The Beatles’ Greatest Hits? Three Choicest Cuts from the Sgt. Pepper Sessions
‘Strawberry Fields Forever,’ Penny Lane,’ and ‘A Day in the Life.’ Imagine if all three were on Sgt. Pepper. Prologue...
Category: Rock ‘n’ Roll
Fats Domino and the Sound of New Orleans
The New Orleans sound reflects the diversity and eccentricity of the local culture. Fats Domino ignited its first rock ‘n’...
Sly and the Family Stone in Five Celebrated Songs
Sly’s brand of ‘psychedelic funk’ was a perfect fit for the late sixties. Prologue It must have been Sylvester Stewart’s...
Five Cool Things About Steely Dan
The studio-based duo was on a timeless quest for sonic perfection. Prologue: The Birth of Steely Dan In the sixties,...
The Story of the First Rock ‘n’ Roll Concert
DJ Alan Freed hosted the gathering at the Cleveland Arena, capacity 8,600. Up to twenty thousand teens showed up. What...
Rock Songs About Drugs
Recreational drugs and rock ‘n’ roll: It was fun until it wasn’t. The songs endure. In the rock ‘n’ roll...
Stax Records’ Enduring Legacy of Memphis Soul Music
Stax-Volt was built on the unshakeable foundation of genuine Soul music uniquely African-American. Prologue In the fifties, there was...
Three Early Sixties Rock ‘n’ Roll Influencers
All of these acts thrived amid the screaming roar of the Fab Four. Prologue In March 1963, after being brushed...
How Rock ‘n’ Roll Began, Part 2
Assorted moments fused rock’s footprint: rockabilly, teen idols, Skiffle, the Twist, Buddy Holly’s tragedy, and the first power chord. Then...
Seeking a Definition of Progressive Rock
A mostly British phenomenon in the ’70s, progressive rock, or interchangeably “art rock,” was a refuge for rockers wanting to...
Five Cool Things About Pat Benatar
Recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Pat Benatar gave us a soundtrack for the ’80s. Prologue Last week,...
Rock HOF Inductees Carly Simon and Pat Benatar Charted Non-Stop Hits in the ’70s and ’80s
Carly Simon was a fixture on the charts in the ’70s. Then, Pat Benatar ruled rock radio throughout much of...
How Rock ‘n’ Roll Began
Rock ‘n’ roll was the natural outcome of musical interactions between Black and white. The Fifties By the mid- 1950s,...
Best Rock Songs About Places, Revisited
Here’s a list of beloved songs about places we might have visited. The songs, as they say, are all over...
1962 Instrumental Oddity ‘Telstar’ – It’s the Melody
The rise and fall of ‘Telstar’ creator Joe Meek, who never saw a dime in royalties from his sixties megahit....
The Kinks’ ‘Lola’ Was the First Mainstream Rock Hit with an LGBT Theme
Ray Davies was an unlikely songwriter to lead a sexual revolution. He just wanted a hit record. Lola…a light-hearted song...
Paul Butterfield Was My First Blues Harmonica Hero
Butterfield’s swagger and his command of the blues harp created a link to white rock audiences. Prologue During my freshman...
Herb Alpert Is Perhaps the Most Successful Instrumental Performer in Pop History
Alpert’s unique trumpet sound is the upshot of experimental studio overdubbing and trips to Tijuana bullfights. About two years before...
Six Cool Things About The Band
Starting as strictly backup players to two legendary performers, The Band developed a likable and totally unique sound. Prologue The...
Linking Metal with Punk in the ’80s and ’90s, Grunge Had Its 15 Minutes as a Seattle Thing
The death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins recalls a genre whose distinctive sound influenced bands in other musical hotspots,...
Top 10 ‘Friendliest’ Songs in the Rock Era
Here’s a Top 10 playlist of songs about friendship (plus a bonus round). Naturally, the Beatles, Stones and Dylan top...
1972 Gave Us the Greatest Soul Song Ever, the Temptations’ ‘Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone’
That year in rock was kind to the great Chuck Berry, who scored his first and only #1 hit with...
The Beach Boys in Two Songs
‘Sloop John B’ and ‘Sail On, Sailor’ were off the charted course from the Beach Boys’ idealized California culture. ‘If...
The Beatles’ White Album: Brilliance Overcame Adversity
Even with the bitter taste of the Maharishi and Yoko Ono’s unwanted presence, the Beatles created a masterpiece. Most rock...
James Taylor’s Apple Debut a Triumph Despite Secret Life
His drug addiction hidden from view, Apple Records could sense the immense talent in a young James Taylor, the first...
“John Barleycorn Must Die!” the Best Drinking Song Ever?
The story behind Traffic’s deep dive into British folk music. Prologue: Steve Winwood At the center of it all was...
