Earlier in 2017, the world lost Husker Du founding member Grant Hart. Along with guitarist vocalist Bob Mould, Hart arguably had the greatest influence on forming a sound the 90s would label “alternative rock”. Hart’s passing has seemingly allowed a lot of people – Real Gone included – to immerse themselves in the Huskers catalogue, and while the loss of Hart is immeasurable, the release of a Husker Du box set of rarities is something to celebrate.
Category Archives: Miscellaneous
Real Gone’s Xmas Countdown, 2017
It’s customary at this time of year for Real Gone to count the days until Christmas Eve. Our virtual advent calendar has become a popular fixture on the site and with each passing year has become a great excuse to trawl musical archives and post twenty four music videos.
We hope you find something to enjoy this year. Maybe it’ll be new to you, or maybe it’ll encourage you to revisit and old favourite. We’ll be updating this page with a new link every day until December 24th, so don’t forget to keep checking in!
Tom Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017)
On 2nd October 2017, Tom Petty died following a heart attack. His unexpected passing marked one of the blackest days of the year, since Tom always felt like someone who would always be there and always be part of life’s fabric. The fact that he left behind a marvellous body of work – most of which never seems to age – means that in some way, he’ll always be a part of millions of lives, but the idea that we’ll never hear a new Tom Petty album is very hard to comprehend, especially so soon after critically acclaimed works like ‘Hypnotic Eye’ and ‘Nobody’s Child.
Those last records featured tracks that were potentially as solid as anything Petty had ever recorded, lending weight to the fact that he was one of the finest and arguably most consistent songwriters of his generation.
Hüsker Dü – Live From London 1985 / Remembering Grant Hart
Hüsker Dü were the ultimate power trio. From hardcore punk beginnings, the band pioneered alternative rock sounds which eventually blended distinctly US punk noise with a more thoughtful singer-songwriter approach, which in turn paved the way for guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould’s solo career. Contrasting Mould’s abrasive approach, drummer/vocalist Grant Hart later wrote songs with a more palatable quality. Hart – a truly underappreciated songwriter – captured raw and emo-ish beauty on tunes like ‘Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely’ and ‘Every Everything’; tunes that were pivotal to the Hüskers’ balance between sheer force and a cerebral approach to punk.
Remembering Walter Becker: 1950-2017
On September 3rd 2017, it was announced that the legendary Walter Becker had passed away.
The multi-instrumentalist and record producer will always be best known as an integral part of westcoast rock/jazz-rock trailblazers Steely Dan. Taking in various elements of rock pop and jazz, brought to life in the studio and in the live setting by a crack team of session players – including Michael McDonald, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, Toto’s Steve Lukather and countless others – few had equalled the perfectionist sound of Steely Dan.