Country/roots historical release of the year? Sure—and maybe of the decade. As I mentioned in a recent review of Woody Guthrie: The Tribute Concerts, Germany’s Bear Family label is renowned for its over-the-top archival box sets. You may practically have […]
The Germany-based Bear Family label doesn’t tend to put words like “ultimate” and “super deluxe” in the titles of its box sets, but if any record company should be entitled to employ such adjectives, it’s this one. Its boxes are […]
If you know of singer Tim Buckley only as Jeff Buckley’s father—or don’t know him at all—you’re in for a major treat. Where to start? Probably with the first four of the nine studio albums he issued before succumbing to […]
A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) is the third in a series of gargantuan box sets aimed at fans who don’t want to miss a minute of David Bowie’s recorded output. The first package, Five Years (1969–1973), came […]
I would have guessed that at least a few live performances of the Who’s famous, nearly 50-year-old rock opera would have been preserved on disc well before now. As it turns out, not only is that not the case but […]
Wars don’t produce a heck of a lot of good but one positive thing they have delivered is music. Conflicts ranging from the American Civil War to World War II have resulted in a ton of memorable songs; even the […]
The Rolling Stones opened their 2015 North American tour with something special: a first-ever live performance of their entire Sticky Fingers album, a raucous, drug-fueled 1971 LP that includes several tunes they’ve rarely offered in concert. The album, which topped […]
George Miller worked as a pathologist but was also an amateur recording technician and major jazz fan. As a result, his son, Steve, began getting a large taste of music when he was just a toddler: he had a drum […]
Lloyd Price’s early hits earned him a well-deserved place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Smashes like the chart-topping “Stagger Lee,” “Personality” (which reached #2), and “I’m Gonna Get Married” (#3) were all radio bright spots […]
The Rolling Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request garnered less than universal acclaim when it first appeared in December of 1967. The group, said some, had taken up residence in the shadow of the Beatles’ then six-month-old Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts […]
