At around the time several of her songs took off in unexpected ways that forecast the crazy land of viral popularity, it seemed Robyn was poised to become as big of a pop star as she wanted to be. Certainly, … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Honey
820. Bob Dylan, Slow Train Coming (1979) During his nineteen-sixties heyday, the most notorious moment of Bob Dylan’s career came at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, when he flouted tradition and took the stage with a full band plugged into … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #820 to #817
Thirty years ago, in the autumn of 1988, Cowboy Junkies released the album The Trinity Session. It wasn’t the Canadian band’s debut album (that was the provocatively titled Whites Off Earth Now!, issued two years earlier), but most of us … Continue reading One for Friday — Cowboy Junkies, “Misguided Angel”
I don’t think it’s simply a matter of longevity that gives the new Cat Power album, Wanderer, the feel of a classic. I’m referring less to the actual quality of the release — although it’s plenty strong — than the … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Wanderer
824. Minutemen, Ballot Result (1987) In December 1985, D. Boon, guitarist and vocalist with the punk band Minutemen, was feeling feverish while riding in the back of a van traveling down the Arizona highway. He was lying down, seatbelt off, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #824 to #821
Thirty years ago, in the autumn of 1988. Scruffy the Cat released their second and final full-length album, Moons of Jupiter. Raucous rockers with a touch of roots styling to their music, the band had a prime place in a … Continue reading One for Friday — Scruffy the Cat, “Moons of Jupiter”
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. Marvin Gaye was one of the stalwart … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “How Can I Forget”
828. Gang of Four, Entertainment! (1979) “We were trying to invent a new kind of music, a new kind of language,” Gang of Four guitarist Andy Gill once told Rolling Stone. “We were using the building blocks of ‘rock music,’ … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #828 to #825
Thirty years ago, in the autumn of 1988, They Might Be Giants released their second full-length album, Lincoln. Promoted in a print advertisement as an extension of a storied naming history that included the car, the tunnel, the man, and … Continue reading One for Friday — They Might Be Giants, “The World’s Address”
832. Ry Cooder, Borderline (1980) As the nineteen-seventies were giving way to the eighties, Ry Cooder was the musician’s musician. His solidly prolific solo career was bolstered by appearances on other performer’s records, many of which were likely far more … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #832 to #829
Coffee for Two 