vinyl Archive
23 Jul 2019
Confusion: A Look Back at ‘Identity’ by Zee (Richard Wright and Dave Harris)
Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright was not what one would call a prolific artist. While he composed some superb songs for the Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon‘s “The Great Gig in the Sky” most notable among those – he didn’t churn out a great deal of music. During a period of minimal
10 Jul 2019
Don’t Forget All About It: ‘Nazz Nazz’ at 50
Building upon the disparate influences of Philly soul, Jimi Hendrix, the Who and Laura Nyro, Nazz was quite a unique group. Though today the foursome is remembered chiefly as the band Todd Rundgren played in before launching his own idiosyncratic solo career, Nazz can lay claim to being one of the first power pop groups,
25 Jun 2019
Still Reigning King of the Twang Bar: Adrian Belew’s ‘Mr. Music Head’ at 30
By 1989, Adrian Belew was well into the high-profile phase of his career, one that continues to present day. The guitarist’s star had been in ascension since being discovered by Frank Zappa and added to his band, subsequently joining David Bowie’s band, and going on to work as a sideman for Tom Tom Club and
23 Jun 2019
Album Review: Howlin’ Wolf — Moanin’ in the Moonlight
Though he had already been a performing musician for some two decades, Chester “Howlin’ Wolf” Burnett began his recording career in 1951, cutting sides for Sam Phillips in Memphis. By the next year he was under contract to Chess Records. As 1959 began, he had released no less than 22 singles. With the album era
12 Jun 2019
Album Review: The Gun — Gun
Brothers Adrian and Paul Gurvitz launched The Gun in 1967 a a re-branded and slimmed-down version of their previous band the Knack (no relation to the American power pop quartet). Then using the surname Curtis, guitarist Adrian and bassist Paul led a power trio with Louie Farrell on drums. Taking an aggressive and decidedly psychedelic
11 Jun 2019
Album Review: Various Artists — Soul Explosion
There’s undeniable appeal in retrospective compilations. With the benefit of hindsight and historical context, compilers can curate a set of songs that displays the character of a given theme, be it a style of music, a genre, or a survey of a particular label’s output. Legendary Memphis label Stax has been the subject of quite
23 May 2019
Pistols Were a Gas: ‘The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle’ at 40 (Part Two)
Continued from Part One… The same is true—even more so—when the Sex Pistols attack “Stepping Stone.” Jones changes the chords around, and Lydon flails as is his wont, but here he seems to know all of the words. The cavernous production aesthetic isn’t really needed, but the tracks works on all levels. The other band
16 May 2019
200-word Reviews: Five Vinyl Records
Few people are mas pleased as myself to witness (up close and personal) the vinyl revival. I’m not getting into the warmth-versus-digital argument; all I know is that as an old-school type who began purchasing LPs at age eight, I will always prefer the vinyl LP format. Plus, the artwork and liner notes are better
14 May 2019
Hundred-worders for May 2019: Vinyl
A subtle hint to any press agents or label reps who might happen to read this: a near surefire way to get your client’s album reviewed on Musoscribe is to send me a vinyl record. Unless I wholly detest it – and that’s not likely to happen if you check in before sending to make
23 Apr 2019
My Favorite Year: ‘Coltrane ‘58: The Prestige Recordings’
1958 was a landmark year for saxophonist John Coltrane, and by extension for jazz as a whole as well. Coltrane had made his first recordings (in Hawaii with fellow Navy servicemen) some 12 years earlier, and played as a sideman with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk in the middle 1950s. and didn’t begin recording under