Back catalogue: Rock

Review: Deep Purple have been rocking long enough to have written a song in response to the infamous Montreux Casino fire, which nearly killed Frank Zappa, forever changing his vocal range, in 1971. By the time that smash hit single came out - complete with arguably rock & roll's most iconic riff - the band were already on their sixth studio album. Skip forward 51 years after the track came out, alongside the Machine Head album, and we're still writing about Ian Gillan, Roger Glove, Ian Paice, Don Airey and Simon McBride. In a lot of ways, our thoughts are still the same. That blues psychedelia at work here, and the work still sets a benchmark for heavy rock and proto-metal. Of course, both canons have evolved and developed since their inception - which Deep Purple had a big hand in - but when you're faced with the pioneers and their new single, they rarely sound this complete.

Review: Sheffield rock royalty Def Leppard build momentous hype for their upcoming tour alongside Journey with the release of their brand new single 'Just Like 73'. Written in collaboration with Rage Against The Machine axeman Tom Morello, the banger comes complete with an absurd music video of computer generated de-aged models of the band and a parachuting Morello making their way to Earl's Court to perform for a massive crowd of adoring fans. Elaborating on the experience, the guitar guru stated - "I had a blast rocking a solo on 'Just Like 73.' I played 'Rock of Ages' in my college cover band almost 40 years ago and here Def Leppard are still killing it in stadiums with a brand-new tune that's one of their best." Pressed on limited 7" wax with an alternative version on the flip, the Leppard evidently still have plenty of sugar in the petrol tank.

Review: Legendary guitarist Earl Slick is well known for his long-standing partnership with David Bowie and now he releases a remixed version of a track featuring Bowie on vocals. It comes on 7" coloured vinyl and celebrates a collaboration that produced plenty of iconic rock music that was well detailed in Slick's recent autobiography Guitar. In it, he recalls how Bowie spontaneously offered to sing on the track and that led to an unforgettable recording session. The remixed version honours their creative chemistry and brings Bowie's voice back to the forefront.

Review: In October 1977, Australian rock titans AC/DC were set to enjoy a night off in London following two successful shows at the Hammersmith Odeon, before they were tapped by The BBC at the last minute to replace The Sensational Alex Harvey Band who had cancelled their scheduled appearance on the Sight & Sound In Concert show at the Hippodrome in North London's Golders Green. While the likes of Queen, Jethro Tull, The Kinks and Roxy Music would perform at the 3,000-capacity venue over the years, no band or set has ever rocked the Hippodrome like Bon Scott and the boys did on this fateful evening. Ripping through a truncated, all bangers setlist of seven tracks in just 40 minutes, including 'Problem Child', 'Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be', 'Whole Lotta Rosie' and 'T.N.T.', while Angus Young would run rampant whilst shredding through the balcony section, this performance has gone down as one of most iconic from this early definitive era of the band.

Review: Six years is ages for a band to go without releasing an album or doing very much. But for AC/DC, whose work rate has always been ridiculously high, it's a very, very long time. Between then and now, the band lost their lead singer, Brian Johnson, to hearing difficulties in the middle of their last tour, and saw drummer Paul Rudd arrested in New Zealand for 'attempting to procure a murder'. Talk about impetus to finally call time.

But then these are the guys responsible for one of history's greatest heavy rock triumphs, 1980s's Back In Black, released just months after formative frontman Bon Scott tragically passed. So it's no surprise Power Up, another post-traumatic release albeit an act of reunification with now (relatively) healthy Johnson and innocent Rudd returning, is among their best in the 40 years since. A comeback record that sounds exactly like AC/DC should - ballsy, bluesy, boozy riffs.

Review: Six years is ages for a band to go without releasing an album or doing very much. But for AC/DC, whose work rate has always been ridiculously high, it's a very, very long time. Between then and now, the band lost their lead singer, Brian Johnson, to hearing difficulties in the middle of their last tour, and saw drummer Paul Rudd arrested in New Zealand for 'attempting to procure a murder'. Talk about impetus to finally call time.

