Today, we're telling the story of guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer Lindsey Buckingham. He wrote some of "Fleetwood Mac"'s biggest hits, but his contribution to the band goes much further. His guitar work, vocal harmonies and attention to detail in the studio made him one of the main architects of its sound. Here are 40 facts about the man who combined melodic pop, distinctive playing and a constant search for new ways to create. (Photo: Lauren Dukoff) 1. He was born Lindsey Adams Buckingham on October 3, 1949, in Palo Alto, California, and grew up in nearby Atherton. He is the youngest of three sons. 2. As a child, he competed in swimming alongside his brothers, but later chose music. His brother Greg Buckingham continued swimming and won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. 3. His first steps as a musician involved a toy guitar featuring Mickey Mouse, which he played along with his brother's records. When his parents noticed his interest, they bought him a "Harmony" guitar that cost $35. 4. Buckingham taught himself to play. Unlike many rock guitarists, he developed a style based mainly on fingerpicking, allowing him to combine accompaniment, rhythm and melody in a single guitar part. 5. He met Stevie Nicks while attending "Menlo-Atherton" High School. At one of their early musical encounters, he played and sang "California Dreamin'", and she joined him in harmony. 6. In the second half of the 1960s, the two performed with "Fritz", originally called "The Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band". In that group, Buckingham played bass and sang, while Nicks was the lead vocalist. 7. "Fritz" performed around the San Francisco Bay Area and opened for artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and "Santana". These were Buckingham and Nicks' first years of experience performing before large audiences. 8. After the band broke up, Buckingham and Nicks became a musical duo and a couple. They moved to Los Angeles to advance their careers, with Buckingham devoting considerable time to writing and recording. 9. In 1973, they released their first and only album as a duo, "Buckingham Nicks". Recorded at "Sound City" with producer Keith Olsen, it did not achieve significant commercial success at the time. 10. The commercially unsuccessful album nevertheless gave them their big opportunity. When Mick Fleetwood visited "Sound City", Olsen played him "Frozen Love", and Buckingham's guitar work caught his attention. 11. After Bob Welch's departure, Buckingham was invited to join "Fleetwood Mac". He made his acceptance conditional on Nicks joining too. The two joined the band on December 31, 1974, as you can read in our feature on the day that changed the band's history. 12. Released in 1975, "Fleetwood Mac" was the band's tenth studio album and its first with Buckingham and Nicks. It reached No. 1 on the U.S. album chart. Buckingham's contributions included "Monday Morning" and "I'm So Afraid". 13. Their shared success did not prevent their relationship from falling apart. Buckingham and Nicks split up before "Rumours" was completed, but continued working together, singing harmonies and performing side by side. They were never married. 14. In 1977, "Rumours", the band's eleventh studio album, was released. It spent a total of 31 weeks at No. 1 on the "Billboard 200" and won the "Grammy" for Album of the Year at the 1978 ceremony. 15. Buckingham wrote and sang "Second Hand News", "Never Going Back Again" and "Go Your Own Way" on the album. The latter dealt with his breakup with Nicks, who had to sing backing vocals on a song in which her former partner addressed their relationship. 16. He was also one of the five writers of "The Chain". It is the only song on the album for which every member of the lineup received a songwriting credit. 17. In 1979, the band released its twelfth studio album, "Tusk". Buckingham was the main force behind its experimental direction, which incorporated punk and new wave influences and departed from the polished sound that had brought the band enormous success. 18. Buckingham wrote the title track, "Tusk". Its famous recording features the University of Southern California marching band, recorded at "Dodger Stadium" in Los Angeles. 19. Around that time, he began using the "Rick Turner Model 1" guitar, which became his trademark. Turner developed it for him to combine a full electric sound with the clarity and rhythmic response suited to his fingerpicking. 20. In 1981, he released his first solo album, "Law and Order", on which he played almost all the instruments. The album reached No. 32 on the U.S. chart, while the single "Trouble", featuring Mick Fleetwood on drums, reached No. 9 on the "Billboard Hot 100". 21. In 1982, he returned to recording with "Fleetwood Mac" for "Mirage", the band's thirteenth studio album, which reached No. 1 in the United States. His songs for the album included "Can't Go Back". 22. In 1983, he wrote and performed "Holiday Road" for the film "National Lampoon's Vacation". The song became one of the works most closely associated with his solo career and the Vacation film series. 23. In 1984, he released his second solo album, "Go Insane". It reached No. 45 on the U.S. album chart, while its title track reached No. 23 on the singles chart. 24. In 1985, he contributed "Time Bomb Town" to the soundtrack of "Back to the Future". 25. In 1987, "Fleetwood Mac" released its fourteenth studio album, "Tango in the Night". The project began as a Buckingham solo album before becoming a band album. He produced it with Richard Dashut and contributed songs including "Big Love". The album reached No. 7 in the United States and No. 1 in the United Kingdom. 26. Despite the album's success, Buckingham left the band before the tour. Two guitarists, Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, took his place. 27. In 1992, he released his third solo album, "Out of the Cradle". It reached No. 128 on the U.S. chart, but earned praise for its guitar work and meticulous production. Its singles included "Countdown", "Wrong" and "Soul Drifter". 28. In 1993, he reunited with the classic "Fleetwood Mac" lineup for a performance during the celebrations marking Bill Clinton's inauguration as U.S. president. In 1996, he recorded the duet "Twisted" with Nicks for the film "Twister". 29. In 1997, he returned fully to "Fleetwood Mac" for the live album "The Dance" and its accompanying tour. In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the band, which was introduced at the ceremony by Sheryl Crow. 30. In 2003, he appeared on "Say You Will", the band's seventeenth studio album and its first with Buckingham since 1987. He was one of its main producers. The album reached No. 3 in the United States and included "Peacekeeper", which he wrote. 31. On October 3, 2006, his 57th birthday, he released his fourth solo album, "Under the Skin". The album reached No. 80 in the United States and centered on acoustic guitar and his voice, with relatively sparse accompaniment. 32. In 2008, his fifth solo album, "Gift of Screws", was released and reached No. 48 on the U.S. chart. His sixth album, "Seeds We Sow", followed in 2011 as an independent release and reached No. 45. 33. In 2017, he and Christine McVie released their first collaborative album, "Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie". Mick Fleetwood and John McVie also played on the recordings, but the album was released under the two songwriters' names. It reached No. 17 in the United States and No. 5 in the United Kingdom. 34. In 2018, he was dismissed from "Fleetwood Mac" and replaced by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn. Buckingham sued the band members over his dismissal, and the parties reached an out-of-court settlement later that year. 35. In February 2019, he underwent emergency open-heart surgery. His vocal cords were damaged during treatment, but he later recovered and returned to singing and performing. 36. In 2020, he played the guitar solo on "Caution" by "The Killers". In 2021, he played guitar on Halsey's "Darling" and joined her for a performance of the song on "Saturday Night Live". 37. In September 2021, he released his seventh solo album, "Lindsey Buckingham", his first in a decade. Its release had been delayed by his recovery from surgery and the COVID-19 pandemic. Its songs included "I Don't Mind" and "On the Wrong Side". 38. In 2024, the box set "20th Century Lindsey" was released, bringing together his first three solo albums with additional recordings, special versions and songs he wrote for film soundtracks. 39. On September 19, 2025, "Buckingham Nicks" received an official reissue, appearing on CD and digital platforms for the first time. More than five decades after its original release, the album that began their shared journey reached a new audience. 40. In 2026, Buckingham said he was working on another solo album, and in August he said that he and Nicks were speaking regularly again. He hinted at possible developments in 2027, but did not announce a reunion or a new collaborative album. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On October 3, 2015, "Bon Jovi" appeared, for the first time, on the "Hayarkon Park" stage, and in front of 50,000 delighted spectators gave us a historic and unforgettable performance. So it's true, we got the band way past its prime. True, Richie Sambora was missing and even two talented guitarists like Phil X and Matt O'Ree, could not fill his big shoes. True, the setlist included quite a few new and lesser known songs, at the expense of hits like "Always" and "Bed Of Roses". And most of all, it's true, Jon Bon Jovi's voice betrayed him more than once and he sometimes sounds like an unsuccessful imitation version of himself. But if we leave the cynicism aside for a moment and see the glass half full, then on October 3, 2015 we witnessed an amazing and historic performance by one of the biggest rock bands in the world, who came to Israel to give the best show they can deliver under the circumstances, and no less than that, they came to support Israel and the Israeli audience in a difficult time, and even dedicated a song to them! This was the band's last performance on the tour called "Bon Jovi Live!" - the band's first full tour following the 2013 departure of Richie Sambora, which was intended to promote the band's 13th studio album "Burning Bridges". All demands and appeals to the band not to perform in Israel, including from one - Roger Waters, were not met, and at exactly 20:45 the band went on stage to the sound of Tico Torres' thundering drums, who also gave the signal for the beginning of the song "That's What the Water Made Me", taken from the album "What About Now" from 2013. There is no doubt that this is a somewhat strange, but brave choice to open a show of this magnitude, especially when it comes to the band's first show in Israel. But the Israeli audience who longed to see their heroes was not really interested, as could be understood from the applause and hysterical screams that the band received, from the very first seconds of the show. As soon as the opening song ends, Jon Bon Jovi turns to the crowd and asks them “Good evening Tel Aviv, Israel! Are you ready for rock ‘n roll? I’ve waited a long time for this, baby! ... Show me what you're made of..." and the crowd really showed him what they made of with applause, cheers and roars to the first sounds of "You Give Love A Bad Name". That's it, we could declare... the show has now began... From