Posts by Alby

The Yardbirds spawned three of rock's most revered guitarists -- Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. The first two have higher profiles, but a lot of people would tell…

To give you an idea how long ago the "classic rock" period was, Ian Anderson wrote this song for Jethro Tull's "War Child" album in 1974, when scientists had concluded…

Now that Kevin McCarthy has handed the loonies the keys to the new 2023 Congressmobile, they need a song to play on the radio -- a theme song, if you…

This one's for Kevin McCarthy, whose capacity for self-embarrassment appears limitless. Like McCarthy, Lit hails from California, though from Orange County, not Bakersfield. This track, a single from their 1999…

This year marks the 40th anniversary of alternative rock reaching the mainstream, via R.E.M.'s debut LP, "Murmur," and this, its leadoff song, became the band's first single -- and the…

The older you get, the less likely you are to make New Year's resolutions, I'm guessing because we geezers realize how resistant we are to change. But almost 40% of…

In his Dec. 25 Open Thread, El Somnambulo noted the death of composer/producer/arranger Thom Bell, who with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff comprised the Mighty Three of Philly Soul. The…

Singer Terry Hall, frontman for three bands that reached the British charts in the 1980s, died last week at age 63 of pancreatic cancer. Best known as co-lead vocalist for…