Why I don’t fear growing older

I know I tend to go on and on about Neil Young on this blog, but you need to see this clip (now 20 years old) of the man and Crazy Horse (with some ersatz drummer) on SNL. It is unbelievable. Keep in mind that he was in his mid forties when this [...]

Great Middle-eights of Rock and Roll; or, Where’s that Confounded Bridge?

The middle eight has been a mainstay of Tin Pan Alley and popular songwriting generally for well over a century.  To what can we attribute the durability of this scheme?  In all honesty, the bridge can be downright perfunctory if not distractingly bad.  But when those eight bars are right, they can elevate a song [...]

It’s No Possible

Fela Kuti – “It’s No Possible” from He Miss Road (1975)
While “It’s No Possible” is not Fela’s most political, angriest, funkiest, or even most danceable jam, it’s his spaciest, most trance-inducing, and, to my mind, best structured. And who doesn’t need an induced trance right about now?
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Posted by Glenn

Wilco’s rock and roll mythology

Wilco – “The Late Greats” from A Ghost Is Born (2004) and “Monday” from Being There (1996)
Wilco sometimes writes wonderfully suggestive songs about a mythological rock and roll universe.
I, for one, would love to hear a triple bill with The Late Greats, The Kay-Settes Starring Butcher’s Blind, and Choo Choo Charlie’s Plenty Good Band.
Maybe Romeo, [...]

Easy Rider

On behalf of the blog, I’d like to extend a cordial ‘tough shit’ to Phil Spector after his recent murder 2 conviction.  For better or worse, Spector has had a huge impact on the sound of popular music over the last 40 years.  Check out a sample of his collaboration with Leonard Cohen, during which, [...]

["come in after this, here we go"]

There are periods when I get tired of every album I own.  This is very painful because my music is so important to me.  I’m sure you can relate.  Songs that can satisfy in those moments are especially treasured.  Broken Social Scene’s You Forgot it in People has been my salvation from [...]

“I ended up alone at the microphone”

I’m back. At long last.
Alas, job potentialities forbid me from inhabiting the legal gray areas of MP3 posting, so you will only get streaming audio from me.  It’ s a good thing you come here for the musical insights and not just for free files, right?  And everyone clicks on the “Buy [artist's name or [...]

“Vessel stabbed. Next up? Volunteers?”

Pearl Jam – “Once” from Ten (1991) and “Immortality” from Vitalogy (1994)
Because of the recent hype around the 18th Anniversary reissue of Pearl Jam’s debut Ten, I’ve been diving back into the catalog of a band I haven’t listened to with any real interest in about 8 years. What I’m finding is that the first [...]

Another Long-awaited Harmonica Favorite

Paul Butterfield Blues Band – “All These Blues” from East/West (1966)
Well I’ve been away, folks, but I’m back.  This “real life” thing sometimes gets in the way of blogging.  I hope you all understand, and I hope you’ll stick with us.
Anyway, this is another standout track featuring the harmonica.  The Butterfield Blues Band is perhaps [...]