The Poetic Origins of Middle-earth
In juvenile impatience, most fledgling fans are liable to skip the poems in The Lord of Rings. But the mature Tolkien reader understands that they are the heart of his work.
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Inverlair Lodge: the secret refuge for rubbish spies
Inverlair Lodge inspired cult TV series The Prisoner and bestselling novel The Cooler. But the real secret agents who were held there were less James Bond and more Johnny English.
Louis Armstrong: the jazz icon with a controversial legacy
Unreleased songs by Louis Armstrong feature on a new album, capturing the jazz legend at his commercial peak. But they also rekindle old debates on his legacies as an artist and civil rights activist.
Back to Black turns the Amy Winehouse story into a Disney movie
The film is unwilling to descend to the depths of depravity needed to honestly explain Winehouse's death. Instead, it gives her a Disney princess ending, implying she died of a broken heart.
The surprising life of rock’s most famous tambourine man
Having spent some 30 years shaking the cymbals for American psychedelic guitar band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Joel Gion is one of the longest-serving tambourine men in rock history.
The Star Trek episode that predicted a 2024 crisis
Star Trek's vision of 2024 may have proven untrue in a literal sense. But it carries an allegorical truth that reflects accurately on the US homelessness crisis of today.
New Blue Sun heralds a bold reinvention for André 3000
While most of us doomscroll through life, the eccentric André 3000 – off in a quiet corner playing his meditative flute music – seems increasingly like the sane one in a mad world. Maybe we should listen up.
Expanded collection of Tolkien letters leaves some stories untold
Despite this expanded edition, hundreds of letters remain unpublished. But there is a power in leaving some of Tolkien's story untold: as long as there are unseen materials out there, the mythology can remain alive.
Mythical archive of ‘first Beatles historian’ comes to light
Mal Evans neglected his family for a life with the Beatles, amassing a priceless trove of ephemera and diary entries. Long after his untimely death, a new book has finally uncovered it.
The Beatles’ Final Song is an AI-Assisted Success
'Now and Then' is a worthy closer to the Fab Four's discography – arriving out of nowhere, long after we thought the music had ended, to bring a final smile to Beatles fans across the world.
A Colourless Remake of a Classic Album
Roger Waters positions himself as the single beam of creative light for The Dark Side of the Moon. But his original bandmates were the prism which allowed his creativity to be refracted into its full-colour splendour.
All 26 Rodriguez Songs, Ranked
It’s a small body of work, but Rodriguez's recorded output nonetheless contains greater substance than most artists who have recorded 10 times as much.
Roald Dahl’s Forgotten Novel, 75 Years On
Roald Dahl's debut novel sold poorly and has never been reprinted. But it has a major historical importance as the first novel about nuclear war to be published after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
Dante Ross: "the Forrest Gump of hip-hop"
“The Forrest Gump of hip-hop” sounds like an incongruous nickname. But Ross is thrilled with the title. “Gump is the connector,” he explains. “He’s connected to all these things. But you don’t really know who he is.”
Tolkien translation unearthed in new book
The Battle of Maldon may not have had a great influence on The Lord of the Rings, but it did inspire J.R.R. Tolkien to create one of his best works outside the Middle-earth legendarium.
A Guide to the Music of De La Soul
Having spent decades in legal purgatory, De La Soul's music is finally coming to streaming services. But where is the best place to start with the hip-hop trio's diverse catalogue?
Words Are the Only Victors
The appearance of Victory City in the aftermath of the attack on Salman Rushdie is a powerful celebration of his literary voice, as well as his fearless advocacy for free speech.
A Q Carol: Star Trek's Christmas episode
With its humanist outlook, Star Trek has never produced a traditional Christmas episode. But one of its most popular instalments is based on Charles Dickens' classic tale A Christmas Carol.
The Fall of Númenor: a redundant but beautiful addition to Tolkien's canon
The reordering of previously published text fragments is now the driving creative act behind the Tolkien industry - as if moving the puzzle pieces of these unfinished writings will somehow reveal new insights.
Alis Lesley: the ‘female Elvis’ on Bob Dylan’s new book cover
Positioned between Little Richard and Eddie Cochran is a rock ’n’ roll star who had a short-lived music career. So why has Bob Dylan chosen this relative unknown to front his essay collection?
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