Announcement!

Hi Guys!

As you've probably noticed I haven't posted anything on here for quite some time. I've decided to bring this blog to an end and instead focus on running my main blog "The Hat Hippie". This doesn't mean that I'm no longer going to write about concert experiences, album reviews or anything else that comes to mind related to music; I have already started to incorporate my love for music and have started picking a Song of the Month and have plenty of other music blog post ideas in mind for the future. I also started a YouTube channel a few months ago which will feature a range of videos but seemingly, it looks like there's going to be ALOT of music geek related videos which I think you're going to love!

So to keep up with all of the madness of "The Hat Hippie" and my music obsession, be sure to click on one of the following links to keep up to date with all that's happening! I look forward to seeing you all on the other side!

Love & Peace,

The Hat Hippie xx

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My Top 5 Guitar Heroes

I've been thinking of some new ideas for this music blog other reviewing albums and concerts I've been to and thought I'd write about something else. So today's subject is my Top 5 Favourite Guitarists! So rather than sit here and blabber on, let's get right into it. What I must add before I get into it is that these are my personal favourites so not everyone might agree with my lists but like I said; it's personal opinion.

1. Brian May

I have always been aware of Queen's legendary music catalogue ever since I was little and have memories of watching footage of a Queen concert from the 80s as a little girl. My admiration for Brian May as both a person and a guitar player has continually grown over the years and I was lucky enough as you have probably read in an earlier post to see Brian live in concert with Queen earlier this year. I was already a fan, but seeing him play live was just incredible! His guitar playing has a distinctive sound that I don't think I've ever heard anyone else's playing sound like.

Brian's iconic guitar known as "The Red Special" was built by both Brian and his father when he was just a 16 years old and in school using any material that he had available to him. According to my research it cost him just £8 to make which is pretty incredible to think about. Apparently, the neck of the guitar was made using the wood from a 100 year old (ish) fireplace mantel which earned the guitar one of its nicknames "The Fireplace". Another fact that you may not know is that rather than using a pick or a plectrum (whatever you prefer to call it) Brian opts for a sixpence coin and during quieter parts of a song uses his fingers to pick the guitar strings instead.

2. Lindsey Buckingham

Lindsey Buckingham, lead guitarist of Fleetwood Mac is another of my all-time favourite guitar players. Again, he has an extremely unique technique when it comes to playing guitar where he uses his fingers alone to pick the strings of his guitar. I recently read somewhere that Lindsey first developed this particular technique when he took to bed for a year, ill with mononucleosis just a short period of time before he and Sevie Nicks were due to move to LA to pursue a career in the music industry. I have linked a video below of Lindsey playing guitar to give you a taste of just how much of an incredible player he is.

3. Orianthi Panagaris

I have been a huge fan of Ori since 2009 when I saw her in Michael Jackson's This is It movie, I was about 10 years old at the time and was in complete and utter awe watching her play. Around that time I was given the opportunity to learn guitar at school and probably wouldn't have actually taken up the opportunity to learn guitar had it not been for Orianthi's influence. It was so cool to see such an amazing female guitarist and I wanted to be just like her, that is most definitely where my love for musical instruments began!

She can seriously shred a guitar like nobody's business-she'd put a lot of guys to shame with her playing! Over the time that I've been a fan of hers I've done my fair share of research and learnt a lot about her and apparently she left school at 15 to focus on her music career and release her first and it certainly paid off! Over the years she worked, performed and toured with music legends such as Michael Jackson, Prince, Alice Cooper, Dave Stewart, Carlos Santana, Steve Via and most recently, former lead guitarist of Bon Jovi who show toured the UK and Europe with last year and is also, currently recording an album with. During that time she's released her own solo albums Believe and Heaven in This Hell both of which are filled from start to finish with her incredible guitar riffs and solo!

I personally owe a huge thanks to Ori for her influence over the years and of course taking some time at one of her concerts last year to chat with me backstage. It was a memory that'll last a lifetime and definitely inspired the young musician in me!

4. Prince

Prince is probably best known for his massive success with his 1984 album Purple Rain and of course songs such as 1999, Raspberry Beret, Diamonds and Pearls, Kiss and Little Red Corvette. However, one thing that isn't acknowledged as often is his talent when it comes to playing guitar. There isn't much video footage of Prince on YouTube due to his own personal decisions. I have however, embedded one of the few videos that I came across to let you guys see one of his incredible guitar solos right before your very own eyes!  Prepare to be blown away my friends!

