Brand New Music
1962 The Konrads (featuring Dave Jay later to become David Bowie) made their live debut when they played at Bromley Technical School in Kent, England.
1965 Bob Dylan recorded ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City, in the sessions for the forthcoming ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ album. Session musicians included Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, whose Hammond organ on ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ became one of rock’s most recognizable sounds.
1967 The three day Monterey Pop Festival in California began. All the proceeds went to charity when all the artists agreed to perform for free, the ‘Summer of Love’ was born. The festival saw the first major US appearances by The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Also on the bill: The Byrds, Grateful Dead, Otis Redding, Simon & Garfunkel, The Steve Miller Band, Canned Heat, The Mamas And The Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield and The Electric Flag. John Phillips, of The Mamas and The Papas wrote, ‘San Francisco, (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)’ to promote the festival, which later became a hit for Scott McKenzie.
1967 Pink Floyd released their second single ‘See Emily Play’ which was written by original frontman Syd Barrett. The slide guitar work on the song was done by Barrett using a plastic ruler.
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Brand New Music
Lorde | Melodrama
Lorde has always been insanely introspective for an artist as young as she is. Cathartic, dramatic, and dare I say, melodramatic, this record is full of her trademark dark humour. For all it’s weird misfires when it comes to production and songwriting, and there are a few, very rarely are there pop records coming out as smart and as hugely successful as this.
Kevin Morby | City Music
Exuding confidence with a stylish and canny eye for detail City Music just might be Kevin Morby’s magnus opus – confirming the magical rise of Morby’s songwriting ability throughout the years. Without fail, Magic City is one of the best records of the year so far. The gritty nature never sleeps as the up-and-down nature of this very natural sounding record that is pulled off effortlessly.
Fleet Foxes | Crack-Up
When there’s a band as genre defining and, in some ways, life defining, it’s difficult to separate the feelings you have for their previous records. Radiohead, Kanye, Wilco, these bands are on a echelon that transcends looking at a record with a unbiased ear. New records will always be compared with your favourites from the past and will never truly live up to them… initially. Crack-Up may not be your favourite Fleet Foxes album today, but it will be, very shortly.
