Elvis Presley Was No James Dean But ‘King Creole’ Proves That He Could Have Been
Watching the 1958 Elvis movie King Creole, one is confronted by a young actor with promise, delivering a performance on par with James Dean.
rock and roll
Billy Vera Documents a Legendary Label With ‘Rip It Up: The Specialty Records Story’
Grammy-winner Billy Vera spent years working in the Speciality Records vaults and remains close to label founder Art Rupe. “Specialty is right up there with Atlantic, Chess, and Sun in terms of being important.” Enjoy this interview with the author and this book excerpt.
‘Jimi Hendrix and Philosophy’ Is a Mixed Bag, Man
Jumping into the fire, howling wind, and bombs bursting in air with the uber rock god.
Thin Lizzy / Philip Lynott Bio ‘Cowboy Song’ Is Like Reading the Best Liner Notes, Ever
Cowboy Song is not the first biography of Thin Lizzy and/or Lynott, but it is profoundly well-researched and may be the best.
Mamadou Kelly: Politiki
The desert meets the Deep South on the easy and low-key Politiki.
All Hail the King: Chuck Berry Reinvented Music, and America
After Chuck Berry, rock music would forever be a gumbo of competing and complimentary source points, but his first-person flights of fancy still represent its most undiluted potential.
The Sonics: This Is the Sonics
The first new studio album since 1967 from these garage rock legends has its faults, but it's an overall solid addition to their already classic discography.