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From The Stacks: Les Paul And Trio
Pop quiz! Answer the following question about this 1957 Les Paul album cover. What I first noticed was: A) The beautiful woman lounging on the shag carpet B) The tobacco sunburst background C) The Tops Hi-Fi logo D) The guitar isn’t a Les Paul If your answer was not (D) then I say good day…
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Deep Cuts: The Rainy Day Playlist
Rain is rare in my part of the world. It rains regularly only three months out of the year — and that’s in a good year. I miss the torrential summer afternoon downpours of the Southeast. But with my playlist in my pocket I can create my own mobile weather system — high pressure coming down…
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69. But You Know You’re Not Dreaming, Signore
I’m in San Francisco this week on super top-secret “Why It Matters” business. Okay, I came to see the sea lions and make one of those “hey, this is me on a magic carpet” green screen videos at Pier 39. A light drizzle followed me home this evening, so I ducked into a trattoria that…
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From The Stacks: Open Up And Say…Ahh!
This is a dangerous album cover. When it was released in 1988 various churches and parent groups got all bent out of shape. Oddly this was because they assumed that the there was devil worshippin’ a-goin’ on when what they should have been protesting is that it’s ass-ugly.
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Deep Cuts: Music Goes To Court
On May 19, 1913, Igor Stravinsky debuted his new ballet, The Rite of Spring. People actually rioted, proving once and for all that ballet fans are representin’. That riot and the legal actions that may have ensued were purely about the work itself. Stravinsky’s new work was jarring, dissonant. But in the latter half of…
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68. Just Sitting Here Watching The Wheels Go Round and Round
Summer ended in the traditional manner: A disheveled Jerry Lewis wept while singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and the big three networks rolled out their new television series. The new fall prime time shows that year were:
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From The Stacks: Pussycats Can Go Far
Buzzy Linhart is a fascinating and little known dude, at least these days. Roommate to John Sebastian in the early Sixties co-writer of Bette Midler’s “(You Got to Have) Friends,” Buzz is close to seventy and he’s still kicking around. You can visit him here: www.buzzylinhart.com
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Deep Brushstrokes: The Hipgnosis Bestiary
Hipgnosis is The Beatles of album cover art — nobody has ever done it better than the British design firm founded by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell. Their first cover was Pink Floyd’s 1968 album A Saucerful of Secrets and their last was Led Zeppelin’s Coda, released in 1982. There’s quite a bit of poetry in…
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67. I’m Up and Down and In Between
Without question the biggest album of 1983 in Boiling Springs, South Carolina was Def Leppard’s Pyromania. Nothing captured the upstate zeitgeist like that album: mullets, alcohol, and big dumb songs about rocking and fucking. Sweet Thatcher’s dentures, Union Jack gear was everywhere: muscle shirts, painter caps, shorts, bandanas. I’m still amazed that Chevrolet didn’t release…
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Deep Cuts: Songs For Grieving
A good friend of mine recently lost her father. There’s really not much else to say here. Loss is incredibly difficult. She suggested that I put together a “Deep Cuts” list of grieving songs, and I’m happy to do so. I wish I could do more, but I can’t. Hope it helps.
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