there on the setlist took us back and forth in time, throughout the band's illustrious career. After "Raise Your Hands", also taken from the album from the masterpiece "Slippery When Wet" Jon Bon Jovi's "Time Tunnel" counts down the time and takes us back, how far back? As far back as possible to the debut album "Bon Jovi" from 1984. Jon tells us how it all started, how he did not give up despite all the rejections and negative answers he received, how he gathered courage and in 1982 arrived at WAPP 103.5 FM "The Apple" radio station from New York with the demo for the song "Runaway" and from there everything is really a history... Then we get a sequence of relatively new songs - "We Got It Goin' On" from the album "Lost Highway", followed by "We Weren't Born to Follow" - the first single from the album "The Circle", returning to the theme song "Lost Highway" And another song from the album "Whole Lot of Leavin'". And then comes one of the most exciting moments in the show. Jon Bon Jovi dedicates the song "We Don't Run" to the Israeli croud and says: "This should be the fight song for Tel Aviv". And we're really not running away, we're here to stay!!! Shortly before the concert there was an attack in Jerusalem, when a Palestinian stabbed two Israelis to death in the Old City and wounded two more, so suddenly these warm words of Jon Bon Jovi take on a different meaning... Jon turns to the band and the audience and says "Turn up the volume... here's part 2..." and here we witness one of the highlights of the performance with the song "It's My Life". The guitarist Phil X makes use of the famous "talk box" effect, it is not clear how this epic song would have sounded without it, and the longing for Richie Sambora who ingeniously had the idea of using, is only getting stronger. Right after it, comes "Because We Can" and Jon tries to get the crowd to sing with him, but apparently the park is mostly full of 70's and 80's people who didn't really know the song. We have to say it wasn't one of Jon's better performances, which unfortunately was a bit "off tune", but who cares? The nostalgic burst we experienced simply overshadows everything.. This dance of the band and the audience, back and forth in time, continued with an acoustic rendition of "Someday I'll Be Saturday Night" which immediately followed by the legendary "Wanted Dead Or Alive", with a tremendous solo by Phil X, who happily chose to stick to the original rather than improvise. Just Before the song "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (which we call the Polish anthem (-:)) Jon introduces the Jewish keyboardist David Bryan and says "your father would be proud of you for finally coming to Israel!". After a particularly long and energetic performance that includes several solos in "Keep the Faith" the band performs "Bad Medicine" and gets off the stage to the applause of the audience that refuses to let them go, certainly not after 30 years of anticipation... Indeed, the band responds and returns for a long set of encores that includes no less than five songs! Among them are "In These Arms" which continues to melt us twenty years after its release, the bouncy "Born To Be My Baby" and of course "Livin' on a Prayer", with which the band chooses to end this amazing evening. Interestingly, during one of the interviews conducted with him before the show, Jon Bon Jovi stated "I have been everywhere and Israel was a place that I’ve always wanted to visit, but it never worked out. This time I insisted that Israel must be on our list and it happened!" It is not impossible that because of this he chose to end the performance with a promise: "I’ll come here any time you want". Yes Jon, even though you're past your prime, even though you don't always hit the right notes we want you here again, and again... "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Today, we take a look at guitarist, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Josh Klinghoffer. Many know him from the decade he spent playing with "Red Hot Chili Peppers", but his career began long before that and has taken many directions since. Here are 42 facts about the musician who moved from drums to guitar, from collaborations with John Frusciante to the stages of "Pearl Jam", and found a voice of his own as Pluralone. (Photo: Emily Ulmer) 1. He was born Josh Adam Klinghoffer on October 3, 1979, in Santa Monica, California, and grew up in the Los Angeles area. 2. He began taking drum lessons at nine. He later taught himself guitar and keyboards, and also plays bass, sings, writes songs, and produces. 3. At 15, he left high school to focus on music. He was already active in the Los Angeles music scene as a teenager. 4. In 1997, at 17, he joined "The Bicycle Thief", the band Bob Forrest formed after his work with "Thelonious Monster". 5. During recording sessions with "The Bicycle Thief", he met John Frusciante, who came in to record a guest guitar solo. The two became friends and musical collaborators long before Josh replaced him in "Red Hot Chili Peppers". 6. In 1999, "The Bicycle Thief" released their only studio album, "You Come and Go Like a Pop Song". Klinghoffer played guitar, keyboards, and drums on it. 7. In late 1999, "The Bicycle Thief" opened for "Red Hot Chili Peppers" on the tour supporting their seventh studio album, "Californication". This was one of his earliest connections with the band. 8. In 2002, he played bass on "Let My Burden Be", the debut album by "Golden Shoulders". He continued collaborating with the group on later albums and live performances. 9. In 2004, he contributed to "Shadows Collide with People", John Frusciante's fourth studio album. He co-wrote "Omission" and "-00Ghost27", and also played instruments and sang on the record. 10. That year, he became a key collaborator during a particularly productive period for John Frusciante, also playing on his fifth solo album, "The Will to Death", and his sixth, "Inside of Emptiness". 11. In 2004, he formed the experimental band "Ataxia" with John Frusciante and "Fugazi" bassist Joe Lally. This time, he took his place behind the drum kit. Their recordings produced the band's two studio albums, "Automatic Writing" and, later, "AW II". 12. In November 2004, he and John Frusciante released their collaborative album, "A Sphere in the Heart of Silence". It combined electronics, synthesizers, and live instruments, with Klinghoffer also singing lead vocals. 13. Throughout the 2000s, he gained experience recording and touring with artists and bands including Beck, PJ Harvey, "Sparks", "Butthole Surfers", and Vincent Gallo. In 2004, he also contributed to "California Clam Chowder", the fifth studio album by "Thelonious Monster". 14. In 2006, he joined the touring lineup of "Gnarls Barkley", the duo of Danger Mouse and CeeLo Green. He later contributed to their second album, "The Odd Couple", released in 2008. 15. In 2007, he joined "Red Hot Chili Peppers" on the tour supporting their ninth studio album, "Stadium Arcadium". He played additional guitar and keyboards and sang backing vocals alongside John Frusciante, who was still the band's full-time guitarist. 16. He also contributed to "Exquisite Corpse", the debut EP by "Warpaint", released in 2008. He played drums on "Billie Holiday" and guitar on "Krimson". 17. In 2008, he formed "Dot Hacker" with guitarist Clint Walsh, drummer Eric Gardner, and bassist Jonathan Hischke. Klinghoffer, Walsh, and Gardner knew each other from their work with "Gnarls Barkley"; in the new band, Josh was also the lead singer and a principal songwriter. 18. In 2009, he also played on "The Empyrean", John Frusciante's eighth solo album, extending their collaboration beyond the series of recordings they made in 2004. 19. In late 2009, he began working with "Red Hot Chili Peppers" as their full-time guitarist, replacing John Frusciante. His new role became public in early 2010, following his earlier work as an additional touring musician. 20. In August 2011, "Red Hot Chili Peppers" released "I'm With You", their tenth studio album and their first with Klinghoffer as their full-time guitarist. Produced by Rick Rubin, it debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, selling approximately 229,000 copies in its first week in the United States, and reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom. 21. The single "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" introduced the new lineup to a wider audience. Other singles from "I'm With You" included "Monarchy of Roses", "Look Around", and "Brendan's Death Song". 22. In April 2012, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of "Red Hot Chili Peppers". At 32, he was the youngest musician inducted at the time. It was a record he held then, rather than one he retained indefinitely. 23. In 2012, "Dot Hacker" released their debut album, "Inhibition". The band gave him an outlet for more experimental music, with lead vocals alongside his guitar and keyboard work. 24. In 2013, "I'm Beside You" collected 17 tracks recorded during the "I'm With You" sessions that had not appeared on the album. It is a compilation drawn from those sessions, rather than another "Red Hot Chili Peppers" studio album. 25. In 2014, "Dot Hacker" released two complementary albums: their second, "How's Your Process? (Work)", and their third, "How's Your Process? (Play)". The title came from a question Klinghoffer overheard and found compelling because of its many possible meanings. 26. In June 2016, "Red Hot Chili Peppers" released "The Getaway", their eleventh studio album and their second with Klinghoffer. This time, Danger Mouse produced the record, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with approximately 118,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. 27. On "The Getaway", he helped create "Dark Necessities", "Go Robot", and "Sick Love". Elton John played piano on the latter, years before Klinghoffer contributed to his collaborative album with Brandi Carlile. 28. In January 2017, "Dot Hacker" released "Nº3". Despite its title, it is their fourth studio album when the two "How's Your Process?" records are counted separately. 29. In November 2019, he released "To Be One with You", his first solo album under the name Pluralone. He played most of the instruments, with contributions from musicians including Flea, Jack Irons, and Eric Avery. 30. In December 2019, "Red Hot Chili Peppers" announced their parting with Klinghoffer and John Frusciante's return. Josh had spent approximately a decade as the band's full-time guitarist, in addition to his earlier years as a touring musician. 31. In October 2020, he released "I Don't Feel Well", his second album as Pluralone. It was made during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Klinghoffer again playing most of the instruments alongside guests including Jack Irons. 32. In September 2021, he began performing with "Pearl Jam" as an additional touring musician. He contributed guitar, keyboards, percussion, and backing vocals, a role distinct from membership in the band's core five-piece lineup. 33. In February 2022, he contributed to "Earthling", Eddie Vedder's third solo album. He played several instruments and also joined the touring band "The Earthlings", alongside Chad Smith, Andrew Watt, Glen Hansard, and Chris Chaney. 34. In March 2022, he released "This Is the Show", his third album as Pluralone. Clint Walsh produced it after scheduling conflicts changed plans for another collaboration involving "Dot Hacker". 