Allman Brothers, LIVE AT THE ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL 1970 (Epic/Legacy) I haven't yet done a side-by-side comparison, but this strikes me as better than the more notorious Fillmore set, from guitar solos down to double-drumming grooves. Simon and Garfunkel, BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER … [Read more...]

If you check this page at all, you should click on over and buy Dick Waterman's BETWEEN NIGHT AND DAY, which will provide you with the best blues screen saver you could ever hope for. But now there's more: ebay is hosting a page of Waterman prints that would make perfect gifts for any music hound in … [Read more...]

The Bunch, ROCK ON (Fledg'ling) Besides containing the ultimate Buddy Holly cover of all-time, Sandy Denny singing "Learning the Game" (as well as swanky readings of "That'll Be The Day" and "Love's Made a Fool of You"), this remastered collection of standards by various strands of the Fairport … [Read more...]

Inevitable, yes. But definitive? TAPPED reports that the noise in the hall was overwhelming, so what the mic picked up was dramatically different than what it actually sounded like: "So it's worth noting for the historical record that I -- and others -- could scarcely hear what Dean was saying on … [Read more...]

Today I filed my Grammy preview for NPR with Renee Graham from the GLOBE, and here are the notes I took looking over the nominees this morning: MODEST PROPOSALS for NEW CATEGORIES: BEST TOUR, or LIVE ACT LIVE DVDS BEST REMASTER OUTSTANDING PROGRESSIVE RADIO CONTRIBUTION (DJ or producer) BEST … [Read more...]

MORE TITLES FOR JIMMY'S SANDINISTA PROJECT: 1) BLANDINISTA 2) GO STRAIGHT TO HELL BOYS 3) LET THEM SING IT FOR YOU HEADLINES: MJ PLEADS INNOCENT (New York Times) MY EDIT: IF YOU WERE A GLOBAL POP STAR CHARGED WITH CHILD MOLESTATION, WOULD YOU SHOW UP 15 MINUTES LATE BLARING YOUR OWN MUSIC FROM YOUR … [Read more...]

We've gone "cuckoo-crazy" in our house for the "silent" quote routine from AUSTIN POWERS SPY WHO SHAGGED ME. My "buddy" Jimmy Guterman is starting up a tribute project to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of SANDINISTA! He's launching sandinistaproject.com in the spring, and already has "major" … [Read more...]

Although this Jones review of String's memoirs is a month old, the second graph has a pretty good summary of what's wrong with Sting overall, nicely detailed: "Broken Music" isn't smarmy or pompous. Sting is a likable narrator, neither falsely modest nor proud beyond merit, and he writes with a … [Read more...]

There are critics who think no rock sensibility would be caught dead watching MASTERPIECE THEATER. Feh. One great reason to tune into the current serial, FORSYTE SAGE, is Damian Lewis as Soames, who most will recognize from his roles as Maj. Richard D. Winters in Spielberg's BAND OF BROTHERS. I had … [Read more...]

Here are my entries to the Voice poll, with a couple new additions and some order juggling. Every year at this time I'm grateful I'm not obligated to listen to everything, and these lists help me keep in touch with stuff I might not otherwise chase down. I was dumbfounded to see Pareles pick the … [Read more...]

Where have I been? Jess Harvel RULES, especially love his piece on Zep, where he dubs Robert Plant "a praying mantis in a fright wig." … [Read more...]

¶ Some critics have a weird prejudice against box sets. I know because my NPR producer, Virginia Prescott, invited Robert Christgau onto a year-end box set roundup discussion, and he declined saying he "doesn't cover boxes." His readers "don't have the bucks it takes to keep up with them," or some … [Read more...]

Before the year goes out I want to mention one of my favorite reads of recent months, even though it's copyright 2001 (now in Da Capo paper). James Harvey's MOVIE LOVE IN THE FIFTIES (Knopf) had me hankering for the nightly pre-sleep read, and it's added a score of flicks to my rental list. Harvey … [Read more...]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: The Hitler Diaries (Beatle edition). … [Read more...]

I've been listening to Dave Holland Quintet's EXTENDED PLAY, a magnificent twofer on ECM, recently nominated for a Grammy. It's heading straight for my list. The recording alone is masterful: each instrument beautifully placed in the spectrum, and the drumming is beyond crisp. Even in slower … [Read more...]