
Michael Fildes: Sadly the term ‘jazz-rock’ has probably put many people off giving this band a chance over the years, but there’s all kinds going on here. Jazz, prog, alt-rock, funk. You can hear Crimson, Hendrix, Soundgarden, Jane’s Addiction, Funkadelic, and yes, Miles Davis, and Pharaoh Saunders.
The players are incredible, the interplay is stunning, and the star of the show is John McClaughlin’s trademark ‘machine gun’ guitar, although the rest of the band give him a run for his money, particularly the rhythm section of Billy Cobham and Rick Laird. (If this album floats your boat check out Billy Cobham’s Spectrum album – with Tommy Bolin on guitar.)
It’s never going to be to everyone’s taste but I challenge anyone to find it boring. For me it’s a masterpiece – a trippy, blissed-out bit of heaven. It shimmers, it shakes, it grooves, and most importantly, it rocks 10/10.
Kev Sullivan: Always loved this album. I had no idea who they were when, as a kid, I bought this in a second-hand shop in the late 70’s. A gamble that paid off.
Mike Galway: I had a second-hand copy which was a bit crackly so ordered a new one. It was at the time when Eddie Van Halen was changing the way guitarists played. My friend came around to my house and I said, “Forget EVH, listen to this!” I put the album on but instead of Meeting Of The Spirits some Scottish pipe and drum marching band music started up! Obviously it was a mislabelled copy, we still chuckle about it today.
Barry Johnson: Saw a broadcast of them playing back in the day and got this. A colossal band brimming with talent. I played this as recently as last week. I have almost all their recordings and Inner Mounting Flame sets the pace for those that followed.
Ben L. Connor: As good as this is, I think the follow-up Birds Of Fire is even better!
Steve Pereira: At the start of the Sixties jazz was both respected and popular, but as rock music developed and grew, so it replaced jazz as the most popular and successful “serious” music. By the end of the Sixties, jazz was all but dead. Leading jazz musician Miles Davies could see the way things were going, and embraced rock music, so creating “jazz fusion” or “jazz-rock”. Many of his band members would go on in the early Seventies to form their own jazz fusion bands. John McLaughlin was one such. His guitar playing blends elements of both jazz and rock as well as touches of Indian music.
While jazz fusion was popular for a while in the early Seventies, with some bands such as Weather Report having hit singles, it didn’t gain broad traction. There are bands who continued to explore it, but it was mainly an early Seventies movement. Part of the problem is that rock by the Seventies was already a broad church, and allowed plenty of freedom of musical expression, while jazz remained fairly limited.
Most jazz rock bands felt more jazz than rock, and seemed to miss out on the main essence of rock music, which is having a good time. It is difficult to dance to jazz. It is difficult to feel jazz as a social commentary. Jazz is more ornamentation than music. And this is the main problem with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the debut album, Inner Mounting Flame.
It is ornamentation. It is showy music. We are somewhat impressed by McLaughlin’s technically fast fingers and the sounds he makes. But while intellectually we can appreciate it, emotionally it doesn’t strike us in the way that Johnny B Goode, The Kingsmen’s Louie Louie, or Pretty Vacant hit us.
The Mahavishnu Orchestra is more about musical masturbation than about proper gritty music. It’s not for me.
Final score: 7.16 (37 votes cast, total score 265)
Classic Rock is the online home of the world’s best rock’n’roll magazine. We bring you breaking news, exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes features, as well as unrivalled access to the biggest names in rock music; from Led Zeppelin to Deep Purple, Guns N’ Roses to the Rolling Stones, AC/DC to the Sex Pistols, and everything in between. Our expert writers bring you the very best on established and emerging bands plus everything you need to know about the mightiest new music releases.
Zak Starkey, drummer with The Who since 1996, has been fired by the band for a second time. The news arrives just a month after Starkey was fired and then quickly reinstated, reportedly after a dispute with frontman Roger Daltrey became public during a Teenage Cancer Trust Performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Guitarist Pete Townshend broke the news of Starkey’s second firing, taking to social media to say, “After many years of great work on drums from Zak the time has come for a change. A poignant time. Zak has lots of new projects in hand and I wish him the best.”
Starkey responded by posting, “I was fired two weeks after reinstatement and asked to make a statement saying I had quit The Who to pursue my other musical endeavours this would be a lie. I love The Who and would never have quit.