35. In January 2023, he contributed to "Every Loser", Iggy Pop's nineteenth solo album, produced by Andrew Watt. His contributions included guitars, keyboards, piano, and other instruments. He also performed with Iggy's backing band, "The Losers". 36. In 2023, he filled in for Dave Navarro at "Jane's Addiction" shows after Navarro was forced to step away because of long COVID symptoms. This was also a role in the band's touring lineup. 37. In March 2024, he was involved in a traffic collision in Alhambra, California, in which his vehicle struck pedestrian Israel Sanchez, who died from his injuries. The incident led to criminal proceedings and a civil lawsuit. 38. In April 2024, he contributed to "Dark Matter", the twelfth studio album by "Pearl Jam". Beyond his onstage work with the band, he played guitar, piano, and keyboards on the recordings and also received songwriting credits. 39. In April 2025, he contributed to "Who Believes in Angels?", the first collaborative album by Elton John and Brandi Carlile. Other musicians on the Andrew Watt-produced record included Chad Smith and Pino Palladino. 40. On May 28, 2025, he entered a no-contest plea to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced to one year of informal probation and 60 days of community labor, and was required to complete a driver safety course and pay restitution. He received no jail sentence. 41. On June 12, 2026, he released "A Drop in the Ocean", his fourth album as Pluralone, produced by Eric Palmquist. Acoustic guitar is central to the record, and writer Chelsea Hodson contributes backing vocals to three tracks. 42. "A Drop in the Ocean" includes "I Hope You Knew", initially released in March 2026 in memory of Taylor Hawkins. The closing track, "Sadly", retains a piano recording made on his phone that captured the song as he was writing it. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Singer, bassist and songwriter Sting celebrates his birthday today! Here are 52 facts about the man who brought together punk, rock, reggae and jazz, wrote some of the most recognizable songs by "The Police" and continued exploring new directions throughout his solo career: (Photo: Martin Kierszenbaum / Sting.com) 1. He was born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner on October 2, 1951, in Wallsend, in northeastern England. 2. He is the eldest of four children. His father worked as a milkman and his mother was a hairdresser. The shipyards on the River Tyne, near his childhood home, later became a recurring image in his work. 3. At ten, he began playing an old Spanish guitar left at the family home by a friend of his father's. He later switched to bass, which became his signature instrument. 4. Before finding fame, he worked as a bus conductor and in a tax office, among other jobs. After training as a teacher, he taught for about two years at St Paul's School in Cramlington. 5. Alongside teaching, he played clubs with local jazz ensembles, including "Newcastle Big Band", "Phoenix Jazzmen" and "Earthrise". Jazz was part of his musical vocabulary long before he encountered punk and reggae. 6. The nickname Sting originated during his time with "Phoenix Jazzmen": bandleader Gordon Solomon saw him wearing a black and yellow striped sweater that made him look like a stinging insect. The nickname stuck, although he never legally changed his name. 7. In the mid-1970s, he was the singer and bassist in the jazz fusion group "Last Exit", alongside keyboardist Gerry Richardson. It was there that he began developing his songwriting. 8. In 1977, he moved to London and formed "The Police" with Stewart Copeland and guitarist Henry Padovani. He became the band's lead singer, bassist and principal songwriter. 9. That same year, he also played in "Strontium 90", a short-lived group led by Mike Howlett, alongside Copeland and Andy Summers. Summers later joined "The Police"; after a brief period as a quartet, Padovani left and the familiar lineup took shape. 10. In the late 1970s, the members of "The Police" dyed their hair blond for a Wrigley's chewing gum commercial. The advertisement never aired, but the blond look remained and became part of the band's image. 11. In 1978, "The Police" released their debut album, "Outlandos d'Amour", which reached number six in the UK. Sting's contributions included "Roxanne", "Can't Stand Losing You" and "So Lonely". 12. He wrote "Roxanne" after seeing women in a red-light district in Paris. The song was not an immediate hit, but its 1979 reissue helped the band break through. 13. In 1979, "The Police" released their second album, "Reggatta de Blanc", their first UK number one. Sting's songs "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" also topped the UK singles chart. 14. That same year, he appeared in "Quadrophenia", based on the rock opera by "The Who", playing the Mod leader known as Ace Face. The role helped introduce him as an actor. 15. In 1980, "The Police" released their third album, "Zenyatta Mondatta", which reached number one in the UK. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. 16. In 1981, "The Police" released their fourth album, "Ghost in the Machine", another UK number one. Sting played saxophone as well as bass and sang on the record, broadening the group's sound. 17. As early as 1982, before his first solo album, he released "Spread a Little Happiness" from "Brimstone and Treacle", a film in which he played a leading role. The single reached number 16 in the UK. 18. In 1983, "The Police" released "Synchronicity", their fifth and final studio album. It topped the charts in both the UK and the US and included "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger". 19. Although widely used as a love song, "Every Breath You Take" is about control, surveillance and obsession. Sting's composition won Song of the Year at the 1984 Grammy Awards. 20. In 1984, he played Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's film "Dune". The tour by "The Police" ended that same year, and the band members turned to separate projects. 21. In 1985, he released his first solo album, "The Dream of the Blue Turtles", which reached number three in the UK. He recruited Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Omar Hakim and Darryl Jones, combining pop songwriting with the freedom of jazz musicians. 22. He described "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" as a response to the themes of control in "Every Breath You Take". "Russians", from the same debut album, combined a melody based on a theme by Sergei Prokofiev with a message against the nuclear threat. 23. In 1985, he contributed to "Money for Nothing" by "Dire Straits", singing the signature "I Want My MTV" refrain. He also received a co-writing credit with Mark Knopfler. 24. In July 1985, he performed at "Live Aid" at Wembley Stadium, including appearances alongside Phil Collins and "Dire Straits". Michael Apted's documentary "Bring on the Night", released that year, chronicled the formation of his solo band. 25. In 1987, he released his second solo album, "...Nothing Like the Sun", which topped the UK chart and won British Album of the Year at the Brit Awards. Its title came from William Shakespeare's Sonnet 130. 26. "Englishman in New York" was written about author and artist Quentin Crisp, who became his friend in New York. The same album featured "They Dance Alone", about women who lost their loved ones under Pinochet's regime in Chile. 27. In 1988, he joined Amnesty International's "Human Rights Now!" tour alongside Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Youssou N'Dour. 28. In 1989, he and his partner Trudie Styler established the Rainforest Foundation to protect rainforests and the rights of the Indigenous communities living in them. 29. In 1991, he released his third solo album, "The Soul Cages", which reached number one in the UK. Born out of grief over his father's death, the album returned to the landscapes and shipyards of his childhood; its title track won a Grammy for Best Rock Song. 30. During the period of "The Soul Cages", his third solo album, he assembled a band with Dominic Miller on guitar, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums and David Sancious on keyboards. Miller became one of his most enduring and important musical partners. 31. In 1992, he married Trudie Styler. Sting has six children: two from his first marriage to actress Frances Tomelty and four with Styler. Several have pursued music and acting themselves. 32. In 1993, he released his fourth solo album, "Ten Summoner's Tales", which reached number two in the UK. Recorded at his home, Lake House, it included "Fields of Gold", "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" and "Seven Days". 33. "Shape of My Heart" was co-written with Dominic Miller and appeared on his fourth solo album, "Ten Summoner's Tales". It later featured in the film "Léon", and its guitar part found a new life through samples in other artists' songs. 34. In late 1993, he teamed up with Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart for "All for Love", from the film "The Three Musketeers". The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. 35. In 1996, he released his fifth solo album, "Mercury Falling", which reached number four in the UK. It blended country, gospel and bossa nova and included "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" and "I Hung My Head". 36. In 1999, he released his sixth solo album, "Brand New Day", which reached number five in the UK and won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. He sang "Desert Rose" with Cheb Mami, while Stevie Wonder played harmonica on the title track. The use of "Desert Rose" in Jaguar advertisements in 2000 helped it become a hit in the US as well. 37. In 2000, he faced world chess champion Garry Kasparov in an exhibition match. Kasparov played Sting and several of his musicians simultaneously and defeated them all. 38. In 2001, Fender introduced his signature bass model, the Sting Precision Bass. Early Precision-style basses have been among the instruments most closely associated with him throughout his career. 39. On September 11, 2001, he recorded a concert at his estate in Italy on the day of the attacks in the US. After discussing it with his musicians, he decided to go ahead with the performance, which opened with "Fragile" and was released as the live album "...All This Time", reaching number three in the UK. 40. In 2003, he released his seventh solo album, "Sacred Love", which reached number three in the UK. "Whenever I Say Your Name", his duet with Mary J. Blige, won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. 41. That same year, he entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of "The Police" and published his autobiography, "Broken Music", about his childhood and journey to success. 42. In 2006, he released his eighth solo album, "Songs from the Labyrinth", which reached number 24 in the UK. Working with lutenist Edin Karamazov, Sting revisited Renaissance works by John Dowland; the album topped Billboard's year-end Classical Albums chart in both 2006 and 2007. 43. In February 2007, he reunited with Copeland and Summers for a performance at the Grammy Awards. "The Police" then embarked on a worldwide reunion tour that lasted until August 2008, without releasing a new studio album. 44. In 2009, he released his ninth solo album, "If on a Winter's Night...", which reached number 15 in the UK. It featured folk songs, carols and winter-related compositions in acoustic and chamber arrangements. 