On 30 November 2023, Shane MacGowan, lead singer of Punk group The Pogues, died of pneumonia. As a longtime Pogues fan, I decided I should find a way to pay homage. Perhaps I should write a whole biography for him here. But then, December hit. I remembered "Fairy Tale of New York." I thought, maybe this would be the best way to pay tribute to this Irish punk legend. Where … [Read more...] about A Fairytale of New York: The Story of the Least Likely Holiday Hit
British Music
David Gilmour and The Orb launch an AI remixing site
In 2008, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour released a cover of, of all songs, Graham Nash's "Chicago." After recording it, he reached out to English Ambient Techno group The Orb. They agreed on the condition that he re-record some guitar parts for them. This turned into an entire album of its own: Metallic Spheres. Over a decade after its 2010 release, The Orb decided to remix … [Read more...] about David Gilmour and The Orb launch an AI remixing site
Ten Interesting Facts about The Pet Shop Boys
Formed by Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe in 1981, the synth-pop duo have been international stars with hits like “West End Girls,” “Heart,” “It’s a Sin,” “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money),” and “Always on My Mind.” Most of their chart-topping hits came out in the 1980s and they were associated with the “Second British Invasion” of the US that included Joe Jackson, The … [Read more...] about Ten Interesting Facts about The Pet Shop Boys
Olivia Harrison gives her story for “Now and Then.”
If you bought the 7" single for the Beatles' "Now and Then," you probably noticed the back cover. It featured a strange-looking clock, one that seems to have been made out of a bunch of spare items that just happened to be lying around. As I trawled through the Beatles' subreddit, it seemed that, while most people disliked the official cover, they were a bit kinder to the back … [Read more...] about Olivia Harrison gives her story for “Now and Then.”
Bowie’s Snowman scarf now for sale
A few years ago, I wrote a big article about The Snowman. One of the many bases I covered was this little intro David Bowie made for the few times it aired in America. At least it still airs on Channel 4 more often than not. Bowie played a grown-up version of the boy from the special, one who still kept the scarf that Father Christmas personally handed to him. According … [Read more...] about Bowie’s Snowman scarf now for sale
The man on the Led Zeppelin IV cover identified
Note: this article is best read with your vinyl copy of Led Zeppelin's Fourth Album out. If you don't have one, here's the band's official upload of the entire album. That said, having the album art at hand will be important. The cover art for Led Zeppelin's fourth album is one of the most notorious ones in rock history. After they released three consecutively numbered … [Read more...] about The man on the Led Zeppelin IV cover identified
The Beatles release “Now and Then,” their final song
It's official. The Beatles are back, even if it's only for a few minutes. Last week, I wrote about how the Beatles were going to release one more song, and now it's here. And how is it? It's not great, but that's mostly because, well, the band's already set a high standard for themselves. But by normal standards, it's good. I can remember making lunch for myself and … [Read more...] about The Beatles release “Now and Then,” their final song
The Beatles announce the release of their final song
In 1994, around the release of The Beatles Anthology, the surviving members of the Fab Four decided to get together and finish a few demos that John left behind. They planned to finish three, but they only finished two. They managed to complete "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love," but one demo was just too hard to clean up. That song, "Now and Then," had to be scrapped. But … [Read more...] about The Beatles announce the release of their final song
Peter Gabriel announces “I/O” release date
In 2002, Peter Gabriel released Up, his seventh solo album. Shortly after that, he announced he had enough rejected ideas for songs to make up a whole new album. That album was to be called I/O and its release date was supposed to be sometime in 2004. But 2004 came and went with no I/O. Indeed, the two tours promoting Up dragged all the way into 2005. He eventually re-emerged … [Read more...] about Peter Gabriel announces “I/O” release date
Paul McCartney explains the origins of “Let it Be”
In a recent episode of Paul McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, Macca talked about the origins of one of the band's last big hits. One would think there wouldn't be much left to talk about the Get Back sessions after the documentary. Turns out there is, but it's worth noting that the story of "Let it Be" goes beyond the infamous sessions. Quite a few people know that the … [Read more...] about Paul McCartney explains the origins of “Let it Be”
Paul McCartney dissects “Eleanor Rigby” in new podcast
Of all the songs the Beatles released between Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper, "Eleanor Rigby" was one of the most radical signs of a sea change in their music. From 1962 to late 1965, you knew what to expect from the Beatles. You expected some sort of mainstream pop song, something about love between "Me" and "You." Something for teens to shoehorn their own experience with young … [Read more...] about Paul McCartney dissects “Eleanor Rigby” in new podcast
Listen to the Rolling Stones collaborate with Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga
The Rolling Stones had a lot of potentially interesting choices for a second single from their new album Hackney Diamonds. Even when all we know beforehand is the personnel, there's so much to choose from. "Live by the Sword," which features the classic 1976-1991 lineup in the studio for one last time? "Bite My Head Off," which actually has none other than Paul Bloody McCartney … [Read more...] about Listen to the Rolling Stones collaborate with Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga
What we know about the Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds”
Yep, it's official. The Rolling Stones are coming out with a new album next month. And after a few weeks of teases and websites that barely worked, they officially announced it in a livestream with Jimmy Fallon. And in spite of its relatively short length, we learned quite a bit. Case in point, the name "Hackney Diamonds." Keith Richards explained “It got called ‘Hackney … [Read more...] about What we know about the Rolling Stones’ “Hackney Diamonds”
