Posts From Colin Fleming

‘Get Back’: The Beatles’ Album That Was, Wasn’t And Is

When you listen to the LP as a cohesive experience, it feels like a genuine concept album—these guys being what they were.

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The Beatles’ Decca Audition: An Invaluable Lesson in Failure

Try to please everyone, and you please no one, including yourself. For the Beatles, January 1, 1962, was the day that the lesson was learned.

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The Beach Boys’ Sweet ‘Wild Honey’ Beat: A Masterpiece of the Fading Year

The 1967 album emphasizes the collective and its vision, rather than that of an auteur with attendants helping to carry out his grand design.

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Liverpool Get-Together: The Most Touching Show The Beatles Ever Gave

This was like having friends over for a boozy party, minus the booze, and in a theater instead of a parlor.

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Seeing It Said: Confessions of a Former Nick Drake Fraud

He left behind three albums, a talent he believed he had lost, and the pain he could neither escape nor overcome.

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The Laughing Beatles: Innocence, ‘If I Fell,’ and a 1964 Night in Vancouver

‘When they hit the stage, the Beatles could make it appear that they were part of your group, but also apart in their own world.’

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Monterey Pop Festival—10 Killer Performances

Here is a look at some of the finest that went down over those 3 days, and which still loom so largely as we bring contemporary ears to bear on them

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Pete Townshend: 10 Great Guitar Solos With The Who

How do you narrow down the most memorable guitar parts ever played by one of rock’s all-time greats? Our writer happily digs deep inside the Who’s catalog.

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10 Great Classic Rock Live Bootlegs

Discovering a great live bootleg from a favorite band is a treat. Here are some from top classic rock acts that are well worth seeking out

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‘Love Me Do’: The Beatles’ 1st Single Was the Sound of Identity

We don’t talk about it as one of the great debut singles, but perhaps that’s because it transcends the normal categories.

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