Illinois-born Michael Omartian is best known as a producer. He was the first person to produce number one hits in three different decades. His number ones include: He’s also notable as a session musican, playing on records by Steely Dan,…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 9 Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel Topped the NZ chart for 4 (non-consecutive) weeks from 29 April 1966. Simon and Garfunkel Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel started their recording career as Tom & Jerry in 1957,…
Can you correctly answer multi-choice questions about British music in 1971? Find out here: I scored a just-above-average 13/20 – can you beat me? Congratulations to NameEclectic Music Lover, who was the fastest in last week’s 3 Songs, 1…
Bassist Ashley Hutchings and rhythm guitarist Simon Nicol formed Fairport Convention in 1967. They named the band after Nicol’s father’s medical practice, above which they rehearsed, on the same Muswell street as the Davies brothers of The Kinks grew up. They recruited…
It’s an especially eclectic bunch this week – the ambient collaboration of Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore, the funk of Sault, and Titanic’s concise progressive rock. Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore Tragic Magic 2026, 8.5/10Harpist Mary Lattimore and vocalist/producer Julianna…
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.…
I found this week’s quiz confusing at first. You need to link three songs to one first name – a name shared by people who sang the three songs. So the answer for ‘Suspicious Minds’ and ‘Alison’ would be Elvia.…
New Jersey’s James Murphy obviously has a terrific record collection – his favourite artists include The Fall, Yes, The B-52’s, David Bowie, and Can. LCD Soundsystem’s music echoes these influences, along with electronic pioneers like New Order and Kraftwerk. Murphy…
Every New Zealand #1 single… 4 Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex Topped the NZ chart for 6 weeks from 5 March 1995. Rednex Inspired by Ricky Skaggs, Swedish producers Janne Ericsson, Örjan “Öban” Öberg, and Ranis Edenberg formed Rednex. They…
Over the last couple of days, a treasure trove of Beach Boys outtakes has slipped out into the wild. It’s on Google Drive, archive.org, and other places. The leaked songs span the band’s career, but I’m most interested in the…
