Robert Baird

The Eagles: One of These Nights (Deluxe Edition)
Asylum/Rhino R1-727158 (3 LPs). 1975/2026. Bill Szymczyk, Don Henley, prods.; Szymczyk, Allan Blazek, Rob Jacobs, engs.

All "serious" music fans know pop music is kid's stuff: too simple, too accessible, the embodiment of that cringeworthy moniker "disposable." But pop music is also what keeps the lights on in the music business, selling gobs of streams, merchandise, and concert tickets. And hasn't that always been the case?

Blues giant Howlin' Wolf was recently celebrated with the launch of the Chess 75 Acoustic Sound Series, along with three other deserving blues artists. A collaboration between UME and Analogue Productions, these $40, 180gm LPs were, according to official paperwork, remastered from original analog tapes.

Brandi Carlile: Returning to Myself; Kings Of Leon: EP #2; New York Dolls: New York Dolls; Tyler Childers: Snipe Hunter; Dry Cleaning: Secret Love.

Just before Christmas 2025, American music suffered two irreplaceable losses with the passings of Raul Malo (December 8) and Joe Ely (December 15). While a lot of musicians exist on the artistic and commercial fringes, Malo and Ely were foundational artists, gifted creators and performers who refused to be confined by artistic boundaries.

Opinions vary, but like everything connected to The Beatles, charged arguments over Giles Martin's ongoing remastering of, and sonic tinkering with, the band's hallowed recording catalog are unending.

Punk rock was never meant to grow old. For their first three studio efforts, The Replacements epitomized the punk ethos. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (1981), the EP Stink (1982), and Hootenanny (1983) are loud, bashy fun.