848. The Fall, This Nation’s Saving Grace (1985) Although the classic college rock era covered by this particular Countdown partially tracks the journey from outsider obscurity to a wary mainstream for several artists — and, to a degree, the whole … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #848 to #845
I’m always pleased when I discover something in one of these old reviews that carbon dates it to the era in which is was written. I think the reference to Blockbuster in the lengthy opening paragraph accomplishes that feat nicely. … Continue reading From the Archive — The Savages
Thirty years ago, in the autumn of 1988, Huxton Creepers released the album Keep to the Beat. It was the second full-length release for the Australian band, and the alternate title used in their homeland developed a running joke. The … Continue reading One for Friday — Huxton Creepers,”This Day is Mine”
It’s no shock that first Jennifer Egan book I read was A Visit from the Goon Squad. Her previous three novels had their fans, of course, but Goon Squad was something of a sensation, a must-read even before it won … Continue reading My Writers — Jennifer Egan
These posts are about the songs that just barely failed to cross the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Samuel David Moore and David Prater, Jr. … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Soul Sister, Brown Sugar”
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Forget about Clydesdales on snowy paths or croaking frogs, the best ad campaigns ever connected to a … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Bob Uecker for Miller Lite
#39 — Kristin Scott Thomas as Katharine Clifton in The English Patient (Anthony Minghella, 1996) For those who care about film as a medium — who want to consume as much as possible and then openly grapple with what they’ve … Continue reading Greatish Performances #39
852. Oingo Boingo, Boi-ngo (1987) Surely, MCA Records expected Oingo Boingo was poised for a major commercial breakthrough when the band delivered Boi-ngo, their sixth album overall and second for the label. Thanks in part to frontman Danny Elfman’s increasing … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #852 to #849
Diligent radio personnel working a shift in the earliest days of WWSP-FM, the student-run radio station at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Fifty years ago today, a college radio station went on the air in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Broadcasting at … Continue reading From the Archive — 90FM-WWSP 50th Anniversary Playlist
Thirty years ago, in the early autumn of 1988. the Feelies released their third full-length album, Only Life. Even though its predecessor came only two years earlier, the arrival of Only Life felt momentous for several reason, arguably the least … Continue reading One for Friday — The Feelies, “It’s Only Life”
