(December 2022) Episode 459 is THE SHIRELLES. I still dig the “girl group” sounds from the 1960s, and the Shirelles (from New Jersey) were among the first. Some classic hits here but lots of filler.
Favorite album: Tonight’s the Night
Favorite song: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: a sampling of their hits will suffice
(September 2022) Episode 440 is THE ASSOCIATION. Sunshine pop with harmonies like a summer breeze. “Windy, “Cherish,” “Never My Love,” were AM rather than FM hits, putting them on the lighter side of my tastes of that time. But there are bits of psychedelia and baroque pop and it’s all 100% groovy. I’m happy to include them in my Shrine to the Greatest Era of Music (1965-69).
Favorite album: Insight Out
Favorite song: Never My Love
Compared to expectations: ↑
Recommendation: a greatest hits album will do
(September 2022) Episode 439 is DUANE EDDY. Famous for inventing the iconic “twangy” guitar sound – low strings playing the melody with heavy reverb. Influential to many rock guitarists and spaghetti western soundtracks. But … that twang is all there is. Hundreds of recordings with the same sound overlaid on originals and covers, too often in an easy listening mode.
Favorite album: Have ‘Twangy’ Guitar Will Travel
Favorite song: Moovin’ and Groovin’
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: any three songs will give you the full understanding
(July 2022) Episode 424 is ROY ORBISON. He’s in the pantheon of early rock-n-roll icons, but also stands apart. For one, his melodic crooner voice contrasted with the bombast of his peers. And his music resided discretely at the intersection of rock, country and pop. Again, I’m not a listener of early rock-n-roll, but his songs don’t sound as much like museum pieces as those of fellow icons. With Lefty, I have now reviewed all the Traveling Wilburys.
Favorite album: In Dreams
Favorite song: Oh, Pretty Woman
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: mostly for historical interest
(May 2022) Episode 408 of the “opus project” is WILSON PICKETT. One of my favorite soul singers; his voice has a right level of rawness that feels close to the soul ideal. The songs in his late 1960s prime are funky and danceable without resorting to schlock or saccharine. After the early 1970s the output becomes sporadic and forgettable.
Favorite album: The Exciting Wilson Pickett
Favorite song: Land of 1000 Dances
Compared to expectations: ↑
Recommendation: a must-have for any soul playlist
(April 2022) Episode 396 is CROWDED HOUSE. It’s generally more soft rock than my taste, but I’ve always admired Neil Finn’s songwriting skill (kinda the kiwi Difford/Tilbrook). There are some pop gems in here.
Favourite album: Woodface
Favourite song: It’s Only Natural
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: their greatest hits album (Recurring Dream) is worth having
(February 2022) Episode 388 is JACKIE WILSON. This was a disappointment. He had a strong voice with a big range, and he was a hitmaker and showman. But his version of R&B and soul comes off as milquetoast, laden with sappy strings and chrome and lacking in emotional depth.
Favorite album: Jackie Sings the Blues
Favorite song: (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: look elsewhere for your soul
(December 2021) Episode 370 is WILLIE NELSON. An American icon. His gentle baritone warms up any song. He is incredibly prolific (this episode was almost 100 albums long), including countless collaborations with country heroes, outlaw buddies, family members and pop stars. His music covers almost every style of country as well as pop standards, jazz and gospel. My favorite recordings are the stripped-down affairs, just Willie’s voice, with spare accompaniment, telling plain and earnest stories.
Favorite album: Red-Headed Stranger
Favorite song: Sunday Morning Coming Down
Favorite song written by Willie: Angel Flying Too Close To the Ground
Favorite song written by Willie made famous by someone else: Crazy
Compared to expectations: ↑
Recommendation: required if you wish to absorb the breadth of American music.
Recommended albums: Both Sides Now, Red-Headed Stranger, The Sound In Your Mind, The IRS Tapes, Spirit, Teatro, Songbird, Moment of Forever, Country Music, December Day
(October 2021) Episode 361 is LES PAUL. His primary legacy is as a pioneer of the solid-body electric guitar that still carries his name. But he earns an episode here for his innovative guitar playing, with his fast trills and fancy licks, and invention of multi-layer, variable-speed recording techniques. Any guitar aficionado must revere this. But his pop hits with Mary Ford are not my thing.
Favorite song: Lover
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: mostly for guitar aficionados
(September 2021) Episode 353 is THE POLYPHONIC SPREE. I was captivated by their debut album, with a technicolor choir robe-adorned chorus playing trumpet and flute and singing mystical sunshiny lyrics, creating a very Age of Aquarius vibe. But later recordings never matched the initial promise, and it descended into 10s-typical synth pop.
Favorite album: The Beginning Stages Of…
Favorite song: Have a Day/Celebratory
Compared to expectations: ↓
Recommendation: just first album
Opus Project 