TODAY MARKS A SAD DAY FOR MUSIC PUBLICATION, AS THE WEEKLY NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS MAGAZINE CLOSES IT’S DOORS

The paper was established in 1952 after London music promoter Maurice Kinn bought the “Accordion Times and Musical Express” for just £1,000, 15 minutes before it was due to officially close. It was soon relaunched as the New Musical Express and printed on a non-glossy, standard newsprint format. The NME took inspiration from US magazine Billboard and launched the first UK Singles Chart.

During the 1960’s, the NME went on to champion popular British bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. By the 1970’s, the magazine was struggling against it’s primary competition, The Melody Maker. They were forced to adapt quickly or close. Underground writers were hired and a more serious coverage of music was added, alongside the rise of glam-rock and then punk. This succeeded, returning the NME to the top spot in UK music journalism, where it remained for the 80’s and 90’s.

From 1998, the format was changed to a glossy tabloid print, in full colour. It remained in this format until 2015, when it was announced the publication would become free. The magazine was applauded for this decision, receiving awards in 2016, with statements claiming the NME had “bounced back from an uncertain future and established itself confidently and creatively in a new market.” Sadly, it appears this didn’t last as the magazine announces it’s permanent closure today, claiming the print was no longer financially viable. NME will continue publishing material online, and is reportedly investigating new possibilities and potential new digital services.

Ritchie Yorke himself contributed a number of features to the NME throughout his career, including responses to major moments in music history, like the Kent State shootings and the rise of Led Zeppelin.

THIS WEEK HAS BEEN AN EXCITING ONE FOR LED ZEPPELIN’S FANS, AS DRUMMER JOHN BONHAM’S CUSTOM 1915 FORD MODEL T HOT-ROD WENT ON SALE ON EBAY

The car was originally built in California in 1970 by Andy Brizio, who’s “Andy’s” decals remain on the car. Bonzo bought the car in the early 1970’s from Brizio and immediately shipped it back to the UK for the extravagant cost of around $5000 ($25,000 in today’s currency). The car appeared in Led Zeppelin’s 1976 film, “The Song Remains the Same” during Bonham’s drag racing sequence, cementing it’s place in rock and roll history.

The car was also host to a number of high profile rumours, including a story involving Keith Moon of The Who driving it into a swimming pool, or Hank Williams, who apparently passed away in it’s backseat. Unfortunately, these rumours are simply myth and have never been confirmed, and the car’s condition doesn’t seem to verify them.

Bonham was a renowned petrolhead with a number of high performance vehicles in his collection, and the Model T was no exception, boasting a 6 litre V8 engine. The car stayed in this collection until many years after Bonham’s death when it was acquired in a trade by a man who kept the car in storage for around 11 years (the car was not driven in this time, the owner was far too fearful to take it out on the road) and then sold to company Mid-West Performance UK who are now organising the eBay sale, available here. Collectors looking to add the hot rod to their collection better be prepared with deep pockets, as it’s current listing is sitting at £250,000, and museums are among the prioritised buyers. 

ON THIS DAY IN 2013, ONE OF BOB DYLAN’S GUITARS WENT TO AUCTION IN NEW YORK

The guitar in question, a Fender Stratocaster with sunburst colouring sold for a record-breaking $965,000, beating out the previous record, a 1950’s Strat called “Blackie”, owned by Eric Clapton which sold for $959,500 in 2004.

Dylan’s guitar was a controversial item. First unveiled at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, the set became iconic, though many diehard folk fans booed Dylan, viewing the electric guitar as a sell out, and Dylan a traitor. Regardless, the set went down in history and Dylan was recognised as the artist to change the face of folk music.

The guitar itself had been kept by a Jersey family for nearly 50 years after Dylan left it on a private plane. They had estimated the value at around $400,000 and were pleasantly surprised when it sold for nearly a million. Early drafts of some of Dylan’s early tunes were discovered in the case, with an estimated value of up to $30,000.

TODAY MARKS AN IMPORTANT DAY IN ONE OF THE MOST HISTORICAL SITES IN POPULAR MUSIC HISTORY – ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS

Immortalised by the Beatles album of the same name, the building received a Grade 2 heritage listing in 2010, marking it as an important building that can no longer be altered due to it’s historical value. At the same time as the building received this listing, the original owners, EMI, who had established the studio in 1931 put the building up for sale due to increasing debts, prompting numerous campaigns and protests to save the building. Despite the buildings heritage listing, the white wall out the front is always covered in graffiti with references to the Beatles and their legacy and has to be painted over every 3 months.

