Joe Walsh and the James Gang’s Rides Again was both tough and tender
‘Rides Again,’ released in July 1970, found Joe Walsh and the James Gang gorging on chunky chords but also visiting other musical dimensions.
Spotlight
‘Imaginos’ Is the Best Blue Oyster Cult Album You’ve Never Heard
‘Imaginos’ went on a long, strange odyssey before finally arriving in July 1988 as Blue Oyster Cult’s most consistent album.
Steve Holtje, “Hunger Artist” from A Man Full of Days (2015): Something Else! sneak peek
Steve Holtje’s dark, ambient “Hunger Artist” is from a soundtrack that actually sounds like backing music for a motion picture, and helps to tell a story.
For Crowded House’s 1991 Masterpiece ‘Woodface,’ It Was Death by Chocolate
Crowded House made one of the best albums of the 1990s. Unfortunately, ‘Woodface’ started all wrong.
Dr. John, “Jungle Strut” from Ramsey Lewis’ Taking Another Look: Deluxe Edition (2015)
The eminent Dr. John plays Ramsey Lewis’ “Jungle Strut,” a deep groove that originally graced Lewis’ classic 1974 funk-jazz album ‘Sun Goddess.’
John Belushi originally thought Steve Cropper was a roadie: ‘The guy with the long hair?’
John Belushi actually met Stax legend Steve Cropper early into putting together the Blues Brothers band. But he assumed Cropper was someone else.
Micky Dolenz is writing again, but not in the typical Monkees style
The good news is, Micky Dolenz is writing new songs again, having last issued an album in 2012. The more interesting news is what they sound like.
Crowded House’s dark and tender Intriguer never stopped searching for the light
Released this summer five years ago, Crowded House’s ‘Intriguer’ ended with the words “sweet dreams, make waves, find bliss.” They’d done just that.
Tim Kuhl, “Drive” from 1982 (2015): Something Else! sneak peek video
The video completes the whole presentation for Tim Kuhl’s “Drive,” which is musical art, poetry, and, as it turns out, visual art — all rolled into one.
Jeff Beck’s Yardbirds tenure was brief, but influential: ‘Highly strung and unpredictable’
The Yardbirds ‘Roger the Engineer,’ released on July 15, 1966, led to a disastrous tour that ended the Jeff Beck era. Jim McCarty tells us what happened.