“So I didn’t make the statement ….quitting The Who would also have let down the countless amazing people who stood up for me (thank you all a million times over and more) through the weeks of mayhem of me going ‘in an’ out an’ in an’ out an’ in an’ out like a bleedin’ squeezebox. “To clarify ‘other projects’, yes, I do have other projects and always have.”
Starkey goes on to detail the other projects at length, before adding, “None of this has ever interfered with The Who and was never a problem for them. The lie is or would have been that I quit The Who – I didn’t. I love The Who and everyone in it.”
Aug 19: Newark Prudential Center, NJ Aug 21: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA Aug 23: Atlantic City Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, NJ Aug 26: Boston Fenway Park, MA Aug 28: Wantagh Northwell at Jones Beach Theater, NY Aug 30: New York Madison Square Garden, NY Sep 02: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON Sep 04: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON Sep 07: Chicago United Center, IL Sep 17: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA Sep 19: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA Sep 21: Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA Sep 23: Vancouver Rogers Arena, BC Sep 25: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA Sep 28: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Punk rock has always been about expressing aggression and attitude as much as it is about the music.
But those lines aren’t so easily defined. On the surface, bands that arrived during the genre’s early years had in common the sneers, a limited number of guitar chords and shared animosity toward anyone with authority. But beyond that, the threads connecting Sex Pistols, Television and Bad Brains are thin at best.
Like all great music, punk comes in many shades — from fist-flying hardcore to radio-approved pop hooks, rock ‘n’ roll history-covering virtuosity to rudimentary instrument bashing. Raw, polished, personal, universal — the best punk rock finds reason to exist; it matters because it sounds like it matters. Not since rock ‘n’ roll started making waves in the 1950s had music been played with such purpose.
The below list of the Best Album by Punk’s 15 Biggest Artists goes back to 1970, when the initial records of the genre began to separate from the previous decade’s garage rock, and stops in the mid-’90s, when a new generation of snotty kids with guitars started applying their experiences to the music’s core foundations.
The best of these acts discovered their voices within the structures they broke down; one thing you can say about the music made during punk’s golden period in the late ’70s and early ’80s is that not much else sounded like it in the clubs, on the radio or television, when, during rare offerings, they were invited to share their music. The albums below represent the best of the best.
The Best Album by Punk’s 15 Biggest Artists
The most essential records from rock’s angry young men and women.
Feature Photo: Klaus Hiltscher, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Warren Zevon built his reputation not through commercial flash, but by crafting songs that cut deep—sometimes funny, sometimes brutal, always sharp. Raised in California, he showed musical promise early, studying classical composition under Igor Stravinsky before drifting into the rock and singer-songwriter scenes of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Before anyone knew his name, he had already worked as a session musician, bandleader, and composer for other artists, quietly building a résumé that would form the foundation of a remarkable, fiercely independent career.
Zevon’s early solo work began with a self-released album in 1969 titled Wanted Dead or Alive. The record went largely unnoticed, but it opened the door to collaborations with other rising artists of the time. He spent several years in the background, including a stint as musical director and keyboardist for the Everly Brothers. He also wrote songs for artists like Linda Ronstadt, who would go on to cover several of his compositions throughout the decade.
Everything changed with the release of Warren Zevon in 1976. Backed by members of the Eagles and produced by Jackson Browne, the album established him as a biting, literate voice in the Los Angeles singer-songwriter scene. Songs like “Desperados Under the Eaves,” “Carmelita,” and “Poor Poor Pitiful Me” blended dark humor with vivid character sketches, setting Zevon apart from his contemporaries. The critical acclaim didn’t necessarily match commercial performance yet, but the industry took notice.
His 1978 follow-up Excitable Boy became his breakout, driven by the unexpected success of “Werewolves of London.” That song—co-written with LeRoy Marinell and Waddy Wachtel—became his signature hit, reaching the Top 40 and earning a place in pop culture for decades. But the album was far more than a novelty. Tracks like “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” and the title cut balanced absurdity with violent political allegory, and Zevon delivered it all with a crooked grin and a deadly pen.
Zevon released Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School in 1980, which featured a mix of satire, darkness, and orchestration. While it didn’t produce a hit on the level of “Werewolves,” it included “Play It All Night Long,” a savage takedown of Southern rock clichés, and a cover of “A Certain Girl” that hit the Billboard Hot 100. The album was praised for its ambition but struggled to find a broad audience.
