Van Halen. Balance. In 1962, Decca Records famously rejected The Beatles, stating, “Guitar music is on the way out”. In 1977 NME declared that punk was dead, after writing off hard rock and heavy metal bands as dinosaurs. Now, decades later, we’re told that rock is enjoying a come-back. Newsflash: it never went away. Those huge crowds mourning Ozzy Osbourne only told part of the story. New bands like Sleep Token and Sweden’s Ghost are making an impact globally, Led Zeppelin’s streams are up by a quarter, and re-issues keep coming… There is an abiding reverence for old stars – and few were bigger than Van Halen, who sold more than 80 million albums worldwide. Formed in California by the Dutch-born Eddie and Alex Van Halen, the band are widely remembered for 80s hits like Jump and Why Can’t This Be Love? Balance, their 1995 tenth album – re-released today as an expanded anniversary edition with live tracks – is not their best work. Singer Dave Lee Roth had long gone, taking the band’s sense of fun with him, to be replaced by Sammy Hagar. They dabble in Pearl-Jam-like grunge, a piano ballad, and the Yes-style pseudo-mysticism of The Seventh Seal, which opens with Buddhist monks chanting. Eddie’s guitar-playing is stunning, although he variously sounds like The Edge, Jeff Beck and Neil Young here. But it’s more a Hagar album than a Van Halen one. Arguments with Sammy got so bad, newly-sober Eddie went back on the bottle. Hagar left months later. Roth rejoined in 2006. Led Zeppelin release a new live EP next month. Megadeath will undertake a final tour next year. Rock may continue to morph into different forms, but it’s unlikely to die in our lifetime.
UFO. No Place To Run. One of the classic British rock bands of the late 70s and 80s, UFO’s great strengths were Phil Mogg’s warm, distinctive vocals, Pete Way’s driving bass and their remarkable lead guitarists. Paul ‘Tonka’ Chapman took over from Michael Schenker on this 1980 LP. The original, produced by George Martin in Montserrat, was a little too polished for some tastes. This remastered version adds clarity and beefs up Tonka’s guitar, especially on Lettin’ Go. The deluxe edition includes a bonus 1980 live set from London’s Marquee, with UFO classics such as Lights Out, Doctor Doctor, Too Hot To Handle and Only You Can Rock Me.
Craig David. Commitment. Twenty-five years after his debut album, this terrific set finds Craig reviving his signature, now old-school. R&B and garage sounds for 2025. Top-notch songs include the title track, a mesmerising slow jam collaboration with Afrobeats star Tiwa Savage, the poignant two-step opener Wake Up, and house banger Leave The Light On with Louisa Johnson.
Alison Goldfrapp. Flux. There are more retro sounds on Goldfrapp’s second solo album, with dollops of Georgio Moroder and Jean-Michel Jarre. It’s perfectly listenable but a little unambitious. Rather too much of it settles for lightweight. Hey Hi Hello serves up post-breakup sadness over Euro-dance synths. Best are opener Reverberotic, which is lush and robotic, and the dreamy, infectiously driving Sound And Light.
Bret McKenzie. Freak Out City. The Flight Of The Conchords wag drops the jokes on his third solo album to deliver jazz-tinged baroque pop songs in the style of his musical heroes Harry Nilsson and Randy Newman. From jaunty Macca-like opener Bethnal Green Blues to All I Need, Bret’s tender love song for his wife, this is upbeat, well-made, and refreshingly smart.
The Black Keys. No Rain, No Flowers. Fans of the Ohio duo’s blues classics like Heavy Soul might choose to swerve their latest cross-over bid which spans MOR pop, generic soft rock, and disco. It sounds fresh, the production simmers, but is it what their audience want? Best are sorrowful closer Neon Moon, which has a Stones-do-country vibe, and the bluesier A Little Too High.