Greg Prato (@gregpratowriter)

26 Dec 2023

Looking for a book to read or a gift idea? Make it a GREG PRATO book. Paperback Kindle available for all, plus a few as audiobooks (narrated by me) hardcover. Click link below for all the facts: linktr.ee/gregpratowriter

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Greg Prato

allmusic.com/blog/post/the-s… #paulmccartney #thebeatles #beatles #thefabfour #thrillington #percythrillsthrillington #clintharrigan #johnlennon @allmusic

18h

The Secret Paul McCartney Album Nobody Knew About for 12 Years

When people discuss Paul McCartney's most elaborate alter egos, the conversation usually begins and ends with Percy "Thrills" Thrillington, the fictional aristocrat bandleader…

Greg Prato

allmusic.com/blog/post/3-oli… #olivertree @allmusic

22h

3 Oliver Tree Songs That Defined His Career

On June 14, 2026, Oliver Tree died at 32 in a helicopter crash over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — just days into a world tour that had already taken him to São Paulo. In the hours…

Greg Prato

allmusic.com/blog/post/5-cla… #livealbum #livealbums #bestlivealbums #classicrock #80s #80smusic #brucespringsteen #ironmaiden @allmusic

Jun 14

5 Classic '80s Live Albums That Survived the MTV Era

Back in the '70s, live albums were king. After all, it was this format that helped launch the careers of Peter Frampton (Frampton Comes Alive!), Kiss (Alive!), Cheap Trick (At…

Greg Prato

allmusic.com/blog/post/why-l… @ledzeppelin @allmusic #ledzeppelin #ledzeppelinIV #zoso #bonzo #stairwaytoheaven #70s #70srock #classicrock

Jun 13

Why Led Zeppelin IV Has No Title — And Still Sold 24 Million Copies

By the time Led Zeppelin began work on their fourth studio album "Led Zeppelin IV", they were already one of the biggest bands in the world. Yet instead of playing it safe, the…

Greg Prato

allmusic.com/blog/post/the-w… #davidhockney #thewho #facedances @allmusic

Jun 13

The Who Album Cover You Didn't Know David Hockney Painted

The death of acclaimed British artist David Hockney on June 11, 2026, at age 88 prompted an outpouring of tributes celebrating a career that helped redefine modern art. From his…

Greg Prato

Jun 12

An article about Olivia Rodrigo's love of '90s alt-rock? It's true! allmusic.com/blog/post/olivi… @oliviarodrigo #oliviarodrigo #altrock #90saltrock #robertsmith #thecure #alanismorissette #thebreeders #weezer #nodoubt

Olivia Rodrigo's Deep Love Affair With 90s Alternative Rock and the Album She Calls Her "Perfect 10"

While Olivia Rodrigo is often grouped with contemporary pop stars, her musical DNA reveals a deep connection to an earlier era. Beneath the chart-topping singles, confessional…

Greg Prato

Jun 11

I've gone Rush crazy, with 3 new articles! allmusic.com/blog/post/the-r… allmusic.com/blog/post/story… ultimate-guitar.com/articles… @rushtheband #rushband #geddylee #alexlifeson #neilpeart #anikanilles #lorengold #tomsawyer #movingpictures

The Rush Albums Every New Fan Should Hear First

For newcomers, few rock catalogs are as rewarding – or admittedly, as intimidating – as Rush's. Across five decades, the Canadian trio evolved from a hard-rock band influenced…

Greg Prato

Jun 9

"And then we saw about a 20-minute cut of this 'Highlander' film, and thought, 'Great! That's us.'" ultimate-guitar.com/articles… #queen #queenband #akindofmagic #highlander #freddiemercury #brianmay #80s #80srock #whowantstoliveforever #connormacleod #thekurgan #therecanbeonlyone

The Album That Sent Queen on Their Final Tour With Freddie Mercury: 'A Kind of Magic' Still Has Its...

Coming off the Live Aid performance that Brian May credited with handing the band its confidence back, Queen had every reason to keep pushing. The alb...

Greg Prato

Jun 2

The album "wafts through your speakers," according to Les Claypool. ultimate-guitar.com/articles… @primus #primus #brownalbum #lesclaypool #larrylalonde #bryanmantia #90s #90srock

Deliberately Ugly, Primus' 'Brown Album' Pushed Studio Gear in Overload. It Never Got the Attention...

Primus recorded 'Brown Album' at Les Claypool's home studio by deliberately overloading microphones and pushing compressors into distortion, chasing t...

Greg Prato

May 28

First part of my interview w/ Devin Townsend for Ultimate Guitar: ultimate-guitar.com/news/int… #devintownsend #hevydevy #themoth

Devin Townsend Was 'Completely Theoretically Ignorant' Before 'The Moth': The Nearly Decade-Long...

