Post Tagged with: "Pop Music"

Almost Hits: The Cars, "Since You're Gone" (1981)

Almost Hits: The Cars, “Since You’re Gone” (1981)

This is, even more so than the title track hit from 1981’s Shake It Up, the exact midpoint between the harder-edged new wave of the Cars’ classic 1978 debut and the sleek MTV smash Heartbeat City still to come. You May Also Like: Todd Rundgren jumpstarted the New Cars’ surprisinglyRead More

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Deep Beatles: Paul McCartney, “Flaming Pie” from Good Evening New York City (2009)

Our series on live Paul McCartney concludes with a perfect example of how live recordings often improve upon studio versions. Some artists use concerts as an occasion to play deep album tracks that may have been unfairly overlooked You May Also Like: Paul McCartney’s ‘Good Evening New York City’ WasRead More

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Cory Linden – Based on a True Story (2013)

Cory Linden wears his radio-friendly influences on his sleeve, but the Florida-born, Ohio-raised singer-songwriter isn’t afraid to cuff them around a little in the service of a song. Based on a True Story is at his best when he mixes it up like that. “Hold On (To Whatcha Got)” setsRead More

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Something Else! sneak peek: Crowded House, “Only Way To Go is Forwards” (2008, previously unreleased)

Neal Finn is streaming a previously unreleased song called “Only Way to Go is Forwards” on his web site, giving fans a long-hoped-for chance to hear new music from Crowded House. You May Also Like: For Crowded House’s 1991 Masterpiece ‘Woodface,’ It Was Death by Chocolate How I Finally CameRead More

Almost Hits: The Beau Brummels, "Don’t Talk To Strangers" (1965)

Almost Hits: The Beau Brummels, “Don’t Talk To Strangers” (1965)

Credit usually goes to the Byrds for founding the folk-rock movement, but the Beau Brummels were actually the first band to not only play such a style but obtain commercial success in the process. You May Also Like: The folkiest moment on Queen’s Night at the Opera was still aRead More

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One Track Mind: Chicago featuring Les Deux Love Orchestra, “More Today Than Yesterday” (2013)

There are probably more than a few people who thought this No. 12 1969 hit by the Spiral Starecase was a Chicago song anyway. But it sure is a strange way to advance a long-awaited new album project. You May Also Like: Chicago, “Questions 67 & 68” from Chicago TransitRead More

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On Second Thought: The Wooden Birds – Two Matchsticks (2011)

In 2008, Andrew Kenny, guiding light of the Brooklyn-based American Analog Set, packed it in and decamped for his native Austin, Texas. In the process, he left behind AmAnSet’s Eno-esque wash of synths You May Also Like: How ‘The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees’ Blew Away Their Pre-Fab ImageRead More

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The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations Tour (2013)

For all of its well-deserved accolades, the Beach Boys’ 2012 reunion was missing two irretrievable elements. This remastering of a 1976 performance at Anaheim Stadium makes clear just how important the late Carl and Dennis Wilson were. You May Also Like: Why the Beach Boys’ ‘Sail On, Sailor’ Pointed toRead More

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‘Let’s see what happens’: Yoko Ono on presenting Double Fantasy during the Meltdown Festival

Yoko Ono’s Meltdown Festival opened Friday, with a gala closing performance of her entire 1980 Double Fantasy collaboration with John Lennon planned for Sunday, June 23, 2013. You May Also Like: The ‘Mind Games’ Song That Pointed to John Lennon’s Reunion With Yoko Ono John Lennon and Yoko Ono DeclaredRead More

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How a Dying Child Reshaped Journey’s ‘Only the Young’: ‘It Stayed With Me’

Members of Journey gave the song, inside a Walkman, to Kenny Sykaluk during a hospital visit set up through the Make a Wish Foundation.