TO MARK ITS 25th anniversary, Spin magazine posted the 125 best albums of the past 25 years. Even though it’s merely the opinion of the magazine’s editors and contributors, the reaction has been caustic in some cases, chiefly because the magazine named “Achtung Baby” by Dublin’s U2 as the top album. Of course, the...
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I RECENTLY SAW a video of an acoustic version of the Foo Fighters’ “Best of You,” which is easily my favorite song by the band. But it was one of those things. I had forgotten how much I like the song until I saw the video today. There’s nothing especially groundbreaking about the song....
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BEST COAST REMINDS me of everything that is indispensable about pop music. It’s easy to forget why you fell in love with music in the first place. It happens when you’re a kid. It’s usually one song, or maybe a couple of songs, that make you feel something new and exciting and enlivens a...
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• It has been 13 months since I had a liver transplant that saved my life. As a result, I am interested in articles, websites or anything else that features transplant information or stories. One of the items that grabbed my attention was Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ public discussion of his liver transplant. The...
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AS I WATCHED Genesis, Abba, Iggy Pop, Jimmy Cliff and the Hollies get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday night, it reminded me yet again of an essential band that continues to be ignored, even though it became eligible in 2005 for inclusion. It’s difficult to criticize anyone who gets...
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ONE OF MY earliest memories of spending time with my father was sitting with him as a little kid listening to all the music he liked. His tastes were deep and wide. The Five Royales. Chuck Berry. David Bowie. The “Jesus Christ Superstar” stage and film soundtracks. Ray Charles. Chet Baker. Sammy Price. Dave...
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MORE THAN TWENTY years ago, I had a girlfriend who liked Olivia Newton-John. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with Olivia Newton-John or even with liking her. But my girlfriend really liked her. A lot. The way hardcore Presley fans worship at the Elvis Alter. Olivia Newton-John? Really? I had nothing against the...
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