Nic Jones emerged in the fertile folk scene of the late 1960s. While contemporaries like Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, and John Martyn ventured into pop and rock music, Jones remained stubbornly traditional. His first two albums, 1970’s Ballads & Songs…
Ron and Russell Mael grew up in Pacific Palisades, California, surfing and modelling for mail order catalogues. They both studied film in college, but gravitated to music, recording their first record as Halfnelson in 1971, with Todd Rundgren producing. The…
We had two 19/20 entries in last week’s quiz – 2loud2oldmusic had the fastest recorded time. This week your challenge is, again, to identify an eclectic bunch of greatest hits. This set runs the gamut from The Carpenters to Nelly.…
There’s a lot of stylistic range in these two albums – the dark and droning Irish folk of Lankum, and the vibrant pop of Ghana’s Amaarae. Enjoy! Lankum False Lankum 2023, 8.5/10Lankum started as two brothers playing Irish songs in…
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 1965-1968 and was…
Congratulations to Max, who won last week’s Great Hits Albums IV quiz. I also forgot to announce a winner the previous week – apologies to Tony, who won comfortably. Just like the previous two weeks, you’re invited to join regular…
Original Eagles bassist and vocalist Randy Meisner passed away last week. It wasn’t a surprise – he’d been battling physical and mental health issues, as well as alcoholism. It was as though he still carried the baggage from leaving the…
The four members of 10cc were all veterans of the 1960s music scene. Graham Gouldman was a successful songwriter, penning The Hollies’ ‘Bus Stop’ and ‘For You Love’ for The Yardbirds. Eric Stewart played with Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders.…
Just like the previous two weeks, you’re invited to join regular readers in identifying which artist a greatest hits collection belongs to. Even if you don’t know the compilation in question, you can figure some out based on iconography and…
Americana stalwart Jason Isbell is back with a terrific new record, while The Japanese House continues to deepen her craft on her sophomore release. Read on for details! Jason Isbell Weathervanes 2023, 9/10Jason Isbell first emerged as a songwriter in…
