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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.

The conflicted history of Sammy Hagar's Van Halen smash "Right Now": 'It shows you what I know'

The conflicted history of Sammy Hagar’s Van Halen smash “Right Now”: ‘It shows you what I know’

“Right Now,” released this week as part of 1991’s ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge,’ was both a huge Van Halen hit and a harbinger of their eventual split.

David Crosby, June 12, 2015: Shows I'll Never Forget

David Crosby, June 12, 2015: Shows I’ll Never Forget

His shows with Graham Nash and Stephen Stills are where the money is. But David Crosby, alone and acoustic, now that was something special.

'The Decline of Western Civilization Collection' (2015): Movies

‘The Decline of Western Civilization Collection’ (2015): Movies

Turns out, the third ‘Decline of Western Civilization’ film – the only one I’d never seen before – was the most enlightening of them all.

The Isley Brothers, "Here We Go Again" (2015, rec. 1980): Something Else! sneak peek

The Isley Brothers, “Here We Go Again” (2015, rec. 1980): Something Else! sneak peek

Here is a sneak peek of a track from the great lost Isley Brothers album, ‘Wild In Woodstock: The Isley Brothers Live At Bearsville Sound Studio 1980.’ It’s a funky, uptempo number called “Here We Go Again.”

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Paul McCartney’s Buried Treasures: “A Love For You,” “Secret Friend,” “Girls School” + others

Bill DeYoung explored largely forgotten projects from 1971-1989 in search of 10 favorite little-known Paul McCartney songs.

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Jeff Lorber + Chuck Loeb, with Everette Harp, Rick Braun, et. al – Bop (2015)

Here is a review of ‘Bop,’ led by Jeff Lorber and Chuck Loeb, featuring a who’s who of contemporary jazz artists playing the bebop jazz that inspired them.

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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.

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Hall and Oates were reinvigorated by a down period: ‘We revamped our entire approach’

Once on a seemingly unstoppable roll, Hall and Oates became mired in a lengthy dry spell. John Oates says it’s the best thing that could have happened.

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China Crisis – Autumn in the Neighbourhood (2015)

China Crisis could have celebrated the 30th anniversary of 1985’s ‘Flaunt the Imperfection’ with a reissue. Instead, they did something new and exciting.