Amy Winehouse’s band announces a special 40th Birthday show
One probably wouldn't expect for Amy Winehouse's old band to reunite with a new singer. And yet, somehow, they've been touring for years with other singers, and I only just found out about it. This current iteration with Bronte Shande has been going for well over a year, and it sounds pretty good, if you ask me. Just for comparison, here's the I Told You I Was Trouble … [Read more...] about Amy Winehouse’s band announces a special 40th Birthday show
The Rolling Stones release a small snippet of a new song, announce a livestream
The saga of Hackney Diamonds is getting a bit odder. Last month, a local Hackney newspaper ran an ad for a jewelry shoppe that turned out to be for an upcoming Rolling Stones album. More recently, the band's official social media accounts linked to a new site. It consisted of a red background, text saying "Don't Get Angry With Me," further confirmation that this is, in … [Read more...] about The Rolling Stones release a small snippet of a new song, announce a livestream
The Rolling Stones tease new album in local newspaper
If you're reading the Hackney Gazette, you might have noticed an ad in a recent edition of the paper. .I'll give you a good look at it and see if you notice anything odd about it. One of the first things to jump out at me: It's apparently a new business opening next month, but it was also established in 1962. And what else has been going that long? Maybe the Rolling … [Read more...] about The Rolling Stones tease new album in local newspaper
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and others to join forces with Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton is probably more popular (and certainly more beloved) than one would expect from a country star, let alone one who's been racking up hits for over half a century. There's loads of reasons for this, and many articles about it. This isn't one of those articles asking why. What I'm more interested in right now is her new album, Rockstar. It's her first foray into rock … [Read more...] about Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and others to join forces with Dolly Parton
Statues of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards unveiled in Dartford
On 17 October 1961, two young men stood on Platform 2 of Dartford Railway Station looking to go to school. One was headed for the London School of Economics. The other planned to go to Sidcup Art College. This scenario would seem normal, perhaps even identical to many happening everywhere that has both colleges and trains headed towards them. But our prospective economist was … [Read more...] about Statues of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards unveiled in Dartford
Paul McCartney introduces “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” podcast
Two years ago, Paul McCartney released a book of lyrics to and the stories behind 154 of his songs. And while he was working on the book, Macca discussed many of the songs with Paul Muldoon, in preparation for the forward he would write to the book. Fortunately, Muldoon had the good sense to record these meetings. Quoth Muldoon, “When we listened back to the tapes, we … [Read more...] about Paul McCartney introduces “McCartney: A Life in Lyrics” podcast
Coldplay pay tribute to Elton John at his last “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” concert
I've mentioned before that Elton John's had a very tenuous relationship with retirement. Perhaps it's only fitting that his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour has had three big farewell concerts. There's his last US show at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium, which I saw livestreamed on Disney Plus. Then there's his headlining set at Glastonbury, his last UK show. And then, there's his … [Read more...] about Coldplay pay tribute to Elton John at his last “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” concert
What Went Down at Glastonbury Festival 2023
For those of you who haven't been following the Glastonbury Festival, it's one of the biggest music festivals in Britain, if not the world. The sort of prestige that makes famous artists agree to work for peanuts just to be a part of it. As usual, this year's festival was massive. So, from my bunker in Skokie, Illinois, here's my recap of this year's edition. Thursday, June … [Read more...] about What Went Down at Glastonbury Festival 2023
Paul McCartney announces an AI-assisted final Beatles song
In 1995, The surviving members of The Beatles got back together just long enough to work on The Beatles Anthology. The miniseries had a set of three two-disc albums' worth of alternates, outtakes, and two new songs. The first two volumes started off with one of John's unreleased piano demos, which Paul, George, and Ringo would turn into a full-blown song. The first volume had … [Read more...] about Paul McCartney announces an AI-assisted final Beatles song
Foo Fighters all but confirmed to make a surprise appearance at Glastonbury
Last week, when I posted the schedule for this year's Glastonbury Festival, one name on the bill wound up causing a lot of speculation. If you looked up the Pyramid Stage's Friday itinerary, you would see that on 6:15, a group called The Churnups were lined up to play. The thing is, there's no such band. At the time, it didn't strike me as being too strange that an artist whose … [Read more...] about Foo Fighters all but confirmed to make a surprise appearance at Glastonbury
Robert Fripp and Toyah Wilcox announce “Sunday Lunch Rock Party” Tour
Many of us know Robert Fripp as the guiding light behind progressive rock giants King Crimson. And those of us who don't almost certainly know him as the guitarist from Bowie's "Heroes." But Robert Fripp's gained another audience recently from his and his wife's "Sunday Lunches." They started as a way to get Fripp through the doldrums of the many COVID-19 lockdowns, but they … [Read more...] about Robert Fripp and Toyah Wilcox announce “Sunday Lunch Rock Party” Tour
Fiona Fey fights for the right to practice her music
Fiona Fey has been a member of vocal group Mediæval Bæbes for the better part of a quarter century. I concede that some people might listen to this and not consider it their cup of tea. Unfortunately for Fey, the Lewisham Council has made clear that it's squarely in the "not their cuppa" camp. Apparently, some of her neighbours complained about the noise from when … [Read more...] about Fiona Fey fights for the right to practice her music
Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
