The news that Merge is gearing up for a “69 Love Songs” vinyl reissue campaign — with the first run of 1,000 copies being pressed on colored vinyl (for geeks like us who care about such things) — feels a little like re-discovering and savoring a half-forgotten love letter that you cherished and then, eventually, tucked away in a drawer with your memories. (Or, in our case, massive filing cabinets stuffed with CDs).
The band’s 2001 landmark, ‘Southern Rock Opera,’ caught on with a broad audience that included hipsters and college kids, aging classic rockers, and ordinary folks who loved the sound of loud electric guitars set to lyrics that meant something. Both album and band also fared far better in the North and West than the group’s home turf: “The South is our weakest region – I think it’s because it’s too close to home,” said bandleader Patterson Hood. “We’re singing about stuff that’s right down the street. And nobody wants to hear that.”
Originally posted on RPM: Jonathan Perry's Life in Analog:
The four-headed hydra at rest. (L-R: Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle). Take Our Poll Manic Moon Mauls Melody, pictures at 11. Don’t even THINK about swiping my scotch Pete. Before Keith tested whether his Lincoln Continental could swim in the hotel pool.…
Originally posted on RPM: Jonathan Perry's Life in Analog:
The sound of a jet taking off? Nope, it’s just The Who in full flight. Just a quick one — pun intended — to honor one of my all-time favorite artists, The Who, to mark their “Who Hits 50!” world tour that lead singer Roger…
A post meant as much for listening as reading: I want to give a shout-out and thanks to fellow music junkie and Boston Free Radio “Voices Of Time” host Alan Patterson for inviting “RPM ” (that would be me) to the Internet station’s Somerville studio to spin (and chat about) a few of my favorite things a little […]
Originally posted on RPM: Jonathan Perry's Life in Analog:
For decades, Robin Williams made me laugh. Monday night, he made me cry. Like many, I found myself suddenly paralyzed and weeping at the terrible news that Williams had passed by his own hand at the age of 63. And not just because he was a…
If it’s a bit hard to believe that my friend and colleague Ted Drozdowski is “only” celebrating the tenth anniversary of his lava-hot, molten blues trio, it may be because the veteran bandleader and award-winning music journalist has spent close to a lifetime listening to, and writing about, the very music he’s always treasured and revered. Playing it […]
To me, this is Clapton at his rawest and fiercest; his bluesiest, purest, and most exciting, channeling his hero Freddie King (and even covering a tune or two) with a bottomless bag of stinging riffs, ferocious solo outbursts, and inventive accents of color and melody.
Reilly’s songs teem with lowlifes, hustlers, and have-nots, dazed by despair, embittered by regret, and hardened by circumstance. Ever the sly, sardonic observer, Ike takes it all in from his perch in the shadows. His personae, like his music, shifts, bobs and weaves: sage, fool, jester, street-corner prophet, Reilly’s all of these things – sometimes within the same song.
Originally posted on RPM: Jonathan Perry's Life in Analog:
He’s not named Ringo for nothing! “I consider him one of the greatest innovators of rock drumming and believe that he has been one of the greatest influences on rock drumming today … Ringo has influenced drummers more than they will ever realize or admit.…
RPM: Jonathan Perry's Life in Analog 