Throughout the early ’80s, Zevon continued releasing albums that expanded his sonic and thematic range. The Envoy (1982) reflected on Cold War politics and personal disintegration. Despite support from peers and critics, the album failed commercially, leading to a brief contract termination. Zevon spiraled personally during this period, dealing with alcoholism and its consequences—a struggle he never hid from and often confronted head-on in his lyrics.
After seeking treatment for his addictions, Zevon returned in 1987 with Sentimental Hygiene, a focused and revitalized album that featured contributions from members of R.E.M. and Neil Young. It was followed by Transverse City in 1989, a science fiction–themed concept album featuring appearances by Jerry Garcia and Chick Corea. While never commercially dominant, these records confirmed his role as an uncompromising writer committed to innovation.
The 1990s saw Zevon embracing his cult status. He released Mr. Bad Example in 1991, which included the satirical title track and the heartfelt “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead,” which inspired the title of a later film. He remained a regular presence on Late Show with David Letterman, where his dry wit and musicianship were welcome fixtures.
Zevon’s final act began in the early 2000s when he was diagnosed with terminal pleural mesothelioma. Choosing to forgo treatment, he returned to the studio to create what would become The Wind—a parting statement that featured Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Emmylou Harris, and others. The album was released in 2003, just weeks before his death, and earned him posthumous Grammy Awards for Best Rock Vocal Performance and Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Throughout his career, Zevon released twelve studio albums. He never chased trends and never tailored his material to fit radio formats. Instead, he built a catalog filled with murder ballads, mercenaries, barroom degenerates, and doomed romantics. His lyrical voice—deadpan, brutal, intelligent—cut through sentimentality and forced listeners to confront both the absurdity and tragedy of the world.
He also left behind a body of work that attracted immense respect from fellow musicians. Artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Jackson Browne have performed his songs live in tribute. His catalog continues to be covered, studied, and passed down to new generations of songwriters who value clarity, fearlessness, and wit.
Zevon never won the kind of mainstream stardom his peers did, but his influence is undeniable. He operated on his own terms, and when commercial success arrived, it didn’t change how he worked. He approached songwriting like a novelist—plotting, sharpening, and never wasting a word.
Beyond music, he was a voracious reader, fascinated by politics, history, and human behavior. He once described himself as “a writer who plays music,” and it’s that literary edge—never softened, never filtered—that gave his songs lasting power. Whether writing about the brutality of war or the emptiness of Los Angeles nights, Zevon spoke in a voice that was unmistakably his.
His final appearance on Letterman—where he performed “Mutineer” and told the audience to “enjoy every sandwich”—became a defining farewell. He didn’t just exit with dignity; he did it with wit, clarity, and grace. And he left behind a legacy built not on trends or image, but on content, craftsmanship, and courage.
Complete List Of Warren Zevon Songs From A to Z
Accidentally Like a Martyr – Excitable Boy – 1978
Ain’t That Pretty at All – The Envoy – 1982
Angel Dressed in Black – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Back in the High Life Again (Will Jennings, Steve Winwood) – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
Backs Turned Looking Down the Path – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1970
Backs Turned Looking Down the Path – Warren Zevon – 1976
Bad Karma – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Basket Case – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Battleship Chains (Terry Anderson) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Bed of Coals – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Bill Lee – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Boom Boom Mancini – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Calcutta – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1970
Carmelita – Warren Zevon – 1976
A Certain Girl – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Charlie’s Medicine – The Envoy – 1982
Crosscut Saw (Fred Ingrahm, Bill Sanders) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Desperados Under the Eaves – Warren Zevon – 1976
Detox Mansion – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Dirty Life and Times – The Wind – 2003
Dirty Little Religion – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
Disorder in the House – The Wind – 2003
Don’t Let Us Get Sick – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
Down in the Mall – Transverse City – 1989
El Amor de Mi Vida – The Wind – 2003
Empty-Handed Heart – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
The Envoy – The Envoy – 1982
Even a Dog Can Shake Hands – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Excitable Boy – Excitable Boy – 1978
The Factory – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Fiery Girl – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1970
Finishing Touches – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Fistful of Rain – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
For My Next Trick I’ll Need a Volunteer – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
Frank and Jesse James – Warren Zevon – 1976
The French Inhaler – Warren Zevon – 1976
Frozen Notes (strings version) – Excitable Boy – 1978
Genius – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Gorilla – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1970
Gorilla, You’re a Desperado – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Gridlock – Transverse City – 1989
Hasten Down the Wind – Warren Zevon – 1976
The Heartache – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Heartache Spoken Here – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song) – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Hostage-O – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
