Fearless appreciation of rock music since 2012
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Progressive rock and art rock slipped into mainstream consciousness in 1974. We received extremely important and, in some cases, watershed records from Brian Eno, Sparks, Steely Dan, King Crimson, Queen, Genesis, Supertramp, Kraftwerk, and Roxy Music. We haven’t exactly moved…
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25 Songs About California
You’ll be disappointed if you clicked on this post expecting to see “Hotel California” by the Eagles anywhere on the list. The best-selling rock hit of 1977–78 isn’t even among my top 50 songs about the Golden State. Why? Of…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1991–1992)
There was one morning I woke up in 1992 and I felt like I’d been asleep for a couple of years. Right here, right now, 1992, I think the 1001 Albums list should end and start over. The book and list…
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25 Songs About Going Down to Mexico
Because geography, there are few things more quintessentially American than the concept of “going down to Mexico.” Nobody ever says they’re going up to Mexico—that would be silly. Whether you’re an outlaw in search of refuge or a college kid…
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Robert Plant Didn’t Ruin It For Anybody
I used to think that Robert Plant ruined it for everybody. One could argue that rock music does not have a single, universally beloved figure, for lack of a better term. Nobody can agree on The Beatles vs. The Rolling…
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Bill Dolan Interview Part 2
Guitarist Bill Dolan is one of my favorite musicians and one of the most underrated, unsung guitar players of my lifetime. He also happens to be my friend. Twenty years ago, Bill and I—along with Ronnie Kwasman and Matthew Tucker—played…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1989–1990)
Comparatively speaking, we’re going to breeze through this period. There’s a revolution of sorts on the horizon. At this point, recording artists are either making records that sell, or they aren’t making records. There will be fewer suggested alternatives simply…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1987–1988)
If 1985-1986 was a dead zone for Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, then 1987–1988 is a black hole. Mainstream popular music was more about hairspray and pastel colors than artistic achievement. It was Michael Jackson’s Bad. But was…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1985–1986)
1985–86 is a disappointing period of must-hear albums. As I perused the unofficial list of selections from this period, half the time I was thinking, “Christ, nobody should have to listen to that.” 1001 Albums Rating Key: Albums You Must…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1983–1984)
The 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list gets weird and stingy in 1983–1984. The panel ignored more than a handful of must-hear albums, and it’s hard to say why. I have one theory, but it doesn’t answer…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1981–1982)
Every so often, it’s important to stop, take a look around, stare out the window for a while, change the channel, and get up and stretch your legs. The last four years in popular music (1977–1980) have witnessed multiple sea…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1979–1980)
1979-1980 is the first period of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not, in which I had heard every record before writing the associated essay. In some cases, I was listening to the album for only the second…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1977–1978)
Rock music is about to get interesting. I’m excited. Good stuff is about to happen. Plenty of albums you must hear coming down the pipe. The 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list was very generous in 1977–1978.…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1975–1976)
Comparatively speaking, 1975–1976 is a dead zone for Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. There are almost as many Suggested Alternatives as legitimate selections. Overall, ’75 has more good stuff happening—not by a wide margin—but it’s a shady part…
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Artist Spotlight: Moondog, The Viking of Sixth Avenue
This is the story of Louis Thomas Hardin, better known as Moondog: part mystic, part prankster, part genius, and one of the most unusual figures in 20th-century music. If you’ve seen The Big Lebowski (1998), you’ve already heard Moondog, even if…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1967–1968)
The news of the day in 1967 was emerging from a haze of marijuana smoke as a battalion of up-and-coming artists with a series of must-hear albums. The marriage of drugs and music was consummated in culture. Thus, we enter…
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Albums You Must Hear Before You Die…Or Not (1955–1966)
Welcome to the first installment of the Albums You Must Hear…Or Not series. To learn about the history and execution of the project, please refer to the introduction. Music appreciation is highly personal and exclusively subjective, like 90% of all…
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100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time, More or Less
From an informational perspective, opinion-based “Best Of” lists, especially related to music, are generally worthless. For instance, Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs [Of All Time], contains neither surprise nor revelation, yet abounds in cringe and grimace. Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest…
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Thank You, Internet: The Honeycombs, One the Juggler, and the Chris Holmes Pool Interview
I’m interested in music stories that rarely get told, artists that nobody’s listening to, and details that fall through the cracks. It’s fairly safe to say the only place on the planet left unmolested by the internet is North Sentinel…
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Rock Over London, Rock On Wesley Willis
I originally wrote this article in May 2013 to honor what would have been Wesley Willis’ 50th birthday, May 31. Sadly, Wes only lived to 40. I’m still talking about him in 2026 because I don’t want to let his…
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Bill Dolan Interview Part 1
In the summer of 1994, the hottest thing cooking on the Chicago music scene was a young guitarist named Bill Dolan and his band, Five Style (stylized 5ive Style), which had just been signed to Sub Pop Records—at the time,…
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Mike Watt Interview
Few people will ever have a chance to interview their heroes, and even fewer will do a good job. When I started Black Sunshine Media, I wanted to interview some of my heroes, a few of the lesser-known greats who…
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Artist Spotlight: Carol Kaye
If you’ve listened to popular music from the 1960s and 70s, you know bassist Carol Kaye; perhaps you just don’t know you know Carol Kaye. This statement could also hold for the following names: Leon Russell, Larry Knechtel, Barney Kessel,…
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Artist Spotlight: Mike Watt/Minutemen/fIREHOSE
Mike Watt is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen and fIREHOSE. He was also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan. He maintains a healthy web presence, posting regularly on Facebook,…
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Artist Spotlight: Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is a universal superstar, but he’s got one album that nobody talks about, Music of My Mind (1972), and it might be his best album. Let’s talk about it. Struggles with Motown As a child prodigy, Wonder signed…
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