Memory Lane Music

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons — File:1985 Ibanez Electric Guitar Destroyer Model DT380 BarbedWire.JPG — Public domain (copyright holder release) Deep Purple wrote a song about a long way from home, and then spent years proving how far from home they could actually travel. The story behind the song Woman from Tokyo was the most successful … Read more

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons — File:1985 Ibanez Electric Guitar Destroyer Model DT380 BarbedWire.JPG — Public domain (copyright holder release) Machine Head is remembered for one riff. Lazy is the track that reminds you the rest of the album is just as good, and in some ways more interesting. The story behind the song Lazy opens … Read more

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons — File:1985 Ibanez Electric Guitar Destroyer Model DT380 BarbedWire.JPG — Public domain (copyright holder release) Before the riff that everyone knows, there was a cover song, a young band, and a hit that announced Deep Purple to America before it announced itself to Britain. The story behind the song Hush was … Read more

Wikimedia Commons — File:Johnson electric acoustic guitar 1.jpg — Public domain (copyright holder release). Every town has a Curtis Loew: an older musician, half legend and half neighbour, who taught the young players more than any record could. The story behind the song The Ballad of Curtis Loew is Skynyrd’s tribute to the Black bluesmen … Read more

Wikimedia Commons — File:Johnson electric acoustic guitar 1.jpg — Public domain (copyright holder release). J.J. Cale wrote it as a whisper. Lynyrd Skynyrd turned it into a shout, and in doing so they showed how a cover can become a signature. The story behind the song Call Me the Breeze began life as a laid-back … Read more

Wikimedia Commons — File:Johnson electric acoustic guitar 1.jpg — Public domain (copyright holder release). Street Survivors is remembered for tragedy, but before that story there was a band at its peak, and this song is that band at its most charmingly reckless. The story behind the song What’s Your Name is a barroom song in … Read more

Wikimedia Commons — File:Johnson electric acoustic guitar 1.jpg — Public domain (copyright holder release). A song named after a cheap handgun could have been a celebration. In Skynyrd’s hands it became a warning, delivered with a riff that hits like a door slamming. The story behind the song Saturday Night Special was written at a … Read more

Wikimedia Commons — File:Johnson electric acoustic guitar 1.jpg — Public domain (copyright holder release). Some bands open with a statement. Lynyrd Skynyrd opened with a farewell that lasted more than seven minutes and somehow felt too short. The story behind the song Tuesday’s Gone is the closing track of the band’s debut album, and it … Read more

Wikimedia Commons — File:Halo guitar.jpg — Public domain (released by W4D at English Wikipedia; Halo Guitars permission noted on file page). How do you follow the biggest album of your career? ZZ Top answered with a song that sounded like a wink, a riff and a getaway car all at once. The story behind the … Read more

Wikimedia Commons — File:Halo guitar.jpg — Public domain (released by W4D at English Wikipedia; Halo Guitars permission noted on file page). After a long break, ZZ Top came back leaner, tougher and funnier, and this song was the proof that the break had done them good. The story behind the song Degüello arrived after the … Read more