Steve Wright
Since 1997, Steve has written about music, theatre, and visual art for a range of magazines and newspapers including BBC Music Magazine, Venue Magazine and The Guardian. His musical passions include prog rock, krautrock, postpunk... basically anything composed between 1966 and 1985 that had a bit of an edge to it.
Recent articles by Steve Wright
Lost genius: 23 criminally underrated 1970s bands
Some became cult heroes, others vanished entirely. All of these bands helped shape 1970s music more profoundly than their reputations suggest
1968 was a traumatic year in America. These 21 albums are the sound of that trauma
Assassinations, riots, Vietnam and disillusionment: these 21 albums captured the fury, grief and uncertainty of a fractured America
We ranked the 25 greatest American rock bands of all time (we spent a lot of time on that top 5)
From garage-rock pioneers to stadium-filling legends, we rank the definitive American bands that provided the soundtrack to our lives.
Best of Mozart: 11 essential works - and the recordings you need
From glittering operas to sublime symphonies and intimate chamber pieces, here are 11 of Mozart’s greatest works—timeless masterpieces that reveal his genius in every form
Letdowns: 15 disappointing follow-ups to brilliant albums
From creative overreach to studio meltdowns, 15 follow-up albums that buckled under the crushing weight of their predecessor’s legacy
Can you hear the difference? 11 big hits accused of ripping off other songs
From Bitter Sweet Symphony to My Sweet Lord, these 11 rock and pop disputes show when inspiration crossed the line - or did it?
These 15 legendary bands survived the moment that should have ended them
From creative dead ends to personal turmoil, these bands were on the brink of breaking up – until something changed
Power of 3! Rock's 23 greatest trios... ranked
23 legendary three-piece bands that proved sonic dominance requires no extra baggage, carving out monumental legacies through pure collaborative precision
These 11 rock icons weren't quite who they claimed to be
From the bayous of California to the four ‘brothers’ from Queens, these 11 rock legends presented imagined versions of themselves to the world
Rock's greatest 'what ifs': 13 careers cut tragically short
Thirteen rock visionaries whose brilliant trajectories were cut short by internal demons and external pressures
These 15 bands ended up fighting each other in court
15 iconic rock acts who traded years of creative harmony for pitched legal battles over merch, royalties or songwriting credits
Despised by critics, loved by millions: 11 bands that proved the music press wrong
Rock critics routinely tore these 11 legendary bands to shreds – but the record-buying public simply turned up the volume
These 23 tracks sound like nothing else on earth. And most are from one particular decade
From Bill Haley to Nirvana, 23 songs that blasted into the rock pantheon like so many objects from outer space
The sound of self-destruction: 15 albums that ended great careers
From blockbuster blunders to creative collapses, these 15 albums were the moment when rock legends lost their way
'Scared': 17 rock stars who wrestled with stage fright
They looked fearless under the spotlight. In reality, these rock stars battled crippling stage fright before facing an audience
The 17 weirdest career moves ever made by great bands (No. 2 backfired spectacularly)
Everyone's got to make a strange choice once in a while, right? The Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Stones are just some of the rock behemoths who took weird left turns
This might be rock's greatest year... and these 17 incredible albums tell you why
It doesn't often come up in discussions of rock's greatest years, but this '70s year saw defining statements from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and more
Until you saw them live, you didn't truly 'get' these 13 bands
These rock acts did great things in the studio - live, though, they entered a different league altogether
‘Grabs you by the throat and never lets go’: rock’s 25 greatest opening tracks
These 25 legendary tracks were the perfect opening salvo, instantly defining the sound and ambition of rock's greatest albums
We ranked America's 25 greatest 1970s bands
From gritty garage punk to sleek stadium rock, we rank the greatest American bands that defined a legendary musical decade
These 17 bands changed so much they barely sounded like themselves
From Dylan’s electric shock to Bowie’s endless reinventions, these 17 acts didn’t just evolve — they transformed so radically they became almost unrecognisable
We ranked the 33 greatest drummers in rock history (and the top two are Brits)
From prog rock's technical wizardry to the thunderous grooves of the stadium era, we salute rock’s 33 most unforgettable drummers
The 7 Fleetwood Mac albums you should definitely own
Fleetwood Mac’s shape-shifting legacy spans blues, pop and rock classics. Here’s how their eclectic albums stack up, from worst to best
America never really 'got' these 12 British bands
Some British bands found a vast new fanbase Stateside, while other seminal acts failed to crack America. What gives?
