Posts by Alby

Whatever else it represented, the assassination of John Lennon 40 years ago tonight closed the door on an encouraging comeback from his self-imposed exile. Not everyone saw "Double Fantasy" that…

The No. 1 song in the nation the day of the Pearl Harbor attack was also the first one ever awarded a gold record. Glenn Miller's swing rendition of the…

Long Island guitarist Leslie West was so impressed by Cream that he formed a band with Felix Pappalardi, who had produced the "Disraeli Gears" and "Wheels of Fire" LPs, on…

It's been nearly a decade since Amy Winehouse died and she still hasn't been replaced. In 2006, when she was on top of the world after the release of her…

It's actually about the band on tour not being able to find the Holiday Inn -- that's the sign they were looking for in the middle of the night --…

If you're old enough, you probably know this as the first record by British invaders Herman's Hermits, one that reached No. 1 in the UK (and No. 13 in the…

Bob Dylan wrote this during the Basement Tapes sessions in 1967 and has recorded it three times (none are available on YouTube, which Dylan's people police pretty closely). None of…

Though they're now acknowledged as founding fathers of power pop, Raspberries weren't fully appreciated in their time. Their Mod-based sound was considered lightweight, their teen-angst lyrics banal, their matching-suits look…

For reasons that don't matter anymore, disco mostly sucked. But it was closely related to funk, which meant some truly funky music got dance-floor exposure, too. L.T.D. (it stood for…

This song has nothing to do with the holiday, but I don't care, I just like the tune. For me it's the standout song on "Wishing Like a Maountain and…

Bruce Springsteen's "Letter to You" album, released a month ago, got reviews I would characterize more as respectful than enthusiastic. Many of the songs replicate the arena-rock template Springsteen laid…

When the Beatles led the first wave of the British Invasion, the band that challenged them in popularity wasn't the Rolling Stones, who were still playing blues covers -- it…

Eric Clapton and George Harrison's lives and careers were intertwined to a remarkable degree -- they played on each other's albums, they gave each other guitars, they even stayed friends…