Friday, September 23 2011
Various Artists: Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love
The music is uniformly solid, even groovy. But there’s a sweetness to the singles.
Friday, September 9 2011
Counterbalance: Year One
In this special one-year anniversary edition of Counterbalance, Eric Klinger and Jason Mendelsohn discuss their first year combing through the pop music canon (as determined by Acclaimed Music's calculations of every best-of list available), share a few favorites, and justify a couple items on their expense account.
Thursday, October 21 2010
Counterbalance No. 6: Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On’
At number six on the list, Marvin Gaye's What's Going On has been called the greatest soul album of all time. But is it truly "right on"—or maybe a little bit "jive"? Counterbalance’s Mendelsohn and Klinger find out what's happening, brother.
Monday, October 12 2009
The Messengers
K'naan's The Messengers series is a trilogy of episodes designed to highlight the genius of Nigeria's Fela Kuti, Jamaica's Bob Marley, and the United States' Bob Dylan.
Friday, January 30 2009
What It Was Like
In the early '80s Detroit, Motown was as unquestionable as air. Who didn't like air?
Thursday, January 29 2009
What’s Going On: Marvin Gaye’s Liberation from the Motown Sound
When Obie Benson of the Four Tops brought him a song he had co-written with Al Cleveland, Marvin Gaye found something that had reflected the way he had been feeling ever since Tammi Terrell's death -- anger, sadness, and disillusionment about his friend's death and the chaotic world around him.
Wednesday, January 28 2009
Twirling the Dial: My Motown Memories
For those of us in tune with the sounds of the genre-redefining decade, a transistor radio was the seminal social sidekick. We loved listening to that little mono wonder, its tiny shrill speaker sparking a hundred journeys directly into the center of our mind.
Monday, January 26 2009
Dancing in the Street: Our 25 Favorite Motown Singles
From the Four Tops and the Temptations to the Marvelettes and the Velvelettes, we narrow down our favorite singles from the "Sound of Young America" era to 25 indisputable picks.