The Hula Hula Boys – The Envoy – 1982
I Have to Leave (Dan McFarland) – My Ride’s Here – 2002
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead – Warren Zevon – 1976
I’ll Slow You Down – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
I Need a Truck (outtake) – Excitable Boy – 1978
I’m a One-Woman Man (Tillman Franks, Johnny Horton) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
I Was in the House When the House Burned Down – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
The Indifference of Heaven – Mutineer – 1995
Interlude No. 1 – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Interlude No. 2 – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Jeannie Needs a Shooter – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Jesus Mentioned – The Envoy – 1982
Jesus Was a Cross Maker (Judee Sill) – Mutineer – 1995
Johnny Strikes Up the Band – Excitable Boy – 1978
Join Me in L.A. – Warren Zevon – 1976
Jungle Work – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Junko Pardner (Bob Shad) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Keep Me in Your Heart – The Wind – 2003
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan) – The Wind – 2003
Laissez-Moi Tranquille (Serge Gainsbourg) – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Lawyers, Guns and Money – Excitable Boy – 1978
Leave My Monkey Alone – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Let Nothing Come Between You – The Envoy – 1982
Let Nothing Come Between You (alternate take) – The Envoy – 1982
Life’ll Kill Ya – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
The Long Arm of the Law – Transverse City – 1989
Looking for the Next Best Thing – The Envoy – 1982
Lord Byron’s Luggage – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Macgillycuddy’s Reeks – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Mama Couldn’t Be Persuaded – Warren Zevon – 1976
Mannish Boy (Bo Diddley, Melvin London, Muddy Waters) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Model Citizen – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Mohammed’s Radio – Warren Zevon – 1976
Monkey Wash Donkey Rinse – Mutineer – 1995
Mr. Bad Example – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Mutineer – Mutineer – 1995
My Ride’s Here – My Ride’s Here – 2002
My S*’s F***** Up** – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
Networking – Transverse City – 1989
Never Too Late for Love – The Envoy – 1982
Nighttime in the Switching Yard – Excitable Boy – 1978
Nobody’s in Love This Year – Transverse City – 1989
Numb as a Statue – The Wind – 2003
Ourselves to Know – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
The Overdraft – The Envoy – 1982
Piano Fighter – Mutineer – 1995
Play It All Night Long – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Please Stay – The Wind – 2003
Poisonous Lookalike – Mutineer – 1995
Poor Poor Pitiful Me – Warren Zevon – 1976
Porcelain Monkey – Life’ll Kill Ya – 2000
Prison Grove – The Wind – 2003
Quite Ugly One Morning – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Raspberry Beret (Prince Rogers Nelson) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Reconsider Me – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Renegade – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
The Rest of the Night – The Wind – 2003
The Risk (outtake) – The Envoy – 1982
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner – Excitable Boy – 1978
Rottweiler Blues – Mutineer – 1995
Rub Me Raw – The Wind – 2003
Run Straight Down – Transverse City – 1989
Sacrificial Lambs – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Searching for a Heart – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Seminole Bingo – Mutineer – 1995
Sentimental Hygiene – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
She Quit Me – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1970
She’s Too Good for Me – The Wind – 2003
Similar to Rain – Mutineer – 1995
Something Bad Happened to a Clown – Mutineer – 1995
Splendid Isolation – Transverse City – 1989
Suzie Lightning – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Tenderness on the Block – Excitable Boy – 1978
They Moved the Moon – Transverse City – 1989
Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead – Mr. Bad Example – 1991
Transverse City – Transverse City – 1989
Travelin’ Riverside Blues (Robert Johnson) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Trouble Waiting to Happen – Sentimental Hygiene – 1987
Tule’s Blues – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1970
Tule’s Blues (solo piano version) – Excitable Boy – 1978
Turbulence – Transverse City – 1989
Veracruz – Excitable Boy – 1978
Vigilante Man (Woody Guthrie) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Walkin’ Blues (Robert Johnson) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Wang Dang Doodle (Willie Dixon) – Hindu Love Gods – 1990
Wanted Dead or Alive – Wanted Dead or Alive – 1970
Werewolves of London – Excitable Boy – 1978
Werewolves of London (alternate version) – Excitable Boy – 1978
Wild Age – Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School – 1980
Wild Thing (outtake) – The Envoy – 1982
Word of Mouth (outtake) – The Envoy – 1982
You’re a Whole Different Person When You’re Scared – My Ride’s Here – 2002
Albums
Wanted Dead or Alive (1970): 7 songs
Warren Zevon (1976): 11 songs
Excitable Boy (1978): 13 songs
Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School (1980): 12 songs
The Envoy (1982): 13 songs
Sentimental Hygiene (1987): 10 songs
Transverse City (1989): 10 songs
Hindu Love Gods (1990): 10 songs
Mr. Bad Example (1991): 10 songs
Mutineer (1995): 10 songs
Life’ll Kill Ya (2000): 12 songs
My Ride’s Here (2002): 10 songs
The Wind (2003): 11 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Warren Zevon articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Another day, another Sleep Token milestone: this time Vessel and his masked besties have made history in the US by topping the Billboard album chart with latest full-length, Even In Arcadia. According to Billboard, the album, which also got to number one in the UK on Friday, is the biggest-selling hard rock album of the past two years, and has broken streaming records by bagging the biggest weekly streams for any hard rock album in history.
