Ask The Ages: Revisiting Sonny Sharrock’s Masterful Swan Song
Sean MurphyThe name alone is epic: Sonny Sharrock. I won't resist the urge, because I can't, to pick a low-hanging pun and opine that Sonny put the rock back in jazz.…
Why Is Prog Rock So Inadequate, Simplistic, Reductive, Portentous and…Perfect? (Revisited)
It’s always crucial, when talking trends—musical or otherwise—to contextualize the times and remember that wardrobe malfunctions, chemical excess and unspeakable atrocities like porn-star mustaches never exist within a vacuum. To…
A Portrait of the Boss As a Young Man
There is one key question that arises whenever a new box set of previously-available material is released: is it necessary? With Bruce Springsteen’s eight-disc The Album Collection Vol. 1: 1973-1984,…
Whitney Houston and the Wages of Fame
Sadly, only the most optimistic or naive observers did not see this coming. Indeed, it is fair, if harsh, to wonder how it took so long. I make it a…
David Bowie: Ashes to Ashes
Sordid details following. It’s all in here: summing up practically everything from the ‘70s and previewing so many trends to follow in the ‘80s. Everyone heard this, even if they…
David Bowie: The Man Who Owned the World
ONLY THE BEATLES. That’s the sole comparison that comes to mind when compelled to name a musical act with similar impact and importance. The Beatles, as we all know, changed…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part Three: Rodgers & Hammerstein & Coltrane
Check it out: Most people, at least post Baby Boom generation, know this from the insufferable, I mean delightful family masterpiece, The Sound of Music. It was, and remains, an…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part Two: Brian Wilson and Danny Gatton
One of the best ballads ever? No question. Brian Wilson, whom one can never say enough about, evinced such astonishing growth in such a short period of time, only The…
Improving Upon Perfection, Part One: Curtis Mayfield and Junior Murvin
First, the sweet, angelic genius of Curtis Mayfield. (Sidenote: if you've lived this long without getting a proper exposure to Curtis, remedy that as soon as possible. Virtually everything the…
Just Like a Big Daydream in the Middle of the Night: The Return of Shuggie Otis (Revisited)
True story: Already an industry veteran although barely legal drinking age, Shuggie Otis was asked to join the Rolling Stones. Famously, he declined the offer. Had he accepted that once-in-a-lifetime…