Steely Dan, on the other hand, did nothing but make music. Their studio exploits are legendary, and their songwriting, defined by difficult chords as much as esoteric lyricism, is fawned upon by fans and critics. "What they were doing was so particular and new, it was often difficult for...
This was the single worst job I have ever worked. People don't call customer service because they're happy about something, and since you're just a voice on the other side of the phone line you'll be treated as less-than-human. My heaviest drinking days happened when I worked this go...
Band Aid’s call to arms began with Bob Geldof famously bypassing any manager or agent and using his network of friends to cough up popstar’s numbers so that he could pressure them in person. The recording of Do They Know It’s Christmas had taken place on 25 November, 1984, and had...
Released on King Records, John’s interpretation was a well-conceived straightforward R&B arrangement featuring foreboding tenor saxophones, a heavy driving beat, and bluesy backing vocals. John’s crooning baritone soars passionately over smooth guitar chords and swinging finger snaps, displaying an u...
"It's not an overstatement to say thatBerlinwill be theSgt. Pepperof the seventies," blustered Larry "Ratso" Sloman inRolling Stone. Which is laughable today — but it helps frameBerlinin its time and context. "When people thought of a concept album, they thoughtSgt. Pepper," singer/son...
“They’re rockers,” says Daniel Glass, president of their label, Glassnote. “Yes, they had banjos; yes, they had kick drums; but when they come into town, it’s a rock’n’roll experience. It’s late nights. They live to tour and to play.” ...
I started learning this ferociously difficult lump of wood almost 17 years ago. My musical brain is almost old enough to drink. My cat took her first breath, crapped herself and passed on since the day I first struggled with barre chords. ...
TheWhoreleased their debut single, "Zoot Suit" backed with "I'm the Face," on July 3, 1964, in what could be the first example of niche marketing in rock history. Only they weren't called the Who at the time, but the High Numbers. ...
Ask a musician, and there’s a good chance they’ll tell you that the piano is either their main instrument, or they have some knowledge of it – whether they play it as a second instrument or have just fiddled around on it at some point in their musical journey. ...
It was out of Army Navy Surplus; you get a big round chunk of wood or a big overdrive gar from a saw mill in British Columbia, where they're cutting logs to make lumber. You go with what you got, right?"By 1976, however, the going was getting tougher with hauling around the ...