Posts From Jeff Tamarkin

The Glory of ‘Gloria’: Behind the Resilient Van Morrison Rock ’n’ Roll Anthem

One of the most beloved and oft-covered songs in the garage-rock canon started life as a single’s B-side. We take a look at the wonders of ‘G-L-O-R-I-A.’

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13 Bands That Changed Their Lead Singers

You can’t imagine the Stones without Jagger or Zeppelin without Plant. But these 13 bands all switched vocalists and lived to tell the tale.

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When Motown Went to ‘War’—The Edwin Starr #1 Hit

When Motown’s chief was reluctant to release an antiwar song by the Temptations as a single, another singer stepped in to re-record it. It went to #1.

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The Beatles’ Forgotten Top 20 Hit: A ‘Sweet’ Story

A top 20 hit in the U.S., yet it has received virtually no radio airplay in decades and is almost never mentioned in accounts of the band’s early days.

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Woodstock Performers: Where Are They Now?

Many are still creating brilliant music. Here is a brief guide to the status of most of the artists who performed at the legendary 1969 festival.

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Bobby Whitlock—Derek & the Dominos Keyboardist—Dies at 77

In addition to his work with Clapton, he also contributed to George Harrison’s ‘All Things Must Pass.’

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Sweet Dreams: 13 Timeless Early ’80s British Earworms

Those hits by Tears For Fears, Human League, Eurythmics, Duran Duran and others still grab us four decades after we first heard them.

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They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!

It was bizarre but an instant smash hit. Then there was a backlash. Read the strange tale of Napoleon XIV and hear the song that drove people mad.

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Terry Reid, British Singer Who Turned Down Led Zeppelin, Dead at 75

When passing on Jimmy Page’s invitation, Reid recommended a singer he knew named Robert Plant.

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The Great Lost Rock Festival of 1969

In a way better than Woodstock? Atlantic City Pop Festival – two weeks before the famed fest in Upstate NY – had a more diverse line-up, and really rocked.

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