Of all the new wave and punk era drummers,Stewart Copeland was maybe the first and maybethe only one to call attention to himself, to distinguish himself in the genre as a drummerone would admire, and, if one was a fledglingpercussionist, one to aspire to. He was, possibly, the Neil Peart of the punk and newContinue reading “#835: P is for The Police”
Monthly Archives: October 2026
#834: P is for Polacheck, Caroline
What Caroline Polacheck hasover her contemporaries, the likesof Taylor and Chappelle and Charlie, you know, these powerhouse singersblending the pop and the dance and the electronics, is that Carolineis musically far more strange, far more otherworldly, far more arty, I’d say. I mean, from the first notes: listen to that howl that begins the openingContinue reading “#834: P is for Polacheck, Caroline”
#833: P is for Plant, Robert
“Little By Little,” the opening trackof Robert Plant’s solo album, Shaken ‘n’ Stirred is a glorious thought experiment to find out what a love child between The Policeand Led Zeppelin would sound like. It’s a wonderful tune with the bestof what an 80’s stink has to offer, the big snare drum, some odd but heavyContinue reading “#833: P is for Plant, Robert”
#832: P is for The Pineapple Thief
Progressive rock, at its worst, becomes all about the enormous chopsof each member of the band. For me, at its best, those chops are coupledwith and secondary to great songs, memorable melodies, strong pop hooks, and smart lyrics. The Pineapple Thiefhas found the perfect prog rock recipefor me. Bruce Soord is an accomplishedsongwriter, has aContinue reading “#832: P is for The Pineapple Thief”
#831: P is for Pelley, Dan, aka–D Pel
This guy’s wife, Dr. Pelley, was my chiropractorfor a time, back when I had health insurance that would cover such a thing. I was kind of smitten with her, and learned that she and her husbandplayed music together, as my wife and I do, and so we traded records, one of oursfor one of herContinue reading “#831: P is for Pelley, Dan, aka–D Pel”
#830: P is for Pearl Jam
Just as the 80’s was a kindof revolt against the 70’s, the 90’s was a kind of revoltagainst the 80’s. Only recently, in the 21st century, has musicbecome so bifurcated by genreand sub-genre and sub-sub genre, that huge movements like punk or new wave or the grunge of the 90’s seem to have evaporated rightContinue reading “#830: P is for Pearl Jam”
#829: P is for Partridge, Andy
Thank the universe for collaborationsand solo projects. I have had the good fortune of listening to Andy Partridge while moving through the letter H on that Robyn Hitchcock collab, and here I am in the letter P, arrivingat some of the very few solo things AndyPartridge has ever released on vinyl over threee.p.’s, the equivalentContinue reading “#829: P is for Partridge, Andy”
