Emerson Lake and Palmer somehow went from selling 40 million records to becoming one of rock’s more reviled bands – all in the space of a single decade.

“In the darkness,” Jon Anderson sings on this haunting track, “there is always a song for you.” His road back to us has been dark, indeed You May Also Like: Jon Anderson, of Yes and Anderson Rabin Wakeman: Something Else! Interview The Solo Song Where Jon Anderson Finally Reclaimed HisRead More

There are moments in time, musical moments, when things come together perfectly. Warren Zevon’s ‘Stand In The Fire’ was one of them.

Some of the earlier Steely Dan tunes sound a little like they were meant for a different act. “Dirty Work” is like that.

Early fans could be forgiven for barely recognizing Chicago by the 1980s, as fussy power ballads eventually flushed out the band’s signature horn sound.

Steely Dan explore the idea of people succumbing to their worst tendencies again and again, a theme that will get many return visits.

Steely Dan stuck with me through the years, because this brainy, Jack Kerouac-type hipster band remained appealing even as my tastes in music evolved.

In defense of Rush, a band that delved into Ayn Rand, sci-fi, songs about balding, fights between dogs and, well, whatever a Bytor is.

Here was Billy Joel: talented, confident and getting ready to bust out into superstardom.

What I want to do now is describe the “whatness” of the music of the band Rush.