Jamie Atkins
Recent articles by Jamie Atkins
How did THAT become a hit? 13 of the weirdest songs ever to reach the Top 10
From gnomes and techno oddities to spoken-word sermons and Vietnam protests, these unlikely songs somehow became massive mainstream hits
The 1970s guitar icon who became a Pentagon adviser – and 10 other unlikely career moves
These rock stars all enjoyed surprising career moves when they stepped out of the spotlight
The classic album recorded in a haunted mansion – plus 10 more strange recording locations
Why record in a studio when you can make music on a yacht, theatre or log cabin?
The band who created an alter-ego to trash-talk themselves – and 10 more of rock's weirdest side projects
The weird and wonderful side hustles of rock music’s great and good
These 11 songs actually make the end of the world sound like a good time
From science fiction to climate crisis warning shots, these songwriters have all got their take on what happens as the world burns
Kate Bush turned down James Bond – and Johnny Rotten once wrote her a song about parrots
Think you know everything there is to know about the pop visionary? These Kate Bush facts may surprise you…
She vanished from the public eye. And THEN Kate Bush made her defining album
In 1983, Kate Bush retreated from public view, and emerged two years with Hounds Of Love. Over 40 years on, nothing else sounds like it
‘The most idiotic song I've ever written’: the unlikely track that rescued Neil Young’s career
‘This Note’s For You’ was Neil Young’s furious challenge to big business. It wasn’t the last time he’d take on The Man
1970: this cult visionary makes his masterpiece. But it flops – and within five years, he’s dead
Tim Buckley’s second album of 1970, Starsailor is a life-affirming blast of musical freedom that is still blowing minds today
How America’s worst behaved band made one of the 1980s' greatest albums
The Minneapolis troublemakers’ third album, Let It Be, should have made them stars… but as ever, the allure of the self-destruct button was powerful
How the Eagles invented California rock… in freezing, miserable London
Their sound defined mid-70s California, but they perfected it during a residency as a ski lodge house band and a drizzly British winter
'I knew if I didn't fire him, I'd probably die': the troubled making of one of rock's greatest albums
Wilco were falling apart, then they were dropped by their record label. But when Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was finally released, it was an instant classic
Why Keith Richards hates Donald Trump – and 14 more wild Rolling Stones facts
They're one of the most celebrated rock bands of all time, but even hardcore Stones fans might get some satisfaction from these little-known stories
We ranked the 18 greatest rock soundtrack moments of the 1990s
The perfect song can make a great movie scene unforgettable, as these classic tracks prove
15 legendary songs their own bands walked away from (and the surprising reasons why)
From superstition to simply hating the song, these artists all had reasons to stop playing their most loved songs
The heartbreaking story behind one of rock's most beautiful albums
David Crosby's 1971 album 'If I Could Only Remember My Name' was his masterpiece. But he had to go through a lot of pain to get there
1974: the year the modern rock concert was born
From the mid-60s on, rapid advancements in technology meant gigs got louder and bigger, but it wasn’t till 1974 that stadium rock found its feet
It's one of the greatest albums of the 1960s. It was made by a man who thought he was dying
Love’s third album, ‘Forever Changes’ was written during a crisis for frontman Arthur Lee. It is one of rock’s greatest records
'It couldn't work. And it didn't'. The 1977 tour that so nearly ended Fleetwood Mac
As Rumours was flying off the shelves, Fleetwood Mac embarked upon a tour of such decadence and chaos it’s a wonder they survived
'Don’t go after other women’s husbands': Fleetwood Mac's darkest, most bruising album (it's not Rumours)
A fragmented, bold and often beautiful double-album, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tusk’ is a document of a band on the brink
‘An unbearable nightmare’: 11 rock albums that went grotesquely over budget
Marathon studio sessions, super-producers, perfectionist artists and colossal catering bills – it all adds up, but doesn’t always guarantee a hit
From Buddy Holly's glasses to Taylor Swift's scarf: 31 objects that defined music history
The history of rock can be told through songs. It can also be told through these 31 extraordinary objects
‘Mick wanted a doctor in case he got shot onstage’: inside the Rolling Stones’ infamous 1972 American tour
How the 'greatest rock’n’roll band in the world' earned their title
1966 could be music's greatest year. And these are its 15 most unforgettable albums
These 15 classic albums soundtracked a pivotal year in music – and they still sound just as fresh today
