If the word “mambo” conjures up anything at all in an age when the most popular forms of dance are “line” and “slam,” it is probably some kind of slightly silly, Ricky Ricardoesque vision. There might be a couple of ladies wearing hats made of fresh fruit bumping and grinding…
Tom Petty occupies a strange place in our collective psyche. Because of his notable collaborations with respected rock elders like Bob Dylan, George Harrison and the late Del Shannon, we tend to view him as a rookie instead of the 20-year veteran that he is. When he and the Heartbreakers…
There’s a famous film clip of the Beatles, newly arrived in America, riding in a limousine and listening incredulously to a transistor radio. From that tiny speaker, a strange deejay the lads had never heard of named Murray the K was anointing himself “the fifth Beatle.” Since then, everyone who…
The desert does not care if you live or die. It is a brutal, unforgiving place where Mother Nature plays hardened Bitch Goddess to the hilt and the only law is survival. And when the sun is busy redefining “broil”–which is all the time–that’s a law enforced in terms so…
Glenn Frey Solo Collection (MCA) How much water can one ex-Eagle tread? Prior to all of last year’s Eagles reunion by-products, Frey released a Greatest Hits–Live album. Now here comes its studio equivalent, minus all the Eagles stuff on which Frey’s dead ass and reputation still coast. For an entire…
Democracy’s a funny thing. It can define civilizations. It can liberate minds and unleash souls. It can prompt unending, impenetrable gibberish from bespectacled poli-sci students. And it can kill a rock band. Music groups adhering to egalitarian ideals are breakups waiting to happen. Dictators–benevolent, malevolent and all points in between–seem…
Geraldo Rivera: GG, why do you feel the need to defecate onstage? GG Allin: My body is the rock ‘n’ roll temple and my flesh, blood and bodily fluids are a communion to the people whether they like it or not. I’m not out to please anybody; my rock ‘n’…
Everybody loves chili with beans–sure thing! And everybody loves legendary country supergroup Alabama–I know you’re all with me on that! But what if you wanna combine your love of both in some kind of symbiotic power coupling? Sure, you could heat up a can of Hormel and throw on your…
If you believe the myths, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was either a drunk mispronouncing “in the garden of Eden” or else it was very bad Latin for “play as long as you like, I’ve got to take a monstrous dump.” This lumbering, 17-minute-and-five-second Iron Butterfly opus took up the whole of an album…
Though it was more than 20 years ago, I’ll never forget my first glimpse of Playboy Mansion West. The lush, green lawns, the exotic birds and animals wandering around, the waterfall cascading into the swimming pool, the stately House That Hef Built. All of which were nothing compared to the…
Hell-Bent: Insurgent Country Volume 2 (Bloodshot) Insurgent, indeed! How dare they, these young bands of scofflaws, going and recording songs that are actually representative of the heart and soul of authentic American country music. There’s nary a ten-gallon hat, daintily trimmed mustache or skintight pair of jeans to be seen…
At last–I’ve found it! After years of vein-popping concentration searching for unique descriptions, after developing blisters on every finger from thumbing through thesauruses looking for new adjectives, I’ve discovered the ultimate way to determine whether a song is good. But I’ll give credit where credit is due: I owe it…
Life is all about choices, and Ralph Stanley’s first big choice was between a pig and a banjo. At the tender age of 11, Ralph’s mother gave him a $5 bill–no small sum in 1938, especially in the hills of Virginia near the Tennessee border where the Stanleys lived (to…
Insincerity blurs many a postmortem tribute album. What were the performers’ true relationships to the featured legend? Were they just hired guns used for marquee value? Why should it be considered a “tribute” to rerecord a lesser version of a hit? Can a “tribute” recording dishonor the original artist? When…
Mike Watt is an easygoing sort. He’s a big, friendly guy with a gruff voice that makes him sound even bigger and friendlier on the phone. At the moment, Watt’s speaking from Los Angeles. The rambling conversation concerns, among other things, Watt’s long career as one of the better-known and…
To his parents, he is O’Shea Jackson. To certain members of the population, he is the “Nigga America Loves to Hate.” But to thousands of rap fans, he is simply known as Ice Cube. Once a greasy, Jheri-curl-wearing homeboy straight outta Compton and a member of the controversial group N.W.A…
Trisha Yearwood Thinkin’ About You (MCA) And you won’t feel like a dweeb thinkin’ about her, either. Trisha Yearwood is a rare find–she’s inoffensive to both new “young country” fans and old holdout traditionalists. Trish and her producer have picked an intelligent, well-written batch of tunes with no self-congratulatory “thank…
Feast your eyes on these humble liner notes: “THIS is an event. Not merely the release of more ‘product,’ but a major milestone in the annals of Rock.” What could it be? A recording of Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley singing together? A Sgt. Pepper outtake? Dylan’s Royal Albert Hall…
March 22, 1995 New songs, old songs and a studied sense of slack highlighted a performance by Cake at the Rockin’ Horse last week. Singer John McCrea, a brimmed fishing hat on his head and an undersize acoustic guitar between his arms, looked like a slovenly Jimmy Buffett as he…
If there’s one place in a man’s home where he’s allowed to do whatever he wants–other than the bathroom–it’s his bedroom. And Prescott’s Chad Calhoun has chosen to utilize his as a recording studio. Calhoun (under the name Big Tin Cactus) sent in a six-song load titled Gravity that he’d…
Two years ago, Phoenix’s then-newest oldies station, KPSN-FM “Sunny 97,” hit the airwaves playing Arthur Conley’s 1967 hit “Sweet Soul Music.” At noon on November 28, 1994, KPSN played it again for the last time. David Bowie’s “Changes” followed, along with a new ten-minute station ID spelling out exactly what…
South by Southwest. What does it all mean? Does anybody get anything accomplished there? Are careers made? Boosted? Ignored? Is it an invaluable chance to meet industry insiders and enhance one’s working knowledge of the music business? An opportunity to see the latest groundbreaking pop, rock and roots acts while…
