Paul Simon’s Graceland stirred outsized praise, and some criticisms too
To paraphrase Paul Simon, these are songs of miracle and wonder. Decades after its August 25, 1986 release, however, ‘Graceland’ still sparks controversy.
Post Tagged with: "On Second Thought"
Paul McCartney’s overly mechanized Press to Play had one saving grace
Paul McCartney has been on a creative tear of late. But first he had to dispense with the overproduced dud ‘Press to Play,’ released on Aug. 25, 1986.
Everything came together for JJ Grey and Mofro on the swampy, soulful Georgia Warhorse
JJ Grey and Mofro started out as a very good band. ‘Georgia Warhorse,’ released on August 24, 2010, catapulted them to greatness.
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis shared an uncanny chemistry on Two Men With the Blues
I’m not one to snap up everything Willie Nelson or Wynton Marsalis puts out. But ‘Two Men With the Blues,’ released in the summer of 2008, was special.
The Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla was a thrilling return to prog
‘The Keith Emerson Band featuring Marc Bonilla,’ released on August 20, 2008, found Emerson fully – and finally – embracing his storied past.
David Byrne and Brian Eno found renewal in Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Inventive yet still unabashedly joyous, ‘Everything That Happens Will Happen Today’ was released by David Byrne and Brian Eno on August 18, 2008.
John Mellencamp’s No Better Than This was a darkly inspiring triumph
Even as shadows gathered around the superlative ‘No Better Than This,’ released this week in 2010, John Mellencamp clung to his weathered optimism.
Toto’s Fahrenheit was more than the sum of its ballads: ‘We’ll morph from style to style’
Released in August 1986, ‘Fahrenheit’ fell into an emerging trend, but the big-hearted singles didn’t reflect all of Toto’s varied musical goals.
A tribute to the transformative powers of my Who’s Next remaster
Originally released on August 14, 1971, the Who’s ‘Who’s Next’ came to life again for me inside the confines of my Unproductivity Mobile Sound Lab.
Moody and mystical, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow debut launched medieval metal
Unfairly compared to Deep Purple, ‘Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow’ nevertheless arrived in August 1975 with a plethora of cool and interesting moments.