45. In 2010, he released his tenth solo album, "Symphonicities", which reached number 30 in the UK. He re-recorded songs from his solo career and "The Police" with orchestral arrangements and toured with the "Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra". 46. In 2013, he released his 11th solo album, "The Last Ship", which reached number 14 in the UK. Its songs are connected to the musical he wrote, inspired by the shipbuilding community where he grew up. The production opened on Broadway in 2014, and he received a Tony nomination for Best Original Score. 47. In 2016, he released his 12th solo album, "57th & 9th", which reached number 15 in the UK and marked a return to rock and pop. Its title refers to the New York intersection he crossed on his way to the studio. That year, he also toured with Peter Gabriel. 48. In 2018, he and Shaggy released "44/876", his 13th studio album outside "The Police". It reached number nine in the UK and won a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Its title combines the telephone dialing codes of the UK and Jamaica. 49. In 2019, he released "My Songs", his 14th studio album, featuring new recordings of familiar songs. It reached number 27 in the UK. In 2021, he released the collaborative compilation "Duets", which reached number 17 in the UK. 50. In November 2021, he released his 15th studio album, "The Bridge", which reached number 27 in the UK. Written during the pandemic, it included "If It's Love" and "Rushing Water". In 2023, he was awarded Fellowship of The Ivors Academy for his contribution to songwriting. 51. In 2024, he launched the "STING 3.0" tour with Dominic Miller on guitar and Chris Maas on drums. The stripped-down lineup was documented on the live album "STING 3.0 LIVE" in 2025. In 2026, he continued touring and returned to the stage with the musical "The Last Ship", including a London production in September and October. 52. As of his 75th birthday, Sting has won 17 Grammy Awards across his solo career and his work with "The Police", and received four Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. According to his official biography, his combined album sales with the band and as a solo artist total approximately 100 million. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On October 2, 1981, "The Police" released their fourth studio album, "Ghost in the Machine". There is something unsettling about this album from its opening notes. Sting's synthesizer suddenly takes the place where we have grown used to hearing Andy Summers' guitar, the bass shifts restlessly beneath it, and Stewart Copeland's drums pull us in. After three albums on which it seemed there was nothing this trio could not do with guitar, bass and drums, they begin looking for other possibilities. In just four years, "The Police" had gone from a band trying to find a place in punk-era London to one of the most successful groups in the world. The combination of Sting's jazz background, Summers' experience and harmonic imagination, and Copeland's extraordinary rhythms had already proved itself on "Reggatta de Blanc". The next album, "Zenyatta Mondatta", broadened their audience further. Success, however, also drew them into a relentless cycle of recording and touring. By this point, all three knew they wanted to move away from the sound that had become their trademark. For these sessions, the band parted ways with producer Nigel Gray and worked with Hugh Padgham, who co-produced the album with them. Most of the work took place at "AIR" studios on Montserrat, with additional recording at "Le Studio" in Quebec. On Montserrat, the three played together, but in separate rooms. Summers was in the studio, Sting in the control room, and Copeland in the dining room. This separation allowed Padgham to control each instrument's sound without losing the musicians' immediate responses to one another. You can hear that freedom in the drums, which sound bigger and fuller while retaining Copeland's familiar restlessness. The songwriting had changed too. Sting arrived with fully developed demos, and the keyboards on which he had written some of the songs remained at the heart of their arrangements. His saxophone parts, recorded in layers, added the grit of rhythm and blues and funk. Summers later expressed reservations about this direction. To him, the space occupied by the additional instruments came at the expense of the trio's freedom. It is an understandable objection. His guitar is no longer always the first thing you hear, but when it enters, it still changes the atmosphere. The album took its name from Arthur Koestler's book "The Ghost in the Machine", which explored the human mind and our tendency toward self-destruction. Sting found ideas in it that also occupied his songs. Violence, desire, obedience, and the difficulty of preserving our humanity within systems that demand predictable behavior. The album does not tell a continuous story, but its songs approach the same question from different angles: what happens when fear, habit, or the crowd begins doing a person's thinking for them? "Spirits in the Material World" raises that question without preamble. The synthesizer plays short offbeat chords in place of the familiar reggae guitar strumming, while the bass line winds between them. Copeland keeps everything moving even when the rhythm refuses to settle into an easy groove. Against this backdrop, Sting sings of lost faith in leaders and political solutions, asking us to see a human being as more than a body that takes orders. Then, almost before we have found our bearings, "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" throws the album wide open. Jean Roussel's piano dances around the melody, the bass climbs, and the chorus bursts out with an enthusiasm that is hard to resist. On an album full of suspicion and anxiety, falling in love sounds especially liberating. The protagonist himself, though, is far from free. He can imagine an entire future with the woman he loves, yet struggles even to approach her. The distance between the joy of the music and the embarrassment in the lyrics is a large part of its charm. This is also the song that best illustrates how much the band's working methods had changed. Sting wrote it before the group formed, and the recording he made in Canada with Roussel was so detailed that the three struggled to find a better alternative. It ultimately became the foundation for the album version, to which Summers and Copeland added their playing. You can hear Sting's pop ambitions, but it is the drumming, full of small shifts and sudden bursts, that gives the song the character of "The Police". The transition into "Invisible Sun" is chilling. After the open, celebratory chorus, the counting and somber keyboards bring us back to a world in which survival cannot be taken for granted. Sting wrote the song against the backdrop of violence in Northern Ireland. He does not attempt to summarize the conflict, but to approach the experience of someone who must get up each morning and live within it. The chorus searches for a source of warmth and hope even when nothing nearby promises either, and Summers answers with a searing guitar. The video, which included images of the conflict, was banned from broadcast by the "BBC". The song itself reached number two on the UK chart. From here, the album changes shape again. The saxophones move to the foreground on "Hungry for You (J'aurais toujours faim de toi)", with Sting singing mainly in French about an insatiable desire. The stubborn repetition of the bass and horns suits the idea. There is little room for reflection here; the body has already decided. Next comes "Demolition Man", which expands that same insistence into something approaching hard rock. The guitar is rough-edged, the riff repeats over and over, and Sting presents a character whose every encounter ends in destruction. Grace Jones had already recorded the song for "Nightclubbing" earlier that year. In the version by "The Police", it runs for almost six minutes and takes on a different weight and force. This stretch is also where the album invites disagreement. The riffs and saxophones give it power, but at times they fill almost every corner and push the guitars out. Listeners who love the space and elegance of the earlier recordings may miss them here. On "Too Much Information", however, that density serves the song well. The lyrics are brief, the declarations repeat, and the horns keep showering us with more of the same. A song about information overload makes us feel that overload through the arrangement itself. "Rehumanize Yourself" does not stop to explain much either. Copeland's music and Sting's lyrics set a fast, almost exuberant rhythm against images of alienating work, police power, and racism. After that onslaught, "One World (Not Three)" gives the rhythm room to open up. The reggae feel is pronounced, the bass is steady, and Copeland's percussion adds movement around it. Sting challenges the convenient division into first, second, and third worlds, and the assumption that suffering far away has nothing to do with us. Toward the end, Summers brings the guitar back to center stage. His song, "Omegaman", pairs loneliness and images of a world after catastrophe with a sharp riff and an excellent chorus. After the run of horn-driven tracks, its sound feels like a breath of cold air. According to Summers, "A&M" wanted to release it as the first single, but Sting objected. In retrospect, it is hard not to wonder what might have happened had it been chosen. It is one of the album's strongest songs. His guitar also leads us into "Secret Journey", this time through the "Roland GR-300" guitar synthesizer. The opening lingers over floating sounds before the song takes shape, and Sting tells of an encounter with a holy man and the way that recognizing other people's suffering can transform the traveler. Copeland has the final word with "Darkness", and delivers it almost in a whisper. A musician known for sharp, restless playing wrote a gentle song about anxiety and a longing for a simpler life. The keyboards and guitar surround Sting's voice, while the drums hold back from any grand eruption. It is a lovely choice of ending. After songs about politics, violence, and the fate of the world, we are left with one person struggling to cope with his life. The audience followed the band through the change. "Ghost in the Machine" reached number one in the UK and number two on the US album chart. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" topped the UK singles chart and reached number three in the United States. Alongside that success, the dense production also drew reservations from critics who preferred the more spacious sound of the earlier albums. The cover gives this change a fitting visual expression. Mick Haggerty turned the three band members' faces into red digital-display symbols against a black background. They are still recognizable, mainly through their hair, but now resemble components of a machine. It is difficult to imagine a more appropriate image for an album asking how much of the human being remains within the system. Looking back, it is easy to hear "Ghost in the Machine" as a preparation for "Synchronicity", but that overlooks much of what makes it distinctive. There is excess, there is unease, and at times the three seem to pull the music in different directions. That is precisely what makes it so compelling. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel’s Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or subscribe to our website