The Jefferson Airplane Was a San Francisco Treat
The flight of the Jefferson Starship Enterprise was not a charted course. Did the Jefferson Airplane betray its “Haight-Ashbury” roots...
Laura Nyro: The Best Songwriter You’ve Maybe Never Heard Of
Six essentials about the reclusive Nyro, who wrote songs that others made into hits. Prologue Right around reaching my teenage...
Rubber Soul: The Beatles’ Pop Masterpiece, Revisited
Rubber Soul marked the end of ‘Beatlemania’ and heralded the dawn of creating the gold standard in recording artistry. You...
Revolver: The Beatles At Their Collaborative and Creative Best
On recording the greatest record album of all-time. The Beatles album Revolver, forever in the shadow of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely...
Sheryl Crow’s Hit Song, “All I Wanna Do,” Gives Poet Wyn Cooper His 15 Minutes
The song was based on a poem that Crow’s producer found in a Pasadena used bookstore. The Nineties: Rock’s Last...
The Yardbirds’ Sixties ‘Rave-Up’ with Three Legendary Guitars
Two original Yardbirds have kept the flame burning long after the band’s final 1968 concert. Three Guitars It is a...
The Electric Guitar Gave Birth to Rock ‘n’ Roll
Here are five truly awesome guitar recordings, released during the golden age of rock. This is a chord. This is...
Songs of ’71: John Lennon and Marvin Gaye Each Create a Masterpiece
50 years ago, ‘Imagine’ and ‘What’s Going On’ validated rock ‘n’ roll as a force for social change. Janet Jackson...
Unheralded Session Players ‘Funk Brothers’ Key to Motown Sound
Ace songwriting and production team Holland-Dozier-Holland helped make Berry Gordy’s dreams come true. Back in the Day If you came...
When Soul Music and Rock Shared the Top of the Charts
The sixties was a time for breaking down racial barriers. Music was no exception. The Way It Was By the...
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven’ found in a Speck of Northern Alabama
‘The Swampers’ in Muscle Shoals integrated soul, rock and the blues to become sought-after, elite instrumentalists You’re in rock ‘n’...
Phil Spector’s Let It Be Beatles
The late ‘Wall of Sound’ producer was allowed on George Martin’s sacred turf. The results were not pretty. The Late...
The Musical Journey of ‘House of the Rising Sun’
British Invaders Eric Burdon’s Animals made the song famous in 1964. A young Bob Dylan gave it a whack two...
Helping Bob Dylan Create His Masterpiece
Mike Bloomfield’s and Al Kooper’s excellent adventure recording “Like A Rolling Stone” Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper met at the...
The Allman Brothers Band Gave the Blues to Southern Rock
The band played a key role in both the blues and Southern rock’s revivals in the seventies. During my freshman...
Power-Riffing with Rock Legend Eddie Van Halen
Savoring instances of the charmed but tragic life of rock’s last guitar God. The rock world on Oct. 6 lost...
Four Awesome Bruce Springsteen Covers
One song was actually a collaboration. Most recipients of Bruce’s songwriting had career revivals. There is a commonality to these...
After Phenomenal Success, Cat Stevens Hit the ‘Road to Find Out’
This fall marks 50 years since the groundbreaking ‘Tea for the Tillerman’ hinted at Cat Stevens’ escape from pop stardom....
Unsung Passing: Peter Green, Founder of the Original Fleetwood Mac
Guitar virtuoso Green joined Eric Clapton and John Mayall as pioneers of British blues. He had the sweetest tone I...
Deja Vu All Over Again for ‘Captain Many Hands’
Oddly, multi-instrumentalist Stephen Stills’ artistry left CSN no choice but to add the ‘Y’ It was July 1968 and three...
Jimi Hendrix and his Electric Lady
The guitarist yearned for his own ‘psychedelic lair’ to cultivate a collaborative creative process. In the year 1969, guitarist extraordinaire...
Little Richard & Elvis: Sexual Heat Birthed the Dawn of Rock ‘n’ Roll
We mourn the passing of Little Richard, a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer who died May 9. If you love anything...
Led Zeppelin Wins Copyright Appeal Over ‘Stairway to Heaven’
At stake: $79 million in royalties for iconic song. It’s over but for wild swings of interpretation. A handful...
Songs of 1970: Last Hurrahs for the Sixties’ Top-Selling Acts
The dawn of the seventies saw a Beatles farewell and Motown in disarray. It Was 50 Years Ago Today… An...
Seven Cool Things About Santana
The Woodstock guitar impresario has lived a charmed life. 1) An immigration success story Carlos Santana was born in Autlan...
Jim Croce: So Many Songs, So Little Time
Another tragic plane crash shortened a career that had full-blown potential. Three prominent plane crashes come to mind, involving rock...
Great Rock Albums Were Abundant in the Year 1969
50 years ago today, the greatest band ever called it quits while two huge ones launched. The Beatles’ Last Hurrah...
