Radio's Next Dimension
Who knows what was going on in songwriter Jimmy Webb’s mind when he wrote the somewhat nonsensical lyrics to this song, but one thing for sure is that it is a classic brought to the upper regions of the charts not once but twice. Richard Harris was known primarily as an actor and not a [...]
Originally a member of The Primes (to the Supremes’ Primettes), Kendricks possessed one of the most soulful voices in the group that would later be renamed The Temptations. His angelic falsetto voice climbed the charts numerous times on such classics as “Just My Imagination,” “My Girl,” “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg,” “Get Ready” and dozens [...]
While most Deadheads would agree that 1972 was a key year for the band due to the amount of then-new material added to the mix now considered standards, as evidenced on last year’s essential “Complete Europe ’72″ mammoth box set release. I too agree, but I really love the 1973-74 shows and the tracks from [...]
One of George Harrison’s most underrated songs and a highlight of “The White Album” for sure. The song was actually recorded by “The Threetles” since John Lennon was not present for any of the sessions. Lennon’s absence kind of illustrates the short shrift that Harrison’s songs were given during Beatle recording sessions, considering that songs [...]
He was a master stride pianist, world class composer responsible for such classics as “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” and “Jitterbug Waltz,” to name but a few, and a larger than life comedic performer whose jivey way with a song sometimes overshadowed his sheer artistry. He recorded hundreds of records for Victor and was so in [...]
“Street Legal” is one of the most underrated records in Bob Dylan’s canon. When it came out in 1978, it had the tough task of following both “Desire” and “Blood On The Tracks,” two of Dylan’s most respected studio albums and comparatively speaking, it did not fare so well. It was then followed by the [...]
You can draw a sonic line between The Bangles and Detroit Cobras when it comes to influences. Both groups draw upon the classic girl group sound of the 1960s, but add their own garage rock spin to the proceedings. Detroit Cobras are a garage rock band from, you guessed it, Detroit whose first few albums [...]
Before TV and Leno, there was Branford, brother of Wynton and young Turk on the saxophone. He was touring behind his 1988 album “Random Abstract” at the time of this recording and had Kenny Kirkland on piano, Bob Hurst on bass and powerhouse drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts along for the ride. Here they are tearing [...]
This choice cover comes from the exceptional multi-artist 3-CD set called “Chimes Of Freedom – The Songs Of Bob Dylan” released this past January to benefit Amnesty International. I love what Mariachi El Bronx do with this song, completely recasting it to fit their sound. Actually Mariachi El Bronx is the alter ego of the [...]
Some records keep getting better with time. “Billion Dollar Babies” by Alice Cooper is certainly one of them featuring songs like “Elected,” the title cut (featuring guest artist Donovan), “Sick Things,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Unfinished Suite” and this song. The album was originally packaged like an alligator skin wallet complete with photos, a [...]
