Articles by Johnny Sharp

Johnny is a regular contributor to Prog and Classic Rock magazines, both online and in print. Johnny is a highly experienced and versatile music writer whose tastes range from prog and hard rock to R’n’B, funk, folk and blues. He has written about music professionally for 30 years, surviving the Britpop wars at the NME in the 90s (under the hard-to-shake teenage nickname Johnny Cigarettes) before branching out to newspapers such as The Guardian and The Independent and magazines such as Uncut, Record Collector and, of course, Prog and Classic Rock.

Articles by: Johnny Sharp

"It turned out to be a wonderful show, and it healed us for a little while": Nirvana at Reading 1992 - a story of rumours, a wheelchair and salvation

By Johnny Sharp published 30 August 23

In the build-up to Nirvana's final UK show the band were unhappy and underprepared... and then Kurt Cobain was pushed onstage in a wheelchair

“It was a finished product, called A for Anderson, intended as a solo record. Then the record company heard it." The story of Jethro Tull and A

By Johnny Sharp published 29 August 23

When 1980's A came out it featured a new Jethro Tull line-up, a new sound and songs about the threat of nuclear war and terrorism. Not everyone was impressed.

The Pineapple Thief How Did We Find Our Way – 1999-2006 Kscope boxset

Either ‘too progressive’ or ‘not progressive enough’: the impressive boxset that reveals some heart-breaking detail behind The Pineapple Thief's early career

By Johnny Sharp published 23 August 23

Not yet rated

The Pineapple Thief's How Did We Find Our Way – 1999-2006 8 CD boxset

Meet Laura Meade, the most dangerous woman in America!

By Johnny Sharp published 22 August 23

On her latest solo album, IZZ’s Laura Meade turns history into herstory while exploring Hollywood’s love-hate relationship with female celebrities...

A montage of album covers picked by famous musicians

30 musicians on the album that changed their life as a kid

By Classic Rock published 13 August 23

Members of Kiss, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Def Leppard, Rage Against The Machine and more reveal the albums that set them on the path to rock stardom

"We had the opportunity to reimagine what we do to a certain degree." Big Big Train and the making of Common Ground

By Johnny Sharp published 30 July 23

Big Big Train's thirteenth studio album Common Ground saw a new line-up but the same classy approach and prog rock sound

“Our days of easily digestible folky paeans are behind us. Goodbye chamber pop, hello folk prog”: When Fleet Foxes acted like men driven mad on Crack-Up

By Johnny Sharp published 15 July 23

Their third album, released in 2017, delivered a patchwork of instrumentation, influences and indulgence

Einar Solberg - 16: "An impressive and adventurous new chapter."

By Johnny Sharp published 2 June 23

Not yet rated

Leprous man goes it alone with a journey of self-examination

Far above the clouds: Pure Reason Revolution and Above Cirrus

By Johnny Sharp published 6 May 23

The much-loved UK proggers' reunion spawns a second album, but there are line-up issues to discuss with Pure Reason Revolution

Winger fail to reinvent themselves again, but who cares when the choruses are this big?

By Johnny Sharp published 5 May 23

Reanimated 80s FM rockers Winger return with comfortingly familiar seventh album Seven

“More cheery stuff from IQ!": The story of The Road Of Bones

By Johnny Sharp published 3 May 23

The inside story of UK proggers IQ's eleventh studio album, 2014's The Road Of Bones

Floor Jansen goes it alone to seek more mainstream acclaim

By Johnny Sharp published 24 March 23

Paragon is the debut solo album from Nightwish singer Floor Jansen

“We give Yes a run for their money when it comes to changing band line‑ups!" Galahad and the story of Seas Of Change

By Johnny Sharp published 21 January 23

How UK prog rockers Galahad's made their eleventh studio album, 2018's Seas Of Change, amid fluctuating line-up upheaval

Alabama Shakes: celebrating a decade of a defining rock’n’soul voice

By Johnny Sharp published 9 December 22

A tenth anniversary expansion for Alabama Shakes' southern rock’n’soul landmark, Boys & Girls

Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners group shot

Ginger Wildheart: "It was time to divorce the wife and move in with the bit on the side"

By Johnny Sharp published 6 December 22

How maverick Britrocker Ginger Wildheart survived another messy divorce to shack up with his new band, Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners

How the Alan Parsons Project struck gold with Eye In Sky

By Johnny Sharp published 2 December 22

The story of how the Alan Parsons Project went stratospheric with 1982's Eye In The Sky

The Pretty Reckless: Other Worlds cover art

Other Worlds by The Pretty Reckless: worth a quick visit, but no need to hang about

By Johnny Sharp published 4 November 22

Other Worlds sees songs from The Pretty Reckless's Death By Rock And Roll reconfigured, with added Soundgarden and David Bowie

Clutch wanted to make a party album: it did not go as planned

By Johnny Sharp published 1 November 22

Clutch's Neil Fallon and Jean-Paul Gaster on the making of thirteenth studio album Sunrise On Slaughter Beach

Massive Wagons's Triggered!: successfully straddling the pub and the enormodome

By Johnny Sharp published 30 October 22

Maverick northwest crowd-pleasers Massive Wagons deliver once again on sixth album Triggered!

Newtown Neurotics: Cognitive Dissidents cover art

Newtown Neurotics still want to kick the Tories out on Cognitive Dissidents

By Johnny Sharp published 22 October 22

Harlow political punk perennials the Newtown Neurotics battle on against the odds with new album Cognitive Dissidents

Starcrawler seek a bigger audience and a travel upgrade on third album She Said

By Johnny Sharp published 17 September 22

Major label debut She Said sees Los Angeles quartet Starcrawler going in search of new sounds

Kiss: Off The Soundboard: Des Moines 1977 cover art

Kiss's extraordinary rock juggernaut in full flight on official Des Moine bootleg

By Johnny Sharp published 9 September 22

The third and earliest show in Kiss's official bootleg series, Des Moines 1977, finds a distant audience enjoying an upfront performance

From primal emotion to forlorn boogie, GA-20's songs shine

By Johnny Sharp published 9 September 22

Trad-blues trio GA-20 get closer to the source on third album Crackdown

Grand Theft Audio: Pass Me The Conch cover art

Grand Theft Audio's Pass Me The Conch: the 90s-style dance-rock revival starts here

By Johnny Sharp published 4 September 22

Re-formed Britrockers Grand Theft Audio are down to a duo on Pass Me The Conch, with no ill effects

Lonely Robot - A Model Life: "Still a Robot, but still invitingly human."

By Johnny Sharp published 26 August 22

Not yet rated

John Mitchell solo project retains momentum on fifth album

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Johnny Sharp

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