Still ‘KooKoo’ After 40 Years with Debbie Harry’s First Solo LP
Forty years later, Debbie Harry’s blend of Blondie and Chic remains a flawed but beguiling experiment that paved the way for Let’s Dance and Like a Virgin.
All Things Reconsidered
Adam and the Ants ‘Ant Music’ from Subculture to Image Culture
Adam of Adam and the Ant’s original costume is in the Victoria and Albert Museum but you can get Ant-style highwayman and pirate costumes online if you want.
40 Years of the Ramones’ ‘Pleasant Dreams’
The making the Ramones’ Pleasant Dreams was tainted by personal conflicts and industry interference. Joey wanted pop and Johnny wanted punk rock.
Hymns to Uncool or Reconsidering Lisa Germano’s ‘Geek the Girl’
A bold investigation of a woman’s journey through self-acceptance, Lisa Germano’s unsettling opus Geek the Girl fell through the cracks of the alternative mainstream in 1994.
‘Judy at Carnegie Hall’ Celebrated the Greatest Night in Show Business 60 Years Ago
Judy Garland’s Judy at Carnegie Hall possesses an emotional range and heft that remains potent over half a century after its release.
Unearthing Author Margery Latimer’s Body of Work
Margery Latimer’s 20th-century feminist literature is sympathetic and even empathetic toward her women characters–and implicitly judgmental.
‘Irresistible Bliss’ at 25: Personal Friction Couldn’t Dampen the Musical Chemistry of Soul Coughing
Soul Coughing’s success with Irresistible Bliss shows how the early ’90s grunge music explosion led to the more expansive alternative rock boom of the mid-’90s.
‘Blue’ Introduced LeAnn Rimes to the World 25 Years Ago
Over two decades later, Blue endures as a modern country classic in LeAnn Rimes’ repertoire. Blue‘s success would lead to a long and fruitful career of more platinum and gold-selling records.
50 Years Ago Diana Ross and Ashford & Simpson Made Beautiful Music on ‘Surrender’
Surrender is a concerted effort to remind listeners that above anything else, Diana Ross is a fabulous recording artist.
Blood That’s Still Pumping: 20 Years of the White Stripes’ ‘White Blood Cells’
Twenty years later, White Blood Cells remains the perfect type of White Stripes album. This is the White Stripes at their absolute best.
Joni Mitchell Became Music’s Lucky One with ‘Blue’ 50 Years Ago
Joni Mitchell’s Blue, included in the recently released The Reprise Albums collection, paved the way for future autobiographical singer-songwriters.