Musical Essays

It used to be that soundtracks were the place for specially commissioned musical scores, the classical sounding epics of John Williams, or the spaghetti sounds of Sergio Morricone. But then, somewhere in the late 1960s, film producers cottoned on to the use of regular mainstream tunes, to complement the themes, era and tone of their movies. Starting with classics like The Graduate and Easy Rider, it has now become the norm. So, here is a playlist with representatives of ten g

Here we are again, with some more new tunes for you to open your ears up for. These songs have all been released in the last month or so - the majority this time are by artists nearer the start of their careers, but there are a few 'old timers' mixed in too. I say this every time with the playlists, but I think there is something in here for pretty much all tastes, so try and give at least one or two of these a go. I had become pretty set in my musical ways for a long time, b

Sixty years ago today (5 August 1966), what many may feel is one of the finest Beatles' albums was released. Revolver, the Beatles seventh studio album, came out on EMI a mere eight months after another one of their most acclaimed records, Rubber Soul, which included a three month break the band took at the start of 1966 (the longest break they had seen since 1962). It was a time when they were starting to explore the themes of eastern philosophy and psychedelia. Also, becaus

We pick up the story of Neil Finn from Part 1. Split Enz is done with, and now aged 27, Finn is ready for his next project. He has formed The Mullanes with fellow ex-Enz bandmate Paul Hester, bassist Nick Seymour and second guitarist Craig Hooper. The first intention was to have the new band as a three piece before they decided to entice the in-demand Hooper into the fold. Finn would tell Australian radio station Triple J in 1985, “We’re glad to have him on board, I’ve always

A debut single can be a tricky thing. You are a young artist ready to set the world of culture on fire and share your talent, so hitting the ground running is important to set you on your way to fame and fortune. Of course, many bands that have become huge, started off somewhat slowly, often both commercially and critically, while a few are off with a bang! So, there are all sorts of musical beginnings; some go downhill from a good start; some get better and better over years