Peering Into the Archives
I launched the Musoscribe blog in summer 2009, more than four years ago. There are currently more than 1150 interviews, essays and reviews here. But I had been writing about music long before the blog started.
In the middle years of the century’s new decade, I had been Editor in Chief for an internationally-available print magazine. In the wake of the magazine going belly-up (a fascinating story I’d love to tell, and perhaps one day will chronicle here), a few friends strongly encouraged me to start the blog. But before I did that, I had amassed a couple hundred pieces – again: interviews, essays reviews – and published (or re-published) them online.
There were some really good albums that – in retrospect – didn’t seem to get, in general, the love (and/or notice) I thought they deserved. I still return to them. A few of these include Russian Circles‘ Enter, James Morrison‘s Undiscovered, Automatic Music Explosion‘s This Is…, and Hayseed Dixie‘s A Hot Piece of Grass.
And then of course there were the albums that were both appreciated by me and generally applauded. These included hERE aND nOW by Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, and reissues of Air‘s Moon Safari, and Porcupine Tree‘s Lightbulb Sun.
In those days, I sometimes reviewed music that I didn’t care all that much about to begin with; I no longer do that. So as a result, you’ll find some scathing reviews, full of ridicule and derision. If that might amuse you, check out my review of truly dreadful albums from Cradle of Filth, Mah Jongg, Memphis May Fire and Vaeda. (Yeah, me neither).
Some cool compilations came out during that era, too. You might have missed R. Stevie Moore‘s Meet The; the various artists garage comp 2131 South Michigan Avenue; and Blue Note’s treasury of oft-sampled tunes, Droppin’ Science.
If you’re interested in some long-form writing, here are career-spanning critical essays covering the work of Todd Rundgren and Pink Floyd. Both are out of date now, but they’re still among my favorites.
And finally, I did some fondly-remembered (by me, at least) interviews with some of my musical heroes. Among these: Ian Anderson, Robyn Hitchcock, Gentle Giant, Andy Partridge, CCR‘s Stu Cook, Polyphonic Spree‘s Tim DeLaughter, ? And the Mysterians (don’t miss that one!), and no-hit wonders Green Fuz.
There are a couple hundred other things in that section, and I invite you to poke around. If I haven’t said so in print recently, here’s a reminder: this gig of mine, it’s way-fun.
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About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.