There’s a stereotype that all Scots are brash, vocal misanthropes who will call a spade a spade even if it’s a trowel. And Alan McGee is unfortunately doing nothing to change that stereotype.

OK, so I’m quite opinionated, something which has cost me many friends over the years, and on Brit Music Scene I’ve even criticized some artists for their musical output or life choices. U2, mainly, but still, I have nothing on Mr. McGee.

British music has been widely recognized and loved around the world since the early 1950s. And sixty years on, each successive decade has proved to be a beast of its own, unique making. The British Music Experience charts these six decades of music in an interactive and entertaining way.

The British Music Experience is a permanent exhibition at the O2 in London. It has made a home in the O2 Bubble, just one small part of the huge complex formerly known as the Millennium Dome, which now has the O2 Arena at its heart.
The British Music Experience opened in March 2009, …read more

It’s now 2010, the start of a new year and a new decade. So now is a fitting time to look back at the noughties, the decade that gave us a lot of brilliant new music. But what were the biggest selling albums of the decade that ran from 2000 to 2009?

The Official Charts Company compiles the UK charts every week based on sales. And, according to NME, it recently released details of the Top 10 biggest selling albums of the noughties, which are as follows:-
The Top 10 Albums Of The Noughties
1. James Blunt – ‘Back To Bedlam’
2. Dido – …read more

I haven’t liked much of Paul McCartney’s output since The Beatles split. In fact, I don’t particularly like the man. However, the fact that he was in The Beatles means I have a reverence towards him that is bordering on religious. Because The Beatles were, in fact, bigger than Jesus.

McCartney has recently given a couple of interviews with some interesting revelations in. And that’s the thing – love him or hate him, McCartney is a man who was in the biggest pop group ever, is one of the richest entertainers in the world, and is famous absolutely everywhere. Which means …read more

The Beatles are, for more, the best pop group ever to have lived. I love their early stuff, their late stuff, and even those Ringo Starr songs that appear on every album. In short, I don’t think they’ll ever be beaten in terms of a back catalog of songs and albums that remain timeless.

However, Paul McCartney doesn’t actually think The Beatles were any good. At least when they started out. He’s clearly referring to the very early days, even before they departed for Hamburg where he thinks they truly learned their craft.

An American-based Web site caused controversy when it started selling the whole of The Beatles back catalog last week. BlueBeat allowed free streaming of all the tracks and albums and sold all the tracks and albums for a pittance of what they’d actually be worth through iTunes or a similar service.

The real kicker of course is that The Beatles through Apple Corps, and EMI, which owns the recordings, have never agreed to sell any of the band’s tracks online. The nearest they’ve come is licensing the tracks for use in The Beatles: Rock Band.

The inspiration behind the classic Beatles hit, Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, has died at the tender age of just 46 after losing a long fight with Lupus. And there was me thinking that the song was all about LSD and the effects of a trip on the hallucinogenic drug. I guess I was wrong.

The story goes that Lucy Vodden was a childhood friend of John Lennon’s son Julian. In 1966, he returned home from nursery school with a picture of Lucy with diamond-shaped eyes and when asked explained it was Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.
A year later …read more

The Beatles officially split up in 1970 after recording the Let It Be album. Paul McCartney was the first to go but it’s thought all four members knew the band’s time was coming to an end anyway. They left a legacy and back catalog of music that is still felt and heard to this day. Especially with the release of remastered albums and The Beatles: Rock Band video game.

However, it appears it could have all been so different, as Paul McCartney has revealed to Entertainment Tonight that the band seriously discussed a reunion. In the decade after The Beatles split …read more

The UK music charts may mean less now than they used to but they’re still an indicator of what’s hot on the popular British music scene right now. This week’s Top 10 singles and Top 10 albums are listed below.

The singles chart sees Pixie Lott hit the top spot with Boys and Girls, giving her two consecutive number ones. Last week’s number one, Run This Town by Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West, falls to number three. Mika’s We Are Golden debuts at number 4, while Muse make the top 10 with Uprising. Not bad for an albums band.
The albums …read more

One of the biggest injustices in the British music scene right now is that The Beatles back catalog isn’t available to download or stream from legal sources. There are other bands who have also insisted their music remains exclusive to physical formats but The Beatles are the biggest name to have insisted on it.

It’s been rumored that The Beatles would be coming to iTunes soon for the last two years or so, ever since Apple (makers of the Mac and iPhone) and Apple Corps. (the company set up by The Beatles in the 1960s) settled a legal dispute over their …read more