Bloggerhythms

During the 70s Jackson Browne had staked out a great reputation for himself as one of the elite poets of rock. His often introspective (some would say self-absorbed) songwriting enabled him to be elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.  It's one of their selections that I agree with wholeheartedly. Hold Out , Browne's first album of the new decade is considered one of his minor efforts. This disc was his immediate followup to Running On Empty (1977) and it was released around turning points in both the singer-songwriter's personal life and his career. It was an album that discussed his brand new marriage (which unfortunately failed quickly) several years after the suicide of his first wife. This was also the last record with the same band he had used for most of his career. His main sideman, David Lindley, would never again be a permanent member of his group although the two would remain great friends and continue to work together often throughout the yea...

Because I was a huge fan of progressive rock back in the 70s I believed I was among music's most enlightened devotees. My love of prog grew from being a fan of Yes, the sub-genre's most popular and successful band. It all started with a song that, to this day, remains the biggest prog hit single of all time, "Roundabout," from their 1972 album, Fragile . The LP version of the song ran for more than eight minutes and was highlighted by Rick Wakeman’s hard hitting organ solo that he later bettered on "Close to the Edge" from the album of the same name. After Edge Yes still produced quality work, and remained popular for years, even though they never quite reached the heights of those albums again. Their next release, Tales of Topographic Oceans , was a double disc set featuring only one long song on each of its four sides, and with it the outfit's pretentiousness was no longer teetering close to the edge, it fell over of it. My affair with prog-r...

I always believed that Kim Richey would live up to her early promise because on her satisfying, self-titled debut and her excellent follow up, Bitter Sweet , Richey’s guitar based pop-rock and country songs were ear fulfilling experiences. Without pumping up the volume her songs packed enough punch to keep things interesting. Unfortunately, she didn’t continue down that enjoyable path. Instead, she became a singer-songwriter whose music gradually became more polished while losing her country-rock roots in the process. Her next three releases, Glimmer , Rise , and Chinese Boxes all had some very nice moments even if the albums did not reach the heights of her first two discs. Richey’s songs on Wreck Your Wheels are all about coping, lost love, and unrequited love. This was true of her early CDs too but they were buoyed by brighter arrangements. But now, the singer, who is always in fine voice, seems to have lost the ability to write compelling melodies because these tunes are...

This is part two in Bloggerhythms' series reviewing all of the British LPs released by The Beatles. Today we discuss Beatlemania 2, the period that began the group's transition away from simply being teen idols and into respected artists. The years 1965 and 1966 found the Beatles still selling tons of records, still touring, and still the biggest thing in the music world. You can read part one here . Help! (1965) Help! is the album that coincided with the release of The Beatles’ second movie. Seven of its fourteen songs are from the film of the same name. It's also one of their more inconsistent efforts because of the wide gap between the classic stuff and the filler. It's also the LP that served as the bridge between the teenybopper band that turned the world on its head and the extremely talented and eccentric artists of their later career. Their more traditional songs, "The Night Before," "Another Girl," "You’re Gonna Lose That G...

Oklahoma’s Medicine Bluff (named after the famous local landmark where Geronimo escaped to avoid the cavalry) like to say they are part country, but to these ears a more accurate description would be a mixture of mainstream Southern Rock and hard driving Americana. In the studio the band consists of Gary Webb on lead and harmony vocals while David Adair plays bass, guitar, and (to paraphrase his own words) anything else with strings. Bruce Fennel is behind the drum kit. While working as a trio in the studio suits this group just fine they augment their lineup on stage by adding a bassist and a second guitar player. Most of the songs are about relationships but the band shows its rowdier side on the last three songs. "Brand New Life" is about the need for escapism, "Take Your Medicine" comments on addictions, and "Outlaw" is the disc's perfect finale. The last tune's final thirty-five seconds is an obvious tribute to "Free Bird" that w...