Ages ago, I was engaged in one of those late night, multiple-beer-fueled, freewheeling conversations that only seem to happen in one’s collegiate years, when the constant exchange of ideas and theories is the coin of the realm. Since it was … Continue reading One for Friday — Jonathan Richman, “You Can Have a Cell Phone That’s OK But Not Me”
968. Jorma Kaukonen, Barbecue King (1981) Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen was carrying a sturdy rock legacy with him when he recorded the album Barbecue King. He was also toying with that storied reputation, which might very well have been the album’s … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #968 to #965
Well before I ever set foot in the city of New Orleans, impressions about its rough, spooky charms were set for me. Movies fed my notions, but a more significant part of the mural was colored in by music. Since … Continue reading One for Friday — Concrete Blonde, “Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)”
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. Johnny Rivers was born in New York … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Muddy River” and “Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)
972. Dave Edmunds, Twangin… (1981) Dave Edmunds was already a longterm veteran of the pop music salt mines when he delivered Twangin…, his sixth proper solo album and one more paver stone in a path of rock ‘n’ roll proselytizing that … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #972 to #969
When it came time to hand out Oscar nominations for the 1988 movie year, Academy members were so dismayed by the compositions eligible for the Best Original Song category that they reduced the number of contenders by forty percent. Only … Continue reading One for Friday — Rachel Sweet, “Hairspray”
976. Madness, One Step Beyond… (1979) The band Madness essentially began in 1976, as a group called the North London Invaders. There were lineup changes of the course of the next couple years — including the entrance, exit, and then … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #976 to #973
Yes, this strikes me as the sound of 1980. The Johnny Average Band was the result of the strangely communal Woodstock-based recording studio known as Bearsville. Founded and operated by Alber Grossman, best known as Bob Dylan’s manager through much … Continue reading One for Friday — The Johnny Average Band, “Ch Ch Cherie”
980. Iggy Pop, Party (1981) Arista Records executives held onto some bizarre ideas about which performers were likely to stride purposefully into sudden crossover commercial success. As I noted a couple weeks ago, the label badgered Lou Reed through the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #980 to #977
Although I was present and aware during the time when the Go-Go’s dominated radio, MTV, and good chunk of pop culture as a full-on sensation, I don’t recall if there was any particular pressure to identify a favorite band member. … Continue reading One for Friday — Jane Wiedlin, “Rush Hour”
Coffee for Two 