Paul McCartney and Lee “Scratch” Perry (Revisited)
Sean MurphyIt was 34 years ago today... They almost put Macca away! (Today is the anniversary of Paul being released; hence the epic photo, above.) Do you remember what a huge…
Jimi Hendrix: Isolated and Astonishing
No comment necessary. Hendrix. Isolated tracks. God bless the Internet. "The Wind Cries Mary": "Have You Ever Been To Electric Ladyland": "All Along the Watchtower": "Drifting":
Jon Madof and Zion80 Are Making World Music for a New World
At a concert in New York City a few months ago I saw two things I’d never witnessed before. The first was a group of Jewish jazz musicians playing Afrobeat.…
Roy Campbell, R.I.P.
Another one gone way too soon. I first figured out I should be paying attention to Roy Campbell when I listened to Matthew Shipp's (highly recommended) Pastoral Composure (2000). I…
The Song Remains The Same or, The Agony of Influence (Revisited)
Two thoughts from T.S. Eliot: April is the cruelest month... Whatever. Good poets borrow; great poets steal. Now we're talking. And here is where it gets interesting: debate rages (well,…
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,…
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…
1967 and the Prog-Rock Progenitors* (Revisited)
Progressive rock reached its full potential in the ‘70s, but its roots trace back to the previous decade. While an attempt to determine when and with whom prog-rock formally originated…
Peter Gabriel & Me: The Power of Music (Revisited)
The face this guy makes when he listens to "Here Comes the Flood" by Peter Gabriel. Maybe not every time, and certainly not every time he is driving. But it's…
Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength: Rush’s ‘Permanent Waves’ (Revisited)
How unbelievably appropriate that Permanent Waves was released on January 1, 1980? In virtually every regard, this album ended the '70s (literally) and foreshadowed the fertile grounds (reggae, pop elements,…