Genesis – Prog that learned to smile
Genesis began at Charterhouse with Peter Gabriel out front; after he left in 1975, Phil Collins stepped to the mic and the band later scaled to Invisible Touch.
Bérurier Noir – Vivre Libre ou Mourir
Bérurier Noir put Vivre Libre ou Mourir on Concerto pour détraqués in 1985: drum machine Dédé, barked slogan, Paris DIY anarcho-punk on Bondage.
Sexuality – Homem-Christo behind the soft night
In February 2008, Sébastien Tellier released Sexuality, his first album produced by someone else: Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk.
John Miles – Music
John Miles’s Music (1976 Decca): Alan Parsons at Abbey Road, piano-to-orchestra climb, Melody Maker praise.
Prince – Minneapolis funk that rewrote the rules
Minneapolis, late seventies: Prince Rogers Nelson signed to Warner Bros. as a teenager who could play most of the parts himself.
Daft Punk – Instant Crush
Daft Punk’s Instant Crush (Random Access Memories, 2013): Casablancas vocal, Bangalter/Homem-Christo, Columbia.
Afterlife Interview with Amy Winehouse
Riffs and Beats finds Amy Winehouse at a Camden doorway after hours, beehive intact, treating the afterlife like a small room with a big voice.
N.W.A. – Compton recorded without apology
In 1988 five men from Compton put a street report on vinyl and forced American radio to decide whether to play it or pretend it did not exist. N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton gave West Coast hip hop a distinct sonic identity and a documentary mode
David Bowie – Heroes
Bowie’s "Heroes" (Hansa, 1977): Visconti multi-mic, Fripp feedback, Eno pads, Berlin Wall lovers lyric.
Highway to Hell – Mutt Lange sharpens Bon Scott’s last studio shot
By early 1979 Atlantic wanted an AC/DC album that could crack American radio without turning the band soft.