Remember when Patti Smith used to be considered dangerous?

Chances are pretty good that you already know the basic lowdown on this album: 1) It’s the first Neil Young/Crazy Horse record since 2003′s Greendale 2) The songs are all covers and 3) The covers are so damned old that most are in the public domain.

Yes co-founder Chris Squire, featured in a new duo recording with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett, takes over our One Track Mind feature this week.

Kottke’s a funny guy and a beyond great guitar player. While I’m generally a bigger fan of his solo guitar records, there’s always something of interest lurking on the rest of Kottke’s albums. Highly recommended: Ice Water has his version of Tom T. Hall’s classic “Pamela Brown.” Also, check out Chewing Pine from the next year, which has “Regards From [...]

This is the story of two collaborations with Joey DeFrancesco that you almost never saw — or the difference between music … and the music “business.”

So usually I try to focus this feature on the new kids on the block, but sometimes you’ve just got to dip back into the classics.

It’s funny how certain bits of music can get under your skin. Several years ago, I was having a visit with my old buddy Gene out in upstate New York.

Like another Cuban product Aruán Ortiz, Manuel Valera is a gifted piano player who is able to reconcile the rhythmically based Afro-Cuban jazz of his homeland with the harmonically complex modern jazz of New York.

Steve Lukather, tirelessly active even after 35 years in the business, is rehearsing for upcoming 2012 tours with Ringo Starr and Toto, even as he works on a new studio recording.

The country rock field is a crowded one these days, but it takes a special talent to synthesize the genres in an accessible manner. And I’m pleased to announce that Dan Kibler possesses such a skill.