Articles by: Nick DeRiso

Prefab Sprout's lost Steve McQueen was a perfect slice of synth-pop heaven

Prefab Sprout’s lost Steve McQueen was a perfect slice of synth-pop heaven

‘Steve McQueen,’ released this month in 1985, should’ve hurtled Prefab Sprout to fame in MTV-era America. Instead, they remained curiously anonymous.

Chicago's two musical eras were bridged by the sweet, complex 'Just You 'N Me'

Chicago’s two musical eras were bridged by the sweet, complex ‘Just You ‘N Me’

Released this week in 1973, Chicago’s “Just You ‘N Me” combined their now-familiar easy-listening vibe with cool earlier-period improvisational asides.

Greg Lake discusses one-off Emerson Lake and Powell album: 'It wasn't ELP anymore'

Greg Lake discusses one-off Emerson Lake and Powell album: ‘It wasn’t ELP anymore’

Released in June of 1986, Emerson Lake and Powell represented a brawny, 1980s-era update of the old ELP sound — courtesy in part of a different drummer whose name also happened to begin with P. Seems Carl Palmer, co-founder with Greg Lake and Keith Emerson of Emerson Lake and Palmer,Read More

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Nick DeRiso’s Mid-Year Best of 2015 (Reissues + Live): Rolling Stones, John Oates, Yes + others

This Mid-Year Best of 2015 list also includes Emerson Lake and Palmer, Gov’t Mule, Jeff Beck, Lead Belly, the Knack and the Staple Singers.

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Marco Minnemann, “Thoughts Take Shape” (2015): Exclusive Something Else! stream

This exclusive Something Else! stream from ‘Celebration’ offers new insights into one of Marco Minnemann’s very best solo projects.

The Best Moment on Jimmy Page's Solo Debut Didn't Involve Robert Plant

The Best Moment on Jimmy Page’s Solo Debut Didn’t Involve Robert Plant

When Jimmy Page’s ‘Outrider’ arrived on June 19, 1988, the focus went to a one-song Robert Plant reunion. The LP’s highpoint, however, was found elsewhere.

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Nick DeRiso’s Mid-Year Best of 2015 (Pop, Rock + Roots): Toto, Bob Dylan, Neal Schon + others

This Mid-Year Best of 2015 list also includes Death Cab for Cutie, James McMurtry, Steve Hackett, Randy Bachman, Richard Thompson and Ringo Starr.

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Carl Hall – You Don’t Know Nothing About Love (2015)

Lost R&B legend Carl Hall gives each performance a gospel-infused, four-octave charge. And yet he somehow remains stubbornly obscure.

In defense of Roger Waters' oft-derided, over-the-top Radio K.A.O.S.

In defense of Roger Waters’ oft-derided, over-the-top Radio K.A.O.S.

Roger Waters’ ‘Radio K.A.O.S,’ released on June 15, 1987, was defined by a tangled narrative and plasticine production. Here’s why we like it, anyway.

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Heartless Bastards – Restless Ones (2015)

There’s a gutsy musical experientation surrounding ‘Restless Ones,’ but the perfect Heartless Bastards album is still yet to be made.