music-news-from-breakups-to-the-lastest-buzz
New Release(s) of the Week 3/31/09: Prince
When Prince left Warner Brothers back in ’96, one major sticking point was that his then label refused to allow him to release music at the pace he wanted to. Among the many issues Prince had was the fact that his magnum opus, 1987’s “Sign O’ the Times”, was whittled down from 3 discs to a more consumer-palatable 2. Prince finally got his 3-disc set upon his release from Warner with ’96’s “Emancipation”, which, while […]
Taylor Hicks’ “The Distance”: True To No One But Himself
Taylor Hicks by far received the most derision of any “American Idol†winner in the show’s existence. He wasn’t “youngâ€, he wasn’t “cuteâ€, he wasn’t “popâ€, and there was the whole screaming “Soul Patrol!†thing that rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. But I’ll put my musical reputation on the line and say that Taylor was the most musically sound “American Idol†winner in the show’s history. With years of singing in smoky […]
FORTY-FIVE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE #28: No More Mr. & Mrs. Nice Guy & Gal
WARREN ZEVON “Werewolves Of London” b/w “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” (Asylum Records #45472, April 1978)
A key feature in my hometown Sunday paper was a little syndicated column that published the lyrics and musical accompaniment to a current popular song. I clipped it every week, even if it was a song I didn’t necessarily like (the ability to take requests always comes in handy, right?), and kept a little musical scrapbook. One week in ’78, the featured tune […]