5. Jimi Hendrix

Now, I'm pretty sure this guy would be on almost everyone's lists of favourite guitar players because he is by far one of the best guitarists to ever live in my opinion! Jimi was in a league of his own and to top his playing would be near impossible. Being left handed, Jimi used right handed guitars, turned them upside down and had them restrung to suit playing his guitar left handed. Jimi received his first guitar at the age of 15 as a gift from his father Al, costing him just $5. And thank goodness he did, because none of the incredible music and guitar solos that Jimi created during his lifetime would have exisisted and inspired so many music lovers out there!

Prince HITnRUN Phase One Album Review

This review of legendary singer Prince's latest album HITnRUN Phase One is up a little later than I had initially anticipated due to the fact I tried to get a copy of the album on its release date however, the music shop I visited in Glasgow for whatever reason didn't have it out on display in its designated area. Perhaps, I went in too early but considering it was release day, you'd expect them to have it out on display wouldn't you? After that, I didn't get a chance to pop into my local HMV to pick up a copy until just over a week or so ago. But all that matters is that I managed to eventually get a copy of the album and have finally written a review! I've listened to this album in full on a good few occasions now to really get a flavour of it before actually sitting down and writing my thoughts and opinions about it. So here it goes.....

Prince's latest album comes almost a year to date since the release of his previous solo album Art Official Age and his band 3rd Eye Girl's long awaited release PLECTRUMELECTRUM. I actually can't quite believe it's been a year since the release of both albums as I remember dragging my Mum out to HMV after tutoring to purchase the albums I'd waited so long to finally hear! And, an entire year later I find myself sitting here writing about yet another Prince album that an entire year ago I had no idea would even exist 12 months later. HITnRUN Phase One shares the same name of Prince and 3rd Eye Girl's HITnRUN tour last year which saw them tour the UK in early February 2014 and perform a selection of last minute gigs. The reception of Prince's new band 3rd Eye Girl in the UK was a success leading to a further set of arena tour dates in May and June of last year, one of which I was lucky enough to actually attend! What a night!

If you read one of my latest blog posts on the subject of music streaming you will probably recall that I mentioned that Prince would be releasing his new album HITnRUN Phase One exclusively on a streaming named Tidal ahead of the physical album release last month in September. So what are my thoughts on this new release? Well let me begin.....

The opening number, a song named Million $ Show features a singer named Judith Hill who was a backing vocalist on Michael Jackson's This Is It and was also seen as contestant on The Voice in the US. The song begins quite gently before the listener is subjected to a blast from the past, a sample of Let's Go Crazy from the 1984 Prince album Purple Rain. It then transforms into a more upbeat R&B duet between Prince and Judith Hill featuring a similar flavour to Prince's previous solo album Art Official Age.

As it begins to fade we are introduced to another number named Shut This Down. This is followed by a duet called Ain't About 2 Stop with Rita Ora, who can be seen as a judge on this years X Factor here in the UK. This song in my opinion features a range of genres including R&B, Funk, Rap and there's even a slight hint of rock which just wouldn't be the same without Prince's incredible guitar playing skills. Like A Mack comes next featuring a duo named Curly Fryz whom I have never heard of here in the UK. The actual lyrics are performed as more of a rap; a genre of which I am not a fan of whatsoever, however this will of course appeal to so many and I like the fact that because this genre is more popular with my generation it could potentially introduce the world of Prince to othersnof my age group. What I will say about Like A Mack is that the actual music itself most definitely has a taste of the funk and soul genre.

This Could B Us comes next on the album. Now if you're an avid Prince fan and keep up to date with the fan sites, you like me will probably be familiar with this song title as it's popped up by name from time to time in different articles about Prince's up and coming music for well over a year or so now. Perhaps even longer, but I've only really been keeping up with the Prince fan sites since early 2014 so that's one fact I'm not 100% per cent sure of. This Could B Us slows things down quite a bit, although this song isn't quite what I'd describe as ballad. It has a significant piano riff throughout most of the song and of course one of Prince's amazing guitar solos! He is in my opinion such an underrated guitarist and deserves much more credit than he receives in that field.

