Mick Ralphs Passed Away

June 23, 2025

It’s a talent to not overplay, and that was what made Mick Ralphs, who died today at the age of 81, so special. A guitarist in two great groups where strutting one’s stuff seemed like a requirement, he remained modest, churning up riffs and laying down licks which lodged themselves in the listener’s memory right away. No wonder the first three BAD COMPANY platters started with Ralphs’ songs, with “Can’t Get Enough” an instant classic, yet the pieces Mick had penned for MOTT THE HOOPLE, “Thunderbuck Ram” being most representative of his style, felt no less infectious.

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Doc Pomus’ Demos Boxed Up To Reveal Songwriting Secrets

June 23, 2025

On June 27th, the great Doc Pomus would have turned 100 years of age, and it’s a great reason to release a massive box set of his original sketches for pieces that made the American songwriter one of principal architects of pop music. Solo, and with his creative partner Mort Shuman, Pomus penned such universally gems as “Viva Las Vegas,” “Young Blood,” “Save The Last Dance For Me” and “Lonely Avenue” which were recorded by Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, THE DRIFTERS and THE COASTERS, and later covered by artists like Harry Nilsson and BAD COMPANY. Quite a few of those classics appear on “You Can’t Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos” whose six CDs comprise about 160 tracks.

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PAVLOV’S DOG Mark Their 50th Anniversary With New Album

June 21, 2025

It’s been five decades since the world was stunned to hear PAVLOV’S DOG debut album which made the American ensemble darlings of progressive rock realm, and though matching the creative triumph of "Pampered Menial" proved to be a nigh on impossible task, David Surkamp‘s collective never stopped trying. Their last effort, "Prodigal Dreamer" from 2018, got close to achieving that goal, though, yet while it exposed quite a few links with the band’s first platter, there will be more references on their forthcoming offering.

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Crucial Points Of CARAVAN History Highlighted In Vinyl Box Set

June 19, 2025

While there’s no shortage of CARAVAN‘s concert albums, most of these originated from a late era of the Canterbury legends’ existence, with only a few, not counting their BBC recordings, harking back to the first half of the ’70s. That’s why there’s always been a demand for the band’s onstage documents, and that’s why the ten-LP box set titled “The Shows Of Ours… Live” – which will see the light of day on August 22nd – is worth paying attention to. Whether the vinyl-only offering is worth paying a considerable amount of money for depends on one’s love for this ensemble, yet its presentation, as always with items issued by Madfish, looks impeccable.

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FOREIGNER To Release Another Concert Recording

June 19, 2025

No matter what the future holds for FOREIGNER, who have been recently disintegrating in the wake of Mick Jones’ retirement from live performances, one can hardly count on a new studio album from the veterans whose last, and the only from the Kelly Hansen-fronted line-up, collection of fresh pieces was “Can’t Slow Down” from 2009. In the years that followed, the band issued a few live records, including those with acoustic and symphonic versions of classic songs, some releases – such as 2012’s "Alive & Rockin'" which preceded the aforementioned platter – more impressive than others. And now the ensemble are ready to delve into the past for the previously unheard set of familiar numbers.

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