The Complete Guide to Mike Bell's Music Maps: Every Tube Map Explained
by Mike Bell
·
"Mike Bell's music maps have transformed how we visualize musical history, turning complex discographies into beautiful transit-style artworks. His collection spans decades of music history, covering legendary artists from multiple genres and eras." Here's your complete guide to every artist featured in this remarkable collection.
Classic Rock Legends
The Beatles
The Beatles map represents the crown jewel of the collection, charting the most influential band in music history. This comprehensive visualization tracks all studio albums from Please Please Me through Abbey Road, showing how John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr created their revolutionary sound.
The Rolling Stones
The Stones map captures over six decades of rock and roll rebellion, from their blues-influenced early work through their status as the world's greatest rock and roll band. Special attention is given to their classic period and includes detailed coverage of Goats Head Soup, showcasing the band's creative evolution.
The Who
This map traces the explosive journey of one of rock's most powerful live acts, from their mod beginnings through their rock opera masterpieces, documenting Keith Moon and John Entwistle's rhythm section alongside Pete Townshend's compositions and Roger Daltrey's vocals.
Pink Floyd
The Pink Floyd visualization charts their evolution from psychedelic pioneers to progressive rock masters, tracking the contributions of Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright through their conceptual albums and sonic experimentation.
Queen
Queen's map celebrates their theatrical rock brilliance, showcasing Freddie Mercury's vocal genius alongside Brian May's guitar innovations, Roger Taylor's drumming, and John Deacon's bass work across their most beloved albums.
Deep Purple
This map explores one of heavy metal's founding fathers, tracking their classical-rock fusion and the legendary lineup changes that produced some of rock's most influential albums and guitar work.
British Alternative and Indie Icons
David Bowie
Perhaps the most complex map in the collection, Bowie's visualization captures his chameleonic career across multiple decades and personas, from Ziggy Stardust through the Berlin trilogy and beyond, showing his constant reinvention and collaboration with diverse musicians.
The Smiths
The Smiths map encapsulates the brief but brilliant career of Manchester's most influential band, showing how Morrissey's lyrics and Johnny Marr's guitar work created indie music's template, supported by Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce's rhythm section.
Joy Division/New Order
This dual-purpose map traces the transformation from Joy Division's post-punk intensity to New Order's electronic innovation, documenting one of music's most dramatic reinventions following Ian Curtis's tragic death.
The Cure
Robert Smith's gothic masterpiece receives full treatment, charting The Cure's evolution from post-punk beginnings through their darkwave classics and pop crossover moments, showing the band's remarkable stylistic range.
Oasis
The Oasis collection includes separate maps for the main band, plus individual maps for Liam Gallagher's and Noel Gallagher's post-breakup projects, documenting Britpop's most successful and controversial band.
Manic Street Preachers
This map honors the Welsh trio's political punk poetry, tracking their journey from Richey James-era intensity through their evolution into stadium rock, documenting their most important albums and lineup changes.
Arctic Monkeys
The Arctic Monkeys map charts the Sheffield band's remarkable evolution from garage rock upstarts to sophisticated indie artists, showing their transformation across multiple albums and artistic phases.
Solo Artist Legends
Morrissey
Separate from The Smiths, Morrissey's solo map documents his controversial but brilliant post-Smiths career, showing his continued collaboration with various musicians and his evolution as a solo artist.
Paul McCartney
McCartney's post-Beatles journey receives comprehensive treatment, from Wings through his solo career, documenting his prolific output and diverse musical explorations.
John Lennon
Lennon's solo map captures his artistic and political evolution after The Beatles, including his work with Yoko Ono and his most significant solo albums.
George Harrison
Often called "the quiet Beatle," Harrison's solo map reveals his spiritual journey and musical growth, from his pioneering use of Indian instruments to his later work with the Traveling Wilburys.
Paul Weller
From The Jam through The Style Council to his solo career, Weller's map traces one of British music's most respected careers, showing his evolution from punk to soul to contemporary rock.
Kate Bush
Bush's map celebrates one of music's most unique voices, charting her innovative albums and artistic vision from The Kick Inside through her later conceptual works.
Nick Cave
The Nick Cave map documents his dark romantic journey from The Birthday Party through The Bad Seeds, showing his evolution as one of alternative rock's most literary songwriters.
