Bruce Springsteen’s two biggest and best-known albums are his Borns. Born to Run came out in 1975 as Bruce’s third album and catapulted him to superstardom. Born in the USA came out nine years later as Bruce’s seventh album. Both were massive successes critically and commercially. The themes of the albums tie together quite well. Born in the USA…
I’ve made it through six albums in my ongoing Billy Joel retrospective, which means it’s time to write a review for his seventh: Glass Houses. It’s certainly one of Joel’s best albums, and I’ve been listening to it again recently in preparation for writing the review. There’s one thing I noticed that I wanted to comment…
Album rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5) 52nd Street is The Stranger‘s jazzy little cousin, not quite so sophisticated or psychologically complex but a gem in its own right.
Dan: So, Colton, let’s talk about Eve 6. Their reunion album has come and gone. In a few months, we’ll hit the fifteenth anniversary of their debut album. Though they might tour some more and, who knows, release another album, now seems as good a time as any to reflect on their career, discography, and…
Q: Why didn’t [your favorite artist] get nominated for Song, Album, or Record of the Year? A: Nominations in the Big Three categories are designed to recognize achievements beyond those of the artist. That’s why none of these awards have the word “artist” in them. Song of the Year, then, is given for the best…
In the summer of 2011, I was privileged enough to see Green Day play an impromptu, intimate concert at an Orange County, California venue normally reserved for bands who have sold about 1/100th as many records as they have. I had just moved out to southern California, and the area greeted me by placing me within…
All-American Rejects (2002) – 4 stars (out of 5) Move Along (2005) – 4.5 stars When the World Comes Down (2008) – 3.5 stars Kids in the Street (2012) – 4 stars Blessed with a great name, underrated talent, and the good fortune to enter the musical world at the height of the teen emo-pop surge, The…
Today I’ve got a message for you that’s near and dear to my heart. Remember that band Mae? If not, it’s cool, but they were a big part of my musical life. And for the last three records they put out, Mae was a self-managed band from top to bottom. Lead singer Dave Elkins has…
Over the past year, I have been working on writing in-depth reviews and features on Billy Joel’s discography. As I publish them, I will link to the articles in below Album Reviews (out of five stars) Cold Spring Harbor (1971) – *** Piano Man (1973) – ****½ Streetlife Serenade (1974) – *** Turnstiles (1976) –…
Last week, I posted a ranking of the 100 best Billy Joel songs. In this post, I take a look at the most popular Billy Joel songs according to aggregated listening data from Last.FM and how that compares to my selections.