The Strange Brew - artist stories behind the greatest music ever recorded

Andrew Sandoval talks about THE KINKS – ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT, The Day-By-Day Story Pt 1: 1940-1971, the new book he co-authored with the Doug Hinman. This is the most comprehensive record of the Kinks’ early career ever assembled. Andrew and Jason Barnard cover what it actually took to document The Kinks, from chasing down Shel Talmy’s original studio invoices (Pye Records kept almost no paperwork). They dig into Ray Davies’ songwriting arc, the commercial failure of Village Green Preservation Society and Arthur, the on-stage fight in Cardiff that nearly ended the band in 1965, and the years of visa problems that kept the Kinks out of America. There’s also a discussion of Ray’s unreleased material that were better than most bands’ released work, why Ray refused to release ‘Pictures in the Sand’ for decades, and how the Granada Television deal that funded Arthur eventually fell apart.

Further information

beatlandbooks.com

Podcasts also available: Shel Talmy, Bob Henrit – The Kinks, Argent, The Roulettes, The Kinks – Strange Brew tribute, Philip Norman on the Beatles, Bee Gees’ Main Course with Bob Stanley

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Google apps and all usual platforms

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Lou Gramm discusses his long-awaited album Released and how it brings unfinished songs back to life. Gramm also opens up about Foreigner’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the politics that delayed their recognition, and the emotional moment of finally taking the stage to accept the honour. The podcast explores the rekindling of his relationship with Mick Jones, overlooked Foreigner albums such as Mr. Moonlight and the short-lived Shadow King project, both of which Gramm believes deserve far greater attention.

Further information

Lou Gramm – Released

Lou Gramm podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Lou Gramm – 2022, Kelly Hansen – Foreigner, Michael Schenker, Bernie Marsden – Whitesnake, Mark Farner – Grand Funk Railroad, Barry Goudreau – Boston

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

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Tom Doyle digs into the remarkable, and surprisingly chaotic, story of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles decade. Tom’s book Man on the Run, reissued to coincide with the official documentary of the same name, charts McCartney’s journey from 1969 to 1981: from morning drinking on a Scottish farm to headlining Madison Square Garden. Tom covers Linda’s role in keeping Paul from the brink, the brotherly war-and-reconciliation with John Lennon, the near-collaboration that almost happened in New Orleans in 1975, Denny Laine’s loyal lieutenancy, the extraordinary circumstances behind Band on the Run, the rise and fall of Wings, and the moment John Lennon’s murder brought the freewheeling seventies era to a sudden stop.

Further information

Man on the Run and Ringo: A Fab Life by Tom Doyle are available now. (Ringo: A Fab Life, US release May 2026).

Podcasts also available: Denny Seiwell, Howie Casey – Paul McCartney and Wings, Mike McCartney’s Early Liverpool, Eric Stewart – 10cc/Paul McCartney, solo, Dave Mattacks

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

The post Man on the Run: Paul McCartney in the 1970s appeared first on The Strange Brew .

If you’re a David Bowie fan, the names Earl Slick, Mike Garson, Tim Lefebvre, Gerry Leonard and Mark Plati will need no introduction. But KillerStar are not a Bowie tribute, and that’s what makes them so special. On this episode, KillerStar co-founder Rob Fleming explains how the whole thing started organically; a few demos, a call to vocalist Emm Gryner, and suddenly some of the most celebrated musicians of the past thirty years were playing original music together for the first time in years. Now, with new album The Afterglow, the collective grows with the Webb Sisters bringing their vocal talents to an already extraordinary lineup. Rob discusses five KillerStar tracks that demonstrate why they sound like no one else today.

Further information

killerstarband.com

KillerStar podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Mike Garson, Gerry Leonard, Mark Plati, Earl Slick, Kevin Armstrong

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Spotify, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

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It’s been over a decade since I last spoke to Steve Ellis, and it felt like no time had passed at all. That’s the thing about Steve, he just pulls you straight back in. The prompt for this catch-up was his latest release, Love Affair – Edinburgh Live 1995. The story of how it came to exist, a phone call at 7pm asking if they could record a live album that same night, is pure Steve Ellis.

From there we tumbled into his soul and Motown roots, the mod scene, and his deep connection with Steve Marriott and the Small Faces. Then there’s the legendary Eros fountain stunt – the arrest and how it helped send ‘Everlasting Love’ to number one. On the solo front, we cover his friendship and collaborations with Paul Weller and Roger Daltrey. And as a parting shot, Steve reveals a new album is in the bag, and by the sound of it, well worth the wait.

Further information

Steve Ellis – Facebook

Mod Music: The London years 1963 – 1966 – Brian Carroll

Steve Ellis podcast tracks

Podcasts also available: Steve Ellis – 2015, Morgan Fisher – Love Affair, Steve Cradock, Steve Cropper, Phill Brown on Small Faces – Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake

This podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Google apps and all usual platforms

If you like what I do please support me on Ko-fi

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