As far as many people in the UK are concerned, John Mellencamp burst onto the music scene in 1982 with his radio hit ‘Jack & Diane’, but by the time that was loved by the masses and its parent album ‘American Fool’ was a success on both sides of the Atlantic, Bloomington’s most famous export had been building a career for several years. Previous albums ‘John Cougar’ (1979) and ‘Nothing Matters & What If It Did’ had seen some success stateside, but Mellencamp’s musical roots actually stretch back even further. In the mid 70s, he signed with the management company Mainman (a company who had David Bowie and Mick Ronson on their books) and recorded three albums’ worth of material in a very short period that, over the years, has been somewhat overlooked.
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The Great 80s Project: 1985
After 1984’s gargantuan greatness with the dominance of Frankie and meteoric rise of Madonna and Prince, 1985 had a lot to measure up to. …And indeed, some have said it’s a rather more forgettable year for pop.
Forever Words: Unknown poems and writings by Johnny Cash to be given a musical release in April
Most people wouldn’t argue with the theory that Johnny Cash’s musical rebirth in the 90s introduced the legendary country icon to a whole new audience. Under the watchful eye of producer Rick Rubin, Cash applied his distinctive style to some great rootsy material and covered tunes by Beck, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Tom Petty and Depeche Mode along the way.