Music

“We don’t want to spark disaster.” Arthur ‘God of Hellfire’ Brown partners with Yorkshire chimney sweep to issue Public Service Announcement warning of fire dangers

• Arthur Brown fronts a wildfire-safety PSA amid the UK heatwave.
• Made with a Yorkshire chimney sweep near the North York Moors.
• Warns against BBQs, naked flames and discarded cigarettes on dry moorland.

Musician Arthur Brown, best known as "the God of Hellfire" from his 1968 hit "Fire", has teamed up with a North Yorkshire chimney sweep to record a Public Service Announcement warning of the fire risks posed by the current UK heatwave. The video, filmed on the North York…

The 1979 Billy Joel song that wouldn’t exist without Chinese food

• Chinese takeaway became part of a productive Billy Joel recording session.
• Producer Phil Ramone highlighted the value of pre- and post-meal takes.
• Studio spontaneity helped shape Joel’s late-1970s music.

The article recounts how a Billy Joel song from 1979 was shaped during a recording session in which Chinese takeaway helped set the band’s rhythm and mood. It presents the anecdote as an example of how informal studio routines and group chemistry could influence Joel’s finished music. Producer…

“Our music is derived from all the trips we’ve had. There’s horror, beauty, paranoia, ecstasy, even randiness; every sort of human mood”: The birth of psychedelic warlords Hawkwind

• Prog revisits Hawkwind's origins to mark expanded debut album reissue
• Band grew from a Ladbroke Grove community project into space rock pioneers
• Hawkwind pursued psychedelia's experimental spirit as others moved to prog/hard rock

Prog magazine marks the release of an expanded edition of Hawkwind's self-titled debut album by revisiting the band's formative first year, tracing their evolution from a west London community project into pioneers of space rock. The feature situates Hawkwind against their contemporaries at the turn of the 1970s,…

The guitarist Bruce Springsteen knew always belonged in his band

• Nils Lofgren became a key E Street Band guitarist.
• He joined the group in 1984.
• Springsteen praised his exceptional musical ability.

Bruce Springsteen said guitarist Nils Lofgren was an obvious fit for the E Street Band, praising both his ability and his contribution to the group’s sound. The article presents Lofgren’s recruitment as significant because he strengthened a band that Springsteen regards as essential to his music and live…

FAITH NO MORE To Support SYSTEM OF A DOWN On Tour Of Australia And New Zealand In Early 2027

• Faith No More to support System of a Down across Australia and NZ, Jan–Feb 2027
• Four dates: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Wellington; tickets from 31 July
• System of a Down's first Australian shows since 2012's Soundwave festival

Faith No More will support System of a Down on four arena and stadium dates across Australia and New Zealand in January and February 2027, with venues and full ticketing details now confirmed. The tour marks System of a Down's first Australian appearances in over a decade, having…

The “beautiful” 1964 song Brian Wilson wanted to sound angelic: “One of the prettiest songs”

• The Beach Boys' 1964 composition 'The Warmth of the Sun' was crafted as a musical response to President Kennedy's assassination
• Brian Wilson deliberately structured it to convey gentleness and reverence, intending his vocal delivery to evoke an angelic quality suitable for national mourning

Fans Choose JENNIE’s ‘Less Than a Lover’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

• JENNIE's 'Less Than a Lover' won Billboard's weekly new music poll with over 62% of votes cast
• The track features a music video filmed in Spain exploring themes of summer freedom and romantic hesitation
• Solo release marks the BLACKPINK member's follow-up to her earlier collaboration with Tame Impala

JENNIE's new solo single "Less Than a Lover" has been voted the favourite new music release of the week in a Billboard reader poll, beating out tracks from KATSEYE, Tyla, Charli xcx, Morgan Wallen and others. The BLACKPINK member's wistful summer song arrived alongside a self-co-written music video,…

Remember When Rod Stewart Covered a Van Morrison Classic in 1993?

• Rod Stewart's 1993 hit cover of Van Morrison's song had a long backstory
• Song first appeared on Stewart's 1991 album before becoming a single in 1993
• Morrison's original earned him a Grammy in a later Chieftains collaboration

Rod Stewart recorded a cover of Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately" that went on to become one of his signature hits, illustrating his willingness throughout his career to take other artists' songs and reshape them into his own. The track had a winding path to success:…

Born 95 Years Ago Today in North Carolina, the Legendary Music Row Mogul Who Made Stars of Kris Kristofferson, Roy Orbison, and Dolly Parton

• Fred Foster, Monument Records co-founder, born 95 years ago in North Carolina
• Discovered and shaped careers of Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson
• Helped establish Nashville as a major recording centre from 1960

Fred Foster, the influential Nashville music executive who co-founded Monument Records, was born 95 years ago today on a farm in Rutherford County, North Carolina. Although he never recorded a song himself, Foster's talent-spotting shaped the careers of Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson, helping establish Nashville's…