Goats Head Soup

“Goats Head Soup.” The very thought makes my fur stand on end. The Rolling Stones turned out four killer LPs in a row, with titles that slayed (figuratively). And then they released an almost-killer LP with a title that slayed (literally). You know, Mick Jagger was a smart guy….London School of Economics and all that. If he hadn’t ended up…

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Love Amid the Rubble: Ronnie Lane and Saint Stan

I heard your footsteps at the front door, and that old familiar love song. ‘Cause you knew you'd find me waiting there, at the top of the stairs. Those lyrics weren’t written by a heartsick bloke waiting for his lover to come home. They were composed by an artist recalling his boyhood days in a working-class London neighborhood, waiting for…

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Sleeping with the Bass Player

Bass players are the Rodney Dangerfields of the rock world, it seems. I tell ya, they just don't get no respect. And no wonder! On the day after God created rock stars (sometime around 4 am on a gin-soaked Saturday night in Memphis), he created groupies. And he commanded them: "Thou shalt honor thy singer and thy lead guitarist and have no false rock Gods before thee."

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Well, Here’s Another Clue for You All: The Walrus was Faul

"We did it because we loved him." That was the caption under a photo of four smiling Beatles that graced the back cover of a special edition "Paul is Dead" magazine that I bought in 1970. Beatlemania had come and gone, but I wasn't ready to let go - especially of Paul, who was my current favorite. (There's nothing 10-year-old…

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12 Days of Christmas – part 2

If you’re looking for a list of the most beloved Christmas carols, you’ve come to the wrong blog. Times have changed, after all. The Little Drummer Boy is set to tour with Bruce, and Frosty's a puddle on my front lawn - a victim of global warming. And if you’re seeking recommendations for the most popular rock and R&B-oriented holiday…

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