Neil Young Takes A Stand – Again

by Kevin Burton    Neil Young has always put his money where his mouth is.   He took on the Nixon White House during the Vietnam War. Now he is taking on a popular podcaster who he says propagates dangerous lies about Covid 19.      By pulling his music from Spotify, the world’s largest …

The Look Of Love, The Sound Of Sominex

by Kevin Burton   All love to the singer and to the composers, maybe not so much to this particular song.     The late, great purveyor of blue-eyed soul Dusty Springfield took the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song “The Look of Love” to number 22 on the American chart in 1967.  That gets the song a …

“Rescue Me” Imitated The Detroit Sound

by Kevin Burton    From the heart of the Motown era came a million-selling hit that typified the Detroit sound.     But the song has been doubly mistaken through the years, shortchanging the artist whose vocal command made it a classic.    That song was “Rescue Me,” and it was a bit of a rescue …

Is Burton Cummings Rock’s Best Vocalist?

by Kevin Burton    He croons, he growls, he soars, he swoops, he screams, he quivers. Burton Cummings has a voice made for rock and roll.    He grabs a song and will, not, let it go.     So glad he took up music rather than whatever else he could have pursued as a high …

Karen Carpenter, Born 72 Years Ago Today

by Kevin Burton    No rock and roll artist discussion can make me more happy, but at the same time more sad and more angry than that of Karen Carpenter.     None of my other favorites, from Steely Dan to Gerry Rafferty, Motown to the Beatles, to Supertramp, Billy Joel, Elton John, Flans from Mexico, …

“The Immigrant” Didn’t Fit John Lennon

by Kevin Burton    For about three minutes and fifty seconds a tidy story unfolds from the pen of lyricist Phil Cody and the voice of the great Neil Sedaka.    Attempt to read between the lines though and you have a mess on your hands, especially with Sedaka dedicating the song to ex-Beatle John …

Sign Me Up, Forever In Blue Jeans

by Kevin Burton    We talk Neil Diamond for the second time this week today, but first, a short digression back to my college days.    My college friend Matt once commented that “the only things Kevin Burton and I agree on are Billy Joel and freedom of the press.”    We favored both, for the …

Brother Neil’s Travelling Controversy

by Kevin Burton    Hard feelings and Neil Diamond songs usually don’t go together as far as I know. But we have two examples of such today.    Diamond is the latest artist to be featured in our 2022 look at songs that peaked at number 22 on the American chart.     The songs “Brother …

Simon At His Best On “Me And Julio”

by Kevin Burton    The lyrics say crime and punishment, the delivery, whimsy and jest.     The package came from Paul Simon, and he was hot in the early 70s. So I am amazed to learn that this song qualifies for inclusion in our 2022 series on songs that peaked at number 22 on the …

Music For The Master, A True Joyful Noise

by Kevin Burton    “It’s not just a song, it’s music for the Master.”    I used to hear that just about every weekday on Christian radio when I lived in Ohio.  The guy who did the afternoon shift on WFCJ radio called his show Music for the Master. I can still hear his distinctive …