3 Man Band of the Week – RUSH

You either love Rush or hate Rush.  There is no middle ground.  Nor would I ever attempt to convert a Rush-hater.  But for better or for Rush, here’s the three-man band of the week.
A copy of Rush’s Moving Pictures somehow found its way into my records as a child, but I don’t remember listening to [...]

Ruby, the Metal Years

I was feeling rather poorly last weekend, so I piled up on the couch and proceeded to watch all four-plus hours of The Metal Years on VH1 Classic.  While I did not agree with the documentary editorially – Megadeth was slighted, Deep Purple was left out altogether; “Smoke on the Water,” anyone? – it was [...]

What Else Is There?

Lest you think I stopped listening to music in 1980, I offer you one of my favorite bands, Royksopp.
I’m not sure where I first heard Royksopp.  I’m sure it wasn’t on the radio.  While some of their songs are certainly radio friendly, as you will soon hear for yourself, the best thing about Royksopp is [...]

Mellow Gold, 70s Style

I’ve always been a sucker for the compilation albums advertised on TV.  I’m ashamed of how many I actually own.  Many of these I owned on album or cassette as a child, and as an adult have spent an embarrassing amount of time and money recreating these on CD.  No, I don’t need a hobby [...]

3 Man Band of the Week – Cream

And now for my favorite three man band, the irrepressible Cream.
The first time I can remember hearing Cream was on a British Invasion compilation that nearly got me sent to a convent at the tender age of 9.  More about that on a later post. Anyway, the comp had three Cream songs, the usual suspects [...]

Let’s Take Some E – emusic, That Is

Sorry I’ve been gone so long.  The Long Hot Summer just passed me by, as Style Council would have it.
Anyway, I was recently sucked into emusic, yet again.  Yes, once long long ago, I tried emusic, and it blew.  Hard.  I think I downloaded the entire number of songs I was allotted in my trial [...]

Three Man Band – Traffic

From the inside cover of John Barleycorn Must Die,
the only picture I can find of the three man version of Traffic.
I have long had the idea that three-man bands rock harder than they have to just to prove they can. My first case in point was The James Gang . I [...]

Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line

Me and my handsome Daddy.
Tomorrow is Father’s Day, and to celebrate, I’m posting about my Daddy.
I have the best parents ever; not only have they been together over 30 years – “without either of us killing each other,” as my mother likes to say – but they seem to get ever more fun the longer [...]

Aliens in Atlanta

The boys from Doraville
Just as promised, a post on the phenomenon of phenomenally ugly bands from Georgia.
I give you Atlanta Rhythm Section.
Their ugliness is unparalleled. Their talent is debated. Nonetheless, I am proud (okay, a little abashed) to say they are one of my favorite bands.
In the canon of Southern Rock, ARS occupies [...]

Funk Only a Mother Could Love

God love the James Gang. They only made a few albums, a great number of their songs sound so identical that they are nearly impossible to tell apart, and to beat it all, they were nominated to mine and Lucille’s list of the ugliest bands we’ve ever laid eyes on. Since there’s only [...]