A couple of bands are in tough spots in this week’s column. Black Country, New Road lost their lead singer four days before they released their previous album. Arcade Fire dealt with allegations against leader Win Butler. Both albums struggle,…
CBS released Folkways: A Vision Shared—A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly in 1988. It accompanied a documentary of the same name, with famous musicians paying tribute to the two pioneers. The two artists are integral to the American musical…
Not asking for much of your time this week – you have just 45 seconds to link six bands to an image on their Wikipedia page. It took me 16 seconds – can you beat me? Congratulations to Tony,…
I spent my teenage years enamoured by the pop tunes of Billy Joel. Joel has a touch of show-tune about his work, and his work has never been as critically acclaimed as his more celebrated contemporaries like Bruce Springsteen or…
This week, it’s the boss, the complainant, and the defendant. Bruce Springsteen recently dropped seven albums at once – let’s start with 1983’s LA Garage Sessions. Little Simz’ Lotus is often preoccupied with her former producer and friend Inflo, who…
The success of Rhino’s 1998 Nuggets boxset justified a follow-up. The sequel covers the rest of the world since the first volume only chronicled the USA. Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 emerged in 2001.…
This week, can you complete Aerosmith song titles by selecting an image? I’m not a big Aerosmith guy, but I think most of these songs are well known. Can you beat my 12/12 with 1:42 remaining? Congratulations to Tony,…
Neil Leslie Diamond is adored by mature women and ironically enjoyed by sports crowds singing ‘Sweet Caroline’. Indoctrinated at an early age, however, I appreciate him as a fascinating character. Diamond is one part sequined stadium-filling entertainer and another part…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 8 I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) by Meat Loaf Topped the NZ chart for 5 weeks from 26 September 1993 Looking back, it’s interesting how conservative 1993’s single charts were…
The success of Rhino’s 1998 Nuggets boxset justified a follow-up. The sequel covers the rest of the world since the first volume only chronicled the USA. Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from the British Empire and Beyond, 1964–1969 emerged in 2001.…