Fallinlove2nite is a more upbeat, dance track which was actually released last year as single with actress Zoey Deschannel sharing vocals with Prince. Prince actually premiered this number when making a guest appearance on an episode of the hit TV show in the US called New Girl. However, the album version of Fallinlove2nite only features Prince on vocals. This is then followed by a shorter song named X's Face.

Probably my favourite track on the entire album, a song named Hardrocklover soon follows. Basically, just as it says in the title, this song features a more rockier sound which appeals to someone like myself. At the same time, it features the distinctive funk sound that I personally love and admire Prince for! And, of course there's no forgetting the amazing guitar playing throughout the track which is of course, right up my street! Brilliant!

No sooner than Hardrocklover begins, it then comes to an end going straight into a track named Mr Nelson (Prince's surname). This stays in a similar style to Prince's previous solo album Art Official Age featuring samples of a song named Clouds from the same album. Mr Nelson also features the voice of an artist that you may recognise and that is Lianna La Havas who's recently received alot of radio airplay here in the UK with her new album Blood. A song named 1000 X's & O's which I read somewhere was actually an older piece written by Prince and intended for an artist he used to work with named Rosie Gaines (I don't know how true that is, so don't hold me on that one! This of course, was followed by June which brings the album to a close.

My thoughts on this album? Well, what I really love about what Prince is doing of late and particularly in this album is featuring other strong, up-and-coming artists and performing with them. Like I said this album is the perfect example of that with the likes of Judith Hill and Lianna La Havas, I personally think that they will go far in the music industry. And, of course there's no forgetting the fact that he has also collaborated and shared the producing credits with a gentleman named Joshua Welton who is actually married to Hannah Welton, drummer of Prince's band 3rd Eye Girl.

I think I mentioned somewhere above in this review that this album features a strong flare of R&B alongside funk, rap and even a little rock in the mix. Now, I'm not particularly fan of genres such as R&B and rap so not every song really appealed to me; however, I personally appreciate that each song is of an extremely high standard and sounds great for its particular genre. I'm definitely more into the rockier numbers and anything with a bit of funk I love! So overall it's a great album, I'm not a huge fan of every single song I must admit, however that's my own personal opinion, perhaps some of those songs may even grow on me overtime. I definitely think this album is worth checking out and I believe it's currently available in HMV stores for £9.99. 

The Cavern Beatles: The Gaiety Theatre, Ayr September 2015

Last Tuesday, the 15th September just so happened to be my 17^th birthday and to celebrate my friend Heather and I attended a Beatles tribute at The Gaiety Theatre in Ayr. The Cavern Beatles I believe have been touring across Europe, England and now here in Scotland. Being such huge Beatles fan; I really couldn't miss a Beatles related event so near to where I live and even better, it fell upon my birthday! Perfect!

So we arrived for the doors opening and found our seats which were in the second row! The curtain was already up and there in front of us sat a familiar set up of guitars, drums and pianos/keyboards which replicated the setup used by The Beatles live on stage back in the 60s. Just as stated on the tickets, the lights dimmed into complete darkness at 7:30pm; the show was about to begin!

Now don't hold me on this but if I remember right they started with I Saw Her Standing There. As soon as the lights fell upon The Cavern Beatles standing right there on the stage in front of you; you just can't help but feel a rush of excitement. Everything from the outfits to the instruments and even the mannerisms were perfected to the finest of details. Both my lovely friend Heather and I were particularly impressed with how alike the gentleman playing John Lennon looked in comparison to the real thing! It was seriously unbelievable! At the end of each they song they even took one step back and bowed just as The Beatles had been expected to do by their manager Brian Epstein in the 60s.

During the first half of the show a set list of songs by The Beatles from the early days were performed including I Want To Hold Your Hand, Yesterday, Drive My Car, In My Life and Twist and Shout to name just a few! The banter was just as brilliant as the music and stayed in true spirit of the band's humour which is apparent when comparing video footage of The Beatles back in the 1960s.

After around an hour or so into the performance, The Cavern Beatles brought the first half of the show to an end. This of course was the perfect excuse for a good old tub of ice cream (thanks Heather!). There is such a good feeling about eating ice cream during the interval at the theatre. I don't know if it's just me but it reminds me of going to the theatre when I was little. We also got talking to an older lady who came to the show by herself. She was such a sweet lady and it was an absolute pleasure to chat with her!

