Alex Markham
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Articles by Alex Markham
Think You Know John Lennon’s Music? You Don’t
RATE-A-RECORD There’s far more to uncover of Lennon’s immortal music legacy Lennon’s younger son, Sean, has taken over from Yoko in keeping John Lennon's legacy alive. Recent box sets have included the wonderful Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes, a compilation of Lennon’s solo work remastered from the original tracks. One reason this is so good is that much of Lennon’s 1970s material suffered from poor production, and this compilation fixed that.
The Fifth Quadrant
SONG STORIES cropped from https://pixabay.com/illustrations/galaxy-luminous-body-space-7797729/ A fine line of light moved slowly across the entire bridge as the crew froze in their places. The Cy were scanning them and the ship in preparation for assimilating the crew into their automaton workers and warriors. Hammer hung his head low as the scan passed over him, and his body sank in defeat. It was over. He threw himself into the captain's chair, and it creaked with his weight.
A Camden Afternoon With Amy Winehouse
A free tourist walking tour is never free. And there are plenty of ‘free’ walking tours around Camden in North London, the former stomping ground of Amy Winehouse. At the end of any ‘free’ tour, the guide will suggest a donation for his or her time. £10 a head would be nice, they’ll say with feigned humility. Maybe £15? “I take credit cards,” they add.
August 25th 2025 - A Key Date In Human History
Monday, 25th August 1975 began as just another ordinary day, but ended as one of the most historic in world history. It was the evening of the 25th when I heard it. The sound exploded from the kitchen radio like a hydrogen bomb detonation. My eyes widened, the hairs on my arms stood up and an intense tingling sparked all over my body like a thousand miniature lightning strikes. What the hell was this sound? Born To Run had exploded into my brain, and nothing was ever the same again.
The Bagpipe Wars
The bagpipes are the only musical instrument you either love or hate. I imagine those who love the pipes are enthused by the amorphous notions of a hazy Celtic culture replete with tartan kilts, Scotch whisky, Hogmanay and ‘Ol Lang Syne. They must blank out the infernal noise the pipes emit that resembles what you’d hear standing at the end of the runway at Glasgow airport, while the jets fly directly over your head, ten feet above.
Your Favourite Music Artist Challenge
WRITING CHALLENGE Pick your favourite rock & pop artists and answer the questions Press enter or click to view image in full size I’m loath to promote Twatter aka Z, or whatever it’s called, but to be fair, not everyone on the platform is an obnoxious moron. To prove that there are also (some) decent people on Z, there’s an account called Springsteen Lyrics that sounds like damn good fun. And since it’s followed by my good mate, , it has to be decent and good.
The Kiss Of Venus: Captain On The Bridge
The Kiss Of Venus: Captain On The Bridge The bridge doors open with a stunted swish. Partially opened. They hadn’t worked properly since last year, but the maintenance crews were busy working on real starships. Captain Maxwell S. Hammer needed several moments to catch his breath after climbing up those three flights of circular steps from his quarters. It was like walking up a helter skelter but without the benefit of a slide down.
Springsteen's Marketing Deep Cuts
It may be difficult to think of your favourite rock star as a product, but I have bad news for you. He or she is exactly that. Most young artists don’t see this, of course. Even the Beatles were outmanoeuvred as young, callow artists by their publishing company, which took much of their song rights.
Is Springsteen’s Tracks 2 Really A Set of Lost Albums?
Is Springsteen’s Tracks 2 Really A Set of Lost Albums? Springsteen has previously released collections of outtakes: Tracks I, The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, and The Promise. These collections gave us around 120 tracks that Springsteen had left off his albums. He didn’t reject the songs because they were the worst tracks, but because they didn’t fit thematically and artistically with the albums. Many songs on these outtake albums were often individually better than those he selected.
Exploring Help! In London: The Beatles’ 2nd Film
Exploring Help! In London: The Beatles’ 2nd Film You could tell something had changed. Although Help! was released just one year after the Hard Day’s Night film, the film and music hit a different tone. It was The Beatles playing themselves again, they looked the same and he title track sounded like the classic Beatles formula, at least musically. But Help! wasn’t as joyous and funny as in A Hard Day’s Night (AHDN). And it didn’t quite hit the same spot.
