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the kinks’ arthur album and related singles 1969

THE KINKS’ ARTHUR album of 1969 was a smashing success with the critics and the few fans that the once popular group still had at the time. It sold better than any Kinks album had in recent memory, but barely graced the best-selling charts. ARTHUR has grown in prestige through the years and now both original pressings and even reissues are sought after by collectors. [Read more] “the kinks’ arthur album and related singles 1969”

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the kinks on arthur and finding shangri-la

AS WE BEGIN OUR STORY sometime in late 1970, the Kinks were in a bit of a bad way. Despite being one of the premier groups of the British Invasion of 1964, they had not reached the Top 40 in the US since mid-1966. Even in their homeland—their own Village Green, filled with Arthur and millions like him—it had been more than a year since they’d had a hit! [Read more] “the kinks on arthur and finding shangri-la”

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wild dandelion stomping with bamboogie injections

BAMBOOGIE INJECTIONS is a contemporary Russian surf band whose first album is titled Wild Dandelion Stomping. This article looks at the Russian surf music scene of the past—something few of us were aware existed. We did know rock & roll was forbidden in the USSR but apparently, some of the music penetrated the Iron Curtain. [Read more] “wild dandelion stomping with bamboogie injections”

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on brian wilson and SMiLE (a convoluted conversation part 1)

WAS THE LEGENDARY “SMILE” ALBUM based on Brian Wilson’s experiences with LSD? Did Brian consciously or unconsciously incorporate aspects of Zen Buddhism into SMiLE? Who was Arthur Koestler and what did he have to do with SMiLE and what the hell is ‘bisociation’ and why is it a part of a conversation on Sixties rock music? [Read more] “on brian wilson and SMiLE (a convoluted conversation part 1)”

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on brian wilson and SMiLE (a convoluted conversation part 2)

THIS ARTICLE ADDRESSES BRIAN WILSON and the inspiration for his legendary SMiLE album. It bears the unwieldy title of “On Brian Wilson And SMiLE (A Convoluted Conversation Part 2),” because it is the second of a three-part article. Please find Part 1, which is an introduction to Arthur Koestler, and read it before continuing with this article. [Read more] “on brian wilson and SMiLE (a convoluted conversation part 2)”

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stax records’ main soul men of the ’60s: david porter and isaac hayes

“IT WAS SUMMER 1967, and Isaac Hayes was at Stax Records in Memphis watching Detroit burn. The local news carried alarming reports of a massive riot in Motor City, which started when a police raid on an after-hours bar turned into a tense standoff with patrons and bystanders. Governor George W. [Read more] “stax records’ main soul men of the ’60s: david porter and isaac hayes”

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david anderle’s won-won-wonderfully weird portrait of brian wilson

THINGS WERE GETTING WEIRD in Brian Wilson’s world when he met David Anderle. By the third quarter of 1966, many significant changes had taken place in his life and his surroundings. PET SOUNDS and Good Vibrations and the SMiLE sessions that everyone in Los Angeles seemed to know about had brought a very different kind of attention to Brian that previous Beach Boys records had not. [Read more] “david anderle’s won-won-wonderfully weird portrait of brian wilson”

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“the wild angels” is now a quinquagenarian (happy 50th!)

FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY, one of the quintessential ’60s rock & roll soundtrack albums to one the ’60s quintessential biker exploitation moves was released. According to Wikipedia, THE WILD ANGELS movie saw its general release to American theaters on this day. The soundtrack album of the same name was released by Tower Records, an imprint of Capitol Records. [Read more] ““the wild angels” is now a quinquagenarian (happy 50th!)”

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what was the first “rock” double-album of the ’60s?

 IT IS ACCEPTED “FACT” that two seminal works of popular music—the Beach Boys’ PET SOUNDS and Bob Dylan’s BLONDE ON BLONDE—were released on the same day, May 16, 1966. And there was a second reason to celebrate that date: BLONDE ON BLONDE was also the first rock double-album of all-new studio recordings, beating the Mothers of Invention’s FREAK OUT! [Read more] “what was the first “rock” double-album of the ’60s?”