What Makes This Song Work - Ep. 1 The Times They Are A-Changin'

Here’s the second part of two about rock music - asking ‘what IS it?’, and ‘isn’t it dead, anyway?’. I can’t promise you that I answer either question completely, but I think I answer them entertainingly at least! So, if you like rock music - new or old - and you’ve asked yourselves these questions, check out this video. I talk about everything from the Beatles (of course), to Polyphia, to - well, loads!

Here’s episode one of two, looking at rock music generally, asking ‘what is it?’ (harder to answer than you might think), and ‘is rock music dead’? I’ve made a couple videos looking at genre before, and I thought I should look at rock music as a whole - we can all recognise a rock band when we hear (or see) one, but I wanted to go a little deeper and see what really makes the style tick. Whether I’ve done it successively, only you can say! Lots of people - from Rick Beato, to the founder of Rolling Stone Magazine, to rock stars like Roger Daltrey and Gene Simmons - have lamented the death of rock music. But is it actually accurate or fair to say that it *is* dead? What would it even *mean* to say that it is dead? I’m not sure if I do manage to answer all these questions in my videos, but I have tried! Part two out soon

YouTube’s algorithms are mysterious and indecipherable - but are they any good? Well, in this video I do a little review of/reaction to Chypho’s album Entomongakum - a sort of electronic ambient album… about insects? It’s cute, it’s wholesome - it’s also weird, and imaginative: so, has YouTube done a good job in recommending it to me?

Is it better to be a generalist or a specialist as a musician? WHO KNOWS - but let's explore the subject a bit. In this video I look at Paul McCartney and another MYSTERY musician while asking what a generalist is, and what it means to be a specialist. Is one better than the other? Is the distinction a real one? Am I getting more and more unhinged with each passing video I make? All these questions and more go unanswered by me in this latest video essay. Enjoy!

Brian Wilson is one of my favourite songwriters, and he LOVES ii V Is (who doesn't). This video is a look at how 2 5 1s are used in the super underrated, and frankly BRILLIANT 1968 Beach Boys single, Break Away, which was written by Brian, and his father Murry. This is a mini follow up to a longer video I just put out about ii V Is generally in popular music, so check that one out too to learn about the chord progression generally!

My reaction video to the Rolling Stone list of 200 greatest singers. The Rolling Stone magazine love their ‘greatest’ lists, and their most recent one is their ‘200 greatest singers of all time’, published in January 2023’s edition. It has *rather unsurprisingly* generated a fair bit of controversy (and clicks!), and like a lot of people (and probably you), I’m not a massive fan. But maybe not for the reasons that you might expect! Check out my video reacting to the list! #rollingstone #200greatestsingers

ii V I chord progressions, or 2 5 1s, are super popular with songwriters, composers and improvisers in all genres. They are used to change key, or just to loop back to the tonic chord… but they’re also used in loads of very different, arguably even more interesting ways. This video looks a bit at some standard ways to use 251s, with popular examples, as well as more slightly ‘out there’ versions and uses. In all honesty, there’s probably no limit to how many different ways you can use the famous progression! Skip to 2:57 to go to the songs discussed Examples talked about: - Video Killed The Radio Star (The Buggles) - Parisiene Walkways & Still Got the Blues (Gary Moore) - You Never Give Me Your Money (The Beatles) - I Feel Like I’m Fixin To Die Rag (Fish cheer) (Country Joe and the Fish) - Bear Necessities (Jungle Book) - New York State of Mind (William Joel) - Summer in the City (Lovin’ Spoonful) - Uncle Albert (Paul McCartnet) - Do You Want To Know a Secret (the Beatles) - Birdhouse in Your Soul (They Might Be Giants) - Hello (Lionel Ritchie) - Coleen (Joanna Newsom) #musictheory #circleoffifths #pop #rock

Queen are one of the greatest bands in rock history, with LOADS of classic songs and albums. Who doesn't love them? With 13 number ones across the world, they are the only band where each member is credited as the sole writer of a chart topping hit. That's right: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon all wrote at least number one each. BUT the story is actually a little bit more complicated than that. This is my second video about Queen's chart history, songwriting and general background. Hope you enjoy it! #queen #rogertaylor #johndeacon

Queen are one of the greatest bands in rock history, with LOADS of classic songs and albums. Who doesn't love them? With 13 number ones across the world, they are the only band where each member is credited as the sole writer of a chart topping hit. That's right: Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon all wrote at least number one each. BUT the story is actually a little bit more complicated than that. This video is about Queen's chart history, songwriting and band background. Hope you enjoy it! #queen # brianmay #freddiemercury

So, this is the first video I've made where I'm disagreeing directly with another youtuber - David Bennet's videos are of course great, but I think he kind of missed the point with his one chord video, so I thought I'd explain my thoughts! I can't pretend to have nailed everything on the topic down, myself, but hopefully you'll enjoy my take on the subject. I talk about everything from the Talking Heads, to The Beatles, Harry Nilsson, Creedence Clearwater Revival - and others!