If you like softer, sophisticated solo guitar songs, with occasional accompaniment, William Ackerman is your player. I first heard him 40 years ago and have followed him ever since. There was not really a musical category for this mellow, sophisticated sound. Eventually, it was called New Age, which grew to become not much of a … More Will Ackerman: Guitar Picker, Windham Hill, New Age and More
Forty years ago, I discovered a recording by Paul Anka, a song that actually got played with other contemporary songs. At first, I thought I might have misunderstood who was singing on it, but no, I was correct. Paul Anka? In the 1980s, Anka was about as far from hip as a teen heartthrob from … More Paul Anka in the 1980s
Robert Redford uses the term “popcorn movie” to describe films intended principally as big, blockbuster entertainment. The term definitely describes Top Gun: Maverick and most of Cruise’s recent filmography. The original Top Gun made a superstar of Cruise. A two-hour MTV, Navy recruitment music video, equal parts adrenaline and jet fuel, and a precursor to … More Tom Cruise: Maverick
A couple of years ago I made a list of albums I want with me if I’m ever marooned on a desert island. That was fun, and difficult. Yes, a had with me a solar powered record player. Here is a new list, using guidelines from vlogger Glen Kellaway. One album from each decade going … More Desert Island Music, More
I’m not a big fan of glam, spandex-wearing, big hair bands of the 1980s-1990s. Van Halen and The Cure are about as close as I get to the hairspray and makeup genre. Mötley Crüe is not my thing, which makes it seem odd that I would pick up a book written by bassist Nikki Sixx … More Nikki Sixx: Author
I just finished reading Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior by Ric Prado. A couple of weeks ago I saw a feature on Prado on CBS Sunday Morning. I was interested enough to find a copy of his new book. As a Boomer, I grew up during the Cold War, which seems … More The CIA and Other Stories
I stole this idea from https://youtube.com/c/GlenKellawaylowendmusicfreak who is one of my favorite music YouTube vloggers. Glen limited his list to 10, but I’m going to exceed that number. Here we go, and these are in no particular order. James Gang Rides Again (1970) – James Gang. The band’s second album, maybe the best material Walsh … More Trios: Favorite Albums by Three-Member Groups
Remember when Iron Butterfly’s “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was played at parties? What a junior high trip that was. Turn down the lights, turn up the music and get your groove on. Long songs are truly an art form. Let me qualify that. I don’t mean long, repetitive, meandering and self-indulgent noise, half of which is a drum … More Best Songs Longer Than 10 Minutes
“I grew up in a family where to be ‘a Mankiewicz‘ really meant you had to be somebody.” – Tom Mankiewicz The Mankiewicz Family is an interesting tale of the American Dream. This is obviously my second blog on the family (part 2, get it?). Tom Mankiewicz was part of the third generation of the … More The Mankiewicz Family (Tom Mankiewicz): Part 2
Forty-one years ago, Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays released this masterpiece of jazz fusion, of progressive jazz-rock. There is no real category for this type of music. Note: Usually I link YouTube videos in my reviews, ECM Records seems to control the availability, so you are getting mostly live versions. I heard someone call Metheny … More As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls (1981)
Ticket 2 Ride 
You must be logged in to post a comment.