a blog for those who never gave up their turntables
ONCE UPON A TIME, it looked like the Byrds had a long, successful, productive career in front of them. In 1965, they had two #1 hits that effectively defined the recently coined term folk-rock. Their two albums were pivotal in the transition of rock music from being primarily pop singles-oriented to being primarily “serious” album-oriented. [Read more] “why the hell isn’t gene clark in the hall of fame? (gene clark part 4)”
GENE CLARK’S FIRST SOLO ALBUM came almost a year after his final record with the Byrds. For a long time, Gené Clark With The Gosdin Brothers was considered rather lightweight, especially from the man who wrote songs like She Don’t Care About Time, Set You Free This Time, and Eight Miles High while a Byrd. [Read more] “when was “gene clark with the gosdin brothers” released? (gene clark part 2)”
THE BYRDS’ FLIGHT TO ENGLAND in August 1965 began a disastrous tour for the group. Fortunately, it wasn’t a wasted trip, as it inspired Gene Clark to pen some psychedelically-enhanced poetry. These words became the basis for “Eight Miles High,” which was released as a single in March 1966, opening a new phase in music. [Read more] “the echoes in your head continue showing (gene clark part 1)”
THE WORLD TURNS AND WORDS EVOLVE. Sometimes the evolution of a word is gradual and logical and few notice the change. Sometimes it happens quickly—often through ignorance and misuse—and the change is jarring. Today, a word can go through a tremendous upheaval if one influential person misuses it one time on the internet. [Read more] “what is a “record album” and where did the term come from?”
WHAT IS THE BEACH BOYS’ BEST ALBUM? For most people, that’s an easy answer: Pet Sounds. But for aficionados of the group, it’s a tricky question that requires clarification. Fans would want to know does the question refer to the best album attributed to the Beach Boys or to the best album actually created by the Beach Boys as a group. [Read more] “what is the beach boys’ best album?”
THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE AMONG US. They see a wrong and right it. Mostly, they fail. Nonetheless, we think of them as heroic for their efforts. There are others who set out merely to succeed at their own goals. While achieving those goals, they may also break down a barrier or expand an established horizon. [Read more] “should the crew-cuts be in the rock & roll hall of fame?”
IN MAY 1978, a record by a group with a rather silly name was released in the San Francisco Bay Area. After making a splash in that market, radio stations around the country picked it up for their playlists. Had things been left to themselves, the record might have been a really big hit record. [Read more] “the stairway to heaven leads to gilligan’s island”
THIS IS NOT A NEW ARTICLE! It’s a transfer point from a series of old articles to a series of rewritten articles. So, if you just came upon this piece accidentally, there’s nothing here to read. However, if you are looking for any one of the eleven articles from the “We Buy White Albums” series from 2105, then read on. [Read more] “a nexus between a few old articles and their new versions”
THE ART OF GUEST-BLOGGING is an ancient and venerable one. And it’s exactly what it sounds like: posting an article on another person’s blog at the other person’s invitation. Why would a blogger want to be a guest blogger? Well, to reach new people and hopefully have a few of them follow him back to his blog. [Read more] “guest blogging on “sixties music secrets””
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a blog for those of us who never gave up our turntables
Mystically liberal Virgo enjoys long walks alone in the city at night in the rain with an umbrella and a flask of 10-year-old Laphroaig who strives to live by the maxim, “It ain’t what you know that gets you into trouble; it’s what you know that just ain’t so.
I’ve been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn, and a college dropout (twice!). Occupationally, I have been a bartender, jewelry engraver, bouncer, landscape artist, and FEMA crew chief following the Great Flood of ’72 (and that was a job that I should never, ever have left).
I am also the final author of the original O’Sullivan Woodside price guides for record collectors and the original author of the Goldmine price guides for record collectors. As such, I was often referred to as the Price Guide Guru, and—as everyone should know—it behooves one to heed the words of a guru. (Unless, of course, you’re the Beatles.)