Writer: Moti Kupfer Release date - 02.10.1964 "We needed a gimmick, a little edge to attract the public's attention. So we chose "The Kinks", something innovative, playful, kinky, but still within the bounds of good taste." "The Kinks" were formed by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, who grew up in London's Muswell Hill neighborhood and shared a love of rock and roll. In their early days, they mainly wrote catchy three-minute songs, much like "The Beatles". But where "The Beatles" had their harmonies, "The Kinks" had their rhythm section. Ray Davies, who wrote most of the band's songs, also served as its lead singer. In early 1964, the band began working with producer Shel Talmy and manager Larry Page, and around the same time changed its name to "The Kinks". Drummer Mick Avory joined the Davies brothers and bassist Pete Quaife, completing the classic lineup. In 1964, the band released its debut single, a cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally". It failed to make much of an impression on the charts, as did the follow-up, "You Still Want Me". Their record label, "Pye", was about to show them the door. The turning point came with their third single, "You Really Got Me", which topped the British chart and later reached number seven in the United States. It was also the first single from their debut album, "Kinks", released on October 2, 1964, and celebrating its 62nd anniversary today. "You Really Got Me" probably saved "The Kinks" from an early end to their career. Its rough, roaring guitars also made it one of the songs that laid the foundations of hard rock. According to Dave Davies, it all began with a broken heart. His girlfriend, Sue Sheehan, became pregnant, and their parents wanted to stop them from getting married. Rather than hurting himself, Davies took his anger out on his amplifier. Davies achieved that dirty guitar sound by slashing his amplifier's speaker cone with a razor blade. The damaged speaker produced a harsh distortion resembling the "fuzz" effect, which became the song's defining sound. Fuzz pedals already existed at the time, but they were not yet widely used. Davies took his own route to the sound he wanted, often kicking the amplifier as well. He recalled cutting the speaker in his bedroom in North London. The amp was an inexpensive "Elpico" model that had been giving him trouble for some time. The wounded amplifier was connected to another amp, which Dave remembers as a "Vox AC30", while producer Shel Talmy remembers a "Vox AC10". The sound they achieved changed the course of rock history, making "You Really Got Me" one of the defining hits in the development of distorted guitar. The debut album showed that "The Kinks" were still some way from becoming a fully developed, cohesive band. Ray Davies' songwriting had yet to mature, which left eight covers and arrangements among the album's fourteen tracks. Even so, you can hear the beginnings of what would make "The Kinks" one of Britain's most exciting bands in the years to come. Apart from "You Really Got Me", the standout is "Stop Your Sobbing". According to one account, Ray wrote it about a former girlfriend who feared that fame would change him and burst into tears when she saw how popular he had become. Fifteen years later, the song found a new audience through the version released by Chrissie Hynde and "The Pretenders" in 1979. Hynde had long been a fan of Ray Davies. The two met in 1980 and began a relationship, and their daughter was born in 1983. The album also features Jon Lord playing organ on "Bald Headed Woman", four years before he would become a founding member of "Deep Purple", and Jimmy Page playing twelve-string acoustic guitar. Contrary to the persistent myth, the solo on "You Really Got Me" is Dave Davies' work. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On October 2, 1995, "Oasis" released "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", their second studio album. Just over a year after "Definitely Maybe", "Oasis" approached their second album as the great hope of British rock. Their debut had set the bar high: excellent songs, an unmistakable sound, and a singer who sounded as though the world owed him something. With "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", "Oasis" met that standard and took their audience far beyond Britain. This album contains some of the most recognizable rock songs of the 1990s, but it is worth listening to what happens between them, too. Alongside the songs everyone in the pub knows by heart are the wonderful harmonies of "Cast No Shadow", the humor of "She's Electric", and the wild playing on the title track. That sequence gives the album its character. It can be loud and swaggering, then turn as melodic as only "The Beatles" could be, touching on loneliness and longing. Of course, when an album includes timeless hits like "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", not everything can work equally well. Yet Noel and Liam never did it better, and even now, more than three decades later, we can confidently call this their most fully realized work. The story began in Manchester in 1991 with "Rain", whose lineup included Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs on guitar, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan on bass, and Tony McCarroll on drums. Liam Gallagher joining as singer and the change of name to "Oasis" laid the groundwork, but the arrival of his older brother Noel Gallagher completely changed the band's course. Noel brought the songs and a clear vision. Liam gave them their voice and presence. After Alan McGee saw them at "King Tut's Wah Wah Hut" in Glasgow in 1993, a deal with "Creation Records" followed, and things moved quickly from there. Their debut album, "Definitely Maybe", released in August 1994, topped the UK chart and gave musical expression to the desire to escape everyday life. Its songs made no apologies for their ambitions. They wanted to live forever and become rock stars, and Liam's voice made it sound possible. By the second album, success no longer had to be imagined. The band was living it. The question now was what to do with it, and where to channel it. The lineup had changed, too. In the spring of 1995, Tony McCarroll left and Alan White took his place. McCarroll can still be heard on "Some Might Say", recorded before the change, and the difference is easy to hear. His beats are more direct and forceful. White, by contrast, adds fills and accents that soften the playing. Listen to "Wonderwall", for example, and you can hear how he maintains the rhythm without trampling over the acoustic guitar. Most of the work on the album took place at "Rockfield" in Wales during May and June 1995, with Noel and Owen Morris sharing production duties. Unlike the lengthy and complicated process behind the debut, most of these sessions moved quickly. Morris built the songs in layers. Noel's acoustic guitar and guide vocal provided the framework, with drums, bass, guitars, and vocals added on top. This approach preserved the rock momentum while expanding the arrangements without making them cumbersome. But the speed of the work did not necessarily mean that relations were relaxed. During one incident, Liam brought people he had met at the pub into the studio while Noel was trying to work on the songs. The confrontation turned violent, Noel left, and recording stopped for a while. This is one of the most interesting contradictions in this band, and in this album in particular. Two people who could barely get along in the same room created enduring songs about needing someone who understands you. You can hear that contradiction even in the meeting of Liam's rough voice and Noel's gentle harmonies. Noel still draws on his love of British pop and rock from the 1960s and 1970s, but here he gives those influences more room within the arrangements. A piano can comfortably carry an entire song, the Mellotron adds a darker color, and Noel's high voice completes the vocal harmonies beautifully. Above all, this album benefits enormously from its varied arrangements, something especially clear in the stunning closing track, "Champagne Supernova". The album opens with "Hello", beginning with a brief, quiet acoustic passage before the guitars arrive at full force. Liam sounds as though he has come to remind everyone who is in charge, but beneath the provocation is an awareness that life will never be the same again. The chorus incorporates part of "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again", which is why Gary Glitter and Mike Leander also receive songwriting credits. It is a short, rough, effective opener, continuing the debut's electrifying energy while signaling that the band is already somewhere else. Immediately afterward comes "Roll with It", maintaining the momentum with a simple riff, a steady beat, and a chorus you can join on the first listen. Its message is direct: do not let the pressure and noise around you hold you back; keep going your own way. It is not among the most complex or moving "Oasis" songs, but the pleasure of playing is infectious. In retrospect, it is strange to think that this particular song carried the entire weight of the "Battle of Britpop". On August 14, 1995, "Roll with It" and "Blur"'s "Country House" were released on the same day. The press turned the competition between the singles into a battle between north and south, working class and middle class, and two visions of British music. "Blur" won that week, but the comparison between "The Great Escape" and the "Oasis" album turned out to be a different story. The choruses coming next would take the audience far beyond the confines of that British rivalry. By the third track, we reach "Wonderwall", and the album changes direction. The acoustic guitar chords leave notes hanging in the air even as the harmony changes beneath them. White plays with relative delicacy, while Bonehead uses the Mellotron to add a cello-like sound, deepening the sadness without pushing the song into melodrama. Liam retains his familiar roughness, but the drawn-out syllables and the audible strain in his voice are undoubtedly the extra ingredient that made it such a huge hit. The lyrics of "Wonderwall" look to another person for hope and salvation. Noel initially connected the song to his partner Meg Mathews, then later said it concerned an imaginary figure who would save someone from themselves. The title came from George Harrison's "Wonderwall Music", but the song's power lies in the way the singing, melody, and arrangement make that plea sound personal. Noel let Liam choose between this song and "Don't Look Back in Anger". Liam chose this one, and Noel sang the other. The piano opening of "Don't Look Back in Anger" immediately recalls John Lennon's "Imagine". The borrowing is obvious, but Noel certainly does not stop there. Drums and guitars join in, and the melody gradually climbs toward the chorus. His voice is thinner and gentler than Liam's, making the decision to let him take the lead especially successful here. Even the name Sally, now inseparable from "Don't Look Back in Anger", came about when Liam thought he heard Noel singing it, and Noel adopted the suggestion. But the truly important story unfolded long after the recording. In 2017, following the Manchester attack, the song became an expression of comfort and solidarity in the city. Suddenly, it was clear how far it had traveled from the studio and the band that created