Archive for July, 2012

Greg Kihn on 'The Breakup Song,' 'Jeopardy' and Others: Gimme Five

Greg Kihn on ‘The Breakup Song,’ ‘Jeopardy’ and Others: Gimme Five

Find out why the invention of the portable Casio keyboard sparked the Greg Kihn Band’s first-ever dance hit.

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Half Notes: Squarepusher – Just a Souvenir (2008)

Squarepusher (OK, it’s really just a guy with a boatload of electronic blurpy noisemaker thingies. Oh, his name is Tom Jenkinson) takes electronic music and infuses it with as much humanity as possible. In this case, the human element is jazz. Now, I sure haven’t heard every electronica recording outRead More

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Hank Williams Jr. – Old School, New Rules (2012)

Sadly, the latest from Hank Jr. is pretty much everything that I hoped it wouldn’t be. There’s a lot of grousing about the government, a lot of trying to convince us he’s just a good ole boy like us You May Also Like: Oceans And [Tim Berne, Hank Roberts +Read More

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Ravi Coltrane – Spirit Fiction (2012)

Spirit Fiction, Ravi Coltrane’s debut album for Blue Note, showcases his elusive yet humble nature on the saxophone — with his freely flowing stream of consciousness leading the way. You May Also Like: Jack DeJohnette, with Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison – In Movement (2016) John Coltrane – Both DirectionsRead More

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Greg Kihn on his indie start, subliminal messages in the ‘Jeopardy’ video: ‘It was magic’

In many ways, it’s like getting your life back for Greg Kihn — best known for early-1980s hits like “The Break Up Song (They Don’t Write ‘Em Like That)” and “Jeopardy.” You May Also Like: Greg Davis – ‘New Primes’ (2022) Greg ‘Stackhouse’ Prevost – Universal Vagrant (2016)

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One Track Mind: The Joel Harrison 7, "Whipping Post" (2012)

Here’s a guitarist with a version of the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post.” Think you know how this is gonna go, right? If you do, you didn’t consider that Joel Harrison isn’t into predictable music. You May Also Like: The Allman Brothers Band’s Ubiquitous ‘Whipping Post’: One Track Mind

The Beatles, "Anytime At All" from Hard Day's Night (1964): Deep Beatles

The Beatles, “Anytime At All” from Hard Day’s Night (1964): Deep Beatles

Through never released as a single, the Beatles’ “Any Time at All” is an extraordinary example of their gift for creating sophisticated yet catchy songs.

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Art Decade – Western Sunrise (2012)

A boisterous combining of towering classical swooshes, guitar roars, tempo shifts and post-pop dreamscapes, Art Decade somehow manages to be both super catchy and mind-blowingly clever. You May Also Like: Chris Potter Circuits Trio – ‘Sunrise Reprise’ (2021)

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Renaissance returns with new live album, concert dates and planned studio effort

Prog-rock vets Renaissance — led by vocalist/lyricist Annie Haslam and guitarist/composer Michael Dunford — have returned with a new live album, a series of fall concert dates and a planned studio project. You May Also Like: Renaissance – ’50th Anniversary: Ashes Are Burning – An Anthology’ (2021) Renaissance – ‘ScheherazadeRead More

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New Freddie Mercury documentary to include rare footage, unreleased demo tracks

A new documentary focusing on the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury will include a snippet of the unreleased Michael Jackson collaboration “There Must be More to Life Than This” and a demo with Rod Stewart singing the previously unreleased “Take Another Piece of My Heart,” along with a never-before-seen appearanceRead More