I found myself in the middle of an MFA creative writing programlistening obsessively to k.d. lang, in particular these three albums, Ingénue, All You Can Eat, and Drag. Even though the first of these threewas released a couple of years earlier, I discovered her in 1995. How I came across this music, I do notContinue reading “#782: L is for lang, k.d.”
Tag Archives: rock
#781: K is for The Knack
As popular as The Knack was, as big of a splash as they made with their debutalbum, my understanding is that they, relatively soon after their meteoric rise to rock stardom, got some extreme push-back to lyrics that were pretty much blatantly pedo adjacent. What am I saying? The fact that “My Sharona” was writtenContinue reading “#781: K is for The Knack”
#779: K is for Klark Kent
It’s alphabetized under Klark and not Kentbecause this is more of a project namethan it is the name of an artist. It is the pseudonym, the stage name, the appellation, the moniker, the sobriquet, used on the first solo album by the most famous drummer of the most famous band of the 80’s, one ofContinue reading “#779: K is for Klark Kent”
#777: K is for King Crimson (81-03)
It would be seven years between Redand the next album from King Crimson, the cover of which would be red, adorned in the center of the jacketwith a silver Celtic knot, bearing the title Discipline. It was the first King Crimson album I would ever hear, the first King Crimsonrecord I would ever buy, theContinue reading “#777: K is for King Crimson (81-03)”
#774: K is for King Crimson (1969)
In the 80’s, there was an SNLknock-off on ABC called Fridays. On one episode, the musical guestwas a band called King Crimson. I don’t remember if, at the time, I had any awareness of this bandor if I was hearing the name for the first time, but I do know thatthis was the first timeContinue reading “#774: K is for King Crimson (1969)”
#773: K is for King, Carole
As a child I must have heard hersongs on the radio hundreds of times, and I remember distinctly that while my older brother was in his reel to reel phasehe had the album Tapestry in that format. Yeah, that was a thing: commercially availablereel to reel tapes of the great artistsof the day, late 60’s,Continue reading “#773: K is for King, Carole”
#772: K is for The Kills (with a Bonus Preamble About Kansas)
Preamble: Four Kansas albums in one dayproved too much for me. Especiallysince last night we attended The Dear Hunter concert and consumed even more prog rock. We got our daily prog allowance, I can tell you. So this morning, a quick preamble before The Killsabout the last Kansas album, The Absence of Presence. In short,Continue reading “#772: K is for The Kills (with a Bonus Preamble About Kansas)”
#771: K is for Kansas
It may be a kind of cursefor progressive rock bands to have big hits. “Carry OnMy Wayward Son” is arguablyone of the greatest and most catchy prog rock songsin history, rivaled only by maybe “Roundabout” from Yes. But what’s also clearis that after Leftoverture and Point of No Return anda sequence of a couple ofContinue reading “#771: K is for Kansas”
#769: J is for John, Elton John
I ran a search of all my poststo see how many times I had written about or at least namedElton John in a blog entry.The result: nineteen times. He was my first rock star idol. I was a fourth grader and my cousins played me Goodbye YellowBrick Road from start to finish. Almost immediately after,Continue reading “#769: J is for John, Elton John”
#759: J is for Jellyfish
I cannot think of a better 90’s bandthat did not sound like the 90’s. Maybe The Posies or They Might BeGiants both come close, but thesecats, this Jellyfish band, I saw liveonce in their first iteration at a smallclub downtown shortly after that firstalbum, Bellybutton, and it was nearlya religious experience. Andy Sturmer, lead singingContinue reading “#759: J is for Jellyfish”