1971 - The fireworks
It was an unprecedented creative spectacle: The musical balance sheet of 1971 contains more grandiose albums, unforgettable songs and promising newcomers than ever before or since. And: Rock music never had more of a future than at this unique moment in its history. How did it come about? And what were the consequences? A tour through a musical year that was as wonderful as it was wondrous
DIETER DIERKS - Part 2 of the exclusive interview with the producer legend
Actually Dieter Dierks doesn't like to be looked into the notes, but for eclipsed the great German producer made an exception. The trained actor, long considered the "sixth Scorpion", talks about Klaus Meine's voice, his meeting with Billy Joel, drinking bouts with Rory Gallagher, his inventions and a dream in the second part of our big interview.
TOTO - Friends you must have
The starting gun for the 15th incarnation of TOTO has been fired rather quickly, "I just lost one of my closest friends in our longtime tour manager and Al Schmitt, the legendary engineer who worked with us on 'Toto IV' has also passed on. Sorry, that brings me down." With these words, Steve Lukather apologises for his tardiness. Quickly, however, he switches gears. Because the actual reason for the conversation is quite a positive one, after all, with "With A Little Help From My Friends" the first sample of the new Toto line-up is released
VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - Journey into the heart of darkness
"Pawn Hearts" is considered the opus magnum of one of the greatest prog bands of the 70s. It was a groundbreaking album in many respects - with its mixture of melodiousness and aggression, a long track covering an entire LP side, dark, psychedelic passages and, last but not least, Peter Hammill's expressive vocals, which still fascinate, but also disturb music lovers worldwide. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the work, eclipsed spoke with the musician about an exciting but also exhausting time in the history of England's most uncompromising prog formation.
STYX - "A band has to evolve, otherwise it's dead"
The Styx saga continues: Four years after the concept album "The Mission", the band from Chicago reports back with the no less ambitious work "Crash Of The Crown". Even after about five decades in rock orbit, they continue to evolve without losing their identity. Founding member, guitarist and vocalist James "J. Y." Young has his very own take on things and chats candidly about his relationship with Chuck Panozzo, who still occasionally plays bass, and former keyboard leader and vocalist Dennis DeYoung.
JACKSON BROWNE - The Everlasting Old Man
For decades he was a kind of showcase songwriter of West Coast rock: a beau with catchy songs, famous musician friends, dapper playmates and hippie lifestyle and an exemplary political and environmental activist. But at the age of 72, even Jackson Browne has to shift down a few gears. This manifests itself in increasingly rare albums, tours and interviews. With "Downhill From Everywhere" he releases his first sign of life in seven years - an ambitious late work that comes across as versatile and gentle at the same time
MOTÖRHEAD - "That guy in front isn't putting on a show - that's rock'n'roll!"
When Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister died on December 28, 2015, it was automatically the end of Motörhead: Ultimately, all the remaining members of the group, no matter how long they were around and how much musical input they provided, were always just "sidekicks" to the band's founder. But not only Lemmy himself, Motörhead also became a legend, especially in the last 20 years of their existence, when the group managed to captivate an increasingly diverse audience that ended up being far larger than is the norm in the hard rock and heavy metal cosmos
LAURA MEADE - Who is the most dangerous woman in the world?
Already the sensational album title challenges the question. Who is the singer of the New York prog rock band IZZ talking about? Is "The Most Dangerous Woman In America" Laura Meade herself? Or which woman(s) is she thinking of? Musically, the second solo album is also convincing. An electronic soundscape has swept away the rest of the tender folk in her Kate Bush/Tori Amos brand of artpop
The psychedelic stoner KING BUFFALO use the pandemic in a very creative way
The covid pandemic has thrown most bands' plans into disarray, but few acts have used the inability to tour as creatively as King Buffalo, who have three albums coming out in 2021. Of course, this wasn't planned, as singer/guitarist Sean McVay explains, "I don't think we would have been able to tackle three albums if it wasn't for the pandemic. We would have spent a considerable amount of time on the road if everything had gone according to plan, and not been able to spend as much time writing."
SCHWARZBRENNER prove that earthy blues and classic romance go together
Wolfgang Becker and his two comrades-in-arms of the trio Schwarzbrenner, based in Ratingen, North Rhine-Westphalia, are seasoned blues men. Especially idols like Cream or Rory Gallagher have taken a liking to the formation around the 65-year-old mastermind. At the same time, the singer and guitarist is a "fine spirit", as he describes himself, "a passionate follower of the classical romanticism of Novalis or Hölderlin".
JOHN HIATT and the Jerry Douglas Band look the people in the mouth with their album
The world is full of outcasts and people whose little lives have nothing to do with the media success stories we are encouraged to emulate on a daily basis. One of the last songwriters to persistently take on the stories of these unremarkable everyday heroes that we find not only in the provinces but also in the big cities is John Hiatt. The Heartland rock bard has been showing his heart for the forgotten majority on the fringes for decades, but especially after the trials of the Lockdown, his new album "Leftover Feelings" takes on a whole new weight.
After nine years of musical radio silence THE WALLFLOWERS return
It's a strange feeling when the phone rings and a sonorous, self-confident voice answers with the words "Hello, this is Jakob Dylan". The internet teaches that he doesn't like questions about his famous father at all, and of course he has enough to say about the new - convincing - album "Exit Wounds" by his band The Wallflowers. But in the end he is ready to say a few sentences about his father.
TIM HUSUNG describes the making of his debut album as a true odyssey
In his main profession, Tim Husung from Hagen is a drummer and as such has been on the road a lot with the band John Diva And The Rockets Of Love, also in their home country; touring in California and Arizona, among other places, has left its mark on the visual language of his debut. "The motherland of rock'n'roll for me isn't just the USA though, it's England too. If you can pick up the vibe in the US, though, that's certainly formative."
... and MUCH more!
