Performing a the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 was such a profound experience for the British singer that he wrote a song about it. Here’s the story.
Author: Jeff Tamarkin
Jeff Tamarkin
Best Classic Bands Editor Jeff Tamarkin has been a prolific music journalist for more than four decades. He is formerly the editor of Goldmine, CMJ and Relix magazines, has written for dozens of other publications and has authored liner notes for more than 80 CDs. Jeff has also served on the Nominating Committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and as a consultant to the Grammys. His first book was 'Got a Revolution! The Turbulent Flight of Jefferson Airplane.' He is also the co-author of 'Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa, etc.,' with Howard Kaylan.
Out of the ashes of the Zombies came their keyboardist’s new band, Argent. Their debut album is one of rock’s most underrated of all time.
The single and album signaled a shift from the psychedelic sound toward something more aggressive, loud and primal. Rock fans either loved it or hated it.
The Memphis septet took an obscure R&B tune and turned it into a top 5 rocker in 1965. The story behind the recording–and the band–is fascinating.
What you’ve got here is Mac-to-the basics. It’s at once familiar and sparkly-new. You’re going to want to come back to it often, for a long time.
They recorded one of the greatest debut rock albums of all-time. After that, nothing went right. The sad saga of a legendary, doomed San Francisco band.
While most artists of his age have long ago settled into complacency, the Welsh dynamo keeps trying new things. We chat with the legend.
He played on hundreds of hits but you wouldn’t find any gold records on his wall: Since the ’80s until his death in 2023, he was locked away for murder
We talked with the legendary guitarist on his R&B roots, his influences, and playing with Faces, Jeff Beck and, of course, the Stones
The harmonica has long been used—particularly by lead singers—to inject a bit of bluesy, earthy authenticity into a song. We look at some of the best.