 

In the second half of the show, The Cavern Beatles walked onto the Gaiety's stage dressed in outfits exactly like the ones that The Beatles wore on the cover of the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band album! I don't know about you but I think there's something really cool about the Sgt Pepper's album. And of course there's the bizarre rumour that Paul McCartney died in a car crash and was replaced by a gentleman named Billy Shears. I personally don't believe it but the theories people have created regarding the album are unbelievable!

As you'll probably have guessed this was of course a cue for a selection of songs from the Sgt Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band album. This included the album's title song which just like the studio version leads directly into yet another classic With A Little Help from My Friends. And of course they couldn't forget the psychedelic classic Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds!

Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields which brought back good memories of my first ever visit to Liverpool earlier this year were also included in the set followed by the catchy and upbeat number Hello Goodbye. They also performed A Day in the Life which was quite something to hear live particularly when it comes the orchestral climax. At the end of A Day in the Life, all three members of the band who at the time, were on stage disappeared into the wings of the stage as the room was abruptly left in darkness. Another figure who turned out to be George Harrison soon appeared on stage with an acoustic guitar in hand to perform the amazing While My Guitar Gently Weeps. If I closed my eyes it could easily have been the real George-it sounded just as amazing as the original!

 

The show continued with yet more Beatles classics; back to back. Let's be honest though, what song by The Beatles isn't a classic?! The set included songs such as The Ballad of John and Yoko, Let It Be, Something, Come Together, Get Back and many more! And of course finishing with one of my very favourites; Hey Jude. Hey Jude just wouldn't be Hey Jude without the audience singing along in unison. It's one of those feel good songs that just can’t help but sing along too! And oh my goodness did The Cavern Beatles do it justice!

I am so glad I heard about this show and that Heather and I decided to go see it! We both left absolutely raving about it and really hope that they bring the show back to the Gaiety Theatre very soon! I can guarantee you that we'll both be there! To find out if the Cavern Beatles are coming to an area near you click here for a direct link to their website! Definitely a performance not to miss if you love The Beatles or even just love music in general! I'd completely recommend it!

A 16 Year Old's Views on Music Streaming & Digital Downloads

Today I wanted to write a post about something that I personally am extremely passionate about and have increasingly heard more and more about it throughout the past couple of years. This is of course digital downloads, online music streaming and music being posted to the internet illegally. I feel that this subject has been covered A LOT in the media however as a sixteen (seventeen on Tuesday) year old girl I thought I might use this blog to give my unique perspective on this particular subject. I haven’t come across anything about this subject from the perspective of a teenager girl such as myself, so I thought I’d be the one to change that and write about it from my point of view. A lot of what am I about to write is personal opinion and any facts/figures that I include have come from an extensive amount of research that I have conducted over the past number of months. As time goes on I will continue to keep up to date on this subject due to personal interest and if I feel necessary may even write a follow up post. But that will very much depend on how this subject develops in future.

The subject of online music steaming has been highlighted a lot in the media particularly in the past year or so due to a number of famous singers sharing their thoughts and opinions and of course taking a stance. Music being posted illegally on the internet and music downloads perhaps haven't had as much of an emphasis in the media as streaming has however these three things all walk in hand in hand in many respects and affect artists in similar ways. Two artists that have caught my attention regarding this subject are from two different generations but both have had a massive influence in the music industry. This is of course Taylor Swift and a personal favourite of mine Prince.

I'm sure most of you will be aware of issues recently highlighted by Taylor Swift regarding one global brand in particular who had planned to create a music streaming service of which users could subscribe to a free three month trial period before paying $9.99 per month subscription fee following the trial. Fair enough some may say; however the free trial period meant that artists contributing music to this particular streaming service would not be paid a single penny until the trial period was over and users began paying a subscription fee. Rightly so, Taylor decided to take a stance and refused to allow her music catalogue to be included in the service due to the fact that she strongly opposed the company’s decision not to pay artists during the trial period. On her Tumblr account Taylor wrote an open letter about her reasoning to take these actions. In the post she states "This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create". Just a short period of time later the company reverted from their initial idea and agreed to pay all artists for their music contributed to the service. Thankfully, there are people like Taylor out there who are not afraid to stand up for what is right and look what happened? She was listened to and changes were made! If it weren't for Taylor taking a stance, indie artists wouldn't be paid for all the heart and soul that they put into their music.