UteNation Countdown to Kickoff: No. 40 Paul Fitzgerald
Skip to main content There are 40 days until kickoff so with today’s UteNation countdown to Kickoff, it’s time to discuss No. 40, defensive end, Paul Fitzgerald. The 6-foot-4 and 251 pound edge rusher began his college football career at Utah State, quickly establishing himself as a feared defensive end. During the 2023 season, he started all 13 games and recorded 46 tackles, including nine tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Something Isn’t Right, So Let’s Run
RATE-A-RECORD Not run away, just run Image by Przemysław Trojan from Pixabay Something is very wrong. Here in the UK, we saw the hottest and sunniest spring since records began on 14th October 1066. Many will tell you that the UK Met Office were making official records from the 17th century, but I’m going back further by using my genetic records. My genes have told me that when my Norman ancestors arrived from Normandy in a kind of reverse D-Day landing back in 1066, it wasn’t as hot as it is now.
VIDEO: Utah HC Whittingham at Big Media Day
Skip to main content Big 12 Media Days were held at The Star in Frisco, TX from July 8-9th. On Day Two, it was Utah’s turn to step up to the podium and discuss what they expect to be a bounce-back season. Utah Head Coach Kyle Whittingham discussed Utah’s elite offensive line, the new offense under Offensive Coordinator Jason Beck, the “it factor” new quarterback Devon Dampier brings to the team, plus their trademark defense among other topics.
UteNation Countdown to Kickoff: No. 55 Spencer Fano
There are 55 days left in the UteNation Countdown to Kickoff series and today we discuss No. 55, Spencer Fano. The 6-foot-6 and 302 pound junior has anchored both sides of the offensive line in his first two seasons with 11 starts at left tackle and 13 at right tackle in 25 games.
WHAT IT MEANS: Utah Lands OL Sparks
Utah offensive line coach Jim Harding has struck again with a commitment from arguably the top player in New Mexico, offensive lineman Moses Sparks. The 6-foot-5 and 275 pounder visited Utah on the weekend of June 6th, before taking his other visits and making a decision. Sparks has offers from Utah, Arizona State, Oregon State, Houston, Nebraska, Boise State and Texas Tech among others. Ultimately it came down to Utah, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Boise State and New Mexico with his official visits.
That Was The Random Week That Was
RATE-A-RECORD A Rate-A-Record on four things I did last week Have you ever stopped to think how many random things you do in one week? Or one day? Or to mangle and paraphrase The White Queen in Alice in Wonderland, “I’ve sometimes done six random things before breakfast.” None are impossible in my case, just random. This Rate-A-Record is based on some of the stuff I did last week and the thoughts I had as a consequence.
Help! The Lighter Side of a Film and a Journey Original
THE BEATLES The Beatles didn’t only change popular music, they took us on adventures too Who do those Beatle boys think they are? They need a good haircut. Yeah, yeah, yeah? They can’t even speak the Queen’s English. It’s easy to forget the social attitudes in Britain at the start of the sixties — class structure and lack of social mobility were embedded. But things were changing, and The Beatles were leading the charge. Their big UK moment came four months before the Ed Sullivan appearance.
Utah Lands JuCo TE Jefferson
Utah Football received a commitment late Friday afternoon, from Southwestern Community College tight end, Josiah Jefferson, the brother of Los Angeles Charger safety, Tony Jefferson Jefferson visited Utah this past weekend after visiting both Arizona and Oklahoma, his other two finalists. In the end, Utah was able to beat out the Sooners who were the early presumed favorite, due to it being his brother Tony's alma mater. He made his announcement in a ceremony on his local news.
WHAT IT MEANS: Utah Lands JuCo TE Jefferson
Utah Football received a commitment late Friday afternoon, from Southwestern Community College tight end, Josiah Jefferson, the brother of Los Angeles Charger safety, Tony Jefferson Jefferson visited Utah this past weekend after visiting both Arizona and Oklahoma, his other two finalists. In the end, Utah was able to beat out the Sooners who were the early presumed favorite, due to it being his brother Tony’s alma mater. He made his announcement in a ceremony on his local news.