UG Exclusive: As Devin admits, the creative process required a few years of additional learning, and there was more than just one reason that the albu...

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Greg Prato

May 28

"This is a solid movement. This is a real thing happening." ultimate-guitar.com/articles… #nirvana #kurtcobain #kristnovoselic #davegrohl #grunge #janesaddiction #fugazi #faithnomore #rem #redhotchilipeppers #pixies #90s #90srock #altrock #collegerock #indierock #120minutes #mtv

'Nevermind' Was the Explosion, but Pixies, Jane's Addiction, and Faith No More Had Already Lit the...

NOFX's Fat Mike argued Faith No More 'kind of did it before Nirvana' with 'The Real Thing.' Krist Novoselic admitted Nirvana's melodic direction came...

Greg Prato

May 26

30 years of 'Down on the Upside'! ultimate-guitar.com/articles… #soundgarden #chriscornell #kimthayil #benshepherd #mattcameron #adamkasper #downontheupside #grunge #90s #90srock

Soundgarden Were Pulling Apart During 'Down on the Upside,' and You Can Hear It 30 Years Later

Matt Cameron called the sessions 'certainly strained' and the touring even worse, describing 'a lot of drinking, a lot of bad vibes, a lot of temper t...

Greg Prato

May 22

My interview w/ Coheed and Cambria's Travis Stever for Vintage Rock: vintagerock.com/the-travis-s… #travisstever #sorensong #coheedandcambria #theafterman

Greg Prato

May 21

"If King's X is the most underrated band, then 'Ear Candy' is their most underrated album." ultimate-guitar.com/articles… @kingsx #kingsx #earcandy #dugpinnick #tytabor #jerrygaskill #mississippimoon #90s #90srock #90smetal #underratedalbum

'Let's Go Balls Out': King's X Knew Atlantic Was About to Drop Them. They Made 'Ear Candy' Anyway

'If King's X is the most underrated band, then 'Ear Candy' is their most underrated album.'

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Greg Prato

May 20

"If I was to play it now, I would put it on at the beginning, and play it right through." ultimate-guitar.com/articles… #rainbowrising #ritchieblackmore #ronniejamesdio #jimmbain #tonycarey #cozypowell #ritchieblackmoresrainbow #rainbow #lightintheblack #powermetal

Ritchie Blackmore Wrote 'Stargazer' on Cello Because He'd 'Given Up on the Guitar.' 50 Years Later,...

'If I was to play it now, I would put it on at the beginning, and play it right through.'

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Greg Prato

May 19

Next part of my interview w/ @gusgofficial for @ultimateguitar: ultimate-guitar.com/news/int… #gusg

'Whatever You Want, We'll Make It': Gus G on Choosing Jackson and His New Signature Star Model With...

UG Exclusive: As the metal virtuoso explained, he and Jackson are 'working together on something new now.'

Greg Prato

May 13

"Well-honed songs sizzle and explode under Jack Douglas' all-electric production." ultimate-guitar.com/articles… #jackdouglas #johnlennon #yokoono #aerosmith #cheaptrick #clutch #producer #rockproducer #albumproducer

He Produced Aerosmith's 'Toys in the Attic,' Lennon's Last Album, and Knew When to Let the Room Be...

'Well-honed songs sizzle and explode under Jack Douglas' all-electric production.'

Greg Prato

May 13

First part of my interview with @Vengenz1 for @ultimateguitar: ultimate-guitar.com/news/int… #zackyvengeance #zacharybaker #a7x

A7X's Zacky Vengeance on Doing a Country-Style Solo Album: 'Schecter Made Me a Hollow-body S-1,...

UG Exclusive: As the guitarist speculated in our recent interview, the fans were likely expecting something like a punk or a metal record. Instead, he...

Greg Prato

May 12

"And then sometimes it was really there." ultimate-guitar.com/articles… #jimihendrix #jimi #stevevai #alexlifeson #kimthayil #randyhansen #vocals

Hendrix Hated His Own Voice and Wanted It Buried in the Mix. Steve Vai, Lifeson, and Thayil Say He...

'And then sometimes it was really there.'

Greg Prato

May 7

"I kind of remember warning Gene against that, because I thought it would be a one-record trend." ultimate-guitar.com/articles… #kiss #kissband #genesimmons #paulstanley #grunge #disco #hairmetal

Kiss' Producer Warned Them Against Copying Grunge. He Was Right: 'They'd Hit It and Quit It'

'I kind of remember warning Gene against that, because I thought it would be a one-record trend.'