American brothers Ron and Russell Mael formed the group Halfnelson in 1970. Their first two albums were recorded in Woodstock, New York, produced by Todd Rundgren and released on the Bearsville record label. Both records tanked on these shores, so the brothers broke up the band, changed their name to Sparks, moved to England, got […]
Today in Rock History – December 28
1968, The three day Miami Pop Festival took place, the first major rock festival held on the East Coast of the US, with Chuck Berry, The McCoys, Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Marvin Gaye, The Turtles, The Box Tops, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Pacific Gas and Electric, Procol Harum, Canned Heat, Iron Butterfly and The Grateful […]
RadioActivity Makes Sense
Once again, it’s time for your Uncle Marty to bring you the 508th chapter in the saga of The Award Winning 3D RadioActivity. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch are the five traditionally recognized ones. The ability to detect other stimuli beyond those governed by these most broadly recognized impressions also exist, and these sensory modalities include […]
Today in Rock History – November 19
1964, The Supremes became the first all girl group to have a UK chart topping single when “Baby Love” went to the top of the charts. 1965, David Bowie and the Lower 3rd appeared at The Marquee Club, London. 1965, The Kinks, The Who, Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames, The Hollies, Wilson Pickett and […]
Song Of The Day – “That’s Rock ‘n Roll” by Eric Carmen
Eric Carmen was one of the prime purveyors of 1970s power pop with his group Raspberries and their hits “Go All The Way,” “I Wanna Be With You,” “Let’s Pretend” and “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record).” With the breakup of Raspberries in 1975, producer Jimmy Ienner brought Carmen to the fledgling Arista record label where, under […]
Song Of The Day – “Dancin’ Wild” by Tom & Jerry
Before “The Boy In The Bubble” and “Graceland”…before “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” and “Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard”…and before “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Sound Of Silence,” there was “Hey Schoolgirl” and a multitude of early recordings by the likes of Tom & Jerry, Jerry Landis, […]
Song Of The Day – “Answering Machine” by The Replacements
When they were good, they were really great. But when The Replacements were bad, they were truly awful. Seeing The Replacements in concert was always a crap shoot. Whether it was boredom from being on the road, or just youthful blowing off steam, you never really knew what you were going to get when you […]
Song Of The Day – “The Shelter Of Your Arms” by Clyde McPhatter
Singles and albums that came out of the Brill Building during the early 1960s have a distinct sound of their own. It’s not just down to the great songs that were written by the best songwriters New York City had to offer, or the now-legendary musicians who played on the sessions, but it also came […]
Today in Rock History – September 27
1964, The Beach Boys made their TV debut on The Ed Sullivan Show on US TV where they performed “I Get Around” and “Wendy.” 1966, The Who’s managers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp attend a Jimi Hendrix performance at the Scotch of St. James Club. Chandler has heard about their Track Records’ startup (Hendrix originally […]
Today in Rock History – August 28
1965, The Rolling Stones announced that Allen Klein, who they had met three days earlier, would co-manage the group along with Andrew Long Oldham. At the same time, The Stones signed a five-year recording deal with Decca Records. 1965, The Beach Boys “California Girls” was at No.3 on the singles chart,the single peaked at No.26 […]
