Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1988, Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers released their major label debut, Rumble. Local heroes on the Philadelphia rock scene, Conwell and his cohorts were so popular that a 1987 contest pitched at … Continue reading One for Friday — Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers, “I’m Not Your Man”
The notion of rock and pop music as a young person’s game persists, even as a multitude of artists push toward the latter half of middle age while maintaining clearly viable voices. I suspect it’s because so many of the … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Hell-On
892. Spandau Ballet, Journeys to Glory (1981) Determining the quality of Spandau Ballet’s music is a matter of taste, but the band’s adeptness with stealth publicity is worthy of reverential study. Growing out of a group formed by Islington high … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #892 to #889
Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1988, Hothouse Flowers released their debut album, People. As with many Irish bands of the time, their pathway to broader music business exposure went through the garlanded terraces constructed by U2. Legend has … Continue reading One for Friday — Hothouse Flowers, “Don’t Go”
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. The last appearance Eazy-E made in a … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Foe tha Love of $”
896. Bananarama, Bananarama (1984) The compromises of “Robert De Niro’s Waiting” exemplify the dilemma Bananarama faced during the creative process. In initial conception, the track from the trio’s second album — when was self-titled at the insistence of their label … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #896 to #893
Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1988, Toni Childs released her debut album, Union. A native of California, Childs spent much of the nineteen-eighties on the fringes of the music scene in London. She cultivated several creative relationships there, … Continue reading One for Friday — Toni Childs, “Don’t Walk Away”
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. I think of the various college rock bands from my youth as being hobbled by a lack … Continue reading The Art of the Sell, XTC, “Making Plans for Nigel”
900. The Waterboys, A Pagan Place (1984) When Mike Scott got underway on A Pagan Place, the sophomore album by his band the Waterboys, the preceding material hadn’t yet seen release. Instead of responding to any feedback from the public, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #900 to #897
Thirty years ago, in the late spring of 1988, Melissa Etheridge released her self-titled debut album. By now, Etheridge has become such a mainstay on the rock scene (albeit one who has arguably shifted to legacy status rather than necessary … Continue reading One for Friday — Melissa Etheridge, “Bring Me Some Water”
Coffee for Two 