But then these are the guys responsible for one of history's greatest heavy rock triumphs, 1980s's Back In Black, released just months after formative frontman Bon Scott tragically passed. So it's no surprise Power Up, another post-traumatic release albeit an act of reunification with now (relatively) healthy Johnson and innocent Rudd returning, is among their best in the 40 years since. A comeback record that sounds exactly like AC/DC should - ballsy, bluesy, boozy riffs.

Review: A slice of Australian rock champs AC/DC in action in 1978 in their classic Bon Scott-led line up, on tour in the US in support of their penultimate album before Scott's death in 1980, the often underrated Powerage. Along with staple live favourites that have remained in the band's set for yonks - see 'Rocker', 'Bad Boy Boogie', 'Problem Child' and 'The Jack' - there are rare outings for the groovy but more subdued, bluesy 'Gone' Shootin' and, the final encore here, 'Dog Eat Dog' from 76's massive Let There Be Rock album. You can almost hear the collectors' salivating.

Review: Frampton Comes Alive? Jeff Mills Live At The Liquid Room? Pah! There is only contender in the park when it comes to the best live album of all time and that's AC/DC's 1978 classic, recorded at the Glasgow Apollo and featuring their original vocalist Bon Scott. From the deft riffing of opener 'Riff Raff' - recently covered by men of the moment Black Midi - to the 12 bar frenzy of traditional closer 'Rocker' via big hitting groovers like 'Bad Boy Boogie' and 'Problem Child' and audience participation-fests like 'The Jack' and 'Whole Lotta Rosie', this is dripping in crowd atmospherics, improvised solos and big walls of riffs. Just about as great an advert for live music as ever existed.

Review: Don't be confused by that title - this live album is a recording of their Monsters of Rock appearance from 1991, a bill on which even legends like Metallica and Motley Crue found themselves playing supporting roles to the Australian gods. That said, despite this being very much the domain of singer number two, Mr Brian Johnson, there are many, many moments from the Bon Scott songbook here, from album title tracks 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap', 'High Voltage' and 'Let Me Rock' alongside later triumphs like 'Hells Bells' and 'Heatseeeker'. The only thing that might seem odd by its omission is 'Highway To Hell' - the clue is NOT in the name, it seems - but across four sides of vinyl, there's still plenty of AC/DC at in truly electrifying mood here.

Review: With four albums dropping throughout the first half the 1980s, the second iteration of AC/DC with Brian Johnson on vocals was definitely on a roll. This recording of the band in action on the West Coast of the US mixes classics from their Back In Black classic like 'You Shook Me All Night Long' and 'Hell's Bells' - with older favourites. There are fan faves galore here but also a few tracks which make the cut less often, such as 'Shot Down In Flames' from the Highway To Hell album, 'She's Got Balls', 'Shoot To Thrill' and more. That alone sets it above the average live broadcast album from the band, elevating it into the realms of the essential for hardcore devotees.

Review: Following on from 2021's Motorheart, Lowestoft 21st century hard rockers The Darkness return with their eighth full-length studio LP, the absurdly titled, very British - Dreams On Toast. While for the casual listener who remembers the band's explosive 2003 debut Permission To Land and the bevvy of major singles that record produced such as 'Growing On Me' and 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love', have likely long allowed the band to dissipate into the ether of their musical memory banks, those who still like their rock cheesy, camp and packed to the brim with Slade-style fret mangling solos, will find so much to crunch on here with bangers such as 'Rock and Roll Party Cowboy' and 'I Hate Myself' still delivering the "What year is it?!" retro-swagger that's becoming more difficult to replicate with each passing year. It also helps that frontman/primary songwriter Justin Hawkins has seemingly injected a booster shot into his own project thanks largely to his successful YouTube channel Justin Hawkins Rides Again, while for easter egg time, actor Stephen Dorff (known for is roles as the villain in the first Wesley Snipes Blade film as well as True Detective) makes a spoken-word appearance on the closer 'Weekend In Rome'.

Review: Deep Purple are often mentioned in the same breath as the main innovators of heavy Metal, like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, but as this collection of radio transmissions from 1968 shows, they have a much closer relation to the good old fashioned funk than either of those rivals. Ian Paice's drumming on opening track 'Speed King' makes the track much more suitable for dancing to than headbanging, and we challenge you to hear their version of Billie Joe Royal's 'Hush' without thinking of The Charlatans' 'The Only One I Know'. With a generally relaxed feel about this cover version-heavy selection - Hendrix's 'Hey Joe' and The Beatles 'Hush' also get the Purple treatment - this is a different and altogether more accessible slant on the legends that you might not have even guessed existed.

