Hell’s Not Gonna Be Hot Enough: Johnny Winter, R.I.P. (Revisited)
Sean MurphyHell is not gonna be hot enough for this cat. R.I.P. Johnny Winter, an American bad-ass of the first rank. An albino playing the blues? Duh. Most young, uninitiated punks…
Ripe with Rich Attainments: Jethro Tull’s ‘A Passion Play’, Reassessed (Revisited)
For prog-rock aficionados, the hits keep coming, and one man above all deserves our gratitude: Steven Wilson. Whether it’s Yes, King Crimson, or Jethro Tull—all of whom he has worked…
Charlie Haden R.I.P. (Revisited)
1959 was a watershed year for jazz music (arguably the greatest single year for jazz in all history–which is saying a lot). Here’s a taste: Miles Davis Kind of Blue,…
Talking Jive, Mingus and John Goodman
Today is the day. For John Goodman, that is. And for you, if you are inclined to check out his new book, Jive-Colored Glasses: A Jazz Memoir. And you should…
The Doors: Our Star-Spangled American band (Revisited)
If the discussion is going to turn to American rock bands, it would be impossible to avoid R.E.M. Fortunately, I already dealt with their legacy and am on record declaring…
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown: Remembering Michael Jackson (Revisited)
How do you know you've made an indelible impact on culture? Here's how. Listen: this story has been told so many times it is inextricable from the history of America.…
No, Really: Jeff Beck is God (Revisited)
6/15: Happy 71st birthday to the great Jeff Beck. 3/11: Since it happened to be Keith Relf’s birthday, it seemed appropriate to pay tribute to him on Tuesday. Plus, as…
The Howling or, 105 Years of the Big Bad Wolf
Who's afraid of the big, bad Wolf? Plenty of people, and for good reason. Fortunately for us, we are not sketchy record company executives or anyone else who may have…
Wagner at 200 or, Get Your Götterdämmerung On (Revisited)
Or, If Loving Wagner is Wrong, I Don't Want To Be Reich. (More on one of the most complex and controversial composers ever, who was born 200 years ago today,…
Pet Sounds: The Kind of World Where We Belong (Revisited)
5/16/66. A day that changed music, forever, for the better. A case could, and probably should, be made that we ought to refer to rock music as "BP" and "AP"…