DB Waters is a Ute
The University of Utah received yet another commitment on Tuesday night from one of this past weekend's visitors, this time coming from three-star 6-foot-3 and 180 pound cornerback, Dylan Waters. The Fort Bend Marshall HS standout currently has seven offers, and he recently visited Utah, UNLV, and UCLA. He made his comment known Tuesday night on social media: What Utah is getting Waters competes in both football and track in high school, running a 23.05 200.
Galea'i Stays Home, Commits to Utah
The University of Utah has landed a prized local recruit, four-star safety Aisa Galea'i. The Timpview HS star visited Utah this past weekend in a star-studded group that saw Utah welcome three local four-stars plus one five-star recruit. Galea'i had over 17 offers including Utah, Miami, Oregon, Washington, BYU, UCLA, Arizona State, and others. He took three official visits to Utah, BYU, and UCLA.
Utes Land Versatile DL, Ramon
By Alex Markham, Publisher via @MSaltasRivals, The University of Utah continued to add to their success with their visitors from this past weekend, with a pledge on Monday from defensive lineman Javion Ramon. The 6-foot-6 and 245 pounder from Monterey HS in Lubbock, Texas committed to Utah over offers from Baylor and UTEP. Utah is currently the only school Ramon has visited as players and coaches reach the two month recruiting dead period.
WHAT IT MEANS: Utes Land Versatile DL, Ramon
The University of Utah continued to add to their success with their visitors from this past weekend, with a pledge on Monday from defensive lineman Javion Ramon. The 6-foot-6 and 245 pounder from Monterey HS in Lubbock, Texas committed to Utah over offers from Baylor and UTEP. Utah is currently the only school Ramon has visited as players and coaches reach the two month recruiting dead period.
OL Pearce Commits to Utah
The Utes received another commitment on Sunday night from their recent group of official visitors, as Midland Christian HS offensive lineman Rowdy Pearce made the call. The powerful road grader from Texas currently holds 16 offers including Vanderbilt, Washington State, Houston, and Utah. He took his official visits to Houston, Rice, and Utah. "Utah just felt like home," said Pearce. "All of the coaches, players, and staff made decision really easy.
Utah Lands Dynamic Playmaker, Williams
The Utes received a commitment late Saturday night from electric playmaking wide receiver, three-star Perrion Williams. The 6-foot and 165 pounder committed to Utah while on his visit, giving Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck a dynamic receiver for the 2026 class. Williams currently has 10 offers including offers from Utah, Minnesota, Oregon State, and Washington State. It only took him making one official visit to Utah before knowing he found his college home.
TE Fisher is a Ute
On Friday, the University of Utah received a football commitment from tight end Bear Fisher. The 6-foot-5 and 235 pound tight end from Queens Creek HS in Arizona, visited Utah on the weekend of June 6th. He followed that official visit up with one to Iowa State shortly after, before announcing his decision. Fisher currently has seven offers from P4 schools: Utah, Arizona, BYU, Cal, Iowa State, North Carolina, and Washington State.
The Kiss of Venus 1
SONG STORIES In space, no one can hear you snore It’s important not to leave an idiot in charge of a spaceship, but sometimes, you have no choice. Like when you need a nap. Captain Maxwell S. Hammer’s eyes shot open from his nap as he was tossed out of his bunk. He hit the floor with a dull, heavy smack. The cabin swayed one way and then the other, throwing him rolling into the wall and shaking him out of his golden slumbers in an instant. Living was easy with eyes closed, but that was now ruined.
WHAT IT MEANS: Utah Lands RB Bell
With new Utah running backs coach Mark Atuaia now calling the shots, the Utes will place a heavier emphasis on bigger backs. With LaMarcus “Bam” Bell, they landed just that. Bell was previously committed to Oregon State before reopening his recruitment. He was committed to the Beavers from January until May. He then tripped to Washington State and also Utah soon after. For Bell, the decision was easy.
QB Johnson Flips to Utah
Utah Football has flipped their second recruit in over a week with the addition of Michael Johnson Jr., who was committed to Mississippi State when he arrived in Salt Lake City for his official visit this past weekend. The 6-foot-1 and 175 pound dual-threat quarterback out of Dutchtown HS in Georgia, had six P4 offers: Utah, Mississippi State, Purdue, UCF, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. Before making the switch to Utah, Johnson had been committed to Mississippi State since July 2024.