The studio itself has seen a remarkable number of huge musical moments, including recording of albums by earlier acts such as The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Duran Duran, all the way through to huge modern recording stars like Adele, Radiohead and Frank Ocean. Interestingly, just a couple of years after the iconic Beatles album in 1969, also on February 23rd, but in 1971, John Lennon’s evidence was presented in court in the form of an affidavit detailing the groups split, and alleging that Apple Records had been full of lazy “hustlers” and “scroungers”, as well as the enormous tension between members of the band.

A number of important film scores were also recorded at Abbey Road, such as four of the Star Wars films and all three of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, as well as a number of Apple commercials.

Later in the same year, the famed and much-parodied crossing that made the cover of the Beatles album, Abbey Road, was also granted a Grade 2 listing, the first time a road crossing had ever received the heritage listing. Using the crossing as the cover of the album was the idea of a good friend of Ritchie’s and fantastic artist, John Kosh. Also credited as the albums creative director and with much of the design of the War Is Over! campaign, he went on to design a number of albums for The Beatles, as well as other renowned artists like The Eagles, The Who and Carole King. He also helped Ritchie out by designing the original cover for his 1976 Led Zeppelin biography. He currently resides in Los Angeles and continues work on his art and design which can be viewed via his Facebook page “Kosh”.

Today, the site of Abbey Road stands as the most iconic and well-recognised location in the history of the Beatles, visited by dozens of fans everyday and the attached studio continues to make remarkable contributions to the history of popular music.

Real name Ellas McDaniel, Diddley played a key role in the transition from blues to rock and roll, simultaneously inspiring many other major artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles and The Clash.

Bo Diddley had suffered from an extensive list of health ailments, including diabetes, hypertension and strokes, and his death from a heart failure at his home in Gainesville, Florida on June 2, 2008 was not unexpected. More than 35 family members gathered to say goodbye to the musician, and they sang to him as he passed.

His funeral was held on June 7 and drew a significant crowd, who chanted along with the music. After the service, a concert was held in his name and in the days the followed, tributes were received from then president George Bush as well as from many musicians, such as Ronnie Hawkins, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant, Elvis Costello and Eric Burdon. He was also posthumously inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, awarded a Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree and most recently was added to the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame.

ON THIS DAY IN 2008, THE FIRST ANNUAL RECORD STORE DAY WAS HELD

Record Store Day was created to celebrate the importance of independent record stores around the world, and to boost their sales in an overwhelmingly digital world, and each store organises their own events and parties, further highlighting their individuality. A number of special releases are organised each year from a number of acclaimed artists, rereleases, boxsets and unreleased recordings are a common theme.

The first Record Store Day was supported by Metallica, and was an unprecedented success. Over 300 stores throughout the US took part and ensured the event was a success and would be repeated throughout other countries. By the second year, Record Store Day had participants in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Japan, Canada and Italy.

Today, the event is celebrated by an unknown number of stores around the world, and is eagerly awaited by vinyl aficionados each year. This year’s Record Store Day takes place on Saturday, April 21st and will feature over 500 vinyl releases, including Boz Scaggs, Brian Eno, The Cure, Cypress Hill, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and many more.

ON THIS DAY IN 2002, LIVERPOOL AIRPORT UNVEILED A NEW RENOVATION HONOURING JOHN LENNON

The airport itself was renamed to the Liverpool John Lennon International airport on the same day out of respect for the renowned musician, alongside an expansion to the airports grounds. The centrepiece, a seven-foot bronze statue of Lennon strident in his trademark glasses, a t-shirt and casual suit, was unveiled by Yoko Ono and Prime Minister Tony Blair’s wife Cherie. The statue was sculpted by Tom Murphy, and is considered one of his best works. Yoko said of his work “It’s brilliant. I think it captures John and shows him, moving, alive rather than standing still.”

Yoko went on to speak on the importance of the monument, claiming “The world needs communication and this Liverpool John Lennon Airport will promote the growth of international communication for Liverpool and for the world. Communication and exchanging will lead to understanding and understanding will create love and peace. And the world needs peace.”

The statue remains in place at the check-in hall, where it is admired by thousands every day. An inscription on the statue reads, “Above Us Only Sky”, a popular lyric from Lennon’s peace anthem “Imagine”.