Steely Dan were major album artists of the 1970s, releasing a string of quality records that blurred the lines between rock and jazz. They started the decade as a self-contained rock band and ended as the duo of Donald Fagen…
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years from 1965-1968, and…
No one scored more than 18/20 in last week’s Double Grammy Winners quiz – congratulations to Eclectic Music Lover and Tony who both reached that mark. This week there’s a delightful music grid to solve: I scored 69/78 (you…
The Gaulish warrior Asterix has been a French institution since he first appeared in 1961’s Asterix the Gaul. He’s accompanied by his inseparable friend Obelix and aided by the druid Getafix’s magic potion that gives superhuman strength. His cunning defends…
My list of the ten worst songs of the 1980s has received thousands of visitors over the last couple of weeks. I’ve received comments accusing me of hating the 1980s, so I thought that I’d set the record straight with…
Congratulations to Sheik Yerbouti, who recorded the fastest time in last week’s Who quiz. I didn’t watch the Grammy ceremony this week, although I read the winners with sceptical interest. This week’s quiz invites you to identify the 20 artists…
We stay in the USA for this week’s new albums. Literate bar-rockers The Hold Steady still have new ideas on their eighth studio album. Tennessee indie artist Julien Baker is back with a third album of introspection, while Paramore’s Hayley…
Before he became Patti Smith’s lead guitarist, Lenny Kaye compiled the 2 album set, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. Released in 1972, the two-LP set covered American garage rock and psychedelia from the years from 1965-1968 and…
Congratulations to Aaron from Keepsmealive, who scored the fastest challenger time on last week’s quiz about 1980s Songs. This week we focus on The Who – I don’t usually like to feature artist-specific quizzes, but I figure The Who are…
New York rock band Talking Heads started their career as the Artistics, with drummer Chris Frantz and vocalist/guitarist David Byrne. As the group were unable to find a bassist, Frantz’s girlfriend Tina Weymouth joined. Weymouth learned to play bass by…
Gene Clark is best-known as an original member of The Byrds. He was the first to leave the group – with a fear of flying he disliked touring, while the other members resented his song-writing royalties. The most accomplished songwriter…
Congratulations to J. and Tony who tied for the fastest time in last week’s Finish That Band II quiz. This week we’re looking at 1980s songs, following on from the 10 Worst Songs of the 1980s list earlier this week.…
When I was a teenager in the 1990s, the 1980s were often reviled as the decade that taste forgot. But I think this list is far less heinous than the 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s – the corporate vibes…
