Bloggerhythms

Among the more unusual recording careers a pop star ever experienced belongs to Tony Burrows (born April,14, 1942), a British singer who was a member of six different bands in the late 60s and early 70s. In America, five of them were one-hit wonders that fell into either the novelty or bubblegum sub-genres of pop-rock music. Some of them weren't even real bands, just studio concoctions organized simply to promote a composer's song. In 1967, The Flower Pot Men had their only hit in Britain with a song that had a pronounced, psychedelic, post-Pet Sounds, Beach Boys vibe. "Let's Go To San Francisco" reached #4 in Burrows' native land but that was before he joined the group. So, while this doesn't personally give him the distinction of being part of a sixth one-hit wonder, it's another outfit he was involved with that became infamous for having only one hit. The record never charted in America. Later, Burrows became a session singe

The first issue of Rolling Stone, November 1967 Just in case you're not familiar with Jann Wenner, he was the founder of Rolling Stone magazine way back in 1967, and until this past weekend the highly influential publisher also held a seat on the board of directors of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame since its inception in 1983. Wenner's surprising and rapid removal from the Cleveland museum's board is a news story currently receiving a lot of deserved attention. His downfall came because of things he said during an interview with David Marchese  of the New York Times while promoting his new book, The Masters . The  396 page volume contains old interviews Wenner conducted for his famous rock magazine that he sold in 2017. The interviews are with seven musicians he believes are the most intellectually articulate. Alphabetically, they are Bono, Bob Dylan, Jerry Ga

Robert Rex Waller Jr. has been the lead singer and one of the songwriters for the oddly named but critically acclaimed band,  I See Hawks In L.A. for twenty years. MOJO   magazine once named them  “the finest country rock band on the planet.” Though he is still a member of his highly regarded unit the veteran country musician is ready to release his second solo album,  See The Big Man Cry ,  on October 20, 2023.  Waller previously recorded  Fancy Free  back in 2016, and just like this new one  it's loaded with cover songs. Waller has worked with Jackson Browne, Stevie Wonder, Bernie Leadon, Chris Hillman, Lucinda Williams, Justin Townes Earle, Tom Petty, Phoebe Bridgers, and Dave Alvin just to name a few. Waller is also a professor at the University of Southern California where he teaches Writing for Visual and Performing Artists . Like The Rolling Stones'  Tattoo You   and Rod Stewart’s  Atlantic Crossing t he new album  has a split persona

In 2021 Bloggerhythms reviewed  Jonathan Foster 's quite pleasing album, Lantern Shade , and last year I featured his one-off single, "The Mountain Echo,"  that has since become part of his new album, Roadside Attraction . I wrote before that Foster is more of a singer-songwriter than a folk musician but on this set - because the Californian's usually sparse arrangements are simply a foundation for his contemplative lyrics - the opposite is true. It's uncanny how many artists gravitate toward making music their vocal chords are best suited for. Foster possesses the voice of a true folk singer and it's a perfect fit. I can envision these songs being covered by the likes of John Prine, Kris Kristofferson,  Townes Van Zandt,  or any other singer with an earthy voice. A huge set of vocal chords owned by the full-throated frontmen of many 70s and 80s arena rock bands would be totally out of place on Foster's sixth record that offers nine

Any CD cover showing a troll getting crushed in a vice grip is OK with me, and when that package also includes some entertaining music we all get a nice bonus. Such is the case with 1992's Puzzle , the debut CD from Dada . On this album, guitarist Michael Gurley, bassist Joie Calio, and Phil Levitt on drums made rock music that didn't completely fall victim to the angry young man disease most of the grungers and alt-rockers were afflicted with in the early 90s. While the album is not totally devoid of alienation and rebelliousness Dada has a lot more to offer, and that is why Puzzle was a hit with me. The band plays loud, punchy rock with hooks, melody, harmonies, and unique lyrics. Even though they don't jam incessantly Gurley has proven himself to be a very fine rock guitarist. His style mimics many older ax wielders of the 70s. Weaving around the catchy verses of "Dorina," and on top of Calio's powerful bass lines, Gurley plays f

Although Bloggerhythms  spends the bulk of its web space offering its opinions on music, I don't consider myself to be a real critic because I mostly write about music that I like. It's much easier and a lot more fun to write about the good stuff. I get numerous requests from artists and publicists to review new releases, and I only reply back to them if I want to feature their work. I also don't have a desire to trash or destroy somebody's up-and-coming career. Just because I dislike an album or a song doesn't mean others won't think it's the greatest thing they've ever heard. I'm currently reading a 2006 biography - Billy Joel (The Life & Times Of An Angry Young Man) by Hank Bordowitz that spends more time than most books of its kind discussing how music writers/critics influence - or try to influence - the public's tastes. It's probably because Joel has always been more sensitive to their words than most musicians

I'm sure classical music fans will howl about the crimes committed by The Brian Setzer Orchestra so let this be a warning to those of you whose ears are easily offended: Wolfie and Ludwig never rocked like this. Even to Setzer's most ardent fans Wolfgang's Big Night Out may appear to be the biggest gimmick this side of Weird Al Yankovic but somehow it's a contrivance that works. I don't know if Setzer meant this album as a joke or not. He takes some of the world's most famous classical masterpieces and hilariously renames them after totally reinventing them. Beethoven's "Fur Elise" became "For Lisa," "Blue Danube" has flowed into "Some River In Europe," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" became "Take A Break Guys." The "1812 Overture" is now "1812 Overdrive." The title track was derived from Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and Mendelssohn's famous wedding march wa

When the final Ray Charles album, Genius Loves Company,  was released the duets album by Frank Sinatra immediately came to mind, and because I was disappointed with his effort I wasn't all that excited about Charles's new album. These kind of projects always seemed like gimmicks to me, especially when I learned that on Sinatra's album the guest vocalists were not in the studio with him when they added their voices to a song. It was obvious why the results were stilted and lacked emotion.  Genius Loves Company is very different. Apparently, duetting with Charles live in the studio was quite a privilege so each guest poured their hearts and souls into every note they shared with him. Michael McDonald possesses a voice I have never cared for but he delivered a surprisingly restrained performance on "Hey Girl." Together, B.B. King and his long-time girlfriend, Lucille, helped out on the appropriately bluesy "Sinners Prayer." Charles a