by Kevin Burton You can take the boy from Carolina but you will never extract Carolina from James Taylor. That’s how it works. Our inner compass points toward home. When we can’t be there physically, our minds take us there. Sometimes it’s better that way. Just as Penny Lane is in the …
Tag Archives: top 40
Tell A Stranger About Philadelphia Freedom
by Kevin Burton Trying to wrestle down he lighter-than-air 70s anthem “Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton John is like trying to tell a stranger ‘bout rock and roll. You kind of can’t. You can parse the words if you like, look into its origins, the elements that went into it. But in the end …
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“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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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 …
Raised On Radio: MTV And Killer Video
by Kevin Burton In J.G. Ballard’s short story “The Sound-Sweep,” the main character is a non-verbal boy who has the job of vacuuming up all the stray sounds in a world without music. He befriends an opera singer living in an abandoned recording studio. The opera singer is destitute, having been displaced from …
Can You Imagine Elton John As A Banker?
by Kevin Burton Elton John turns 76 today. So when I was nine years old listening to Crocodile Rock, he was all of 26. He wasn’t called Sir Elton back then, not hardly. He was a sight to behold. His wild costumes and antics on stage. His huge international hit songs, these …
(Mostly) Sweet Duets For Valentine’s Day
by Kevin Burton Love is in the air, not to mention on all the store shelves. I’m sure you’ve noticed. Gentlemen, you’re on this, right? One week from today, Valentine’s Day. OK, to get you in the mood, we’ll have not one, but two posts this week dealing with duets. For Valentine’s …
Raised On Radio: National Disc Jockey Day
by Kevin Burton The other day I was researching music and stumbled upon the Raised On Radio podcast. I thought, yeah, wish I had thought of that. That’s me. I was raised on radio. When I got back online to find it again, I found something entirely different called Raised On The …
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Disco Tunes That Rockers Can Tolerate
by Kevin Burton Found another story last week on the animosity toward disco from rock and rollers in the 1970s. This one contained a little surprise. The story was under the headline, “Surviving the 70s: 12 disco songs even rock fans enjoy.” It was written by Greg Brodsky on the Best Classic bands …
“Best Of My Love,” Pure Joy In 1977
by Kevin Burton Their gospel wailing and harmonies brought out the emotion from listeners in their native Chicago. People confided as much to their mentor/father Joe. That’s why when the singing Hutchinson sisters needed a new name for the group, they called themselves The Emotions. Forty-five years ago, their “Best Of My …
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