Tag Archives: classic rock

IAN HUNTER & THE RANT BAND – Fingers Crossed

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fingers-crossed

Following the first run of Mott The Hoople reunion shows in 2009, Ian Hunter took time out to write new material. The Hoople gigs seemed to energise the legendary singer songwriter, as 2012’s ‘When I’m President’ (recorded with The Rant Band) contained some of his best material for some time. From the catchy pop-rock of the title track – complete with trademark tongue in cheek lyric – to the thoughtful ‘Black Tears’, the straight up rock of ‘Fatally Flawed’ and the brilliant 70s throwback and Hoople inspired ‘Comfortable (Flying Scotsman)’, the album was – and still is – a superb record. An album worthy of filing next to his 1975 solo debut and the much-loved ‘You’re Never Alone With a Schizophrenic’.

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GRAHAM BONNET – Line-Up

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graham bonnetAfter departing Rainbow in 1980 after just one album and tour, Graham Bonnet found himself at a career high. Returning to solo work, the third LP released under his own name, 1981’s ‘Line-Up’ is a huge step forward from his two solo discs from the 1970s. To be fair, it couldn’t be any worse; 1978’s ‘No Bad Habits’, in particular, borders on being a terrible waste of plastic.

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SCORPIONS – Fly To The Rainbow

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scorpions fly to the rainbowAfter losing three members following the release of their debut album, Scorpions vocalist Klaus Meine and rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker merged with the remnants of a band named Dawn Road. Though the Scorpions name was chosen for the newly formed quintet, in terms of overall sound, their second album credited to Scorpions is a world away from their first.  In fact, there are huge chunks of 1974’s ‘Fly To The Rainbow’ where the only recognisable feature is Klaus Meine’s vocal, and even that, in many places, has developed in style.

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THE BIG QUEEN POLL: Part One – The 1970s

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In recent years, the market has almost been flooded with Queen compilations. We’ve seen ‘Absolute Queen’, three volumes of ‘Deep Cuts’ and most recently ‘Queen Forever’ a collection of ballads with a couple of unreleased bits to tempt the die-hard fan.

The band really pleased fans when they issued the complete ‘Live At The Rainbow ’74’ show, a live set capturing the very early Queen on fire. This release has led to some speculation as to whether more live sets will be issued. We all know that excellent quality footage from Hammersmith 1975 and Hyde Park 1976 exists in the Queen vault, but some fans are currently speculating about an expanded reissue of the classic ‘Live Killers’ disc…

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