Dwight Twilley's best work is characterized by jangly, ringing guitars, indelible rhythm, and shimmering, full-bodied productions that equal the finest work of acts like Electric Light Orchestra.
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Bowie, Dylan, Eagles, Pretenders, Hank Williams, Grateful Dead and Much More: 21 Stupendous Big Box Sets for Music Fans
Here are 21 of popular music’s most spectacular gargantuan anthologies, each featuring 10 or more discs.
Read More »The Great Dan Penn (and Why You’ve Probably Never Heard of Him)
If you've never heard of Dan Penn, one reason is probably that you’re not the sort of person who reads songwriting credits.
Read More »When John Mellencamp Was Johnny Cougar, a Zappa/Beefheart Box, and More
A new two-CD set called "American Dream" takes us back to Mellencamp's Johnny Cougar days, when the singer was a household name mainly just in his own household.
Read More »Music Reviews: Talking Heads’ ‘Tentative Decisions,’ plus Mississippi Sheiks, Jesper Lindell, and James Houlahan
How on earth (or elsewhere!) did Talking Heads' sound originate, and how did it evolve? 'Tentative Decisions' doesn't quite answer the question, but it's fun to hear these early live tracks.
Read More »Music Reviews: Early Rock Ballads, plus NRBQ, the New York Second, and Eric Brace & Thomm Jutz
If you’re not familiar with the music of the late 1950s and early 1960s, you’ll probably have a hard time guessing which of these tunes rocketed up the charts and which never dented the Hot 100.
Read More »Music Reviews: An Anthology of Beatles Covers, Ward Hayden Interprets Springsteen, and a Record about Records
Among the many winners on this roller-coaster ride are soulful renditions of “Let It Be” by Aretha Franklin and “Hey, Jude” by Wilson Pickett, the latter with guitar by Duane Allman, and George Benson’s jazzified “You Never Give Me Your Money.”
Read More »Music Reviews: Split Enz’s ‘ENZyclopedia,’ plus ‘Instrumental Hits of the Rock ’n’ Roll Era’ and Newly Restored Frank Sinatra Concerts
"Nowadays, I can hear beauty in the flaws,” writes Tim Finn.
Read More »Music Reviews: Jimi Hendrix’s ‘The Axis: Bold as Love Sessions,’ plus Bobby Charles, Dr. John, and Nina Simone
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's sophomore LP is loaded with high points and represents an important chapter in Hendrix’s musical history.
Read More »Music Reviews: ‘The Philadelphia Labels Hits Collection 1957–62,’ and James McMurtry’s ‘The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy’
As many of the tunes by these artists suggest, this period in rock history wasn’t exactly overflowing with creativity.
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