"There's a time in life for Hoagy Carmichael. There's a time in life for Claude Debussy. There's a time in life for Jerry Lee Lewis. There's a time in life for Destiny's Child. All these things have their moment." ~Elvis Costello
15 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: the smothers brothers, the who
Recorded 48 years ago tonight on September 15, 1967 (for airing two days later) here is the performance that introduced much of America to the band who had the reputation for smashing their instruments on stage.
Their performance of “I Can See For Miles” and “My Generation” is capped by a pyrotechnic finale that included an explosion so great it caused Pete Townshend permanent hearing loss.
14 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: scorpiions, wind of change
(via Rolling Stone)
In the 1980s and very early Nineties, every hard-rock and metal act worth their leathers scored big with a power ballad or two. But only Germany’s the Scorpions can say that one of theirs — in this case, 1990’s “Wind of Change” — also served as a soundtrack of sorts to a political and cultural revolution. The song’s sentiments of hope and peace, broadly stated by vocalist Klaus Meine (“The world is closing in/Did you ever think/That we could be so close/Like brothers?”), not to mention an accompanying, Wayne Isham–directed video that employed footage of the construction and tearing down of the Berlin Wall, led to its being inextricably linked to the end of the Cold War and the reunification of East and West Germany…
06 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: john lennon
The legendary reporter’s classic column on the night John Lennon was shot.
(via The Daily Beast)
by Jimmy Breslin
I was home in bed in Forest Hills, Queens, at 11:20 P.M. when the phone and television at once said Lennon was shot. I was dressed and into Manhattan, to Roosevelt Hospital, the Dakota, up to the precinct, grabbed a cop inside, back to the Dakota, grabbed a cop outside, and to the Daily News. I wrote this column and it made a 1:30 A.M. deadline. I don’t think there is anybody else who can do this kind of work this quickly...
Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/05/best-of-breslin-are-you-john-lennon.html
04 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts, Video of the Week Tags: audio cassettes
04 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts, Toward Better Sounding Music Tags: audio, receivers
(via C/net)
by Steve Guttenberg
It’s a strange turn of events, but mainstream manufacturers long ago gave up on the idea of selling receivers on the basis of superior sound quality. I’m not claiming today’s receivers sound “bad,” but since almost no one ever listens to a receiver before they buy one, selling sound quality is next to impossible.
Back in the days when brick-and-mortar stores ruled the retail market, audio companies took pride in their engineering skills and designed entire receivers in-house. Right up through the 1980s most of what was “under the hood” was designed and built by the company selling the receiver. That’s no longer true; the majority of today’s gotta-have features–auto-setup, GUI menus, AirPlay, iPod/iPhone/iPad compatibility, home networking, HD Radio, Bluetooth, HDMI switching, digital-to-analog converters, Dolby and DTS surround processors–are sourced and manufactured by other companies. Industry insiders refer to the practice of cramming as many features as possible into the box as “checklist design.” Sure, there are rare glimpses of original thinking going on–Pioneer’s proprietary MCACC (Multi Channel Acoustic Calibration) auto-setup system is excellent–it’s just that there’s precious little unique technology in most receivers…
Read more: http://www.cnet.com/news/how-can-30-year-old-receivers-sound-better-than-new-ones/
02 Sep 2015 Leave a comment
in General Posts Tags: muses, women who inspired songs
(via Purple Clover)
“Crazy Love,” Van Morrison
Every Moment Has A Song 