Walter Becker (1950–2017)
Few rock bands have ever inspired such a sharp cleavage in fan opinion.
Robert Baird
The Raspberries: Pop Art Live
In football there's a saying to describe an unexpected outcome: "That why they play the games." The recorded music equivalent might be "That's why you have to listen to the records."
John Abercrombie 1944–2017
It's the dates as a leader on ECM that remain the most well-recorded part of John Abercrombie's legacy. The players he filled his ECM records with is a long and distinguished list, but he and his final quartet of Marc Copland on piano, Drew Gress on double bass (far left and left above), and Joey Baron on drums (far right) seemed to have special energy when they played together.
Kronos and Trio Da Kali
A successful exercise in recording vastly different sounds.
40 Years Ago: The Day Elvis Died
Elvis Presley's best recordings, particularly when it comes to his vocals, are his first.
Wayne Shorter on Piano
Lots of in-the-moment twists and turns and a general sense of going with what felt right.
Rock'n'Roll Music
Chuck Berry's Swan Song
RIP New Vinyl (because the WSJ says so)
This kerfuffle oughta sell a few more Welch/Rawlings records, though.
Artful Dodger
Better left in the cut-out bins? Rock from the era of one-album wonders.
Arthur Alexander, Lonely Just Like Me
One of my favorite South by Southwest moments over the 28 years I have attended was the early-1990s performance of Arthur Alexander who was literally sobbing before his set was done. In 1993, after many years out of the music game, Alexander, with the help of a lot of talented friends, made Lonely Just Like Me for Elektra Records, a swansong he never thought possible. Convinced he'd been forgotten, his triumphant performance in Austin just after the record was released, in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd, moved him to tears. A few weeks later he was gone.