it. "Hey Now!" also exposes the album's limitations. It has a good melody, heavy playing, and a convincing sense of time slipping away too quickly, but it repeats itself too much. After the two songs preceding it, the drop in tension is hard to miss. Still, Liam's singing and the guitars stretching out behind him give it an interesting weariness, almost the opposite of the triumphant joy of "Roll with It". The first excerpt from "The Swamp Song", originally untitled, interrupts the sequence with a brief blues jam. The second excerpt appears near the end. Paul Weller contributed guitar and harmonica to both. These are not songs that call for lyrical analysis, but rough interludes within a melodic album, reminding us that behind the radio hits is still a band that enjoys jamming together. "Some Might Say" brings the rough guitars back at full force. Released on April 24, 1995, it became the band's first UK number-one single. The ringing riff, piano, and McCarroll's direct drumming connect it to the debut, but the chorus already reveals how the band had changed. "Cast No Shadow" offers a good answer to anyone who thinks the album rests solely on its singles. Noel dedicated it to Richard Ashcroft, singer of "The Verve", writing about a man struggling under the weight of the things he wants to say. Here, the brothers' harmonies are the heart of the arrangement. Liam sings in a relatively low, restrained voice, while Noel rises above him and adds tension. Acoustic guitars and drums hold the song together. It needs neither a big solo nor an eruption to work. After "Cast No Shadow", the lightness of "She's Electric" is welcome. Liam tells the story of a girl and her complicated family, sounding momentarily amused by his own tale. The melody is bouncy, the harmonies playful, and the arrangement full of affection for older British pop. The title track, "Morning Glory", brings back the noise all at once: a helicopter, a sharp guitar riff, and drums that refuse to let the playing settle. Liam almost spits out the words, while references to a mirror and a razor blade connect that energy to cocaine and long nights. The guitars pile up on one another, and the song sounds like a morning when nobody has gone to bed yet. The second excerpt from "The Swamp Song" follows the title track. Like the first, it was left untitled on the original track listing. The guitars and harmonica briefly return us to the blues jam before the timeless song that closes the album. The waves opening "Champagne Supernova" take us into a completely different atmosphere. The guitars enter slowly, and Liam begins to sing with almost none of the effort heard on the title track. Over more than seven minutes, the arrangement grows in volume and density, building toward Paul Weller's lead guitar and backing vocals before settling down again. It is a long, epic ending, hardly typical of British Britpop at the time, yet that is precisely where its greatness lies. Those who knew the album on vinyl also found "Bonehead's Bank Holiday", a track absent from the standard CD edition. It is a comic song about a holiday, with Noel on lead vocals and a relaxed atmosphere. The cover also became inseparable from the album's identity. Michael Spencer Jones photographed it on "Berwick Street" in London's Soho as part of Brian Cannon's design. The two people passing each other are Cannon and DJ Sean Rowley. Morris can also be spotted in the background, holding the master tape box in front of his face. None of the band members appears in the photograph. The street, known for its record shops, connects the album to the everyday world its listeners came from. On release, the album shot to number one in Britain, eventually spending ten weeks at the top. In the United States, it reached number four on the "Billboard 200", while "Wonderwall" climbed to number eight on the singles chart. According to the band's official website, the album has sold 22 million copies worldwide. Initial reviews were not uniformly enthusiastic, but the audience embraced it with an intensity that was difficult to dispute. In 1996, it won British Album of the Year at the "BRIT Awards", and by August that year the band was playing to around 250,000 people over two nights at "Knebworth". On July 22, 2026, "Official Charts" announced that "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" was the biggest studio album in UK chart history based on combined sales and streaming, with 6.2 million chart units. This is a combined figure, not the number of physical copies sold. The numbers explain the scale of the success, but to understand why the album has stayed with us, it is worth returning to the brothers' voices. Noel wrote some of his finest melodies here, and Liam sang them as though every word affected him personally. This is an album by a band that knew how to broaden its horizons without losing its character or identity. It made them enormous, but the moments when they allow themselves to sound smaller are precisely what make it worth returning to. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or subscribe to our website

Written by: Moti Kupfer Release date - 02.10.1979 When people talk about reggae, they usually think of Jamaica, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff. But white reggae? How did such a thing come about, and what exactly is white reggae? And in a perfect coincidence, October 2 is also Sting's birthday. In 2026 he celebrates his 75th birthday. Sting was born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner in Wallsend in 1951. His mother was a hairdresser and his father worked as a milkman and engineering labourer. Gordon's dreams were bigger, and he later recalled being inspired by the sight of the Queen Mother waving from a royal Rolls-Royce. Gordon helped his father on the milk round, while at the same time nurturing his love of music on an old Spanish guitar left behind by a friend of his father who had moved away. During his school years in Newcastle he visited clubs where he saw, among others, "Cream" and "Manfred Mann". He later enrolled at Warwick University, but left after one semester, while continuing to play jazz clubs in the evenings. He later trained as a teacher and by the age of 23 was already qualified. That, of course, did not stop him from playing. Sumner performed with Phoenix Jazzmen, Newcastle Big Band and the group "Last Exit". While playing with Phoenix Jazzmen he often wore a yellow-and-black striped sweater, which reminded his bandmates of a bee. That is how the nickname Sting stuck, quickly becoming the name by which the entire world would know him. Stewart Copeland was born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1952. His father, Miles Copeland Jr., was an American intelligence officer and one of the early figures associated with the CIA, while his mother Lorraine was an archaeologist. Copeland spent much of his childhood in the Middle East, including Cairo and Beirut, and began learning drums at a young age. In the mid-1970s he returned to England, working as a tour manager and later as the drummer for progressive rock band "Curved Air". Andy Summers was born in 1942 in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. His family later moved to Bournemouth, and after starting on piano he switched to guitar and became deeply immersed in jazz. In the mid-1960s he played with "Zoot Money's Big Roll Band", later with "Soft Machine" and Eric Burdon and the Animals. He also took part in an orchestral performance of "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield. With all that musical baggage behind them, Sting and Copeland joined forces in 1977. Early on, guitarist Henry Padovani played alongside them in "The Police", and later that year Andy Summers joined after the musicians crossed paths around the "Strontium 90" project. Before long, the classic trio line-up had taken shape. Sting later explained that the name "The Police" was short, striking and a word that appeared constantly in newspapers, which gave it a good chance of attracting attention. The beginning was not easy. Miles Copeland, Stewart's brother, recognized the trio's potential and helped them, while debut album "Outlandos d'Amour" was recorded at Nigel Gray's Surrey Sound Studios on a limited budget. The first singles were not immediate hits, but gradually "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You" found their audience and the album began to gather momentum. At the beginning of 1979 the band returned to Surrey Sound to record its second album, tighter and more experienced after touring. The improvement in their playing as a unit, together with several Sting songs that would become major hits, was poured into "Reggatta de Blanc". Some of the material also drew on older ideas from his "Last Exit" period and on pieces that had not fully developed in time for the debut album. The songs Copeland wrote for the album did not always receive the same affection as Sting's singles, but his sharp, infectious and unpredictable drumming, Sting's bass and Summers' economical, spacious guitar work are exactly what made "The Police" sound unlike anyone else. The blend of rock, reggae, new wave and post-punk created that same "white reggae" hinted at by the album's title. The three major singles pushed the band another step forward, with "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon" both reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. "Bring on the Night" was also released as a single in several countries and reached No. 6 in France. The album's success was so great that singles from the debut, when reissued, also enjoyed renewed chart success. One of the album's high points is "Message in a Bottle", the story of a lonely man who sends a message in a bottle in the hope that someone will find it, only to discover in the end that he is not the only one who feels that way. Andy Summers has counted it among his favourite songs to play, and its circling riff became one of the band's most recognizable. And then comes "Walking on the Moon". It is hard to remain indifferent to Copeland's drumming and the enormous space created between drums, bass and guitar. Sting said the idea was born after he returned to his room drunk and found himself humming "Walking Round the Room", a phrase that later became "Walking on the Moon". "Reggatta de Blanc" reached No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 25 on the Billboard 200. The instrumental title track also won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. The album transformed "The Police" from a promising band into a major force in late-1970s British rock and laid the foundation for the enormous international success that would follow. Take a look at the cover as well. It may not be one of the most elaborate sleeves in rock history, but on the band's first three albums all three members appear, with a different member taking the centre of the image each time. Here Sting stands in the middle, just as the band itself was beginning to move toward centre stage worldwide. