Archive for March, 2015

Vinyl

Partial Santana reunion gets under way early: ‘We’re off to a good start’

After working on nine or so reunion songs, Santana is set to perform a series of dates with former bandmates Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon.

The Stone Foxes, "Cold Like a Killer" from Twelve Spells (2015): One Track Mind

The Stone Foxes, “Cold Like a Killer” from Twelve Spells (2015): One Track Mind

Somewhere today, a SXSW hipster is going to proclaim the Stone Foxes — this band, right here — the best damn thing happening in Austin right now.

Vinyl

Birth of Booker T. and the MGs has an intriguing backstory: ‘I only found out later the real reason’

Steve Cropper thought he was going to talk to Booker T. Jones because he could round out the band on keyboards. There’s a lot more to it.

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Brian Wilson, “Runaway Dancer” from No Pier Pressure (2015): One Track Mind

How much of Brian Wilson’s third-act resurgence is studio magic? We search for clues in a live take on a song from his upcoming solo album.

Vinyl

With Works, Emerson Lake and Palmer began to fall apart: ‘It just proved to be so unwieldy’

Released on March 17, 1977, Emerson Lake and Palmer’s ‘Works Vol. 1’ arrived more than three years after ‘Brain Salad Surgery.’ Much had changed.

Yes, "Yesterday and Today" from Yes (1969): YESterdays

Yes, “Yesterday and Today” from Yes (1969): YESterdays

“Yesterday and Today,” from Yes’ 1969 debut album, finds the world’s greatest progressive rock band sounding anything but progressive.

Vinyl

Wild Card – Organic Riot (2015)

I was expecting funk. What I was not expecting was the improvisation that Wild Card introduces into every number on ‘Organic Root.’

Vinyl

Mickey Newbury, “Summertime” (1993): One Track Mind

When Mickey Newbury covered a song, he did it with such intensity that it’s hard to imagine it done any other way. Here’s another example.

Vinyl

Bjørn Solli – Aglow: The Lyngør Project Volume 1 (2015): Something Else! sneak peek

Watch out for Bjørn Solli’s ‘Aglow: The Lyngør Project Volume 1’ (out May 4, 2015), conceived on a small island in South Norway and birthed with a crackerjack band in NYC.

Vinyl

Dion, “Sanctuary” from Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971 (2015)

Dion will always be remembered for his pre-British Invasion songs, but there was far more to him than “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer.”