Imagine the world without The Beatles. I cannot. We would be deprived of such incredible music, yes, but the loss would be so much more than that. From the moment The Beatles arrived in America, the Earth spun with a different groove. “She Loves You” had such energy and enthusiastic vocals, yeah, yeah, yeah. Not … More The Beatles
Released in 1978, Darryl Hall and John Oates were in a strange place in their careers. In the mid 1970s, they had a string of singles that garnered them airplay and chart action, then they got adventurous. The album, Beauty on the Backstreet (1977), followed “Rich Girl” and “Sara Smile” but had no singles. The … More Hall and Oates: Along the Red Ledge
If you thought he was spiritual on All Things Must Pass, you won’t even recognize George Harrison here. This was Harrison’s fifth album, but only second proper studio album, it was released in 1973. His All Things Must Pass album was released in 1970, but he spent a good part of the time between these … More Living in the Material World (1973)
George Harrison is my favorite Beatle. I own everything he’s done. The day one album was released, I walked across town to buy it. I’m also a tough critic. I remember being very excited about the release of this album. It was the follow up to Dark Horse, a critically panned album, but one I … More George Harrison: Extra Texture (1975)
In the past three parts, we looked at the origin of the album, the recording and artwork, and the original songs. Now, we get to see the anniversary set and enjoy the the remixed songs and the unreleased working versions. The wait is over! The Remixed Album First, the remixed version of the 1969 … More Abbey Road at 50: (part 4)
Abbey Road always sounded good, the engineering work was superbly done. However, I always thought the analogue tape had a lot of background hiss. The remaster for CD was better. Now, the disc undergoes more cleanup, plus some additional tracks from the vault. Let’s look at the songs. Side A Come Together Written and recorded … More Abbey Road at 50 (Part 3)
Beginning in July 1969, the Beatles returned to work at a familiar location, EMI studios, home to their best recordings. The Beatles had finished their work on Let It Be and went on holiday. The Lennons were involved in an automobile accident while traveling. Yoko would continue her presence in the studio with Lennon, as … More Abbey Road at 50 (part 2)
This is a story that needs more than one installment. The story of Abbey Road the album is quite a tale. Full disclosure: My favorite Beatles album and in the discussion for best album ever. Everything about this album is iconic, from the cover, to the use of synthesizer to the second side medley. It’s … More Abbey Road at 50 (part 1)
George Harrison’s third release was his first official solo album. When it was released it caused a stir – a three album boxed set? Even the Beatles had not released a set with three discs. Everything about this album was crazy different. Of all of the George Harrison albums, this is by far my favorite. … More All Things Must Pass (1970)
In 1976, George Harrison paid a visit to Saturday Night Live, as his friend Paul Simon served as host. Harrison and Simon performed together on acoustic guitars, singing “Here Comes the Sun” and “Homeward Bound”. https://youtu.be/_4B9orDIScA Harrison also premiered two music videos featuring songs from his new album 33 and 1/3. This was the era … More George on SNL
