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Betrayal in La Mamounia: Brian Jones and The Rolling Stones in late 1960s Morocco
In 1967, a trip to Morocco by Brian Jones, Keith Richards and their partners ended with Jones’s girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg, leaving him for Richards. The episode deepened the existing rift between Jones and Richards and became a defining personal rupture during Jones’s increasingly troubled final years with The Rolling Stones. The group stayed at Marrakech’s…
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3 of the Best First No. 1 Hits From 70s Classic Rock
This is a list-style feature from American Songwriter highlighting three classic rock tracks from the 1970s, each notable for being the artist’s very first US number one hit. It draws on artist interviews to reveal the personal stories and creative circumstances behind each chart-topper, offering a mix of nostalgia and behind-the-scenes trivia for classic rock…
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Has guitar music ever found another sitar?
The article traces how George Harrison’s discovery of the sitar while filming The Beatles’ Help! in 1965 sparked a wider fascination with the instrument in Western rock music. After hearing it in a restaurant scene, Harrison researched the instrument, was pointed towards sitar master Ravi Shankar by The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn, and went on to…
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3 Contemporary Artists That Are Keeping Paul McCartney Inspired
Paul McCartney has spoken warmly about several younger artists whose work he says continues to inspire him, a notable reversal given that he is usually cited as the influence rather than the one being influenced. His comments have come chiefly in relation to a project reimagining his own songs, as well as through musical collaborations,…
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Watch: DIMMU BORGIR Kicks Off Summer 2026 North American Tour In New York City
Norwegian symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir launched their summer 2026 North American tour on 7 August at the Palladium Times Square in New York City, with fan-filmed footage of the full concert now circulating online. The set marked the live debut of several new tracks and included a performance of “Reptile” for the first…
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Travis Tritt Wrote This Hit Single Amid His Own Personal Heartache
Country star Travis Tritt has revealed that his 1991 hit “Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)” was born directly out of a painful divorce he went through before signing his first record deal. The uptempo track, the lead single from his sophomore album It’s All About To Change, was written entirely by Tritt and…
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The one rock singer Robert Plant couldn’t match: “Too good”
Robert Plant said he could never match Steve Marriott, the Small Faces singer, because Marriott’s vocal intensity and blues-rooted power were “too good”. The comparison matters because Plant is widely regarded as one of rock’s defining vocalists, yet he viewed Marriott as a benchmark he could not equal. Plant acknowledged that listeners often compared his…
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The 1964 Beatles song John Lennon considered meaningless: “It doesn’t mean a damn thing”
The article discusses John Lennon’s later dismissal of The Beatles’ 1964 song ‘I Should Have Known Better’, which he said “doesn’t mean a damn thing”. It highlights the contrast between the song’s success as an early Beatles pop recording and Lennon’s more critical view of material written during the group’s intensely productive early years. ‘I…
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4 of the All-Time Best 1970s Songs To Pair With Your Favorite Cocktails
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images Whether you prefer whiskey, gin, tequila, or vodka, these 1970s songs pair perfectly with all your favorite cocktails. The post 4 of the All-Time Best 1970s Songs To Pair With Your Favorite Cocktails appeared first on American Songwriter.
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The five best Apple Records albums that aren’t The Beatles
This piece looks back at Apple Records, the label founded by The Beatles in 1968, and highlights five standout albums released by other artists on the imprint. The label grew out of Apple Corps Ltd, set up by manager Brian Epstein as a tax-efficient business structure, with A&R chief Peter Asher steering it towards music…