Like I said earlier in this post Prince is another artist who has spoken out and taken action against music distribution on the internet. Recently, Prince had his entire catalogue of music removed from all streaming services apart from a site named Tidal which he has exclusively posted his latest album "HitNRun" on. I recently stumbled upon an article about Prince and online music streaming services and according to this article, the reason Prince had his music catalogue removed from streaming services was that like Taylor Swift, he feels that the digital music industry are making it difficult for artists to make a living off of.

Just like any normal person both musicians and singers need to make a living. They work extremely hard and tirelessly to create the music that each and every one of us love to listen too. Would you like to work for hours on end and then for your boss to turn round at the end of the day and tell you that they're not paying you for all your hard work and effort? Of course not! Why should musicians, bands and singers be treated any differently?

Despite the fact that I'm only sixteen years old and have no experience of being a full-time singer/musician for a living I can still see just how much of a struggle it is for young, indie artists to make a career for themselves in the music industry today. In many respects the digital era is definitely killing off the music industry or at least that's how I see it.

As you'll now realise I am extremely passionate about this subject and have done a lot of reading and research on it. Being the curious person that I am, I decided to conduct a little research into the figures and percentages that artists are paid through various revenues and was absolutely shocked by just how much of a pittance it actually is! I actually considered listing the figures here on my blog but it varies slightly on different websites and I don't want to provide incorrect information. Considering the fact that the internet is such a big place, this information is extremely easy to come by so take my advice, look it up because like me I'm sure you’ll be shocked.

Personally speaking, I refuse to join/subscribe to any music streaming sites and don't intend to anytime in the near future. I do however; confess to downloading music from the iTunes store although I even try to keep that to an absolute minimum. In every instance possible I buy a physical copy of any albums I want from one of my local music stores/record fairs. I prefer to support my local music stores rather than go to the dark side and download music. It really hit me a couple of years ago when HMV went into administration and it looked as if my local branch was going to close down meaning that there'd be no music shops whatsoever in my area. Despite the fact that many of the major HMV stores in the big cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh were shut down, my local HMV was one of the fortunate few to remain open and since then my town has even welcomed an independent music/record shop to the area. That's almost unheard of in today's society. Around the time when HMV in my local town was saved I vowed to myself to support it in every way that I possibly could. I wasn't prepared to face the possibility of it closing down again. And I am extremely proud to say that I have in fact kept to the bargain. If there's a local music store around; I’ll do everything I can to support it!

I say the exact same thing when it comes to books but seriously, there is nothing better than going out to a book store or in this instance a music store and leisurely wandering round looking for your next purchase. I love owning a physical copy of an album and being able to flick through and enjoy looking at the accompanying booklets. What if you meet the band or singer? You can't exactly get a download signed, can you? Most importantly if you buy a physical copy of an album from a local music shop; you're supporting your local music store and the artists who created the music rather than them being paid a pittance for a download or in some instances nothing at all when music is downloaded illegally!

So I'll keep this post to a minimum as I'm sure you'll get my point by now. But seriously next time you go to download a song or use a streaming service, think about how it impacts upon the music industry. Let's get the music industry growing again rather than it sinking down the plughole! To be honest I don't think I'd even mind if the prices of albums were raised a little as long as I knew the extra money I paid was going to the artist. Please do your bit to support musicians by supporting your local music store and purchasing physical copies of an album! You're small contribution over a period of time will make a huge difference and perhaps even give up and coming artists a chance in the music industry!

Pink Floyd "The Dark Side of the Moon" Album Review

During the past few weeks I've been brainstorming new ideas for my music blog so I can attempt to keep it updated on a more frequent basis. And I came up with this idea that I'm about to put into fruition by writing this post. So I've written a couple of album reviews in past but have decided on a new concept when reviewing albums as writing the long spiels that I usually do take forever meaning that I can't update my blogs as often as I'd like to. With that in mind I thought I'd write a little about the album I'm reviewing and its history/back story and then have specific questions I answer with my thoughts and opinions of its contents. For newer releases I think I'll try write in a little more detail like I have with my previous reviews however, I thought having a strategy would allow me to review albums and update my blog more frequently. I thought in order to introduce myself to new music I'd purchase a couple of new albums every so often that perhaps I like the name of, or I liked the cover art etc. By doing this I might discover some new bands and you lovely people might too! So to start us off I thought I'd write about an album I picked up a few days ago. I know it's a classic album and a lot of you will know it well but perhaps I might introduce some of my generation to this band/album by writing this review!

