Music Archive |
Phil Spector: A Christmas Gift for You - Phil Spector is a killer and a sleaze, but he's also a tragedy. When he was ten years old, his father connected a hose to the exhaust pipe of the
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky - The greatest score in all of film --- so good that it inspired John Williams' shark theme in “Jaws” and James Horner's music for “Star Trek II: The Wrath of
R.L. Burnside - R.L. Burnside (1926-2005) was the last of the hard-core blues musicians. Born in Mississippi, he worked as a sharecropper until he heard about better opportunities in Chicago.
Radio Tarifa - "Rumba Argelina" is featured on the Guardian's list of "1,000 albums to hear before you die." Rumba began life as African music. Slavery brought it to the New World, then back to
Raising Sand - Summer. Dusk. An ancient Cadillac convertible, top down, cruises on Long Island back roads. On the radio, the Rolling Stones. “The world's greatest rock band?” I ask. The
Rattlin’ Bones - After a certain age and a certain number of --- oh, let's not call them failed, let's say successfully completed --- relationships, it's inspiring to hear a man and woman
Red Dirt Girl - She's made eight gold albums and three platinum albums, had five #1 hits, won nine Grammy awards --- and yet there are Americans who love music who have never heard Emmylou Harris. Or if
Regina Spektor: “Laughing With” - Regina Spektor is a Russian Jew. In 1989, her family traded Russia for the Bronx --- and religious freedom. “Laughing With” appeared on her 2009 CD, “Far.” I never heard
Regret Over the Wires - It was the summer we were living in Paris. The early evening was sunny and warm, and I had a business dinner a mile down the Seine, so
Revival - They were handing out earplugs at the studio door. “No thanks,” I said. “I like it loud.” I got a look. And a pair of plugs. Two more steps, and I was
Richard Goode: Beethoven - If Beethoven's your composer for piano, Richard Goode's your pianist. There are others who have climbed this mountain, but of the living practitioners, Goode stands alone. He's given the
Rickie Lee Jones - When she was a kid, she'd put her thumb out, hitch a ride and end up "two or three states away." She was tossed out of high school. She became
Robert Plant: Band of Joy - Hey, hey, mama, said the way you move Gonna make you sweat, gonna make you groove. Oh, oh, child, way you shake that thing Gonna make you burn, gonna make you sting. Hey, hey,
Rodney Crowell - Sex & Gasoline was nominated for a Grammy. Yawn. Given how many classic songs Rodney Crowell has written in his three-decade career, it would be surprising if he released
Romare Bearden Revealed - When I think of the name Marsalis, three things immediately are conjured up (usually in this order): 1. Wynton Marsalis -- the whiz kid who resurrected jazz
Rosanne Cash - It starts with Johnny Cash's voice: "Rosanne, c'mon." And then these lyrics: "It was a black Cadillac/that drove you away." The black keeps coming. "It was a black Cadillac/like you
Roxy Music: Avalon - Roxy Music's 50th anniversary tour came to New York last week. I made sure to be elsewhere that night --- I avoid nostalgia, it feels like the first step on
Ruth Draper - At the start of her career, Ruth Draper asked Henry James, a family friend, for advice about her future, whether she ought to pursue a career as a conventional actress