Two Beloved Hit Songs Were Minted When Graham Nash Swapped Rock Bands
‘Marrakesh Express’ and ‘He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother’ hugged the charts in 1969. You remember the Hollies…the Merseybeat-type band...
The Beatles’ Early Recordings: Baby Steps Along Abbey Road
Revolving drummers. A chance meeting in Hamburg. The Beatles find a home at EMI. This story begins in the unlikeliest...
Best Summer Rock Songs from the Sixties and Seventies
I feature five from rock’s greatest decades, plus some honorable mentions. Summer just opens the door and lets you out....
Rocketman Elton John’s ‘Border Song’ a Cry for Peace, Down with Bigotry
Aretha Franklin honored the John/Taupin songwriting duo by covering ‘Border Song’ two years later. Unlike many of his musical brethren...
There Would Be No ‘Elton John’ Without Lyricist Bernie Taupin
With the release of the movie ‘Rocketman,’ we honor a unique and uber-successful songwriting partnership. Due to be released tomorrow...
John Fogerty’s Creedence Gig Was the Best of Times, Worst of Times
After leading the most popular band in America, Fogerty ended up in court accused of plagiarizing himself. Bob Dylan’s Advice...
The 27 Club: A Rock Club That Nobody Joins Willingly
It just so happens that rockers who died at age 27 left us the most wanting. Here are the first...
Satirical Rock Is About Subversion, Pushing Boundaries
Frank Zappa was the godfather of satirical rock. When he died, the genre went with him. For the record, folks:...
Bruce Springsteen Joins Clive Davis at Columbia Records
Bruce Springsteen, an unknown bar musician from New Jersey, plants a flag on the label of Bob Dylan. At the...
When The Rolling Stones Crossed Over to Atlantic
The label switch came with a cast of characters: Ahmet Ertegun, Marshall Chess and Prince Rupert Loewenstein. The first meeting...
Aretha Franklin Found Greatness with Atlantic R&B Pioneer
Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler’s breakthrough: Let Aretha be herself. As the old saying goes, there are no guarantees in...
Arena Superstar Billy Joel Looks Back Fondly on Writing and Recording
Joel on long-time producer Phil Ramone: “He was the king.” Among legacy rock stars and bands still performing, Billy Joel...
Joni Mitchell Is Doing Fine, Thank You
“I sing my sorrow and I paint my joy.” Seven enduring essentials about Joni Mitchell. In a respite from the...
Nilsson, Schmilsson & Lennon: Weighing Another ‘Fifth Beatle’
Harry Nilsson, an unsung singer-songwriter, is perhaps better known for the company he kept. Prologue At a 1968 press conference...
Two Beatific Visionaries: Bob Dylan & Marvin Gaye
Groundbreaking albums linked music to social justice movements. Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changing’ Bob Dylan & Woody Guthrie...
The Beatles’ Rooftop London Serenade
Despite rugged conditions, The Beatles gave it a shot. Abbey Road would follow. It started out as a solution to...
It Was 50 Years Ago Today! Rock Scaled New Heights in 1968
1968 marked the year when the Beatles topped the charts with a seven-minute single, Hendrix exquisitely covered Bob Dylan and...
The Making of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
The vision of a shy Indian schoolboy named Bulsara became a pop masterpiece. Here is Queen’s official video of the...
The Battle for Springsteen Tickets Premieres on Broadway
Is Bruce’s ‘Verified Fan’ a scalper-beater, or a windfall for Ticketmaster? We’ve seen this movie before. So you want to...
Glen Campbell & ‘The Wrecking Crew’
The late hit-maker was once a part of an elite group of LA session musicians We mourn the passage of...
Paul McCartney Gets His Songs Back!
Beatle Paul lost the rights to his song catalogue twice, actually. Paul McCartney has reached a settlement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing...
ZZ Top: Two Beards and a Drummer named Beard Wrote the Story of Texas Boogie
After Hitting It Big with Eliminator, the Eighties Caught Up With Them I remember so well that ZZ Top concert in Dayton,...
Canned Heat: Sex, Drugs & The Blues
Even a Famed Dalliance with Blues Great John Lee Hooker Couldn’t Prevent the Tragic Deaths of Their Star Performers It...
Neil Young & Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Friendliest of Feuds
Mutual Admiration Made Them Pivot to Damage Control At the center of it all was a 1974 hit song by Southern...
‘Progressive Rock’ – A Wayward Link in Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Saga?
The Rock Hall of Fame Seems to Be in No Hurry to Find a Place for Prog Rock Editor’s update:...
Jerry Garcia, Owsley & Mountain Girl
How a Lysergic Moment in Time Helped Create Rock’s Ultimate Jam Band People who came of age in the mid-...
Abbey Road’s ‘The End’ – A Beatles’ Farewell
The song was crafted to bring Beatles fans back to where it all began. Here is one version of The...
