compilation Archive
24 Jan 2019
He Comes From Planet Jarre, Part Two
Continued from Part One … This may be a difficult question to answer. What do you see as uniquely French characteristics in your work? I think it’s maybe not that […]
23 Jan 2019
He Comes From Planet Jarre, Part One
Last fall I had the honor of interviewing Jean-Michel Jarre for the second time (the two features based on our 2017 conversation are here and here). This second interview again […]
05 Nov 2018
Album Review: R.E.M. — The Best of R.E.M. at the BBC
There was a time – a pretty long time, actually – during which R.E.M. was among the most popular groups on the planet. Without being pretentious or self-important (I’m lookin’ […]
25 Sep 2018
Album Review: The Zombies — Greatest Hits
The Zombies have a sterling and well-deserved reputation. That reputation is built primarily on three things: a couple of early singles, a final album of staggering quality, and a latter-day, […]
17 Sep 2018
Album Review: John Wesley Harding – Greatest Other People’s Hits
Nearly everything one first learns about John Wesley Harding suggests the man is a smart-aleck. A folky troubadour transplanted long ago from Hastings, England to the U.S., the man born […]
20 Aug 2018
Multiple Discs, Multiple Artists (Part 1 of 2)
It’s purely happenstance, but at the moment I have two discs each of archival/reissue/compilation music from seven acts. (Actually, I have three discs each by three of those, but I’m […]
07 Aug 2018
The Ru-Jac Records Story, Part Two
Continued from Part One… Something Got a Hold on Me covers 1963-1964, the earliest years of Ru-Jac, ones that featured the Kay Keys Band, Little Sonny Daye, Brenda Jones, Parker, […]
06 Aug 2018
The Ru-Jac Records Story, Part One
Beginning operations in 1963, Baltimore-based Ru-Jac Records was an African American-owned and -operated record label. Founded by Rufus E. Mitchell and Jack Bennett, Ru-Jac was a singles-only label that released […]
25 Jul 2018
Album Review: Craig Smith — Love is Our Existence
This is a fascinating release. Singer-songwriter Craig Smith got his early professional start as a member of the Good Time Singers, a folk ensemble in the mold of the New […]
24 Jul 2018
Album Review: Klaus Schulze — La Vie Electronique Vols 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2
Over the years, there have been a number of massive archival releases that all but define the phrase “for the completist.” In 2011, the Grateful Dead went back to the […]