Anyway, today's album is by the legendary classic rock band Pink Floyd who formed in the city of London in the year of 1965, I believe. Initially the band consisted of members Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright all whom of which were just students at the time. The band gained popularity in London's underground music scene and by the year of 1967 has released a successful debut album called "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and two charting singles. Later that year David Gilmour joined the band and just a few months later in 1968, Syd Barrett left the band. Over a period numerous band members left and re-joined, touring until the year of 1994. They did however reunite for a final performance at Live 8 back in 2005 and have since been said to have no plans to reunite for any further live performances which is a shame for young fans like me. However, it would never quite be the same without the full line-up as unfortunately some of the band members have since passed away, so I suppose I'll just have to enjoy video footage and hope someone invents a time machine!

According to my research Pink Floyd has over 250 million records worldwide which is absolutely incredible! I mean seriously, how cool would it be to say you're a part of a band that has sold as many albums as that over the years?!

 

Album Name:

The Dark Side of the Moon

 

Release Date:

1st March 1973

 

Genre:

Rock

 

How Much It Cost Me:

£5.00 from Sainbury's (a great bargain if you ask me!)

 

My Favourite Song in the Album:

I know this may sound a little cliché considering this is probably the most famous song on the entire album however; I have to say "Money" is an outstanding song and is currently one of my favourite songs to jam along to on my bass guitar. But seriously, there's no denying it; it's an incredible song!

 

My Least Favourite Song:

On a lot of albums there's at least one song that I don't warm to however, there isn't really a song on this particular album that I dislike. They're all in their own right amazing pieces of music and I'd be lying to say I disliked any of the songs.

 

What Made Buy This Album?

I've always been familiar with Pink Floyd's music ever since I was little; I suppose you could say I was brought up around it alongside so many other amazing bands. However, I was flicking through my music books a few weeks ago deliberating what song to learn next on my bass guitar. I came across "Money" by Pink Floyd and out of all the songs in my book that one really stuck out at me so I decided to give it a shot. I spent hours on end teaching myself "Money" from start to finish and listened to it over and over again until I got it right. I really fell in love with that song and decided to go check out "The Dark Side of the Moon" album. The music instantly caught my attention and I NEEDED to buy myself a copy of the album. So we were in our local Sainsbury's store picking up a few bits and pieces when I went for my annual look round the Entertainment isle. My eyes soon fell up that distinctive album cover; yes, that was of course "The Dark Side of the Moon" album cover! Coincidental! Without a doubt I had to buy a copy of the album particularly when it was only £5! An absolute bargain in my opinion! So my friends, that is the story of how I came to buying Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" album.

 

Do I Regret Buying This Album?

Absolutely not! It's filled with some amazing songs/pieces of music by such a legendary band and of course I got a great bargain when buying it too!

 

5 Random Facts about This Album:

1. The band's iconic album cover was designed by an artist named Storm Forgerson (brilliant name!) who was a friend of Pink Floyd's guitarist David Gilmour as teenagers and was best man at David's wedding to Polly Samson in 1994. Storm's design for the album cover featured a prism which apparently was inspired by the lighting used during the band's concerts. 

 

2. Throughout the ten tracks in the album a range of voices and laughing can be heard. These voices were actually recorded by a number of different people including roadies, the band's road manager Peter Watts and even Abbey Road Studio's doorman Gerry O'Driscoll. I also heard somewhere that one of my all-time favourite singers Sir Paul McCartney and his wife Linda were interviewed however; their voices did not make the final cut.

 

3. The album was originally meant to be called "Eclipse: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics".

 

 4. The sound engineer who worked on "The Dark Side of the Moon" album was a gentleman named Alan Parsons who also worked on another classic album which just so happened to be The Beatles' "Abbey Road" album. He was actually nominated for a Grammy for the Best Engineered Recording, Non Classic for his work on The Dark Side of the Moon album.

 

5. The Dark Side of the Moon album to date still holds the record for the longest running LP on the Billboard 200. The album remained on the Billboard 200 for over 800 week straight-incredible stuff if you ask me!