Review: Times have changed dramatically since Hysteria exploded into the global album charts, hitting number one in both the US and UK. A follow up to Def Leppard's 1983 breakthrough LP, Pyromania, the record landed around 12 months later and catapulted the Sheffield band - now almost a decade young - into the Premier League of hard rock-cum-perfume-heavy metal groups via tracks like 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', 'Animal', and 'Armageddon It'. All three feature on this live album, which includes a slew of massive hits from Def Leppard's storied, decade spanning back catalogue to date, going someway to doing the outfit justice in terms of their spellbinding on stage performances. Tight enough to make you feel taught, immediately infectious and instrumentally far ahead of so many peers, 40 years after the biggest success of their legacy the sound may no longer be cutting edge, but its impact remains every bit as powerful.

Review: This special two-part live album from rock legends Def Leopard was recorded on October 1st as part of their Euphoria tour. It saw them play across the States then head to Japan for a series of dates. Tokyo's prestigious Kokusai Forum was the venue for the show, which was recorded for live FM Broadcast across Japan, and it features plenty of the tunes from their seventh album, Euphoria, released on 8 June 1999. It saw them go back to their roots and serve up the sound that first made them famous.

Review: Back in 2005, Depeche Mode recorded a special live set for broadcast on US radio that - much to most people's surprise at the time - featured fewer synthesizer sounds. Instead, it saw the Essex outfit reproduce many of their classics hits and fan favourites using traditional rock instrumentation (think electric guitars, drums, bass guitar and electric piano), with the addition of more electronics as the set progressed. Now finally released on CD, the set is genuinely excellent, despite the pared-down, altered musical set-up. Highlights include fine renditions of 'Personal Jesus', 'Behind The Wheel' (which here sounds like a post-punk disco throwdown) , 'Enjoy The Silence' and - after a partial take ruined by sound problems - 'I Feel You'.

Review: The special and almost 50-year-old live album captures the legendary singer-songwriter at the height of his career and performing to an ecstatic crowd in Melbourne. It's an electrifying listen full of Diamond's powerful stage presence as he blends his iconic hits with a raw, emotive delivery. The 1975 performance features fan favourites like 'Sweet Caroline,' 'Cracklin' Rosie' and 'Solitary Man,' each infused with the energy of the live setting. Diamond's voice, both tender and commanding, shines throughout the set so makes this a lovely listen for fans old or new.

Review: The brilliantly ironically titled Money For Nothing album from Dire Straits was their great hits album from back in 1998. It came off the back of their hugely success 1985 long player Brotehrs in Arms and featured plenty of tracks from that record as well as the four others before that. 'Sultans of Swing', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Private Investigations' and three of the five singles from 'Brothers in Arms' all feature and this special vinyl edition also has 'Telegraph Road (Live Remix)' which in the past was only issued on CD. 'Portobello Belle (Live)' is here too as a brand new mix.

Review: Take a trip back in time with this exquisite live recording of The Doors back in their pomp and heyday. It was on June 5th 1970 that the legendary group fronted by Jim Morrison headed to the Seattle Center Coliseum following widespread plaudits for their recently released Morrison Hotel album in February of the same year. They were warped up in several legal issues but played out of their skin on this night for a broadcast on KUOW-FM radio. It was the fifth and last time they played in Seattle and finds them playing with power and vitality despite a hostile crowd and some sound issues.

Review: As far as debut albums go, this one from English folk hero Nick Drake is right up there with 'as good as it gets'. It was recorded between 1968 and 1969 and released later that same year. Though it got little commercial success at the time, that doesn't detract from the music which features production from Joe Boyd and appearances from Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson and bassist Danny Thompson from Pentangle. There is plenty of signature weariness in his vocals - see the yearning, string-swaddled 'River Man' and 'Day Is Done' - plus smart and subtly poetry in the lyrics and lovely strings and moody bass throughout.