Andy Price

UFOs, Mick Jagger, and cold war paranoia: Nena on the bizarre origins of 99 Luftballons (aka 99 Red Balloons)

A record allegedly driven by supernatural forces, Prince swiftly disowned the stark funk of the Black Album - but what caused him to pivot so dramatically?

T. Rex's signature song was written and recorded while on a hectic US tour, and would be their only stateside hit

Moby had all but thrown in the towel, but the surprising success of his eclectic 1999 masterpiece forever changed his fortunes

A prime example of how the less-is-more philosophy can fuel creativity, Burial’s extraordinary 2007 masterpiece Untrue was created entirely within Sony’s antiquated Sound Forge

Midnight City's distinctive lead sound was created out of distortion-soaked vocals

Were hints that OK Computer and In Rainbows should be listened to as one monster record deliberately seeded by the band?

Bowie’s staggeringly prophetic 1999 Newsnight interview revealed his astute awareness of how the internet was going to change music and content forever

At the very heart of the White Album, this tender Beatles masterpiece pulled from the classical music tradition and empathised with the American civil rights movement

Marking an album that foresaw the 21st century’s computer-addicted society, Kraftwerk dropped their own branded handheld synth decades ahead of the trend

Waits’ gritty Rain Dogs depicted a dark vision of New York’s underbelly, and was shaped by its ‘junkyard orchestra’ of inventive instrumentation

Only two tracks have ever been heard from what could have been Pink Floyd's most divisive record

It might seem an obvious winner now, but Madonna’s Vogue was at first the speedily and cheaply-built flip side to an entirely different single

It was sadly to be Freddie’s last single with Queen before he passed away just six weeks after its release

Beck’s surprising 2002 pivot was defined by its immaculately-recorded acoustics, and is often cited as a choice reference test by audio enthusiasts

One of Bowie’s highest watermarks, Heroes continues to sound utterly timeless due to its layered production and passionate vocal performance

Chester Bennington was a little on the fence as to whether Linkin Park’s most enduring track was strong enough to be on their debut

Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal would acrimoniously split shortly after the release of their most musically inventive record

The opening to Sgt Pepper’s second side underlined just how boundless the Beatles’ musical scope had become

Interpol’s blistering breakthrough soon became a pulse-pounding indie staple

Lennon’s curated week of programming exposed viewers to some controversial figures - and drew the attention of the US government