Latest news with #rockhistory
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Michael Ochs, Top Collector of Rock 'n' Roll Photos, Dies at 82
Michael Ochs, who out of nerdy devotion to rock history preserved ephemera of the music industry seen by many as junk, and who realized belatedly that he had built the world's leading collection of photos chronicling the modern history of popular music, died on Wednesday at his home in the Venice Beach section of Los Angeles. He was 82. His wife, Sandee (Lewis) Ochs, confirmed his death. She said that in recent years Mr. Ochs had suffered from Parkinson's disease and multiple myeloma. In the mid-1960s, Mr. Ochs (pronounced oaks) worked as the manager for his brother, the folk singer Phil Ochs, and then went on to work in publicity at Columbia, Shelter and ABC Records. Michael Ochs gained a reputation for rescuing the trash of his employers and other labels. The hobby wound up overtaking his career, granting him a singular position in the music industry. He employed a staff of six to handle about 15 to 20 requests every day from journalists and historians to reprint images from a collection of more than three million photographs, photo negatives and proof sheets. In 2006, The New York Times labeled his archive 'the premier source of musician photography in the world.' In 2003, the rock historian Peter Guralnick told The Los Angeles Times, 'When we talk about the dustbin of history, Michael actually discovered the dustbin.' Mr. Ochs's photographs represented virtually total coverage of every musician who made the pop charts over the decades, starting in the 1950s. His 70 file cabinets began with an '80s group called the A's and continued all the way to ZZ Top. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne fans: share your thoughts on their final show
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath have bowed out with a final concert, an all-day stadium show called Back to the Beginning, at Villa Park in Birmingham. The show was also livestreamed to more than five million fans worldwide. We would like to hear from Black Sabbath fans who saw the show. What did you make of the final gig? How do you feel about seeing Ozzy Osbourne retire? You can share your thoughts on Black Sabbath's final show using this form. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please include as much detail as possible. Please note, the maximum file size is 5.7 MB. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. If you include other people's names please ask them first. Contact us on Signal at +447766780300. For true anonymity please use our SecureDrop service instead. If you're having trouble using the form click here. Read terms of service here and privacy policy here.
Forbes
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Nirvana's Blockbuster Blows All Of The Band's Other Albums Away
Nirvana's Nevermind hits 350 weeks on the Official Albums Sales chart — longer than all the band's ... More other charting successes combined. GERMANY - NOVEMBER 12: Photo of NIRVANA; L-R: Dave Grohl, Kurt Coabin, Krist Novoselic - posed, group shot (Photo by Paul Bergen/Redferns) Nirvana's Nevermind is enjoying yet another big week on the charts in the United Kingdom. The collection, widely regarded as one of the most important in rock history, reaches major milestones on two of the three tallies on which it appears. The project pushes the long-defunct band to numbers it has never hit before — and may never hit again. Nevermind continues to not just survive, but thrive, thanks almost entirely to ongoing purchases by fans around the world, particularly in the U.K. As it earns yet another stay on a sales-focused ranking, the title once again asserts itself as the bestselling album by Nirvana. As of this frame, Nevermind has now spent 350 weeks on the Official Albums Sales chart. That U.K.-based list tracks all forms of purchases — digital and physical — of both albums and EPs. At the moment, Nevermind sits at No. 61, down nine spots from the previous period. Nirvana has never seen a project reach such an impressive milestone before. In fact, no other effort by the group has come even close. Nevermind outpaces Nirvana's second-longest-charting title on the Official Albums Sales chart, Unplugged in New York, more than 10 times over. That set has only managed 31 appearances on the tally as one of the country's bestselling releases. Nevermind has sold so well for so long that it has outpaced all of the band's other charting releases combined – by a factor of seven. The group's self-titled compilation, Live and Loud, Bleach, and In Utero have never cracked double-digit frames on this ranking. Despite having appeared on the Official Albums Sales chart for years, Nevermind has never reached No. 1. In fact, it has never even broken into the top 10. The title is tied with Nirvana, the group's hits-packed compilation, as its highest-charting effort, as both peaked at No. 14. This week, Nevermind is also present on both the Official Physical Albums chart and the Official Rock & Metal Albums list. It recently passed a decade of appearances among the top-selling titles in the physical format. In this frame, it reaches its 1,450 stays on the rock-only roster.
