Steve Wright
Recent articles by Steve Wright
These 11 rock bands should have been huge. But something went wrong
Some bands burned brightly before faltering. These 11 rock acts once promised greatness... yet somehow lost direction
These 13 songs gave birth to entire new genres
From proto-punk to grunge via prog and disco, these 14 groundbreaking tracks lit the fuse on whole new genres, shaping music for generations
The day the 1960s turned sour: the Rolling Stones' infamous Altamont disaster
The dream of peace and music ended among rancour, blood, and broken ideals at a hastily arranged rock festival in the burnt-orange dusk of 1969’s final days
Third time lucky: 17 legendary 3rd albums
Forget the ‘sophomore slump’ – the third album is where the training wheels come off and legends are truly forged in gold
This gorgeous cat steals the show at a classical music concert
In Istanbul, the City of Cats, this beautiful feline gets a warm welcome as she mingles with the orchestra during a classical concert
Eagles albums ranked – the top 3 may surprise you...
Discover where every Eagles album ranks – from timeless classics to underrated gems –and find out which record truly soars above the rest in our definitive guide
Hot streak! Rock's 13 most unstoppable album runs, ranked
From Bowie’s chameleonic streak to Zeppelin’s heavy-rock mastery, these are the rock album runs that define consistency and genius
Dark Side of the Moon fan? Try these 15 albums next
From Genesis to Brian Eno, explore 11 albums that expand on Dark Side of the Moon’s immersive, atmospheric brilliance
The strange tale of the British rocker banned for burning the American flag
In 1969, a daring rock performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall sparked outrage, ignited political fury, and ended with a lifetime ban for its flamboyant keyboardist
Road to Hell: rock's 13 most infamous tours
Excess, infighting... and a replica Stonehenge. The 13 times legendary rock bands overreached themselves on tour
Cult? 17 rock groups that were less a band, more a way of life
Forget the charts and the tours; for these radical collectives, being in a band was a 24-hour-a-day social experiment.
Outliers: these 21 albums sound like nothing else their bands ever made
Some albums defy expectations. From Beatles to Neil Young, these outliers reveal bands daring to experiment... and sometimes bewildering their fans
9 old-school rock genres you never hear about anymore
Rock evolves relentlessly, leaving behind once-vital sounds. Here are nine forgotten rock genres that shaped music history... but have quietly vanished from today’s airwaves
Laurel Canyon: the 17 greatest albums from the 1970s California sunshine
From sun-soaked harmonies to confessional folk, these 17 classic Laurel Canyon albums defined a countercultural golden age
The 17 LPs that broke rock's most astonishing album runs
When genius finally runs dry: 17 records that ended the most astonishing hot streaks in rock history
1971 was rock's greatest year. And these are its 23 best albums
1971 may be rock’s greatest year: a seismic explosion of innovation, protest, and timeless artistry, yielding 15 landmark albums that still shape music half a century later
These 7 iconic bands lost a key member – and were never the same again
When a band loses its irreplaceable member, the music never sounds the same. These 7 great groups tried to carry on – but never truly recovered
Love 'em, hate 'em: rock's 27 most polarizing voices
From angelic croons to primal snarls, these 25 rock voices polarize listeners, inspiring devotion, ridicule, and sometimes legendary love-or-hate debate
Hiding in plain sight: rock's 17 most underrated band members
The unsung architects of rock: these are the quiet geniuses who provided the essential DNA while others took the spotlight.
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2026
BBC Music Magazine Awards 2026: vote now for your favourite classical music releases of 2025
Vote now for your favourite classical music releases in the 2026 BBC Music Magazine Awards
Orchestral, Opera, Chamber and more: vote now for your favourite classical music releases of 2025, in the 2026 BBC Music Magazine Awards
BBC Music Magazine 2026 Concerto Award
Welcome to the 2026 BBC Music Magazine Awards. The nominated recordings for the 2026 Concerto Award, in association with ABRSM, are listed below. The nominees for the 2026 Concerto Award Kalevi Aho • Magnus Lindberg Clarinet ConcertosJulian Bliss (clarinet); BBC Scottish SO/Taavi OramoSignum Classics SIGCD898 Reviewed November 2025 In his introductory note, Julian Bliss says the Lindberg and Aho clarinet concertos are ‘two of the greatest of the 21st century.’ ‘It’s a bold claim,’ said our reviewer, ‘and one that is easy to endorse.’ Indeed, these engaging works are brought to life by the virtuoso, who thrives in their colourful
BBC Music Magazine 2026 Opera Award
Welcome to the 2026 BBC Music Magazine Awards. The nominated recordings for the 2026 Opera Award are listed below. The nominees for the 2026 Opera Award Bartók Duke Bluebeard’s CastleRinat Shaham (mezzo-soprano), Gábor Bretz (bass-baritone); Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Karina CanellakisPentatone PTC5187225 Reviewed June 2025 Our reviewer was amazed and chilled by this concert take on Bartók’s blood-curdling masterpiece, Bluebeard’s Castle, our ‘Opera Choice’ for June. Gábor Bretz and Rinat Shaham are brilliantly risk-taking in their roles, and Karina Canellakis ‘conducts the orchestra as if her life depended on it,’ we wrote. Lerner & Loewe My Fair Lady Scarlett Strallen, Jamie Parker
