Allman Brothers Band “Trouble No More” (1969)
Is it possible the most influential member of a band that existed for 45 years was in it for just it’s first 3? Duane Allman was one of 6 founding members of the Allman Brothers Band in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 – along with his brother Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and...... Read More
Professor Longhair “Big Chief”
I’d never heard of Professor Longhair before going away to college. I mean really, who the hell growing up pretty much anyplace outside of New Orleans would have? But down there he was a living legend. Only not for long. The living part, that is. He died of a heart attack in 1980, less than...... Read More
The Blasters “American Music” (1981)
I’ve told this story a hundred times and to be honest I’m not positive it really happened. But I think it did. I’m pretty sure. Yeah, yeah, it did, I’m saying it did. When I tell it, I always say it was about the most rock-and-roll thing I’ve ever seen someone do on stage at...... Read More
David Bowie “Stay” (1976); Apollo 100 “Joy” (1972)
I started going to NY Rangers games at The Garden with my dad when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and it was love at first, ah, skate. Hockey immediately became, and will unquestionably always be, my favorite sport. The moment when the players first take the ice just prior to the game...... Read More
The Hellecasters “Mad Cows At Ease” (1997)
Time for another instrumental. The Hellecasters are a trio of fine Fender Telecaster pickers. If you ever thought about playing the guitar this will either convince you to immediately get started, or more likely not to bother.... Read More
Lucinda Williams “Buttercup” (2011)
Some rock singer’s voices are almost so bizarre you wonder how they even had the audacity to step up to a microphone and try in the first place. I mean, what on earth gave Tom Waits the idea that his grotesque growl could possibly ever work in popular music? Or Lou Reed? Or Joe Cocker??...... Read More
Gladys Knight & The Pips “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”
Maybe there’s a better example, but I can’t think of any, where there were three different hugely popular versions of the same song. That song, ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ was a smash hit for three artists – Gladys Knight & The Pips, Marvin Gaye, and Creedence Clearwater Revival – all within less than...... Read More
Bob Seger “The Fire Down Below” (1976)
You’re listening to a good tune, enjoying it as you go through the verse-verse-chorus-solo sections, and at a certain point as the chorus circles around again, you feel the coda forming, the familiar parts of a song wrapping up, and sadly you know it’s about to end. And then – euphoria! – it re-starts. Even...... Read More
Beach Boys “God Only Knows” (1966)
Here’s an absolutely ridiculous question I posed to myself recently: What’s the most perfect pop song ever? Is it a classic hit, an obscurity, some underappreciated gem? God only knows, right? Again, the premise is absurd, picking one song as most sublime among all others. But hey, let’s give it a shot: For me, what...... Read More
Band of Heathens “Trouble Came Early” (2016)
When a group literally brands themselves a band of heathens they better have something besides mere paganism to back it up. A song with an opening chord that sounds plucked right from ‘Street Fighting Man’ is a good place to start. The Band of Heathens are another in a seemingly endless line of quality Americana/roots-rock...... Read More