Articles by: Mark Saleski

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "All Or Nothin' At All" (1992)

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, “All Or Nothin’ At All” (1992)

It feels weird for me to be commenting on lyrics (since I’m apparently one of the rare NotALyricsGuy™’s who also happens to be a Springsteen fan) You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’ Night Songs by Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, BruceRead More

Vinyl

The Friday Morning Listen: R.E.M. – Green (1988)

Everything will kill you, eventually. Pay enough attention to media reports and you’ll discover that consuming just about anything will lead to your early demise. You May Also Like: On the Joy, and the Pain, of Pete Townshend’s ‘Empty Glass’

WTF?! Wednesdays: Anthony Braxton, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (1974)

WTF?! Wednesdays: Anthony Braxton, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” (1974)

Loving covers of popular music is a grand jazz tradition. From blues vamps to show tunes to popular song of the day, jazz musicians have explored the harmonic opportunities found in pop music. You May Also Like: Anthony Braxton – ‘Quartet (Standards) 2020’ (2021) Thumbscrew [Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek +Read More

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "Real World" (1992)

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, “Real World” (1992)

The wish to dive headlong into the future, to face whatever comes and to rise above it all: that theme presents itself in so many Springsteen tunes. Hell, the entire Born To Run album was built on that idea. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the InnocentRead More

Vinyl

The Friday Morning Listen: Charles Bukowski – Hostage (1994)

This weekend in Manchester, New Hampshire, teams of gaming enthusiasts will lock themselves in for 36 hours for a “board game hackathon,” also known as the NH Game Jam. You May Also Like: Redeye, “Games” from Redeye (1970): One Track Mind Jon Irabagon – ‘I Don’t Hear Nothin’ But theRead More

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "Roll Of The Dice" (1992)

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, “Roll Of The Dice” (1992)

For a few seconds here, you might be fooled into thinking this was the E Street Band. An aggressive snap-roll of the drums, a single guitar chord, and a joyous piano figure sure did sound about right. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and theRead More

Vinyl

The Friday Morning Listen: The Smiths – Meat Is Murder (1985)

Why the hell am I listening to The Smiths? The simple answer is that I saw a friend tweeting that he was listening to them. I was surprised, because I could have sworn that he found Morrissey’s voice off-putting. You May Also Like: The Smiths’ ‘How Soon Is Now?’ IsRead More

WTF?! Wednesdays: Mystery Bear, "Epicycle" (2013)

WTF?! Wednesdays: Mystery Bear, “Epicycle” (2013)

People who have a rigid conception of what music is (read: chords, harmony, melody) are often surprised to learn that musical inspiration can materialize from very unlikely sources You May Also Like: Dave Seidel (Mystery Bear) – ‘Involution’ (2021)

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, "With Every Wish" (1992)

Sparks Fly On E Street: Bruce Springsteen, “With Every Wish” (1992)

Here Bruce presents a variation on “Be careful of what you wish for…,” turned sideways as “…with every wish comes a curse.” We want that job, no matter what it might do to us. We want that person, even if they’re not “the one.” You May Also Like: Reevaluating BruceRead More

Vinyl

The Friday Morning Listen: Les Dudek – Delta Breeze (2013)

This is how it started: Software-type person: “You’ve never seen Evil Dead?!!” You May Also Like: How the Isley Brothers Made Seals and Crofts’ ‘Summer Breeze’ Their Own