Posts by Alby

The obituaries mostly said "Neil Innes of Monty Python" died Dec. 29, age 75, but that shortchanges one of the best comedy-music composers since Spike Jones. Before he worked with…

This track, which appeared on the band's strong debut album, was one of the signature songs of the power pop/new wave boom of the late '70s. Its title was borrowed…

As a poem, "Auld Lang Syne" dates to 1788, when Robert Burns sent it to the Scots Musical Museum with a note that read, ""The following song, an old song,…

This one's for Nancy Pelosi. Everybody recognizes this as a Rolling Stones song or, among soul music buffs, a track by Irma Thomas. But the first to record this tune…

Some political scientists say the U.S. meets all the conditions for a country on the brink of a revolution. Much as I'd like to believe it, I've heard all that…

We're creeping up on the 40th anniversary of the U.S. release of "London Calling," the double album that validated punk as an essential rock genre while simultaneously transcending it by…

This one's for Donald, who is finding that waiting is indeed the hardest part. The lead single from 1981's "Hard Promises" reached No. 19 on the Hot 100 but No.…

In the UK, where singles are still a thing, bands frequently write and record Christmas songs in the hopes of scoring a seasonal hit. Greg Lake released this one in…

There's a reason this sounds nothing like a Christmas carol -- it wasn't written as one. In 1914 Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych was commissioned to create a song for choir…

In 1962 the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy recorded "The Glorious Sound of Christmas," setting a standard for orchestral Christmas music that has never been exceeded -- the LP went…

Nobody, not even the prolific Johnny Marx, has written more Christmas songs than multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens, who has released two Christmas albums, each consisting of more than 50 tunes on…