Hinchen is a Ute
Utah Football has kicked their recruiting efforts into high gear over the last week and a half. On Monday, they received their third commitment for the 2026 class, La Quinta HS cornerback Major Hinchen. The 6-foot-2 and 170 pounder recently took official visits to Utah followed by Cal. He had over 18 offers, seven of them being from P4 schools.
English Rock & Pop Artists With English Place Names
RATE-A-RECORD A celebration of English pop artists for flimsy but fun reasons As the champion of tenuous connections, this article celebrates Father’s Day on the 15th June by celebrating English rock & pop artists with surnames that are also English place names. Can you guess the connection between Father’s Day and artists who have names that are English place names? No? Let me help you — I’m a father, plus I’m English and I have a surname that is an English place name.
LB Mitchell Is A Ute
The University of Utah ran up their recruiting efforts this past weekend as they hosted an onslaught of 2026 official visitors. Not long after, the Utes received their first commitment from Meridian HS linebacker LaGary Mitchell. The 6-foot-3 and 200-pounder has so far flown under the radar, with two offers from Utah and Boise State. However, those are two highly respected developmental programs. Even with his Utah commitment, other teams are sure to take notice.
The Beatles, Rain & A Quiet London Suburb
THE BEATLES A tour of the locations for the greatest B-side song in history The problem with London is that when you rock up to see a specific location connected to The Beatles, you get sidetracked by something else interesting. Maybe problem isn’t the right word, and I’m not saying anything is more interesting than The Beatles, but there are other interesting things around. Sometimes.
Classic Rock Doesn’t Have to Be Classic
RATE-A-RECORD For me, it’s more a style than a time period If you Google the term classic rock, you’re informed it’s a blanket term to describe rock music from the mid-1960s through to the mid-1990s. Generally, British or US artists. I disagree. Not with the British and US artists thing, but with the strict time period they give.
Paperback Writer, Auntie Susan and Chiswick House
Rock n’ Heavy is Medium’s longest-running music publication, dedicated to rock, pop, rap, and all music genres that define pop culture and shape the soundtrack of our lives. Follow publication THE BEATLES The parallel history of an underrated Beatles song Dear Sir or Madam, what’s your favourite Beatles song? You might choose I Want To Hold Your Hand, Hey Jude, In My Life, Let It Be or A Day In The Life. Perhaps you’d go for Something, Come Together or Yesterday.
Paperback Writer, Auntie Susan and Chiswick House Original
Rock n’ Heavy is Medium’s longest-running music publication, dedicated to rock, pop, rap, and all music genres that define pop culture and shape the soundtrack of our lives. Follow publication THE BEATLES A parallel history with an underrated Beatles song Dear Sir or Madam, what’s your favourite Beatles song? You might choose I Want To Hold Your Hand, Hey Jude, In My Life, Let It Be or A Day In The Life. Perhaps you’d go for Something, Come Together or Yesterday.
Hot Town And Its Summer In The City
RATE-A-RECORD Summer has kicked off early and that means cricket and classic rock It really is a hot town and summer in the city of London and, although I’m a cool cat, I’m not looking for a kitty as I already have one. If that first sentence makes no sense to you, you’re probably reading the wrong publication. It’s a wonderfully sunny and summery 22C here in this hot town and summer in the city of London with the promise of 27C by Thursday.
22 Forever Game Takeaways
Utah Football held their annual 22 Forever Game on Saturday with a unique twist as it was offense vs. defense and a unique scoring system was devised. The defense held the lead for most of the game, but new Utah quarterback Devon Dampier got the offense rolling in the second half and the offense pulled away 42-38.
John & Yoko One To One
ROCK MUSIC FILM REVIEW This was not what I expected. Not at all You would think a film based on Lennon’s only full-length solo live concert would be the most wonderful event of the year for a Beatles & Lennon obsessive like me. You’d be wrong. Monday 14th April started well enough, it was an unseasonally warm and sunny day in London and we’d planned to go and see One To One, the new John Lennon and Yoko Ono film.
