As much as I love The Beatles, their solo careers have always mildly disappointed me. If you put ten years of your life into a burst of creativity, it makes sense that you don’t have much left in the tank…
Hi everyone! Occasionally my blog receives requests asking me to review albums from emerging artists. The rhythm of my blog isn’t really set up for this at the moment, so I’m wondering if any fellow bloggers would like to be…
Congratulations to Jim S. and Rich, who both scored 100% in last week’s Rock song quiz. Rich scored the fastest time, and I think it’s appropriate to quote a line from the Billy Joel album that he recently re-enacted the…
With its dual functions of rhythm and melody, the electric bass guitar is a staple in most genres of popular music. Its role varies between different acts – sometimes the bass is buried deep in the mix, the glue holding…
The Replacements started as a bratty punk band, but as the 1980s wore on they lost their rough edges. They signed to a major label and shot for mainstream success. Their best years are generally reckoned to be the mid…
Congratulations to Tony and Geoff, who both scored 32/32 in last week’s 1990s quiz, with Tony scoring the faster time. This week you need to complete song titles with “rock” in them. I scored 49/50 – I was tricked…
Adult contemporary superstar and Hebrew Hunk Neil Diamond is a fascinating figure to me. His music is an uncomfortable blend of Brill Building pop, gospel, and confessional writing, like he can’t make up his mind whether he wants to be…
The late Tom Petty was a brilliant singles artist – he wrote hit after hit of likeable, jangly rock. Contemporaries like Bob Seger and John Mellencamp were popular in America, but didn’t translate to New Zealand radio as easily; Petty’s…
Congratulations to all of our quiz participants last week. But a special mention goes to Jim, Rich, Aaron, 2Loud, J., and Tony, who all scored 100%, with Tony finishing at a blistering pace with 5:23 to spare. This week’s quiz…
The untimely passing of Talk Talk mastermind Mark Hollis this week has sent many fans back to re-examine his masterpieces. Many Talk Talk fans opt for the group’s final two records, the spacious and experimental Spirit of Eden and Laughing…
