When guitarist Steve Howe came aboard the good ship Yes in 1970, the wind caught the sails just right and a chemistry began to coalesce. Together, they recorded and released 1971’s The Yes Album to great commercial and critical acclaim. To move forward with a more progressive sound, another changing of the guard occurred when keyboardist Rick Wakeman replaced Tony Kaye. Yes quickly hit the studio and cut their second album of the year, Fragile. The stakes were most definitely raised for the prog rock crown with this album. “Roundabout,” the album’s single, became a Top 20 hit single in the St ..read more

After tapping into the pulse of South African and Brazilian styles on Graceland and The Rhythm Of The Saints, and then mixing Latino doo-wop with conceptual fire on Songs From The Capeman in 1997, Paul Simon assumed a more simple and reserved stance on his 2000 album, You’re The One. The essence behind this offering reaffirms the fact that, after all these crazy years, Simon still stood head and shoulders above the rest as one of music’s quintessential songsmiths. Even with some exotic touches here and there, You’re The One is an undemanding portrait of a man on the quest for self-discovery an ..read more

For Deep Purple, The Long Goodbye has changed to We’re Not Going Anywhere. Indeed, it appeared the group was winding down when they announced their fabled Long Goodbye tour in 2017. In recent years, they’d taken an admirable step up with two tremendous albums produced by Bob Ezrin — 2013’s Now What?! and 2017’s inFinite. Then they went into overtime with a third Ezrin-produced release for 2020 called Whoosh! followed a year later by the cheeky covers album, Turning To Crime. Now, they’re back with =1, their 23rd studio effort and fifth produced by Ezrin, and it’s a whole new coat of paint, wi ..read more

There is a little argument Syd Barrett, the founder and first chief songwriter of Pink Floyd, was a tragic figure and a victim of rock and roll excess. Of course, to so many, he was also a creative genius whose due can never be overpaid. Countless tributes and books have carried his name. A documentary put together in 2001 called The Pink Floyd & Syd Barrett Story was set up around a Behind The Music format with BBC wit and style. It has all the necessary footage and interviews with all the principal characters and associates. There are some holes and if offers little about Barrett’s later ..read more

There are now six different ways to hear John Lennon’s Mind Games thanks to The Ultimate Collection. Believe it or not, a half-dozen mixes reveal more than you might expect. Of course, the best way to get started is to get acquainted or reacquainted with the album, so it’s best to play through the Ultimate Mix first and sort of let it settle into your head. That way you’ll have a reference point to effectively assess the other mixes. Indeed, Mind Games – The Ultimate Collection, from the mixes to all the extra box set swag, is a huge undertaking that needs time and space to really appreciate ..read more

Anyone who follows Phish with any regularity knows that they tour year-round and make studio albums sporadically. With concert commitments and a smattering of side projects, writing new songs and getting together in the studio to record them isn’t a top priority for Phish. Even so, Evolve — their 16th offering and first studio effort since 2000’s Sigma Oasis — showcases the band’s gift for songwriting and arrangements — all without the unpredictability of extended jams and makeshift nuance. It should be noted that half the songs on Evolve have appeared on two of guitarist Trey Anastasio’s solo ..read more

Story & photos by Joe Schaeffer Ringo Starr celebrated his 84th birthday on July 7, 2024, with his annual “Peace & Love” event in Beverly Hills. The celebration drew over 300 fans and friends, including notable guests like Joe Walsh, Barbara Bach, Edgar Winter, Stephen Stills, Linda Perry, and Diane Warren. The event featured musical tributes and a special “Peace & Love” exclamation at noon, which was echoed in 35 countries worldwide. Ringo, looking spry in a white denim jacket and black Adidas track pants, gathered with Joe Walsh and their wives for a media photo op with the 800-p ..read more

By Shawn Perry James Young was the designated lead guitarist when Styx started in 1972. Over 50 years later, he’s still at it, dazzling audiences all over the country. Styx logs in, give or take, about 50 dates a year, and Young, or “JY” as he’s known, has always been the “tall guitar player” in the band, anchoring the pace and playing those signature leads. The musician, whose manner is calm, humble and sincere, tells me over the phone: “The audiences have been buying tickets and buying t-shirts and we’re showing up, doing what we love to do, which is play our music for them.” At the time of ..read more

One of the more satisfying experiences for a rock and roll fan is seeing a film of a concert you were actually at. That way you can relive the experience again while aimlessly searching for yourself in the audience, no matter where you were sitting. That’s the way it is with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ Live At The Olympic. When it was announced the group would be performing at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on October 15 and 16, 2002, I anxiously scooped up a couple of tickets, knowing it was going to be filmed. I was, however, a bit concerned by the concert’s locale. The O ..read more

When it comes to the great live albums of the 1970s, you typically see lists with At Fillmore East by the Allman Brothers Band and The Who’s Live At Leeds. There’s never been much fuss made about Jethro Tull’s 1978 double live offering, Bursting Out. Maybe it’s because Tull released so many magnificent studio albums in the 70s, that a live album wasn’t really going to be a necessary gamechanger — which it was for so many others like Peter Frampton and KISS. These days, Tull’s studio output has been the focus of box sets featuring extra tracks, video, and Steven Wilson remixes, so It was a plea ..read more