Damn Fine Day

Today’s improbable history lesson comes courtesy of Johns Flansburgh and Linnell, a.k.a. They Might Be Giants, those lovable lyrical über-dweebs who make Bill Nye the Science Guy look like Bill Blass. ...

Talk about a song with a great melody and chorus! Don’t know if this ever received any airplay but it deserved it. “South City Midnight Lady” is on The Captain And Me, a great album that featured such hits as “China Grove” and “Long Train Runnin”. ...

There are very few artists who can actually be identified by simply using their first name. Frank is one of those artists. No one is going to mistake who you’re talking about when you say: “Frank sang ...

While it’s not that uncommon for an artist to produce their own work, it’s rare for a producer to step out from behind the boards and make a record of their own. Mitchell Froom’s Dopamine fits kind of ...

From an album filled with great tunes, people only familiar with “Here Comes Your Man” might have missed this gem. Clocking in under 2 minutes, “Crackity Jones” reflects the Pixies ...

Apparently the job title “flight attendant” didn’t sit well with The Replacements, as they preferred the term “waitress in the sky”. Recorded for their first major release Tim (shortly before Bob Stinson ...

Before Todd Rundgren went on to greater success as a solo artist releasing critically acclaimed albums like Something/Anything? and A Wizard, A True Star, he fronted the short-lived British Invasion-inspired ...

Originally made famous by the fictional band The Archies, “Sugar Sugar” was a hit that defined the bubblegum pop genre. A number of musicians including Bob Marley and Tom Jones would eventually cover ...

Last year I made a mix CD for a friend that included Lorraine Ellison’s 1966 gem “Stay With Me.” His reaction: “That song made me hurl myself out my apartment window.” Luckily he lives on the ground ...

Every great act has a breakthrough album and for U2 it was 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire. The three studio albums that preceded it (Boy, October, and War) each stand the test of time, but it was The Unforgettable ...

Many hip-hop songs have one or two lines that give thanks to MC’s and performers but there are not many songs that really give you a history of hip-hop at the same time. “Dedication” ...

In 1967, The Jimi Hendrix Experience was forced back into the studio to quickly follow-up the extraordinary success of Are You Experienced, a studio album that in and of itself is the quality of a Greatest ...

SD seems to be one of those polarizing acts. I’m in the camp that thinks anyone who doesn’t dig ‘em is crazy. Hey, any of you guys know if the latest remasters are worth getting? That ...