SamSmith

Ritchie Blackmore’s earliest guitar heroics were sparked the moment he heard Jeff Beck with The Yardbirds on “Shapes of Things.” The track floored him. His first reaction was pure shock: “My God, who the hell is this? This shouldn’t be allowed, it’s too good.” What fascinated him most was Beck’s uncanny ability to squeeze out … Read more

Songwriting was never meant to be a contest. The songs that last aren’t born from rivalry or one-upmanship, but from honesty—moments where an artist opens a door most people keep locked. Even when a bitter or defiant song becomes a hit, it rarely carries the same emotional weight as music that exposes something fragile and … Read more

Certain songs don’t just stay with us—they unsettle us. They crack open our sense of who we are and suggest entirely new ways of living. Bob Dylan’s music did exactly that to Robert Plant when he was still a teenager, long before stadiums and superstardom entered the picture. At the time, Plant was growing up … Read more

Because The Beatles and The Rolling Stones rose to prominence at nearly the same moment, comparisons between the two were inevitable. Decades later, Paul McCartney recalled a conversation with Keith Richards that captured one of the most fundamental differences between the bands—and it was something McCartney hadn’t fully considered until Richards pointed it out. Richards’ … Read more

Even as their career drew to a close and personal tensions pulled them in different directions, The Beatles continued to push boundaries and defy expectations. This spirit of innovation—so deeply embedded in their legacy of transforming music—was particularly evident in ‘Because’, a standout track from 1969’s Abbey Road. While the song is memorable for many … Read more

Not every great band is destined to dominate the charts, no matter how fiercely their fans believe they deserve it. Rock history is full of artists who wrote unforgettable songs yet watched others—often with safer or blander material—race past them toward superstardom. Eddie Vedder never expected Pearl Jam to become one of the defining bands … Read more

Paul McCartney’s solo journey ranks among the most impressive in rock history. Very few artists manage—not only to part ways with a legendary band, but also to build a solo body of work that earns genuine critical respect. McCartney is one of those rare cases. Although many of his solo projects are highly regarded, there … Read more

Every drummer speaks with a voice of their own once they sit behind the kit. Even when raised on the same records, each player forges a rhythm that’s distinctively theirs. Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones understood his irreplaceable role, yet he held immense admiration for Tony Williams—a drummer whose touch carried a brilliance that … Read more

Stevie Nicks has spent decades turning personal pain into music — but every artist has lines they won’t cross live. For Nicks, that song is “Illume (9-11)”, a quiet, intense piece she wrote in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Although it appears on Fleetwood Mac’s 2003 album Say You Will, Nicks has … Read more

When Led Zeppelin’s multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones was asked in an NME interview about the bassists he admired, he gave a surprisingly simple answer about one of rock’s biggest names: Paul McCartney. Jones said, “I think he’s perfect,” praising McCartney’s musical choices and how his bass playing always served the song. What John Paul Jones … Read more