Hugh Fielder

Hugh Fielder

Hugh Fielder has been writing about music for 50 years. Actually 61 if you include the essay he wrote about the Rolling Stones in exchange for taking time off school to see them at the Ipswich Gaumont in 1964. He was news editor of Sounds magazine from 1975 to 1992 and editor of Tower Records Top magazine from 1992 to 2001. Since then he has been freelance. He has interviewed the great, the good and the not so good and written books about some of them. His favourite possession is a piece of columnar basalt he brought back from Iceland.

Articles by: Hugh Fielder

Donovan posing for a photograph in the 60s

“I tried to write songs with Paul McCartney, but it was impossible, because every idea I had sparked him off and every idea he had sparked me off”: Donovan’s transcendental tales of The Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix and David Lynch

By Hugh Fielder published

Folkd rock pioneer Donovan on jamming with Macca and Dylan, butting heads with John Paul Jones and meditating with David Lynch

Pink Floyd standing on a bridge in a Japanese garden

Every Pink Floyd album ranked from worst to best

By Hugh Fielder published

Updated From psychedelia to wild success, the very best of the band who delivered The Dark Side Of The Moon and The Wall

David Gilmour photographed at an outdoor festival in 1971

“I had some criticisms of Dark Side Of The Moon. One or two of the vehicles carrying the ideas were not as strong as the ideas that they carried”: How David Gilmour attempted to lay the ghost of Pink Floyd to rest

By Hugh Fielder published

In 2002, Pink Floyd were effectively over – and David Gilmour was focussing on being a solo artist

Arthur Brown posing for a photograph in 1968

“Anybody down there on acid seeing this figure flying down with flames coming out of his head must have thought God was coming”: The crazy life of Arthur Brown, the wildman who set rock’n’roll on fire

By Hugh Fielder published

Arthur Brown is the flame-headed singer behind Fire – but that’s only one part of his insane life

Peter Gabriel in 1974

"I was debagged on a regular basis. And in Chicago I barely held on to my underpants": From Genesis to revelations with Peter Gabriel

By Hugh Fielder published

From Genesis frontman to solo star and beyond: The rise, fall and rise again of Peter Gabriel, the great innovator

Dream Theater sitting on a sofa

"There's a rejuvenated feel to this reunion album": Dream Theater's dream team return with a sharper-edged heaviness to the sound on Parasomnia

By Hugh Fielder published

None shall sleep

Simple Minds posing for a photograph in 1980

“They explained about this movie called The Breakfast Club. They apparently had a song for us. We said: ‘No chance!’”: How Simple Minds went from punk to stadium rock, via an 80s Brat Pack classic

By Hugh Fielder published

The epic story of Simple Minds, the Scottish rock band who conquered the world

G3: Reunion Live cover art

"An almost humbling experience": The guitars are the thing on G3's Reunion Live album

By Hugh Fielder published

Guitars, guitars and more guitars

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe: An Evening Of Yes Music cover art

"The sound does not do the band justice": The Yes soap opera reruns on Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe's live An Evening Of Yes Music Plus

By Hugh Fielder published

Yes, no Squire

Carlos Santana in 1982

The Carlos Santana albums you should definitely listen to

By Hugh Fielder last updated

With glorious Afro-Latin rhythms and ill-advised collaborations, Carlos Santana’s 60-year career path needs to be negotiated with care. These are his best albums

Cat Stevens smoking a cigarette and wearing a leather jacket in the early 70s

“I had no control whatsoever. I was about to drown. I saw my life disappearing in front of me”: The epic story of Cat Stevens, the 70s superstar who turned his back on music

By Hugh Fielder published

How Cat Stevens became one of music’s biggest stars – then walked away from it

Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 cover art

"Limitless pleasures for any guitar-minded person": The stars shine on Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023 collection

By Hugh Fielder published

Two nights, four CDs, one six-string feast

Allman Brothers Band: Final Concert 10-28-14 cover art

"Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks effortlessly recreate Duane Allman and Dickey Betts' searing guitar lines": The Allman Brothers Band's final show, officially preserved for all time

By Hugh Fielder published

The Allmans' big finish, recorded live at the Beacon Theater, New York

Von Hertzen Brothers: In Murmuration cover art

"Tidal waves of sound and immaculate vocal harmonies": Von Hertzen Brothers rise above the gloom on In Murmuration

By Hugh Fielder published

The Von Hertzen Brothers are back from the brink

Cats in Space - Time Machine cover art

"They create a mash-up that conveys the spirit of the 70s without ever getting too specific": Cats In Space wear their classic rock influences as a badge of honour on Time Machine

By Hugh Fielder published

Let’s do the timewarp again

Mr Big: The Big Finish cover art

Mr Big finish big on live album The Big Finish

By Hugh Fielder published

Forever big in Japan

Albert King with Stevie Ray Vaughan: In Session cover art

"An illuminating opportunity to get up close with two blues maestros": Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan trade licks and stories on the deluxe edition of In Session

By Hugh Fielder published

Eavesdropping the blues as two greats join forces for 1983 TV special

Mick Fleetwood and Jake Shimabukuro: Blues Experience cover art

Mick Fleetwood and Jake Shimabukuro share a broad definition of the blues on collaborative album

By Hugh Fielder published

Ukulele blues from Fleetwood Mac founder and Hawaiin YouTube sensation

Alan Parsons Project: Pyramid Super Deluxe Edition cover art

"Meticulously unravelling the album's complexities": The Alan Parsons Project's Pyramid, decompiled and recompiled

By Hugh Fielder published

Taking the pyramid to pieces

Cat Stevens circa 1970

A beginner's guide to Cat Stevens in six essential albums

By Hugh Fielder published

Despite a string of hits including Matthew & Son, I'm Gonna Get Me a Gun and Wild World, Cat Stevens was always a reluctant star. These are his best albums

Genesis posing for a photograph in 1975

“Some albums are a natural birth. This one was definitely a breech birth. It came out kicking and screaming”: the turbulent story of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, the album that tore Genesis in two

By Hugh Fielder published

Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway is one of the great 70s concept albums – and the album that saw Peter Gabriel bid farewell to the band

Jethro Tull in 1971

"We were always looking out for a producer, but the trouble was that most of them took a lot of drugs": Ian Anderson on the recording of Aqualung, and why it really isn't a concept album

By Hugh Fielder last updated

Aqualung is regarded by most as the classic, definitive Jethro Tull album, but Ian Anderson is reluctant to admit it's his favourite

Focus 12 cover art

"It's difficult to tell which one of the tracks on this album was improvised spontaneously": Focus veer from grandiose to sombre on expansive 12th album

By Hugh Fielder published

Old Dutch masters Focus return

Jethro Tull: Bursting Out (Inflated Edition) packshot

"As slick as Jethro Tull got": The Inflated Edition of Jethro Tull's Bursting Out finds Ian Anderson & Co. finds them in fine form

By Hugh Fielder published

Jethro Tull's 1978 live double album, newly pumped up

Robin Trower: Bridge Of Sighs (50th Anniversary) cover art

"Sure, Trower sounded like Hendrix, but he certainly didn't play like him": Robin Trower's classic Bridge Of Sighs gets a lavish 50th birthday makeover

By Hugh Fielder published

British guitar hero Robin Trower’s finest hour, expanded