Joe MateraSocial Links Navigation Latest articles by Joe Matera Ralph McTell scored a hit with his classic “Streets of London.” It only took him 10 years — and three recordings By Joe Matera published 12 November 24 The guitarist says his song is better known in the U.S for a successful cover version “I had this really nice old Strat I used for a lot of stuff.” Chris Stein on Blondie’s hit “Dreaming” and its secret ingredient By Joe Matera published 8 November 24 Notes Stein, “I think I'm the first person to actually have an EBow credited on a record” How a Rickenbacker and an empty toilet paper roll made one of the greatest guitar songs of the 1990s By Joe Matera published 29 October 24 Ed Roland says he was thrilled when Dolly Parton — of all people — covered "Shine" and won a Grammy for it "It's a very weird situation, and I don't think I'll ever understand it." Guitarist K.K. Downing updates his status with Judas Priest as he tells the story behind the song that defined the group's heavy-metal image By Joe Matera published 27 October 24 The guitarist —who celebrates his birthday today — says he wrote "Run of the Mill" to show off Rob Halford's remarkable vocal range It took guitarist Al Stewart 10 years to write his breakthrough hit. Then he tried to hide it By Joe Matera published 24 October 24 Al Stewart loved the guitar work on "Year of the Cat." The sax solo? Not so much Why there are no guitar effects on the Modern English hit “I Melt WIth You" By Joe Matera published 17 October 24 Gary McDowell says the group's producer refused to use artificial reverb or delay on the pop group's 1982 breakthrough single “A lot of weird things happened”: Ian Hunter on Mott the Hoople’s All the Way From Memphis By Joe Matera published 19 August 24 Poorly promoted by the band's record label, All the Way From Memphis nonetheless became a classic, and was later covered by Michael Schenker and Brian May How Robin Trower crafted his blistering tonal triumph, Day of the Eagle By Joe Matera published 17 April 24 With some help from legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, Trower laid down an inspired tune that – 50 years later – remains, for his money, his “best rock and roll song” “It's about the band. There’s a kind of confession in it…” How the fear, hope and sadness of a love affair mixed with secret band tensions helped Justin Hayward write the Moody Blues’ The Story in Your Eyes By Joe Matera published 14 January 24 Justin Hayward lifts the lid on the making of the Moody Blues’ immortal 1971 hit single The Story In Your Eyes “It's all about Bach and Beck. Before Beck, guitars used to just go ‘twang.’ Then they learned to sustain and scream and impersonate a woman’s voice and imitate brass instruments." The career and influences of Steve Hackett in five songs By Joe Matera published 19 December 23 Prog legend, innovator and “musical chameleon”, Steve Hackett spent six years in Genesis before a stellar solo career delving into everything from classical to blues and beyond. Here are five Genesis cuts he considers his best Pink Floyd didn't mean anything to him, he told Thin Lizzy he wouldn't jump around onstage and he once had an accidental top 10 hit: The career of Snowy White, rock's easiest-going guitar hero, in five songs By Joe Matera published 16 November 23 Blues player, session legend and "accidental frontman", Snowy White has worked with everyone from Thin Lizzy to Pink Floyd. Here are five deep cuts he considers his best. "The keyboard player said ‘Why are you just hitting random chords?’ I said, ‘You never know, I might get lucky!'" How Loverboy's Paul Dean wrote Working For The Weekend By Joe Matera published 13 November 23 How Loverboy made their floor-filling, meat-market moving, chart-topping, soundtrack favorite 1981 hit Working For The Weekend “The Concept Is Simple: Plug a Great Guitar Into a Great Amp, and Don’t Let Anything Get in Between”: Billy Squier Explains How He Honed His Tone on Five Classic Tracks By Joe Matera published 21 June 23 “I’ve always taken a tremendous amount of inspiration from the guitars I’ve played,” says the chart-topping arena rocker Phil Manzanera’s Top Five Career-Defining Tracks By Joe Matera published 14 February 23 The Roxy Music guitarist picks from a wide range of sessions with a common denominator: Brian Eno Bryan Adams’ Guitarist Keith Scott Names His Top Five Career-Defining Tracks By Joe Matera published 16 January 23 The Canadian superstar’s right-hand man of over 40 years knows the tales behind the best tracks “All of a Sudden, Our Audiences Doubled”: Peter Buck Opens up About R.E.M.’s Breakthrough Hit, “The One I Love” By Joe Matera published 15 November 22 The guitarist reveals the surprising truth behind their 1987 smash Get The Pick NewsletterAll the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors LATEST ARTICLES1"She made it look so effortless.” Watch Amy Winehouse stun audiences with her voice and a Stratocaster2Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein challenges lazy thinking about Gibson’s most notorious era 3Coco Montoya recalls how John Mayall turned him from a bartender into his Bluesbreaker guitarslinger4Rich Williams recalls how his choice of guitar picks ruined a day’s worth of playing on the biggest hit Kansas ever had5These Allman Brothers songs explain why Dickey Betts was a legend on acoustic as well as electric
