MusicRadar

“I have only flashes of making it. I was personally going through a very bad time”: How a disillusioned and drug-addicted David Bowie reinvented his music with a ...

It was a fragile psychological state. The result was that he had almost no recollection of having recorded the song or the ...
MusicRadar

“In operas, if you have a double aria, it's what the woman does that really matters. The man lies, the woman tells the truth": The story of Fairytale Of New York

At this time when the music world is mourning the loss of Shane MacGowan, MusicRadar looks back on one of his most enduring ...
MusicRadar

"The answer might sound a little boring, but it's probably my iPhone": Modeselektor on their go-to instrument, this year's DJ-Kicks mix and why the 808 is still the "sexiest ...

Based in a new studio, Berlin’s favourite sonic troublemakers crash the DJ-Kicks series with a shape-shifting techno-industrial mix. We sit down with Sebastian Szary to find out more ...
MusicRadar

“Writing a Bond song is a bit of an accolade. I always had a sneaking ambition to do it”: How Paul McCartney reunited with ‘the fifth Beatle’ George Martin to create ...

One day in October 1972, Paul McCartney received a phone call from Ron Kass, head of Apple Records. McCartney liked Kass and ...
MusicRadar

Tell Me There’s a Heaven: Chris Rea has died, aged 74

Sad news reaches us this afternoon that Chris Rea has died after a short illness, aged 74. Many news outlets will no doubt be ...
MusicRadar

Got a new e-kit for Christmas? Transform it with 15 day one upgrades that will make it sound better and play quieter

So, you've just unboxed a new electronic drum set for Christmas. If you're totally new to the drums, then congratulations - you're about to embark on a supremely fulfilling rhythmic journey (I'm 25 ...
MusicRadar

“He said ‘Look, I want you to take all those albums and destroy them'”: Why did Prince abruptly retract his new album days before release in 1987?

A record allegedly driven by supernatural forces, Prince swiftly disowned the stark funk of the Black Album - but what caused him to pivot so dramatically?
MusicRadar

Back To The Old House: Morrissey signs again to Warners subsidiary Sire

Sire Records are the latest label to take a punt and see if they can establish a working relationship with Morrissey. Last ...
MusicRadar

"There is no getting around the fact that he repeats the phrase 'simply having a wonderful Christmastime' 17 times": A music professor breaks down the theory behi…

On the one hand, Forbes reported that as of 2010, the song was making Sir Paul between $400,000 and $600,000 per year. On the ...
MusicRadar

Is pop music really getting dumber? A music professor explains what the science really says

Scientific studies claim that modern music has become simpler than ever before, both lyrically and musically. But are they ...
MusicRadar

“If I want a sound, I usually feel better if I've chased it and killed it, skinned it and cooked it”: The DIY attitude that drove Tom Waits’ finest album

Waits’ gritty Rain Dogs depicted a dark vision of New York’s underbelly, and was shaped by its ‘junkyard orchestra’ of inventive instrumentation ...
MusicRadar

“He was told it was over”: 10 years ago, David Bowie’s final and most poignant single saw him turn his own death into art

Bowie’s heartbreaking Lazarus was a rumination on the imminent end of a life lived to the full - and a lesson in how to channel the bleakest situation into enduring music ...