Category: Off the Beaten Tracks

HARDLY a week goes by without my mentioning Brian Eno, so a look at his solo career must be long overdue. In getting on for half a century, Brian has … Continue readingEno’s, You Know

TAKE a smattering of surf rock and add a pinch of punk. Stir in a generous slab of Beefheart with a sprig of Buddy Holly and a dash of Iggy … Continue readingMighty Pixies

CAPTAIN Beefheart once sang: ‘I may be hungry but I sure ain’t weird.’ The rest of the world might beg to differ. The cap’n, also known as Don Van Vliet, … Continue readingWell-done Beefheart

THERE are some ‘stars’ out there, and the preposterous behatted gnome from U2 comes to mind, who would like to think they can alter the course of history. David Bowie … Continue readingBowie and the song that changed the world

RETURNING to Ry Cooder’s early career is a real joy for me; like a conversation with an old and treasured friend. In my first column about him last April I looked at … Continue readingCooder’s Story Part Two

WHEN Lou Reed sacked John Cale from the Velvet Underground, his excuse was that the Welshman’s ideas were too ‘out there’, including recording with the amplifiers under water. Yet while … Continue readingJohn Cale: Paris 1919 and All That

LAST week we left Robert Fripp in 1972, resolved to take King Crimson in a radical new direction and replace every member of the band (with the obvious exception of himself). … Continue readingLong Live the King Crimson Part 2

MY previous columns on Genesis and Yes seemed to go down well with discerning readers, so here’s a look at another pillar of the progressive establishment, the mighty King Crimson. … Continue readingLong Live the King (Crimson)

WE left Nick Lowe last week gazing into the mirror, not liking what he saw, and vowing to quit the booze and clean up his act. Sure enough, it was … Continue readingLowe Life Part Two

LAST week’s column mentioned that Nick Lowe regarded Randy Newman and Bob Dylan as the two greatest songwriters. Praise indeed, because Lowe himself is no slouch. He is one of a very … Continue readingLowe Life