Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness is a journalist with over 25 years’ experience. He has written about music of all styles for a variety of publications and labels. He has interviewed legendary musicians from five continents, and travelled the world to experience the music he loves in its natural setting. He has stood in awe at doowopers busking on a street corner in Greenwich Village; sat in with the band at a late-night juke joint in Mississippi; supped cocktails in the shade listening to son music in Havana courtyard; and performed at a festival on a remote Hebridean island.
Recent articles by Paul McGuinness
We ranked all 14 of The Cure’s albums. #1 might be the greatest English album of the last 50 years
With a run of albums stretching back to 1979, Robert Smith’s band covers pretty much every style of music going, but somehow always makes it sounds like The Cure
The Beatles’ last gig was played to thousands of empty seats in freezing fog – and lost the promoter a fortune
By the summer of 1966, The Beatles had grown out of touring and their final concert in San Francisco left the promoter seriously out of pocket
The 21 greatest cover versions of all time, ranked (#11 left the original songwriter speechless)
The history of pop music is littered with artists giving their own new and unique take on songs they’ve loved – but can you always spot the original from the cover?
12 albums that shocked the world – some triumphs, some trainwrecks
Innovation is one of the things that keeps music interesting, and fans like to see their favourite artists pushing the boundaries – but it doesn’t always go well
The 1960s were music’s most transformative decade. Here's the greatest LP from each '60s year
From musicals to jazz, blues and soul to rock and pop, these are the defining albums that chart a decade of phenomenal change and even more incredible music!
We ranked Paul McCartney’s 26 post-Beatles albums – our top 5 surprised even us
Since leaving the Beatles in 1970, Sir Paul McCartney has released 26 studio albums. But which ones stand the test of time? We made a big pot of coffee and started to listen
These 11 rock pairings really SHOULDN'T have worked. Somehow, they did
The most unexpected collaborations can deliver the most interesting outcomes, as this look back over surprisingly great pairings proves
The 11 murders that changed the music world
From rock icons and soul legends to blues pioneers and rap superstars, these artists helped define genres and inspire generations. And yet they all share one tragic thing: they were all murdered.
This was rock’s greatest-ever supergroup – and chances are you’ve never heard of them!
Assembled in the late 1970s, this who’s who of rock royalty won a Grammy and played to a sell-out crowd, and yet few could tell you their name, let alone what they sounded like…
Move over Beatles, Floyd and Zeppelin: THIS might be the greatest album run of them all
Between March 1965 and August 1971, The Beach Boys made a run of 11 albums that varied hugely in style, but featured some of the greatest sounds ever committed to tape
The Beatles' 19 lost No. 1 singles
With 18 number one hits in the UK and 20 in the US, The Beatles were never short of hits. But as we reveal, for every hit single, they had another ace in their back pocket
Paul McCartney’s new album is a trip down memory lane – our track-by-track guide unlocks the secrets
On his 18th studio album, Paul McCartney pays tribute to John, George, Ringo, family and friends, as he looks back on his ever present past
One sultry July day that changed the world: the true story of how Lennon met McCartney
The events of a seemingly innocuous Saturday afternoon in 1957 would change the course of the 20th century, and lead to some of the most wonderful music ever heard. This is the story of that day
We’ve ranked all 15 of Queen’s albums – the number one spot is hotly contested!
You know the anthems, but how well do you know the records? Explore our definitive ranking of all 15 Queen studio albums
I’ve seen over 1,000 bands live. These are the 19 most memorable – including one that never showed up
From blues to punk, rock to soul and everything in between, my years as a musician and music journalist have given me countless unforgettable nights and days
These are the 15 greatest blues singers of all time (and we've got a woman at No. 1)
From Lead Belly to Janis Joplin, we profile 15 great blues singers who helped shape this most emotive and expressive of music genres
‘Pet Sounds’: the Beach Boys' magnificent album is 60 years old. We’ve ranked every track
Considered by many to be the greatest album of all time, Pet Sounds is now 60 years old. To mark the occasion, we go through the album track-by-track
We ranked every Beatles single... and ‘Let It Be’ doesn’t even make the top 5
The greatest band ever released 22 singles. Here, we rank them all – an impossible task only made easier by listening to them all over and over
Rock's 23 most guitar iconic riffs (number 4 rewrote the guitar rulebook)
Ever since it first began, rock music has been defined by a string of guitar slingers whose magic has driven music through the decades. Here’s our pick of the riffs that worked the hardest
Beyond the grave: rock’s 10 greatest posthumous albums make for poignant but essential listening
Careers cut short by illness, overdose, suicide and even murder left achingly affecting unfinished business. Here, we round up the best.
These 11 iconic rock bands never had a number 1 hit (and we love them for it)
For some acts, the ‘hit parade’ wasn’t the place that they measured their success. For these artists, it was all about the artistic, rather than commercial, value
So, we ranked the 51 greatest American solo artists of ALL TIME
It was an almost-impossible task, but we’ve done it! Here is the ultimate guide to the greatest American solo artists ever – let the arguing commence!
Rock's 17 greatest double albums, ranked (#15 gets labelled 'unlistenable'. We disagree)
Sometimes an artist just has too many great songs at once to limit to a traditional album’s length and from the mid-60s, double albums became increasingly popular. Here, we review some of the finest over three decades…
This is The Beatles' most overlooked album. It's also the one that changed everything
Rubber Soul, Abbey Road, The White Album, Revolver, Sgt Pepper… these are the 'canon' Beatles albums. But their most ignored LP was actually the one that saw them change the most