Even In Arcadia also broke records for vinyl sales, shifting over 47,000 units – the highest number for any hard rock album in the modern era. Indeed, they’ve broken the record only recently set by fellow mask-donning metal sensations Ghost, who sold 44,000 vinyl copies of their latest album, Skeletá. Basically, it’s a good time to be a big metal band packing spooky costumes and massive choruses.
Released Friday May 9 to generally positive reviews, Even In Arcadia is Sleep Token’s fourth studio album and continues their improbable rise to power, with sold out arena shows worldwide, those impressive aforementioned album sales and an imminent debut Download festival headline set all establishing them as, comfortably, the biggest metal band of their generation.
In the latest issue of Metal Hammer– which comes with two exclusive separate collectable Vessel covers – we take a look inside the secret history of Sleep Token, through the eyes of the people who were at the frontlines helping to break them into the metal scene.
Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N’ Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.
“Working with Nick Mason built my confidence. People recognised me as the guitarist I am”: How Gary Kemp came back from his post-pop wilderness to join the Pink Floyd family, and what Saucerful Of Secrets might do next
(Image credit: Simon Emmett)
Former Spandau Ballet guitarist and current member of Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets, Gary Kemp recently followed up his successful Insolo album with a new work, This Destination. He tells Prog about the journey of self-discovery that led to him there and hints at what the future holds for the ‘Punk Floyd’ collective
You’d imagine Gary Kemp would be brimming with confidence, given his impressive CV. As well as being guitarist and singer in Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets, Kemp has sold more than 25 million records with Spandau Ballet, starred in blockbuster movies including The Krays and The Bodyguard, and hosts Rockonteurs, the UK’s number one music podcast, with his bandmate and best mate Guy Pratt. So you’d imagine he has every reason to be confident.
“I’m not!” he protests, his forehead crumpling into a frown. Kemp, 65 – whose new album This Destination was released at the end of January – is smartly attired in button-up black shirt and charcoal gilet, the very picture of health, but mention of the ‘c’ word brings on a sudden bout of diffidence. While his third solo studio album is an impressive testament to his songwriting capabilities (he won an Ivor Novello for Outstanding Song Collection in 2012 and a BMI Icon Award in 2023) he says it started from a place of doubt.
“Maybe I appear really confident, and that’s how I saw myself in many ways. But a couple of years ago, I really had a lot of painful anxiety. I don’t know whether that was a common trait because of what we’d all experienced with the pandemic.”
Aftser asking himself existential questions (“Who am I? What am I?”) coinciding with reaching his 60s, Kemp decided to take inspiration from other songwriters. He called Sheffield musician Richard Hawley, who told him to go to a piano and put his hands over the keys, adding: “I’m going to go now, and you’re going to write a fucking brilliant song.” At that sitting, he conjured up the impressive Work, a paean to his parents that has a touch of the Sondheim about it.
Before that, he’d made himself take up the baton again during a trip to see Pete Townshend in Richmond. “I got on a tube, and it was a long journey. I thought: ‘I’m going to see one of my songwriting heroes, one of the greatest songwriters that ever lived in this genre. I’m looking around; I’ve got the city above my head and this sense of the different people coming on and off the train… and I’ve just got to write.”
Borrowed Town was the result, a song that posits the idea that the place we live only on loan to us. “There was a time when I was the king of the street, right, the peacock of my generation. We were those kids; it was our town, and there were old people on the street that I didn’t give a shit about. But hey maybe fought in the war that gave me the freedom to be a peacock. We didn’t care, in the same way that now I’m on the side of the street.”
Sign up below to get the latest from Prog, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!