 

Overall Thoughts:

Overall, Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" album is in my opinion absolutely amazing and lives up to all the raving reviews I've heard people say about it! It's filled to the brim with some outstanding tracks which are completely unique in comparison to other music I've listened to. I know a lot of my older readers will no doubt have this album in their collection or at least have heard it but to all my younger readers out there, who haven't discovered this legendary album go out and buy it! You NEED to hear this incredible album!

Fleetwood Mac: On With the Show Tour, The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow 8th July 2015

A few weeks ago, my family and I caught the legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac's third and final concert in Glasgow as part of their "On With The Show" tour. If you've been keeping up with my other blog you'll probably have heard the exciting news that thanks to an amazing charity named Rays of Sunshine, I actually had the chance to go backstage at Fleetwood Mac's first Glasgow concert back in June and met with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood. That was an amazing experience, I'm still in awe that my dream of meeting Stevie came true. It was definitely one of the most surrealist things I've ever experienced. So if you'd like to read more about my special night click here.

Again, Fleetwood Mac put on yet another outstanding show! Having seen them live on three occasions now, twice during this tour and once in the previous tour back in 2013; I'd definitely say that was the best out of the three shows. I'm only sixteen years old and have been lucky enough to see some of the most iconic/legendary bands and artists during the past few years that I've been gig-going. Out of all the bands I've been fortunate enough to see I am having serious deliberations whether Fleetwood Mac or Queen are my favourite. It's an extremely close call shall we say!

From the very second the lights fade into darkness and there's this eerie but rather exciting cricket like sound filling the room, a shiver runs down your spine. You just know it's going to be special. Before long, one by one each member of the iconic band made their way onto stage welcomed by the roars of the Scottish crowd. The loudest roars of which was probably received by Stevie and Lindsey as they walked on stage hand in hand. Moments later, arguably one of Fleetwood Mac's most famous songs "The Chain" kicked off the evening's set list. I personally, couldn't think of a better song to start with. That song instantly catches your attention but it isn't until a single spot light falls upon the band's bassist John McVie and that iconic bass line fills the rooms; it just hits you and shivers run down your spine. A great start to an amazing evening!

John McVie

The evening's set list consisted of 23 of the band biggest hits including Dreams, Rhiannon and Everywhere to name just a few. Tusk, the title track of one of the band's album released in 1979 was definitely a performance to remember. It was probably one of my favourite performances of the evening. It's what I would describe as a lively, folk rock song which really showcases just how incredible an musician and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham truly is.

Tusk was soon followed by another song from the same album, Sisters of the Moon. A large moon is projected onto the screen and develops through the different stages such as a crescent moon and a full moon, this definitely adds to the already eerie atmosphere that the song creates. As you'll probably have gathered I am extremely inspired by Stevie Nicks, her music and of course how she brings her songs to life. Hearing Sisters of the Moon sung live gives me shivers and captures my imagination.

Before long, the audience are treated to a stunning acoustic section which if you've ready any of my other blog posts you'll know is one of my favourite parts of a concert. Like I've said before, acoustic performances capture the artists true emotion and of course the beauty of the song. During Fleetwood Mac's acoustic set, Lindsey Buckingham dedicated Big Love a song from the Tango in the Night album to his eldest son William who was celebrating his 17th birthday back home in America. Every time without fail, Big Love completely blows me away. Lindsey Buckingham is in my opinion one of the best guitarists ever and deserves so much more credit for it than he actually receives. He has one of the most unique fingerpicking styles when playing as opposed to the typical playing with a plectrum. Big Love really blows me away, it seems to catch the audience's attention as we all watch in complete and utter awe. Simply amazing!

Stevie Nicks soon joined Lindsey to perform a stunning song named Landslide-one of my Mum's all-time favourites. Prior to the song she spoke about a previous visit to Scotland where she visited Turnberry, which is situated on the West Coast of Scotland and how she spent time with the falconer and flew the birds there. She fondly told the audience of how she was asked by the falconer to name one of the birds and can anyone guess what she decided to name it? Well, she named the little bird Rhiannon after her song which is pretty special! And of course the performance of Landslide was just as breath-taking as I remembered. How can you not love that song? The mini acoustic set was concluded with Never Going Back Again from the band's biggest album, Rumours.

