Posts Tagged Best
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October 18, 2019 by Simon Sweetman
RNZ Feature: The “Worst” Songs by The “Best” Bands
I’m usually on RNZ once a month to have a chat about some new albums. But now and then I present features on the show too. Last year I had nearly an hour to explore the music of George Harrison. I followed that up with a chat about Ringo Starr and played some of his best Beatles drum bits […]Archive
July 21, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 389
Bob Dylan, Masterpieces (1978) You just know what you know – especially when there was no internet. So all I knew was that Masterpieces was a life-changer. Possibly the most important album I ever heard. It opened all the doors. In fact it blew them right off their hinges. And if it was only supposed […]Archive
March 20, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
Get Rhythm: Best Rhythm Guitar Players
It is not often that you see lists of great rhythm guitar players – well, not compared with lists of best lead guitarists. So, I thought we’d make one. And let’s be clear – it is to praise guitarists for their rhythm-playing ability. So if you want to select Jimi Hendrix that is fine, but […]Archive
January 10, 2018 by Simon Sweetman
It Was The Best Gig Ever # 16: John Cale, Auckland 2007
Sometimes you just have to be there. You have to get along. To see the legend. Someone that has meant a lot to you – their music, their place in it, and in your life as a result. It doesn’t have to be a mind-blowing gig to make an impact; the real impact is when […]Archive
November 30, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
It Was The Best Gig Ever # 14: Paul Simon, Auckland 2013
I don’t get up to Auckland all that often for gigs. I’d like to. There are a lot of good gigs that come to New Zealand, but only play Auckland: one show only. And it’s the obvious place for one-show-only tours. It has the population. I get to Auckland once a year for a gig. […]Archive
September 30, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Stubs: # 208 – Calexico, Wellington, 2016
I blamed my first experience with Calexico live on it being Art Festival season, an uninspired set, a jewellery-rattling audience, I dunno – I was just underwhelmed…probably me going to 18 shows in about 14 days didn’t help. They had been one of my favourite bands and as a result of that gig they weren’t. […]Archive
May 14, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
One Of Those Silly ‘Never Quite Covers It’ Lists: Some of The World’s Best Bass Players…
Some of the world’s noted “best bass players” work in genres of music that are not always listened to (Marcus Miller) or not always enjoyed (Les Claypool). And, as with any list of “best” or “favourite” instrumentalists there is a divide between choosing the entertainers and the technicians; between opting for flashy showmanship or head-down […]Archive
April 9, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
Earworms: The Best and Worst Songs To Have Stuck in Your Head
For some reason this week, the lines “oh, the rain falls hard on a humdrum town/this town has dragged you down” have been circling in my head, repeating in what should have been a near-maddening loop. I say for some reason because I have only listened to the parent-song (The Smiths’ William, It Was Really […]Archive
January 11, 2017 by Simon Sweetman
One Hit Wonders: Your Best and Worst?
What do you think is the biggest one-hit-wonder of all time? And how do we judge this? Many moons ago I wrote a rant – masquerading as a poem or short story – that saw one character get into an argument with another because one was sure that Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade Of Pale […]Archive
December 13, 2016 by Simon Sweetman
Up Around The Bend: New Memories Of Old Songs I’m Sure I Like
It is hard to pick favourite songs and be tied to them. In the last 24 hours I have listened to Warren Zevon perform a live version of Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner that lasts for at least 10 minutes. I have watched The Rolling Stones perform Sway (from their super-great Sticky Fingers) on a […]Archive
December 5, 2016 by Simon Sweetman