Kemp’s playing on the album is crisp; his guitar lines on Borrowed Town contains shades of David Gilmour about them; a clear influence on his style that he’s not afraid to own up to. “When I grew up there were two guitarists that I really liked – David and Mick Ronson.
Nick is kind of an easy guy. He’s not Roger, and he’s more flexible than David, possibly
I think I’ve always liked melody. I’m not a shredder. But then David was influenced by Hank Marvin and Jeff Beck; and in many ways, Syd Barrett as well, because Syd started playing with the echoes and delays. So when David came into Pink Floyd, he had to take that on board because Syd had already established that.”
Kemp remembers practising in a school friend’s basement as a teenager, rehearsing a rendition of Pink Floyd’s Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun. “That was the first song I ever jammed with other musicians,” he says. “We all went to this counter-culturalist’s house near where I grew up in Islington. I’d been going to a drama club and I got to meet middle-class kids, arty kids from arty families, and one of them was [publisher and nightclub owner] Jay Landesman’s son, Cosmo, who turns out to be a really well-known journalist.
Gary Kemp – This Destination (official video) – YouTube
“Jay’s house shocked me – it was the first time I’d seen a wok or a bottle of wine; the first time I’d ever smelled garlic. Chairman Mao was on the wall; the chairs and the sofas didn’t match. We go downstairs to the basement and there’s a bunch of us, including Phil Daniels and Peter-Hugo Daly, who eventually became actors, and Miles [Landesman, Cosmo’s younger brother] was there, too. He put on Set The Controls For Heart Of The Sun, and I had my guitar, and we jammed it all day.”
Half a century later, Kemp would wind up playing the song live with the actual drummer from the recording. So, what’s Nick Mason like? “He’s kind of an easy guy,” says Kemp. “He’s not Roger. And he’s more flexible than David, possibly.”
I was in a band that went from electronic to blue-eyed soul and did very well, so people think that that’s all I am
Playing with Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets offered Kemp a way back into music after the confidence-shaking underperformance of his 1995 album Little Bruises, a Celtic-inflected work that was very out of sorts during the height of Britpop. But 36 years later, the nine-minute Steven Wilson mix of Waiting For The Band, from 2021’s Insolo – featuring Mike Garson on piano – might be the finest moment of his career so far.
“It’s hard to write another one of those,” he admits, “but Waiting For The Band was a song that I think a lot of people wanted. It felt like a song for the fans. Obviously it’s written with Bowie at Hammersmith Odeon in mind, but it could mean anyone I saw in that period in the 70s: T Rex, Pink Floyd or Genesis.”
Suddenly he had a new palette to paint with, and he could experiment and even solo without being swatted aside by Spandau Ballet saxophonist Steve Norman. “It was working with Nick that built my confidence,” he confirms. “People started to recognise me as the guitar player I am.”
This writer remembers eyebrows being raised when Kemp appeared in Saucerful Of Secrets, and also when he took on the role of Ronnie Kray in the excellent 1990 film The Krays. He quickly silenced the doubters in both cases. Prog wonders if being underestimated at times works to his advantage?
We didn’t think we could do Echoes, and then we did it. Could we go into The Dark Side Of The Moon?
“I probably have those same opinions about myself sometimes, but you’ve got to work hard and take up the challenge,” he says. “A lot of it comes from weird misconceptions and judgements that people make from a narrow view. I was in a band that went from electronic to blue-eyed soul and it did very well, so people think that that’s all that I am, and I must only be listening to that type of music.”
So, what now for Saucerful Of Secrets? Having played a lot of pre-The Dark Side Of The Moon material one wonders where they can go from here. Kemp confirms there’s something exciting in the pipeline – but he can’t say any more at the moment.
Gary Kemp – Waiting for the Band (Steven Wilson Remix – Official Audio) ft. Mike Garson – YouTube
“Where can it go? That’s interesting, because we didn’t think we could do Echoes, and then we did it. Could we go further beyond that into The Dark Side Of The Moon? I don’t think so, because people have been used to seeing those songs performed with 10 musicians and backing vocalists onstage, and we’ve always been Punk Floyd.
“But I think there are still some songs that we could have a look at that we’ve never done. Nick is 81 and he wants to keep playing music. I should be so lucky to be playing with this giant who changed my musical landscape with Dark Side Of The Moon.”
Moreover, Kemp has now joined an exclusive society: “I’ve been accepted into the Pink Floyd universe. And I can tell you what, that’s a tricky membership to get.”