Ralph McTell scored a hit with his classic “Streets of London.” It only took him 10 years — and three recordings By Joe Matera published 12 November 24 The guitarist says his song is better known in the U.S for a successful cover version
“I had this really nice old Strat I used for a lot of stuff.” Chris Stein on Blondie’s hit “Dreaming” and its secret ingredient By Joe Matera published 8 November 24 Notes Stein, “I think I'm the first person to actually have an EBow credited on a record”
How a Rickenbacker and an empty toilet paper roll made one of the greatest guitar songs of the 1990s By Joe Matera published 29 October 24 Ed Roland says he was thrilled when Dolly Parton — of all people — covered "Shine" and won a Grammy for it
"It's a very weird situation, and I don't think I'll ever understand it." Guitarist K.K. Downing updates his status with Judas Priest as he tells the story behind the song that defined the group's heavy-metal image By Joe Matera published 27 October 24 The guitarist —who celebrates his birthday today — says he wrote "Run of the Mill" to show off Rob Halford's remarkable vocal range
It took guitarist Al Stewart 10 years to write his breakthrough hit. Then he tried to hide it By Joe Matera published 24 October 24 Al Stewart loved the guitar work on "Year of the Cat." The sax solo? Not so much
Why there are no guitar effects on the Modern English hit “I Melt WIth You" By Joe Matera published 17 October 24 Gary McDowell says the group's producer refused to use artificial reverb or delay on the pop group's 1982 breakthrough single
“A lot of weird things happened”: Ian Hunter on Mott the Hoople’s All the Way From Memphis By Joe Matera published 19 August 24 Poorly promoted by the band's record label, All the Way From Memphis nonetheless became a classic, and was later covered by Michael Schenker and Brian May
How Robin Trower crafted his blistering tonal triumph, Day of the Eagle By Joe Matera published 17 April 24 With some help from legendary Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick, Trower laid down an inspired tune that – 50 years later – remains, for his money, his “best rock and roll song”
“It's about the band. There’s a kind of confession in it…” How the fear, hope and sadness of a love affair mixed with secret band tensions helped Justin Hayward write the Moody Blues’ The Story in Your Eyes By Joe Matera published 14 January 24 Justin Hayward lifts the lid on the making of the Moody Blues’ immortal 1971 hit single The Story In Your Eyes
“It's all about Bach and Beck. Before Beck, guitars used to just go ‘twang.’ Then they learned to sustain and scream and impersonate a woman’s voice and imitate brass instruments." The career and influences of Steve Hackett in five songs By Joe Matera published 19 December 23 Prog legend, innovator and “musical chameleon”, Steve Hackett spent six years in Genesis before a stellar solo career delving into everything from classical to blues and beyond. Here are five Genesis cuts he considers his best
Pink Floyd didn't mean anything to him, he told Thin Lizzy he wouldn't jump around onstage and he once had an accidental top 10 hit: The career of Snowy White, rock's easiest-going guitar hero, in five songs By Joe Matera published 16 November 23 Blues player, session legend and "accidental frontman", Snowy White has worked with everyone from Thin Lizzy to Pink Floyd. Here are five deep cuts he considers his best.
"The keyboard player said ‘Why are you just hitting random chords?’ I said, ‘You never know, I might get lucky!'" How Loverboy's Paul Dean wrote Working For The Weekend By Joe Matera published 13 November 23 How Loverboy made their floor-filling, meat-market moving, chart-topping, soundtrack favorite 1981 hit Working For The Weekend
“The Concept Is Simple: Plug a Great Guitar Into a Great Amp, and Don’t Let Anything Get in Between”: Billy Squier Explains How He Honed His Tone on Five Classic Tracks By Joe Matera published 21 June 23 “I’ve always taken a tremendous amount of inspiration from the guitars I’ve played,” says the chart-topping arena rocker
Phil Manzanera’s Top Five Career-Defining Tracks By Joe Matera published 14 February 23 The Roxy Music guitarist picks from a wide range of sessions with a common denominator: Brian Eno
Bryan Adams’ Guitarist Keith Scott Names His Top Five Career-Defining Tracks By Joe Matera published 16 January 23 The Canadian superstar’s right-hand man of over 40 years knows the tales behind the best tracks
“All of a Sudden, Our Audiences Doubled”: Peter Buck Opens up About R.E.M.’s Breakthrough Hit, “The One I Love” By Joe Matera published 15 November 22 The guitarist reveals the surprising truth behind their 1987 smash
