compilation Archive
06 May 2022
Album Review: Scott McCarl — Play On
I am sure we can agree as to the wonderfulness that is The Raspberries’ catalog. “Go All the Way” is pop perfection, taking the “don’t bore us; get to the […]
19 Apr 2022
Album Review: Muddy Waters — The Montreux Years
Claude Nobs was a towering figure in popular music. Founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival, he was responsible for bringing a stunning array of performers together, year after year on […]
13 Apr 2022
Album Review: The Jars — Make Love Not War
My new book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave explores the story of the Bay Area independent record label and the nearly 30 artists – […]
08 Apr 2022
Album Review: The Sound of Glassboro, 1980s
The reductive nature of popular culture dictates that when we recall the 1980s, we’re supposed to think of shoulder pads, big hair and vacuous MTV-era acts like Thompson Twins. But […]
17 Feb 2022
Album Re-Review: Two Pound Planet — Songs from the Hydrogen Jukebox
Today I’m revisiting a review originally posted more than a year ago. Songs From the Hydrogen Jukebox received what we’ll call a soft release in late 2020. As nice as […]
05 Feb 2022
Album Review: Dave Specter: Six String Soul
Dave Specter’s new double album Six String Soul celebrates his three decades as a recording artist. Released October 22, the compilation features a dazzling array of guests, including Otis Clay, […]
26 Jan 2022
Album Review: True West — Kaleidoscope of Shadows
Even among vinyl aficionados like myself, there’s an acknowledgment that the CD era brought with it some important benefits. Chief among those was the archival movement: compilations and reissues of […]
18 Jan 2022
Reviving the Old Guard: The Palace Guard, Part Two
Continued from Part One… Far better was the A-side of The Palace Guard’s second single, the moody, minor-key “A Girl You Can Depend On.” The flip side of that single […]
17 Jan 2022
Reviving the Old Guard: The Palace Guard, Part One
Emitt Rhodes’ pre-pre-fame band The Palace Guard gets a career-spanning compilation Emitt Rhodes was something of a cult figure in music. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer never achieved widespread […]
13 Jan 2022
Boxed Set Review: Fuzztones Salute the Greats
For decades now, The Fuzztones have been doing the important work of keeping the garage punk flame burning. Originally a New York City aggregation, the band led by Rudi Protrudi […]