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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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bravi bravata and the south they all ignore!

IF YOU’RE ON FACEBOOK, you’ve received requests from friends to “like” a page of theirs. These “likes” are the surest way to have your page “shared” and circulated on that social media platform. I receive a few each week, and I always have a look at these new pages—so it was that I discovered Bravata. [Read more] “bravi bravata and the south they all ignore!”

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the frank daniels discographies & labelographies project

FRANK DANIELS has been collecting records for a long time. Somewhere along the way, he started collecting all sorts of record-related data and information. For years now, he has been researching, compiling, assembling, and publishing several incredibly detailed and accurate Frank Daniels discographies (listings of records) and labelographies (breakdowns on the visual changes in the label designs of a given record company). [Read more] “the frank daniels discographies & labelographies project”

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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?”

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the once but now not so elusive bob lind

THE YEAR 1966 was rather magical for me in regard to music and records. I was 14-going-on-24 and the music with which I connected—the charm, the magic—has lasted all these years. There were a handful of records from that year (I should say that era, as 1966 seems like an era unto itself, lodged in between the British Invasion and psychedelia) that have an effect on me like few others. [Read more] “the once but now not so elusive bob lind”

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between the buttons and the dandelion, we love you!

GREAT SINGLES IN 1967 by established artists that should have been BIG hits but weren’t were common. For example, Buffalo Springfield’s Mr. Soul, the Byrds’ Lady Friend, and the Hollies’ King Midas In Reverse (and I could go on but that’s grist for another mill). But perhaps the biggest disappointment was the Rolling Stones second single of the year, We Love You / Dandelion. [Read more] “between the buttons and the dandelion, we love you!”

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a few faverave albums of the cut-out era

THIS ARTICLE addresses the first few years in which deleted record albums flooded retail stores across the country. Stores that had never contemplated a bargain bin in their record department started one and record-buying was never the same. But these records should have had a huge impact on the early record collectors price guides, but did not. [Read more] “a few faverave albums of the cut-out era”

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talking with ken barnes on his career as a rock journalist

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I received an invitation from a young musician in England to make a connection on the LinkedIn site, the “world’s largest professional network.” Reluctantly I accepted it, despite the fact that I have yet to meet anyone who has actually benefited professionally from any of their LinkedIn connections. [Read more] “talking with ken barnes on his career as a rock journalist”

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what do mick jagger and lawrence bray have in common?

THIS IS PART 2 of three articles on Around Town and their single Out Of Control. This one hopes to answer the age-old question, “What do Mick Jagger and Lawrence Bray have in common?” But first, some background: while researching something else, I came across the ad for the MP3 download on Amazon (above) and, lo and behold, no one had yet submitted a review. [Read more] “what do mick jagger and lawrence bray have in common?”