Lynyrd Skynyrd “Freebird” (1973)
It’s two songs, really. The second part – the seemingly endless rounds of classic chord progressions and never-to-be-matched guitar wailing – made it what it is, arguably the greatest rock song of all time. But would it be remembered that way without the first part, that sweet, melancholic ballad written and sung by perhaps the...... Read More
The Beatles “All Together Now” (1969)
Since the onset of the Coronavirus crisis we’ve been bombarded with the message “We’re all in this together.” Celebrities, newscasters, friends, neighbors, all well-intentioned, no doubt. Well guess what, I’m calling bullshit. Sad to say but we’re not actually all in this together... Read More
Another Covid 19 Playlist
Another weird week, in a string of weird weeks. Another 19 songs. Another Covid 19 Playlist. Unlike my prior effort, no self-imposed, OCD-driven, 1970’s-only restrictions for this one, so I can now give ‘Strange Days’ the opening slot it deserves. Lots of cautions lately to please ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me,’ ‘Keep Your Hands...... Read More
The Covid 19 Playlist
What can I say, what can any of us say, to describe the surreal times in which we find ourselves. Well, not much, unfortunately. So, I thought I’d take a shot at providing a small benefit to the current manifestly twisted zeitgeist, in about the best way I know: with a Playlist..... Read More
Gerry Rafferty “Baker Street” (1978)
..there’s an extremely prominent saxophone, a conspicuous line that has been called the most recognizable sax riff in pop music history, which was played by guy named Raphael Ravenscroft, an unheralded, utterly unrecognizable session musician who suggested he play on an alto sax a part that was originally intended to be sung... Read More
Rush “YYZ” (1981)
The rock world lost a giant this week. Whatever your opinion of Rush, Neil Peart was a unique force of nature behind the drums (and, critically, also the band's principal lyricist). RIP to a drum deity... Read More
Rolling Stones “Rip This Joint” (1972)
The other day when I heard the Rolling Stones breakneck barnburner ‘Rip This Joint’ on the radio, I thought to myself, “That has absolutely got to be the most righteous, balls-out rocker ever recorded” (or some similarly critical reflection). Following the snarling first track on the Stones messy masterpiece, “Exile on Main St.”... Read More
Steely Dan “Bodhisattva”
It’s doubtful you would ever think of Steely Dan as a “guitar solo” band, and that’s true in part because their jazz/R&B/rock amalgam never made them a typical rock and roll group, but also due to the fact that their ostensible main guitarist, co-founder, Walter Becker, played only a fraction of them... Read More
Beach Boys “Don’t Worry Baby” (1964)
The enigmatic Brian Wilson, known to some as America’s pop Mozart, is properly lauded for creating some of the most complex, multi-dimensional, and convention-challenging compositions in the history of pop/rock music. ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ is not one of those songs. It’s enduring genius is no less impressive... Read More
Bruce Springsteen “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)” (1973)
The task was simple and the theme was equally self-evident: create a party playlist of precisely four hours, made up of songs culled from the vastly music-rich era of the seventies. I questioned nearly every choice along the way. Well, every choice except for one: the pick for final song..... Read More