And while it’s interesting to note all the artists they opted not to sign (Fleetwood Mac, Joe Walsh, Yes, and 10cc for starters…) the extended anecdote here of how they passed on the first Crosby, Stills and Nash record after being given a live audition of the trio’s material is almost beyond belief.

At some point in her 2010 acceptance speech at the National Book Awards, a tearful Patti Smith told those assembled that she hoped:

“Please, no matter how far we advance technologically, please don’t abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book.”

And while there was no one in the audience to stand up and say, “What about the 7” single?”, apparently the applause was thunderous.

It was one of those steamy July days in Manhattan when everyone looks and feels like a damp hot dog that’s just been pulled from a street cart. Piling on to that discomfort are the handcuffs Arthur Baker is being fastened to after being slammed up against a wall near the corner of West 37th Street for supposedly hitting a traffic warden with his car. The false charges are eventually dropped, but the memory of missing out on reuniting with Bob Dylan after one of his... Read More

To a certain hopelessly romantic, jazz loving, vintage gear lusting, analog audiophile demographic, the jazz kissa has gravitational pull like a black hole. The traditional Japanese jazz listening café is, more often than not, a dark, comforting and sometimes quite messy space, stacked to the rafters with beautiful vintage American audio gear, vinyl records, well-worn wooden furniture, photos and posters, assortments of trinkets and memorabilia, and an offering of coffee, whisky, or whatever the jazz kissa master chooses to serve. A sanctuary for deep listening, the jazz kissa proudly and anachronistically stands as antithesis to disjointed modern music consumption, and to some aspects of the typical audiophile experience, like the sterile, brightly lit and decidedly non-cool vibe endured at most audio shows in hotels and convention centres.

Martin Porter and David Goggin’s detailed history of the famed U.S. recording facilities

Bill Janovitz's in depth history of The Cars puts the pride of Boston pop under detailed examination

As the late Pete Silverton tells it, he and Joe Strummer were sItting in a pub less than five miles away from where “London Calling” was written when told his pal that it was recorded within weeks of “Theme from New York, New York” being put to tape. The reaction from The Clash guitarist was somewhere near mild disbelief. That was the fall of 1979. And as it turns out, the band had recorded the song in a studio less than five miles away in the other direction. But... Read More

No matter how long the line was you were standing in for Record Store Day, it’s unlikely there was anyone in that queue who cared about 78s. Because even if your local had put out a moldy crate or two of shellac just for kicks, the serious collectors had already been through them weeks ago. In general, RSD 2025 is no place for the hardcore.That said you might have had a few few exceptions waiting on line considering that RSD was also the release date of Josh... Read More

It may not be Halloween, but it’s always a frighteningly good time to discuss the Zombies— the UK-based rock band from the late 1960s that wrote and recorded seminal music that helped define the sound of those golden year—not the brain dead ghouls found skulking around after dark in your local cemetery. The Zombies found early success then found maintaining chart magic challenging.Formed in St. Alban’s in 1961, the band’s core group during their chat-topping days... Read More

Commitment, they say, is just the b-side of having limited options. Otherwise, why would you find the stylish members of Japan toiling away under a hail of Punk spit or opening for Blue Oyster Cult? Then there was Kate Bush making her musical bones around southeast London with covers of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Come Together.” Then again it may be harder perhaps, to think of Talk Talk’s Mark Hollis shlepping guitars in and out of pubs while holding down his duties as... Read More

Let’s remember 2022; back when there were still two Popes and Post Malone fans wondered whatever would he do with those last few patches of un-inked skin. The rush of time will do what it can to rinse all of that and more from our memories, but it will probably have little to no impact on the persistent stream of interest that’s still generated by The Beatles.Today we’re still seeing fresh documentaries flicker to life, reissues continue to drop, and an untold number... Read More

Let the record reflect that the first time people heard “Purple Rain” played live, nobody clapped. It was August 8th, 1983, and Prince and the Revolution were doing a benefit gig to help out a local dance studio where his band worked out their choreography. Furthermore, that iconic solo? Improvised on the spot. And he was just 25 years old. All of this leaps up from just a couple of the 176 pages Twin Cities journalist Andrea Swensson has pieced together for “Prince... Read More

With Freddie Freeman and the rest of the Dodgers having gutted the Yankees hopes of claiming their first World Series title in eons, it’s mildly tempting to think of a teenaged Steve Wynn, hooked on baseball and not bothering to get back to the guitar he abandoned in junior high.“Almost overnight, around the time I turned fourteen, my interest and focus and obsession shifted from music to sports…I was still a music fan. But following and eventually writing about... Read More

It’s sweet to think of a stoned Pete Townshend following Andy Newman along the high street, ducking behind cars and trying to get a look at the eccentric pianist who had recently turned up at his college to play an impromptu set. But that’s the level of fascination that The Who’s guitarist held for the man who would soon be dubbed “Thunderclap,” and eventually go on to be part of the trio who would record one indelible single, and a beloved long player before... Read More

About 23 pages into “Revolución to Roxy”, you’ll find eight-year-old Phil Manzanera carrying a small tray of cake and Cuban coffee to a man across the road standing watch over an empty house. By way of thanks the guard gives him a “broad smile” and then, as a sort of improvised firecracker, sets off a pinch of gun powder from an empty .303 shell. That’s just one charming glimpse into the life of the Roxy Music guitarist at a time that was otherwise lit up by the... Read More

Girls DO count. If you were able to plaster one of those hip Instagram filters over the titanic lore that hovers around Joy Division, you might just be able to make out another side of the Factory Records story. In fact a fair, full spectrum reading of the label that launched that iconic band would more accurately render it as a true indie success story - one built on a semi-fanatical vision in a semi-derelict city that imploded in a semi-brilliant fashion.Now Audrey... Read More

Author and Beatles historian Kenneth Womack releases the first of two volumes centered around the life of Beatles manager Mal Evans

One of Alt Rock's premier guitarists delves into his 40-plus year career

A publicist recently pitched me this just released book, describing it as a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the first commercial LP and claiming it to be an "authoritative, highly illustrated, and multi-faceted look at the history and culture of vinyl record collecting and turntables." Five authors are listed: Gillian Garr, Martin Popoff, Matt Aniss, Richie Unterberger and Ken Micallef. I'd heard of two: Richie Unterberger and Ken Micallef.... Read More