American Rock and Folk
Bruce Springsteen
The Boss gets comprehensive treatment, with his map charting the complete journey from Asbury Park through his status as America's premier rock storyteller, including his work with the E Street Band and solo albums.
Tom Petty
Petty's map honors the Heartbreakers' leader and his solo work, documenting his contribution to American rock and his collaborations with other legendary musicians.
R.E.M.
The R.E.M. map traces the Athens quartet's influence on alternative rock, from their jangly college rock beginnings through their mainstream success and artistic evolution.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
This map captures the funk-rock fusion pioneers' journey, documenting their lineup changes and evolution from underground Los Angeles band to global superstars.
Ramones
The Ramones map celebrates punk rock's founding fathers, showing how four musicians from Queens changed music forever with their stripped-down, high-energy approach.
Country Music
Country Music History
This ambitious map takes on an entire genre, charting the evolution of country music and its key players across multiple decades and subgenres.
Cody Johnson
Representing contemporary country, Johnson's map shows the modern evolution of the genre and its current stars.
Dierks Bentley
Bentley's map documents another key figure in modern country music, showing his contribution to the genre's current landscape.
Lainey Wilson
Wilson's inclusion represents country music's newest generation and the genre's continued evolution.
Progressive and Art Rock
Jethro Tull
Ian Anderson's flute-driven progressive rock receives detailed treatment, showing the band's evolution from blues rock to folk-influenced prog epics.
Hawkwind
The space rock pioneers get their due with a map charting their psychedelic journey and numerous lineup changes across their extensive career.
ELO (Electric Light Orchestra)
Jeff Lynne's orchestral rock vision is mapped in detail, showing how ELO blended classical arrangements with rock sensibilities.
Pop and New Wave Masters
ABBA
The Swedish pop legends receive comprehensive coverage, with their map showing how Björn, Benny, Agnetha, and Frida created some of pop music's most enduring songs.
Blondie
Debbie Harry and Chris Stein's new wave pioneers get full treatment, documenting their genre-blending approach that helped define late 70s and early 80s music.
Simple Minds
The Scottish new wave band's map traces their evolution from post-punk beginnings to stadium anthems.
OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)
This map documents the electronic duo's contribution to synth-pop and new wave music.
Alternative and Indie Artists
Echo and the Bunnymen
Liverpool's post-punk poets receive detailed mapping, showing their atmospheric sound and Ian McCulloch's distinctive vocals.
Squeeze
Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook's songwriting partnership gets comprehensive treatment, documenting their contribution to British new wave.
The Fall
Mark E. Smith's prolific and uncompromising band receives mapping treatment, documenting their extensive discography and numerous lineup changes.
Mumford & Sons
The folk-rock revival leaders get modern treatment, showing their impact on contemporary music.
Electronic and Dance
New Order
Beyond their Joy Division connection, New Order's electronic innovation receives separate detailed treatment, showing their influence on dance music.
Sparks
The Mael brothers' eccentric pop genius spans decades, and their map documents their unique contribution to experimental pop music.
Folk and Singer-Songwriters
Leonard Cohen
The poet-musician's map honors his literary approach to songwriting and his influence across multiple generations of musicians.
Billy Bragg
The political folk-punk troubadour's career receives detailed treatment, showing his evolution from Clash-influenced punk to folk traditionalist.
Specialized Collections
Individual Band Member Projects
The collection includes detailed maps for individual artists' post-band careers, including Johnny Marr's work beyond The Smiths, and separate treatments for Oasis members' solo projects.
Session Musician Focus
Maps like Steely Dan particularly excel at showing session musician contributions, highlighting the often-overlooked artists who contributed to legendary recordings.
Why These Maps Matter
Each map in Mike Bell's collection serves multiple purposes: they're educational tools that help fans understand musical lineages and influences; they're beautiful art pieces suitable for any music lover's wall; and they're conversation starters that can deepen appreciation for musical history.
The attention to detail in each map ensures that even the most knowledgeable fans will discover new information about their favorite artists. The visual format makes complex musical relationships immediately clear, while the aesthetic appeal ensures these maps enhance any space they occupy.
For anyone seeking the perfect gift for music fans, these maps solve the perpetual problem of finding something both meaningful and unique. They celebrate musical passion while providing genuine insight into the artists and albums that have shaped our cultural landscape.
Whether you're drawn to classic rock legends, alternative pioneers, or contemporary artists, Mike Bell's music maps offer an unparalleled way to celebrate and understand the music that moves us all.