Category: Record reviews

• music Record reviews

  Disco time tunnel

  “Celebration” Kool & The Gang 1980 Kool & The Gang must forever live in the shadow of K.C. & The Sunshine Band. Their song “Celebration” deserves better. It lacks the lyrical wit of the K.C. catalog*, but it packs a similar joyfulness and rhythmic insistence. “Celebration” could easily have been…

  January 16, 2011
• music Record reviews

  When the Messiah comes, this blog will start making money

  Messiah George Frideric Handel 1741 Since today is Christmas I’d like to have a few words with you about Christmas music. And of course when you’re rummaging around in the Christmas music cornucopia you’ll straightaway find that only one character can go the distance for you, and that would be…

  December 25, 2010
• music Record reviews

  Bring the noise

  Get Bach! The Baronics 1996 Nothing says “respectable,” “significant,” and “serious” like classical music. And nothing says “pretentious,” “turgid,” and “snorefest” like rock musicians taking classical out for a spin. Need convincing? Let’s examine the evidence: J’accuse! Exhibit A: The radioactive remains of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”…

  December 12, 2010
• music Record reviews

  Roll over, Kurt Cobain

  Grunge Lite Sara DeBell 1993 I was living in Seattle when our fair city unleashed a pair of unstoppable cultural forces: coffee and grunge. Everyone knows what coffee is: overpriced. What is grunge? Figure 1. Let’s go grunge-spotting! Here are some general characteristics to help you seek and spot grunge…

  November 28, 2010
• music Record reviews

  Stop messin’ ’round with your tricks!

  Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time Santana 2010 Carlos Santana has been a cultural icon for 40 years. But how much do we really know about him? Let’s check the record. Yay! Carlos Santana Fun Facts! Has released more albums than The Rolling Stones, and they had…

  November 21, 2010