Monday, October 31 2011
Lou Reed and Metallica: Lulu
Have you ever been to a concert where the main act brings out a special guest for a song or two, and the connection is so pure that there is a palpable feeling of excitement in the room? Except in brief, fleeting moments, that doesn’t happen on this album.
Thursday, September 29 2011
Anthrax: Worship Music
The return of the singer that made them great has revitalized these thrash veterans, putting them back on track to lasting greatness.
Wednesday, September 21 2011
Still Pulling Your Strings: ‘Master of Puppets’ 25 Years Later
Master of Puppets not only rocketed Metallica into stardom upon its 1986 release, but it also blew a hole in the industry’s unwritten rule that a band without commercial aspirations could not make it and, as a result, helped undermine music censorship.
Monday, August 29 2011
Wherever He May Roam: Mick Wall Enters Night With a New Rock Bio
Besides writing the harrowing and hilarious drug memoir of his rock life, Paranoid, critic Mick Wall has written biographies on Iron Maiden, Axl Rose, as well as the definitive 2009 Led Zeppelin biography. He talks with PopMatters about his latest book, Enter Night.
Tuesday, July 5 2011
Oi, You Alright?: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Journey from India to America
As an Indian PhD student at an American university, Sriram Dayanand was given a front row seat to the pre-Internet maelstrom that was the glory of rock 'n' roll. Now covering cricket for ESPN and Sports Illustrated, he details what it was like to journey from musical scarcity in India, to the rock pantheon of the United States.
Friday, June 24 2011
Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica
While Ride the Lightning was Metallica’s first exceptionally accomplished recording, Master of Puppets would swiftly become recognised as their first stone cold masterpiece; their Led Zeppelin II; their Ziggy Stardust; their legacy. There would never be a Metallica album quite like it again.
Monday, April 4 2011
Ray Davies: See My Friends
Ray Davies' latest album is part tribute compilation, part vanity project. Mark my words, no one will be discussing this a year from now.
Friday, February 4 2011
1991: A Landmark Year for Rock Albums
Whether it was by overthrowing the old guard, engaging in self-reinvention, or by modernizing a particular approach for the new decade, change was a concept that imbued many of 1991’s seminal rock albums.
Monday, September 27 2010
Could These Be the Nominees for the 2011 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
This year’s list of nominees will be released on Tuesday, September 28th, with over 500 selected industry insiders choosing which five acts will be honored.
Monday, October 19 2009
Rodrigo y Gabriela: 16 October 2009 - Riviera Theater, Chicago
Words and Pictures by Kirstie Shanley