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On October 2, 1995, "The X Factor", Iron Maiden's tenth studio album, was released. The album was recorded at Barnyard Studios and produced by Steve Harris and Nigel Green. This is a controversial album among "Iron Maiden" fans, some of whom had a hard time accepting the new singer Blaze Bayley and were not open to changing of style the band went through. If you are one of those fans or you just skipped "The X Factor", we are here to convince you that this is a great album that is really worth listening to. The story of this album begins with the end of the tour that accompanied the album "Fear Of The Dark", when singer Bruce Dickinson left the band. Bruce felt he had exhausted himself as part of the band, he said he felt trapped inside a golden cage. He added that the easiest option for him was to continue to recycle himself within the band, with the second option being to step out of the comfort zone of "Iron Maiden" and try to find his way as a solo singer, maybe even reinvent himself. When he informed the band members that he was leaving, he had no plans for the future, he just knew he did not want to continue doing the same, so his friends had even more difficult understanding his decision. After a break following the dramatic announcement of Bruce Dickinson, the band members decided that breaking the band up is not an option and that they were interested in moving on. At the same time, it was clear to everyone that this was not going to be an easy task to replace one of the greatest singers in metal and that it would be very difficult to find someone who could get into his shoes. They began auditioning for a singer to replace Bruce in 1993 and listened to hundreds of tapes and demos, from which 12 finalists were chosen to audition in front of them. One of those singers was Blaze Bayley from the band "Wolfsbane", which was their opening act in the early 1990s. As is well known, Blaze was eventually chosen to be the frontman that would replace Bruce, and bassist Steve Harris justified the band's decision by saying they were looking for something different from Bruce. When Blaze came into the band, they had not yet written a single note for the album, so he was a full partner in the making, although in practice he participated in writing five songs from the album, including one of the greatest and most successful songs from it - "Man on the Edge". The lyrics were written by Blaze inspired by the movie "Falling Down" starring Michael Douglas, and indeed the lyrics are repeated in the chorus. It is interesting to note that this is the only song on the album that bassist Steve Harris was not involved in writing at all and therefore it is quite surprising that Janick Gers and Blaze Bayley managed to score a hit in the amazing style of "Iron Maiden", which combines power and melody. This song is very prominent in the overall landscape of the album which is mostly gloomy, dim, slower, and heavier compared to the band's previous albums. There are almost no fast-paced rhythms here, no tracks close to Speed ​​Metal, and it seems that for the most part the album has been adapted to the minimalist nineties trends whose motto focused on "Less Is More", which is not necessarily bad in this case. Interestingly, the song has an alternative music video filmed at Masada, Israel, and broadcast on Top of the Pops, which you can find by clicking on the link here: Another reason why the album is darker and gloomier than its predecessors is influenced by Steve Harris' personal problems and especially by the divorce proceedings he went through at the time. Things are in line with the gloomy cover chosen for the album in which Eddie is inside a torture device. This also explains the fact that the only song in which Harris was not involved at all - "Man on the Edge" is among the upbeat material on the album and is also the song that most closely resembles the band's previous material. It should be remembered that beyond the desire to change the style, regardless of the personal storm Steve Harris went through at the time, the album's slowness and heaviness may have stemmed from the need to adapt the material to Blaze Bayley's style and sound, or in other words, the songs here have been adapted to Blaze Bayley's limited vocal range, but we do not see this as a bad thing, quite the opposite. This brought a different and beautiful side of "Iron Maiden" that can't be heard on other albums. The name of the album also matched the band's choice to make a change here. Steve Harris noted that they felt that this album had the extra thing, its unique quality, the "X Factor" so they chose the name "The X Factor", while the number "X" in Roman numerals represents the number 10 - and it was the band's tenth album. And if we are already talking about a different album, then the choice to open up the album with a song like "Sign of the Cross" is a statement of intent by the band, that just cries out for "change". This is an epic, bombastic and complex musical piece that usually has a place of honor in the last tracks of "Iron Maiden's albums while here, the band chose to open the album with this amazing mini-epic that crosses the 11 minutes. The song is based on the book "The Name of the Rose" which later became the movie "Name Of The Rose" starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater, Which is also why the song opens with a kind of Gregorian chant/singing performed by "The Xpression Choir". It's one of Maiden's most complex, dynamic, melodic, and beautiful songs and we're just addicted to it. No wonder it's one of the few songs from the Blaze Bayley era that the band chose to perform live even after Bruce Dickinson's return to the band. Similar to the two songs we mentioned above that were influenced by movies, the song "The Edge of Darkness" was also influenced by the 1979 film "Apocalypse Now", (or more accurately by Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness" on which the film is based), dealing with the horrors of the Vietnam War and their negative impact on the soldiers who experienced them. This song, too, is very dynamic and opens quietly and slowly, with Steve Harris' bass chords and slowly increasing the tempo, to a climax that ends with a melodic and sweeping solo battle by Dave Murray and Janick Gers, only to gradually slow down again, until the slow and quiet ending, Just as we started. The song "Lord of the Flies" is also based on the book of the same name by William Golding, which later became a film. The song written by Janick Gers and Steve Harris is also the second single released from the album, which incorporates segments from the "Man On The Edge" alternative music video, which was filmed in Israel at the "Masada" site, which the band visited during its performances in Israel in 1995. Like the previous single, this song is one of the most rhythmic on the album, mainly led by the guitars. In the fact that four of the album's songs are based on books and/or movies, one can perhaps find similarities between this album and the band's previous albums. Here is the place to note the wonderful combination between the guitars of Janick Gers and Dave Murray on this album, whose formation has been built over the 5 years they have played together, since Gers joined the band, and which has reached perfection on this album. The playing of both is sweeping and flawless. They lift each other and complement each other. Their harmonies are at their peak and the melodies are simply instructive. Listen to the solos in the excellent song "The Aftermath" or the opening of "The Unbeliever", listen to them in the song "Judgement of Heaven" starting at 2:46, or in the solos starting halfway through the song "2 AM". Particularly notable is Janick Gers' staccato playing, which blends in nicely and adapts itself to the band's updated sound and trends in the metal genre at the time. Gers also excelled here in terms of writing when he co-wrote 7 of the 11 songs on the album, when surprisingly Dave Murray did not contribute. Steve Harris also brings a different color to this album, in terms of playing. Whether it's in songs that open with his arpeggio bass playing, like in the song "Fortunes of War", and whether it's in the use of the palm-muted strings in the intro to the song "Blood on the World's Hands", or starting at 0:22 in the song "The Unbeliever". We also really liked his combination with the guitars in the opening song "Look for the Truth" which brought back memories of the song "Remember Tomorrow" from the days of the debut album - "Iron Maiden". 3 more songs were written for the album and stayed on the editing table. "I Live My Way", "Justice of The Peace" and "Judgement Day", are all excellent songs released as b-sides and collections released by the band, also on the Japanese version of the album. As we wrote in the opening of this review, we think this album is an excellent one, and we see it as a double gift we received from "Iron Maiden". On the one hand, we were lucky to have a different kind of album in terms of sound and style, quieter, gloomier, and more melodic. On the other hand, without this album, the power of Adrian Smith and Bruce Dickinson's comeback in the early 2000s, would not have been so strong. Just think what would have happened if the band had continued to release mediocre albums with Bruce, it would probably have disappeared from the musical world. So it was actually Blaze Bayley's entry to the band that would eventually lead to one of the most amazing comebacks in metal. For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

On October 2, 1970, "Pink Floyd" released their fifth studio album "Atom Heart Mother". This is the UK release date; the album was released in the United States on October 10, 1970. It reached No. 1 in the UK and No. 55 in the US. The cow on the cover was named Lulubelle III. At the center of the album is a six-part symphonic-psychedelic piece that combines blues, classical music and psychedelic noises. This work extends along the entire first side of the record. A piece that may be controversial, but its importance in the band's musical development was significant. Why is it controversial? Unlike the following works that the band will release during the 70s, there is no full consensus about this excellent piece among the band's fans. There is no consensus about it even among the band members themselves, who denied it, stopped performing it in live shows and called it "a load of rubbish" (quote by David Gilmour). And what about its importance in the development of the band? It is right on the border between the band's psychedelic period and the more progressive era. Apparently, without "Atom Heart Mother" the band would not have dared to experiment with complex works like "Echoes", which came after. The band began working on the album in the early 1970, after finishing the songs for the soundtrack of the movie "Zabriskie Point". The idea for "Atom Heart Mother" came from the record company, which pushed the band to combine a symphonic piece with the band's melodies. The model that was in front of the eyes of the record company was that of the "Moody Blues" with "Days of Future Passed", "Deep Purple" with "Concerto for Group and Orchestra" and more. The piece began with guitar line by David Gilmour on guitar, a motif reminiscent of Western music, which evolved into the basic piece. The band members then handed over the "skeleton" of the work to Scottish composer Ron Geesin. Geesin composed and wrote the roles for the symphonic instruments: the brass instrument, the choir and the cello parts. Geesin then combined the instruments on the "skeleton" of the piece and processed the final product, while all this time the band was on tour in the United States. Geesin came to the project through Nick Mason and Roger Waters who were his friends, when Geesin also collaborated with Waters on the album "Music from the Body", which was also released in 1970. He undoubtedly