by Kevin Burton If one of your favorite new songs got banned from commercial radio today, you might not even know it. That, of course, would tamp down the outrage a bit. But back in the day radio was king, and airplay, or lack thereof, had big sales implications. What follows is …
Category Archives: rock and Roll
Is Ringo’s New Record Better Than Paul’s
by Kevin Burton I’ve had a ton of fun writing about pop music on Page 7. But I have juuuuust about talked myself out of the notion that I am any kind of knowledgeable, creditable music critic. And I’m getting close to swearing off all music critics. I mean, we like what we …
Dave Mason And A Place That’s Far Away
by Kevin Burton There was just one song that brought Dave Mason into my top-40-based musical awareness in the 70s, but that was enough to keep him there. Mason died April 19, and tributes began to pour in from people who knew him as I didn’t, as a co-founder of the British rock …
She’s Still The One After Fourteen Years
by Kevin Burton My wife asked me a question, but her question made me ask more questions. This was around Valentine’s Day, and I wanted to write about it right away, but I didn’t get there. Missed my window. But since our anniversary is now only three days away, voila, another window. …
Tempering Expectations For McCartney Album
by Kevin Burton I think writers borrow the whole Dickens thing too much. You know, best of times-worst of times. But here I think, it fits. As a Beatles fan I am of course looking forward to “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” PaulMcCartney’s first new solo album in six years, set for release …
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Seals and Crofts Music Sticks To Your Ribs
by Kevin Burton I like barbecue sauce. I love cayenne pepper and other hot spices. But I don’t have to have it on everything, all the time. And so it is with screaming guitars and scene-stealing guitar solos. They are cool sometimes, but I can live without them. So it was that …
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December 1963, Oh What A Song, For The Guy
by Kevin Burton Here’s what we know about the female character from “December 1963 (Oh What a Night,” the Four Seasons’ fifth and last number one hit: She had the ability to walk. She walked into a room. That’s all we get. No eyes of blue, no golden hair, no perfume in …
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Neil Sedaka And How I Loved His Second Act
by Kevin Burton I love laughter, I love rain, and I love me some Neil Sedaka. So the news that Sedaka died Feb. 27 at age 86, stung. I never knew the man of course. Never got within 100 miles of him as far as I know. Yet he was a friend …
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Why Do People Hate ‘We Built This City’?
by Kevin Burton I missed it, completely. It was totally over my head. I guess it’s just somebody’s else’s fight. “We Built This City” by Starship was number one on the US Hot 100 40 years ago this month. It’s catchy. I liked it then, still do. I loved the era when …
The Characters Behind 12 Famous Songs
by Dictionary Scoop There’s a mixture of fiction and real life behind the people made famous by the hit songs on our list today. From classic rock ballads to catchy pop tunes, here are 12 famous songs that feature people’s names—and the stories behind them. 1-Johnny B. Goode – Chuck Berry We’ll start …
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