by Kevin Burton Is it just that easy, like flipping a switch? Guess we’ll find out Thursday, when Columbia Records drops the first new Billy Joel single in 17 years, a song called “Turn The Lights Back On.” “In a press release from his label, Columbia Records, the song is said to …
Tag Archives: rock music
Elvis Presley: The King Of What?
by Kevin Burton Yesterday was Elvis’s birthday. He was born Jan. 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. And the fact that I used only his first name and you know exactly who I am talking about is one measure of his exalted place in American culture. But how good was he as a musician, …
Coast To Coast: Billy Joel’s “Stop In Nevada”
by Kevin Burton On the Billy Joel portion of our rock and roll road trip you could have reasonably expected “New York State of Mind” or even “Allentown.” Instead we swing west to look at “Stop In Nevada.” This song fits very well into our road-trip theme. Today’s tale includes one of …
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Lieber & Stoller’s “Kansas City” A Classic
by Kevin Burton The musical catalog of lyricist Jerry Lieber and pianist Mike Stoller has been described as “some of the most authentic rhythm and blues that white Jewish guys ever wrote.” Eight years before Norman Mailer published “The White Negro,” these two transplanted easterners submerged themselves in the LA black culture and began …
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Steely Dan Takes On Lennon And “Imagine”
by Kevin Burton One of the few Steely Dan tunes I don’t really like took on more juice recently when I read that the song is an attack on John Lennon’s “Imagine.” I had no idea the song “Only A Fool Would Say That,” from the 1972 album “Can’t Buy A Thrill” casts Lennon as …
“If You Could Read My Mind” Is A Masterpiece
by Kevin Burton The greatest songwriters will leave room in their songs so you can climb in, look around and make yourself at home. Just be careful, there is going to be a mirror in there in the place you least expect. You’re going to see yourself. You’re going to be confronted. If …
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“Backward And Forward” And My Memories
by Kevin Burton I guess there’s a reason why melody and memory aren’t far apart in the dictionary. They go together like peas and porridge. And, for those who think there is something pejorative in the term “one-hit wonder,” well what about all those no-hit nobodies? We’re all doing our best then, …
We Watched Our Culture On Our Radios
by Kevin Burton The love we all had for radio and the vibrant world it brought to us, made it well worth risking the wrath of parents. All of us have stories of hiding that transistor radio under our pillows, trying to be quiet so our parents wouldn’t know we were still awake. …
Raised On Radio: Rush Makes A Statement
by Kevin Burton The Band Rush made a musical comment on the state of radio in 1980’s “The Spirit of Radio.” It took me more than 40 years to get wind of it. Though they made reference to the lyrics of two of my heroes, Simon and Garfunkel, in the song, they didn’t …
Spoonful’s John Sebastian Turns 79
by Kevin Burton Happy 79th birthday to the personable multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter John Sebastian. Both his music and his personality seem accessible, based on how he comes off in interviews on You Tube. I mean, here’s a rock and roller who plays the auto harp of all things. He said he learned the instrument …
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