Let The Music Be Your Master: Physical Graffiti at 50
Sean Murphyi. Let’s Get Physical You want to understand and appreciate how transcendentally great Led Zeppelin is? If I were to say: I’d like to pay tribute to their masterpiece, you could reasonably…
The Last Waltz, At Last: RIP, Garth Hudson
Every group (athletes, artists, executives) requires at least one MVP who is willing (and, often, needs) to cede the spotlight, be content to stay out of the fray, avoid the…
Born in the U.S.A. at 40: The Boss Before, During, After
i. Before Deliver Me From Nowhere Perhaps because of what followed—the next album, the acclaim—Springsteen’s decision to make the ultimate lo-fi album seems even more prescient, appropriate, and perfect. If Darkness…
Like the Dew on Georgia Kudzu: Dickey Betts
A few quick thoughts on the passing of the amazing Dickey Betts. First, let's go to the (permanent) record: if this is the first item on your CV, you're a…
The Who’s Quadrophenia at 50
Most popular Who album? No. Most important Who album? No. Most influential Who album? No. Best Who album? Definitely. More: Best album of the ‘70s? Probably. More? Best rock album, ever?…
Robbie Robertson: The Man in the Band
When it comes to The Band, I've always been inflexible in my opinion that their best work was entirely a team effort, the sum greater than the considerable brilliance of…
Jim Morrison: Still Hot, Still Sexy, Still Dead
Jim Morrison took his last bath on July 3, 1971 in Paris. R.I.P. Lizard King. (I wrote, in what most normal people would consider painful detail, about The Doors in…
David Crosby: Born to be That Guy
Not sure if anyone was dedicated to being that guy as long or at the same level as David Crosby: decades being that guy: band killer, friendship ender, high-end harmonizer,…
Jeff Beck: The Guitar Grandmaster
As impossible at it is to believe Jeff Beck has died (aged 78), it’s just as difficult to fathom that he was with us in the first place. If you’re…
Roger Waters: Shining On
There are so many musicians I admire, a smaller circle I adore, a smaller one still I revere, and a relative handful I’m grateful for. Artists whose work has changed…