During the first lockdown of 2020, Radiohead went back into their extensive archive and began sharing pro-shot, full length gigs to entertain their rabid fan base. Some great films emerged from that time, but few seem as adventurous as this set from a South American gig.
Category Archives: Miscellaneous
Neil Young – Before The Goldrush: Buried Treasure, Part I (1963-1970)
On January 27 2022, Neil Young’s back catalogue disappeared from Spotify. He justifiably took issue with the streaming giant hosting a podcast by Joe Rogan which spread disinformation about vaccines. “You can have Neil Young or Joe Rogan,” he said. Ultimately, they chose Joe Rogan. Their giving him a platform has created bad publicity, but his nasty work is easy to ignore. Spotify aren’t forcing you to listen to his podcast, of course, just as they’ve not made it a legal requirement to stream a bland piece of music you hate every time you log in. In a free world, we all make our own choices and Neil has made his.
Watch: Meat Loaf – Live At Toad’s Place, New Haven, CT 1991
In terms of rock stars, Meat Loaf was unique. A larger than life character whose best music took in elements of hard rock, light opera, pop and prog to create a musical theatre that became the soundtrack for a generation of fans in the late 70s and beyond. So much of Meat’s greatness was enhanced by his collaborators, of course, and when working with Jim Steinman, members of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia and Roy Bittan of Springsteen’s E Street Band on the world dominating ‘Bat Out of Hell’ album, he was a genuine force of nature.
The REAL GONE Advent Calendar 2021
With the slow return of live gigs and Britain escaping another lockdown (by some miracle), 2021 hasn’t felt quite as troubled as 2020, but it’s not always been fun or easy. As we build up to xmas, it’s time for our usual welcome distraction with Real Gone’s advent calendar!
As with previous years, we’ll be counting down the days until the 24th with a selection of cool videos. It might be an old favourite. It might be something brand new. It could be something you’ve never seen. Come back here each day for a new surprise!
David Longdon: 17 June 1965 – 20 November 2021
When Big Big Train appeared on the prog rock scene in the early 90s, they immediately set themselves apart from other new bands. Whereas other new arrivals seemed set on reworking things that were obviously derived from early Marillion or writing their own ‘Supper’s Ready’, Big Big Train were different. Their love of all things pastoral and a deep respect for the solo works of Anthony Phillips gave them a heart so much bigger than their would-be peers. With shifting line-ups came changes in sound, but the idea of “the song” always seemed to be key, but it wasn’t until the arrival of vocalist David Longdon in 2009 that they really broke into the big leagues.