Roy Orbison – Mystery Girl Yes, I’ve been on a bit of a Roy Orbison kick lately. Coincidentally, I’ve just read about the 25th anniversary re-release of his 1989 masterpiece and return to solo material in the months shortly before his untimely death, Mystery Girl. It looks like there are some goodies involved with the […]
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The Smithereens – Beauty and Sadness EP One of my guiltiest pleasures while serving as Music Director for a college radio station in the mid-‘80s was the music of an outstanding quartet from Carteret, New Jersey, The Smithereens. In 1986, their debut album, Especially For You, was released on the then-hot indie label, Enigma Records. […]
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Dexys Midnight Runners – Searching For The Young Soul Rebels I know what you’re thinking – ‘80s one-hit wonder. But if that’s all you’re thinking, you’ve sold yourself short, music fan! I welcome you to also perform a reappraisal of this band, just as I did. What caused me to do so was hearing music […]
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The Amps – Pacer Fans of the Pixies are also pretty hip to longtime bassist Kim Deal’s “other band,” the Breeders. But I’ll bet that the only release from Kim’s “other other band” slipped by under the radar for most of those fans. In 1995, after a brutal tour schedule supporting the Last Splash album, […]
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Mike Oldfield – Islands Mike Oldfield is the composer and artist responsible for Tubular Bells, which you’ll probably remember as the creepy theme to William Friedkin’s 1973 chill fest, The Exorcist. That recording, the first for Richard Branson’s Virgin label, was groundbreaking in several ways, from the recording methods used to the material itself – […]
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Jeff Beck & Jed Leiber – Frankie’s House Original Soundtrack Jeff Beck is one of those guys that have taught us not to trust rumors of an artist’s “farewell tour”. He’s been trying to retire for decades, but I’ve just read that he has a new album coming out this spring. Whatever, Jeff… Well, as […]
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Babatunde Olatunji – Dance To The Beat Of My Drum I know I’ve reviewed some things on this site that challenge your tasteful leanings towards the classic rock, but hang with me on this one. There’s a good story here as well as appearances by well-known artists. How does a dude from Central Wisconsin encounter […]
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Okkervil River – The Stand Ins Fans of classic psychedelic rock may have recently encountered an outstanding indie rock band based in Austin, Texas through their association with legendary singer Roky Erickson. His 2010 “comeback” album, True Love Cast Out All Evil, was produced by Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff, and featured the balance of the […]
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ZZ Top – Degüello Happy New Year, music fans! I’m not sure what’s finding its way on to your playback devices in early 2014, but I’ve been continuing to fill obvious holes in my collection by acquiring some classics that, for some reason, I hadn’t picked up previously. Today’s column visits a band that’s had […]
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Rush – Rush As mentioned in a previous column, I’ve planned to fill some glaring holes in my collection in 2014, focusing on some undoubted classics. One such album is the debut from Canadian legends Rush. I’d somehow navigated through my high school, college and early adult life without owning this prize, largely because I’ve […]
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