Because I’ve been steeping myself in rock and folk music all of these years, people are genuinely surprised when I admit that I’m not a lyrics person. I suppose it puts me in the minority of listeners. You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and theRead More

These two Paul McCartney albums show a willingness to strip down what had become a varnished sound. But they haven’t aged in the same way.

Even in Steely Dan’s misfires, there was a high level of sophistication and craftsmanship. But I still don’t care much for this song.

by Nick Deriso There was no reason to believe that the Rolling Stones, 30 years into their dangerously debauched rock career, would make anything worth a damn out of the 1990s. In fact, the preceding decade — one in which, by far, the Stones’ best new thing was actually aRead More

Pink Floyd‘s A Momentary Lapse of Reason, alas, was no Dark Side of the Moon. Criticized then as now for being transitional and samey, though, it was far from the worst thing foisted on unsuspecting fans during the 1980s. You May Also Like: The Song That Made Pink Floyd’s ‘MomentaryRead More

When Ringo Starr recently announced that he wouldn’t be responding to any more fan mail, it occurred to me that he must be completely unaware of the disastrous foibles he’s unleashed on a loving but ultimately unwitting fanbase. Certainly likeable (at one time, anyway), Starr was and is a drive-byRead More

*** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** NICK DERISO: I was a huge Steely Dan fan, so I once bought even the individual releases, pining for those lost moments of the 1970s. Meaning: I was ready to love Fagen’s second solo album. Bought it out of the box, hoping for “Aja”Read More