Latest articles by Neil Crossley
“Suddenly the sun shone and it was, ‘Wow!’”: How ELO’s Jeff Lynne created his masterpiece Mr. Blue Sky - and how a little joke at the end of the song was misheard by millions
Inside the making of a miniature pop symphony
“New Year’s Day set the template for a more direct sonic vision for U2 - and marked the point at which they shifted their gaze towards political issues around the globe”: The making of an ’80s rock classic
It was a defining moment for Bono and the boys
The story behind Summer Of ‘69, a soaring, carefree pop-rock anthem with killer hooks
With Summer Of '69, Adams created an evergreen hit that defined the era and became a rite of passage for generations of guitarists
The creation of The Cars’ song Drive and how it soundtracked a humanitarian catastrophe
Best of 2024: “The lyrics don't have to mean anything in an intellectual sense. They're endlessly interpretive. They just have to make an emotional sense”
“One of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it”
Best of 2024: How Brian Wilson hooked up with an LA advertising executive to pen one of the most majestic and moving pop songs ever created
When Buddy Guy rewrote the blues rulebook with a Strat and blew the collective minds of Clapton, Beck and Page
Best of 2024: The inspirational playing of the last living American blues legend: "I was bringing it up to Eric and Jimmy – ‘Have you heard this stuff!?'"
"Kurt kissed me and said, 'now I don't have to be the only songwriter!'”: Dave Grohl's evolution as a songwriter
Best of 2024: “I was in a band with one of the greatest songwriters of our generation, so I didn’t really want to rock the boat”
The story of Wichita Lineman. the song Bob Dylan called the greatest ever written
Best of 2024: “When I heard it I cried”
"David wasn’t going to do the show, and his mum said, ‘No, you HAVE to work with Bing Crosby!’ She was a fan": The story of David Bowie and Bing Crosby's Little Drummer Boy
A schmaltzy TV special did not seem the most likely vehicle for a hit Christmas single, but this 1977 collaboration between David Bowie and Bing Crosby yielded an enduring classic that cuts across the generational divide
“Because the guy’s got a knife, he’s fairly persuasive!”: How Paul McCartney survived a mugging - and a mutiny - to create his solo masterpiece
The full, amazing story of Band On The Run
“It's Christmaaaas!”: How Slade created a festive classic - with a little help from John Lennon
Still making half a million quid a year, it’s the Christmas gift that keeps on giving!
“I’m not a great lyricist or songwriter or producer. It's when you put all these things together — that makes me”: The 5 George Harrison post-Beatles songs you need to hear
Freed from the creative confines of The Beatles, George Harrison set out to realise his true creative potential. Here are five of his finest works…
“Karen manages to get across both sadness and silliness”: The Carpenters’ hit that wowed two Beatles
Macca’s verdict: “The best female voice in the world”
“I have never heard a better ‘rock’ piano”: The famous Trident Studios piano used by The Beatles, Bowie, Queen and more
It’s what Macca played on Hey Jude
"They convinced him to turn it into a grand, crashing, theatrical monster-ballad, complete with orchestra”: The story of Nilsson's Without You
How the singer transformed an album track into one of the most abiding love songs of all time
"When Elvis heard the second one, he brightened. ‘Let me hear that again. Something I like about that one’... "
Otis Blackwell wrote over 1,000 R&B and rock ‘n’ roll hits, including some of Elvis's most iconic tracks, but "never wanted to meet him… We had something I felt that was going pretty good"
The story of The Cult's She Sells Sanctuary
Almost 40 years since its release, The Cult’s She Sells Sanctuary stands the test of time as a soaring and majestic pop-rock anthem – including some happy accidents
Love Will Tear Us Apart: The story of Joy Division's swan song
"He was obsessed. Martin sensed it was a song that was going to last forever and wanted to make it really special"
The great Oasis Be Here Now album debate
"Be Here Now was reframed first as a disappointment and then as a disaster” – but is it really that straightforward?
The 5 essential Elliott Smith songs to start with
A musical legacy that continues to inspire
How Joni Mitchell embraced the formidable personality and talent of bass virtuoso Jaco Pastorius
“He pointed to his rental amp and said, ‘I'm not playing through that piece of shit’. So he took mine”
How Mick Taylor joined the Rolling Stones and brought a level of virtuosity to the band not seen before or since
"We used to fight and argue all the time"
Did George Harrison contribute to more Beatles songs than he is given credit for?
"I think in the balance I would have had more things to be niggled with him about than he would have with me"