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham performing 'Landslide'

Another song that the audience was treated to was Gypsy from the Mirage album. Over the past few months Gypsy has become one of my all-time favourite Fleetwood Mac songs, it wasn't that I didn't like it before I just think I really began to listen to the song and the words really spoke to me. Stevie tells the most inspiring story prior to performing the song about a shop named "The Velvet Underground" that she used to visit before she became a member of Fleetwood Mac and how all her heroes such as Janis Joplin and Joni Mitchell used to shop their. Basically the underlying message of Stevie's "Velvet Underground" story was to never give up on your dreams no matter what anyone tells you. Those words are of course extremely relevant and meaningful to me, more so now than ever. Towards the end of the song, as Lindsey performs his guitar solo Stevie steps to the side a little and twirls round and round. On the large screen behind the band, the camera focuses on Stevie as she twirls and a video effect is used to make it look as if though she's dancing rain-very atmospheric and fits perfectly with the feel of the song. It's very beautiful and absolutely breath-taking to sit there and watch.

After a great performance of the well known 80s hit Little Lies, my very favourite performance of the evening then took place. This was of course, Gold Dust Woman. Like I said during one of my previous posts, Gold Dust Woman blows me away every single time without fail. For me, there is something special about that song and the performance Stevie Nicks gives the audience during is mind blowing. She evidently puts her heart, mind and soul into it; the power and emotion she portrays is incredible and extremely enchanting. I sat there that night completely mesmerised by the song and awe of just how amazing a performer Stevie Nicks truly is. If you want to know the reason why I love and admire Stevie Nicks so much go look up videos of Gold Dust Woman on YouTube and you'll see why. That song is extremely special to me and hearing it live really brings the words to life in ways that I can't even begin to describe.

Lindsey Buckingham continued to enchant us with a mind-blowing performance of I'm So Afraid. The guitar solo during the song was absolutely outstanding. I can only begin to imagine just how painful and tiresome it is to play guitar like Lindsey. There are so many great guitar players out there but in my opinion Lindsey is a hidden gem that so many often forget about. Seriously, Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing is nothing short of amazing and his performance of I'm So Afraid proves just that.

Christine McVie

As the night went on the crowd became more and more wilder. According to my parents this was a REAL Glasgow audience. I've to numerous concerts in Glasgow throughout the past few years but I don't think I've ever witnessed a crowd as lively as that before. By the time Go Your Own Way began to play everyone really lost it, everyone was up dancing, having a good time and enjoying themselves. Why shouldn't they!? Although, I must say my family and I were extremely taken aback to turn to our side and see a woman sitting there KNITTING! Seriously, who would pay good money to attend a concert and spend the entire show engrossed in knitting a scarf or jumper. No offence but there's something far wrong with that! What's the point in even going in the first place? I've certainly seen it all now!

Anyway, despite the strange person beside us Go Your Own Way was electric and the crowd was probably as loud as the band which says a lot. My family and I were up dancing around in the isle, me included in my wheelchair-it's too hard not too! The electric atmosphere continued into World Turning which consisted in a lively drum solo from Mick Fleetwood who is by far one of the craziest drummers I've seen. He had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand, making all sorts of crazy noises. I must admit I was a little hoarse by the end of the show from participating in the mad antics-oops!

Don't Stop came next much to the delight of the audience before a stunning performance of Silver Springs. And last but certainly not least was the song that my Mum in particular had waited a VERY long time to finally here live; that was of course Songbird. Christine McVie took centre stage with a grand piano to perform this with Lindsey Buckingham perched on a stool beside her, accompanying on guitar. It was a perfect ending to yet an another amazing show!

Mick Fleetwood

The entire band gathered together on stage for one final time that evening to take a bow before disappearing off into the darkness of the wings leaving Mick Fleetwood to say his final farewell to the audience. What an brilliant evening! I can't quite believe I booked tickets to see Fleetwood Mac all those months ago and it's over already! I sincerely hope I will have another opportunity to see them perform live as every single show I've attended has been nothing short of amazing! To those of you living in Australia and New Zealand, if you can go buy tickets for one of their shows towards the end of the year! If I could, I'd be over there on flash for one of the shows (okay, maybe two or three!). I'd seriously do anything to see them live again so seriously, if you ever get the opportunity to see Fleetwood Mac DO IT!