for those who never gave up their turntables
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. [Continue reading]
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. [Continue reading]
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. [Continue reading]
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. [Continue reading]
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. [Continue reading]
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. [Continue reading]
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. [Continue reading]
DONOVAN CAME ON FAST in 1965 with three Top 10 hits in the UK: “Catch the Wind,” “Colours,” and “The Universal Soldier.” None of these came close to duplicating that success in the US. That didn’t prevent many from labeling him a “Dylan imitator” for both his music and his adoption of working man’s clothing. [Continue reading]
ONCE UPON A TIME IN 2013, I became aware of Mr. Rutherford Chang and his “We Buy White Albums” project. It seems Chang had been collecting used, neglected, and even abused copies of The Beatles (lovingly known by one and all as The White Album) and had turned his “collection” into an art presentation at a gallery in New York City. [Continue reading]