Al Stewart – Year Of The Cat (1976)

According to Vietnamese astrology — which, unlike the Chinese zodiac, replaces the rabbit with the cat — the year of the cat comes around every twelve years. And in 1975, when Al Stewart …

Learn MoreWHEN AL STEWART LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG

Manfred Mann – Instrumental Asylum (1966)

I grew up in the ’80s and ’90s. This means my first encounters with Manfred Mann’s music were through Vada Sultenfuss in ‘My Girl’ and Mr. Walsh in ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ …

Learn MoreTHE MANFRED MANN RECORD YOU WON’T HEAR AT THE PEACH PIT

Yaron Herman – Naples, September 22 2012

Back in 2012, the upcoming Radiohead Italian tour was awaited as the second coming of Christ. If you checked forums or social media, chances are you got fed up with the relentless posts about it …

Learn MoreNO SURPRISES (AND THE COMFORT ZONE OF THE CROWDS)

Anthrax – Black Lodge (1993)

In the early ’90s, ‘Twin Peaks’ became one of the biggest TV sensations ever. Everyone was wondering “Who killed Laura Palmer?”, including Charlie Benante and Scott Ian from Anthrax …

Learn MoreMEANWHILE, IN TWIN PEAKS…

Roxx Gang – Things You’ve Never Done Before (1989)

Loving hair metal in the ’90s, after its decline in popularity, was like being part of a sect. Everyone knew each other somehow: letters were written, zines were printed, rare records were chased, tapes were traded …

Learn MoreA MATTER OF EXPECTATIONS

RSD can also be a chance to remember the shops that didn’t make it, but meant a lot to us. Before the hype, the FOMO, and the limited releases flipped at gold prices, it was born to support independent, brick and mortar stores …

Learn MoreRECORD STORE DAY AND THE MEMORIES IT BRINGS BACK

Patti Smith – Because The Night (1978)

It wasn’t just another evening at Patti Smith’s house. The air was thick with a tense kind of silence. Patti sat alone, staring nervously at a phone that refused to ring …

Learn MoreHANGIN’ ON THE TELEPHONE

Michael Shrieve – Stiletto (1989)

After a first listen of ‘Stiletto’ ended with me muttering “Did he forget electric guitars at home?”, the tape collected plenty of dust. To be fair, the guitars were there — courtesy of Andy Summers …

Learn MoreWHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY SLEEPS

Lemonheads – Rome, November 11 2006

A concert that could have definitely ended worse. No idea why Evan Dando was annoyed. I was certainly annoyed for not hearing ‘Rudderless’, but I didn’t throw anything at him, at least …

Learn MoreTHE NIGHT OF THE FLYING CHAIRS

Iggy Pop – Love Transfusion (1989)

Something Iggy would never repeat again: a hard rock uptempo with a pop sheen, with glossy synths and a catchy sax line. Close to the sing-along sound that made Alice Cooper’s ‘Trash’ a blockbuster …

Learn MoreFROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (TRANSFUSION)