Dion’s turning 84. A living legend, a paragon of courage and swag.
Continue reading...Rock and Roll
128: The Isley Brothers/Beatles, ‘Twist and Shout’
Before The Beatles came The Isley Brothers. They’re the guys who really Twisted and Shouted.
Continue reading...120: Sam Cooke, ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’
Guaranteed to make you shake AND rattle AND roll.
Continue reading...089: Jackson Browne/Maurice Williams, ‘The Load-Out/Stay’
David Lindley, Jackson Browne’s wingman par excellence, passed over to that celestial studio this week. In his honor, we’re revisiting his unforgettable vocal hook on ‘Stay’.
Continue reading...107: The Association, ‘Everything That Touches You’
Pop pap? Glorious? Should I admit in public that I really, really like this song?
Continue reading...170: Laura Nyro, ‘Luckie’ (“Eli & the 13th Confession”)
(Boom!Boom!Boom!) Are you rea-dy???
The evolution of the first 4 seconds of Laura’s masterpiece.
103: Little Stevie Wonder, ‘Fingertips’
Little Stevie Wonder recorded ‘Fingertips’ at the age of 12 – a fledgling perhaps, but certainly not innocent.
There’s a fervor brewing here that may have begun on the altar in the church choir, but reached its pitch afterwards up in the balcony with some willing young soprano.
176: Chuck Berry, ‘Too Much Monkey Business’ (Bob Dylan, ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’)
Who da daddy of rap?
Who da grandaddy?