did an amazing job here, turning the basic musical composition that the band gave him, into a full work of music, exemplary and eternal. The name of the piece was given by chance, after Geesin suggested that the band review a copy of a London newspaper and look for inspiration. Waters saw an article about a pregnant woman with a nuclear pacemaker and the rest is history... The album cover also corresponds in one way or another with the name of the musical and the album. On the cover is a cow standing in a meadow, as a hint of the theme of motherhood and nature. The album cover did not include any inscription of the band and / or album name , apparently in order to emphasize the power of nature. As mentioned, the musical piece on the first side of the album is divided into six parts: The first section, "Father's Shout", includes the main motif: the theme tune of the piece, which is played mainly by the brass orchestra, includes trumpet, trombone, tuba and more. This melody combines the musical parts played by the band itself. Next comes "Breast Milky" starting at 2:51 minutes and introduce us to a secondary theme tune that is mainly played by the cello accompanied by the band. The third part, "Mother Fore", is a church section that begins at 5:23 and is mainly led by Richard Wright's keyboards and a choir with 20 male and female singers. The fourth part, "Funky Dung", is a bluesy track that starts at 10:10 and includes a guitar solo of David Gilmour, which in a sense is reminiscent of excerpts from the piece "Echoes". Later in the section we are once again introduced to the chorus that connects us to the central motif and the theme melody of the piece. The fifth part, "Mind Your Throats Please", begins at 15:27. This is an avant-garde-psychedelic segment that abounds with strange sounds and repetitive recordings of excerpts from previous sections. The segment ends at 19:09 with the phrase "Silence In The Studio" said by drummer Nick Mason. The concluding section, "Reemergence", is a kind of repetition and summary of the passages from the previous chapters. And now you are invited to watch this masterpiece played by "Echoes - Pink Floyd Tribute Show Israel": On the other side of the record, we can find a collection of songs, written and composed by the band members separately, that has nothing to do with the musical piece on the first side of the album. The song "If" was written, composed and sung by Roger Waters. This is a soft and moving folk song that is not so typical of Waters. Some argue that the song was written about Waters' feelings of guilt following the dismissal of Syd Barrett from the band. The track "Summer '68" was written by Richard Wright, who also sang it. This is a melodic, dynamic and charming piece with touches of progressive rock, in which Wright refers to his experience with a fan during the band's tour in the United States. The piece "Fat Old Sun", written and performed by David Gilmour, is a folk song in a pastoral atmosphere. Some have argued that it is reminiscent of the Kinks' 1967 song "Lazy Old Sun." Gilmour, by the way, did not deny it. This is a magical and mesmerizing song that Gilmour performs quite a bit in his solo career. Gilmour also plays bass and drums here. The album ends with the track "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". The piece was conceived by Nick Mason and it is indeed a psychedelic piece in three parts that stretches over about 13 minutes. In our humble opinion, this passage is a kind of "filler". To sum up: despite the fact that this album is sometimes perceived as controversial, we really like it and hold the opinion that it is one of the most beautiful and important albums in the rich repertoire of "Pink Floyd". For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Corey Taylor's debut album titled "CMFT" was released on October 2, 2020, and for those who don't know (like us, when we first heard the song for example) CMFT's meaning is "Corey Mother Fucking Taylor" and he really can't be stopped !! The album was recorded at Hideout Studio in Las Vegas with producer Jay Ruston. Taylor's band featured guitarists Christian Martucci and Zach Throne, bassist Jason Christopher and drummer Dustin Schoenhofer. Corey always does what he wants and does not really care what critics think or how it will affect fans, he goes with his truth. He loves music, he loves to create music and he has no limitations or boundaries to any genre of one kind or another. Corey makes music he loves and this is exactly the album in front of you !! Just a few days ago we remembered this when we listened to the song "Hesitate" from Stone Sour's third album, a sentimental and moving ballad that seems to have been taken from the soundtrack of a romantic comedy but... we love it !! In this album, as we shared when the first single came out, Corey took materials he wrote throughout his life regardless of style and period and put them all (what went into editing) in one album. 13 songs from different periods, from different and varied styles. "Slipknot" and "Stone Sour" fans, do not expect to get Corey here as you know him. You must have noticed by the first singles that came out. You will connect to one or two songs, but if you will come with an open mind you may enjoy a few more songs. Corey simply gathered a few friends from the past and present with whom he played in different bands or gigs and connected them to a solo backing band, for all of them it felt like a collection of friends who meet in a rehearsal room and played together for fun. (Photo: Ashley Osborn) If we try to divide the styles in the album (do not guarantee that it will succeed) then there are a number of quite major categories... There are songs here that sound like Dudu's side, rock classics that are very reminiscent of ZZ Top, Steel Panther, and even a bit of country blues. ‘HWY 666’, ‘Samantha’s Gone’, ‘Black Eyes Blue’, and more... There are songs here that are based on strong riffs and are more reminiscent of the Stone Sour style, stronger, louder, and faster than the previous category. ‘Meine Lux’, ‘Culture Head’ ‘Halfway Down’, and more... There are moving ballads here that express Taylor's softness and pleasantness, they will move and calm you down like 'Silverfish', 'Home', and more... Here is the first single from the album... In short... you got the idea !! This is a "treat bag" that you get on birthdays and it has various and varied sweets, waffles, chocolates, popsicles, and more... So click play and start enjoying, this is the new Corey and nothing will stop him !! Listen to: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

Here are some interesting facts about Mike Rutherford: (Photo: Michael Putland) 1. He was born Michael John Cloete Crawford Rutherford, on 2 October 1950 in Chertsey, Surrey. 2. Mike Rutherford received his first guitar at the age of 8 and played in his first band, "The Chesters", the following year. 3. He attended "The Leas", a preparatory school in Hoylake, Merseyside before moving to Charterhouse, a private school in Godalming, Surrey in September 1964. 4. Mike Rutherford disliked his time at "Charterhouse" and was expelled for instances of minor misconduct. 5. In 1965, he co-formed the school band "Anon" with guitarist Anthony Phillips. 6. In 1967, Rutherford, along with Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Anthony Phillips, and Chris Stewart, formed "Genesis". 7. On March 7, 1969, the band released their debut album "From Genesis to Revelation". The album failed commercially. 8. Following the commercial failure of "From Genesis to Revelation", the band members moved on to pursue other occupations. 9. In 1970 the band members returned to work together and in June began recording their second album "Trespass". 10. In 1971 the band changed its line-up with Steve Hackett on lead guitar and Phil Collins on drums, releasing the masterpiece album "Nursery Cryme". 11. Mike played the electric sitar parts on "Selling England By The Pound" album from 1973. 12. Rutherford assumed lead guitar duties for Genesis in 1977 after Steve Hackett left the band. 13. Beginning in 1978 "...And Then There Were Three..." album, Rutherford assumed all guitarist roles in the recording studio, having felt confident enough to double up on lead guitar as well as bass. 14. Rutherford's playing style in "Genesis" was shaped by his unorthodox performance requirements, necessitating frequent shifts between instruments. 15. Rutherford's versatility extended to playing various instruments, including guitar, 4, 6, and 8 string bass guitars, bass pedal, sitar and even occasional cello parts on Genesis' early 1970s records. Mike even played drums on the live performance of the song "Who Dunnit?" From the album "Abacab". 16. From an early date, Mike Rutherford played bass pedals both live and in the studio, often playing simultaneous twelve-string guitar and bass pedal parts. 17. In concerts during the first half of the 1970s, Mike Rutherford often played a double-necked instrument, custom-built from a separate Rickenbacker hollowbody 12-string and 4001 bass. 18. However, Mike Rutherford assigned the guitar neck to the top position rather than the 4080's stock guitar on bottom. (Photo: Andrew St.Denis) 19. In addition to his multi-instrument playing, Rutherford also sang background vocals. 20. Rutherford was one of the main "Genesis" songwriters throughout their career and also wrote the lyrics for some of the band's biggest international hits, such as "Follow You Follow Me", "Turn It On Again", "Land of Confusion" and "Throwing It All Away". 21. Together with Tony Banks Rutherford is the only "Genesis" member to play in all of the band's 15 studio albums, including "A Trick of the Tail", "Wind & Wuthering", "Duke", "Genesis", "Invisible Touch" and ending with "Calling All Stations" released in 1997 which he also produced with Tony Banks. 22. In 1975 he participated in Steve Hackett's first solo album "Voyage of the Acolyte" alongside Phil Collins. 23. Rutherford recorded two solo albums, "Smallcreep's Day" (1980) featuring Anthony Phillips and "Acting Very Strange" (1982) featuring Stewart Copeland on drums. 24. He formed the band Mike + The Mechanics during a break from Genesis in 1985 releasing their debut album "Mike + The Mechanics" the same year. 25. Since then the band released 8 more studio albums, the last "Out of the Blue" in 2019. 26. Rutherford confessed in 2004 that the lyrics of "The Living Years" were written by B.A. Robertson, based entirely on Robertson's relationship with his father. 27. Mike Rutherford collaborated with other artists, including Elton John, Paul Carrack, and Paul Young and associates Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, on the "Against All Odds" soundtrack, offering the song "Making A Big Mistake". 28. In 2004, he performed at the "Strat Pack Concert", celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster, alongside renowned guitarists as Brian May, David Gilmour and Joe Walsh. 29. Mike Rutherford performed in the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics on 12 August 2012 as a guest member of Ed Sheeran's band, playing the "Pink Floyd" song "Wish You Were Here". 30. Mike Rutherford was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" as a member of "Genesis" in 2010. 31. In 2014, Mike Rutherford published "The Living Years: The First Genesis Memoir" with Thomas Dunne Books, offering intimate insights into his life and career. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website