Runnin' Utes Add Martin Schiller to Staff
Utah head coach Alex Jensen has added another assistant to his staff, as Martin Schiller is set to join the Runnin’ Utes. Born in Austria, Schiller began coaching in Germany, working with youth teams and as an assistant coach for various clubs. His early roles included stints with TSG Bergedorf, WBC Wels, and the Artland Dragons. Schiller also served as an assistant coach for the German national team from 2015 to 2019, which is where his paths crossed with Jensen in 2015.
Hendrix & Handel - Musical Neighbours
MUSIC You may think there’s little connection between Hendrix and Handel, but you’d be wrong I didn’t think too much about Jimi Hendrix or Frederick* Handel until I started teaching English. It wasn’t that I didn’t like their music, I did, it was just that I was more absorbed by the rock music of The Beatles, Springsteen, Paul Weller, The Stones and the like, and by a preference for the melodies of Rachmaninov and Chopin in classical.
BREAKING: Eric Daniels Joins Runnin' Utes Staff
Like father, like son, Eric Daniels is coming home to the arena he grew up in. The son of longtime Majerus assistant Donny Daniels, Eric has become a hot name himself in assistant coaching circles. Now, he brings his experience to the Runnin’ Utes. He’s the third hire for new Utah head coach Alex Jensen and the second assistant hire, joining Raphael Chillious and general manager Wes Wilcox. Daniels joins the staff with deep in-state ties, working at Utah State as an assistant for the 2024-25 season.
Utah Offense Shines in Scrimmage First-Look
The University of Utah football team held a scrimmage on Saturday which was open to the media. It was an opportunity to get a glimpse into what the offense under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck will look like. Media is restricted on discussing things schemes and position switches, but plenty came out of the session to talk about.
Utes Building Trust and Leadership are Key this Spring
Entering week two, Utah Football has worked their way into live action this spring. It’ll take some time for the players to ramp up, but so far so good for Kyle Whittingham’s Utes. “We had some live work right out of the gate; about 10 minutes into practice when we cranked it up and went live,” said Whittingham. “It was very spirited, very competitive.
Utah Football and new offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, received some promising recruiting news on Sunday with the addition of 2027 quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher. The brother of Utah linebacker and 2025 4-star linebacker, Christian Thatcher, is talented in his own right. Thaddeus is a 4-star who ranks No. 12 overall in a quarterback group that has yet to be separated between dual-threat and pro-style labels.
Utes Start Spring Ball with Upbeat Vibe
Utah Football kicked off spring ball on Thursday for the media with over 30 new faces. With that came a new look and a new vibe. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham noted that there was, “A lot of juice and energy on this football team right now." After two down years, it’s reinvigorating for someone like Whittingham to see an upbeat vibe with renewed energy. “I thought for the first day, the offense did a nice job relative to how much they have in,” said Whittingham.
Utah Football Spring 2025 Preview: Safeties
As spring ball begins, one position group that doesn't have a lot of questions is the safety room under Morgan Scalley. The Utes did lose solid production from Aliki Gilman, who started eight games, but Rabbit Evans began to eat into Gilman’s reps the more the 2024 season went on. Led by Tao Johnson, the Utah safeties are a position of strength heading into spring ball.
Utah Football Spring 2025 Preview: Defensive Ends
This spring, the University of Utah finds themselves having to reload at a position of constant strength. Utah defensive ends coach Lewis Powell last two mainstays, Van Fillinger and Connor O’Toole, as both prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft. The 2025 defensive end room is young and immensely talented, led by Logan Fano, the only upperclassmen of the defensive ends on scholarship.
Utah Football Spring 2025 Preview: Tight Ends
Gone is of the greatest offensive weapons in Utah Football history, Brant Kuithe, along with two other 2024 contributors: Carsen Ryan and Miki Suguturaga. Kuithe is looking to fight through his injury struggles and make the NFL, while Ryan transferred down south to BYU. Utah’s previous offensive system under Andy Ludwig heavily utilized the tight ends. Now, under new offensive coordinator Jason Beck, the tight end involvement is yet to be determined.
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