Posts From Jeff Tamarkin
Janis Joplin Slays ‘Ball and Chain’ in Monterey Pop
When she stepped onto the Monterey stage she was still an unknown. When she left she was on her way to superstardom. This five-minute clip is why.
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D.A. Pennebaker on ‘Monterey Pop,’ Dylan, Hendrix, ‘Ziggy’ & More
The Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, who passed in 2019, spoke about his encounters with some of rock’s greatest talents.
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Gregg Rolie on Santana, Woodstock and Journey
Rolie: “I’ve said yes to almost every right thing I should do, and I’ve said no to the things I don’t think I should. I’m proud of everything I’ve done.”
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The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday and Today’: Should It Ever Have Existed?
The album was slapped together from odds and ends by Capitol Records, without the band’s participation. And what was up with that cover?
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Eric Burdon & The Animals’ Love Song to ‘Monterey’
Performing a the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 was such a profound experience for the British singer that he wrote a song about it. Here’s the story.
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Argent’s Masterful, Underrated Debut: From Z to A
Out of the ashes of the Zombies came their keyboardist’s new band, Argent. Their debut album is one of rock’s most underrated of all time.
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Iron Butterfly’s Classic ‘In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida’
The single and album signaled a shift from the psychedelic sound toward something more aggressive, loud and primal. Rock fans either loved it or hated it.
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The Gentrys’ ‘Keep on Dancing’: Behind the ’60s Garage Classic
The Memphis septet took an obscure R&B tune and turned it into a top 5 rocker in 1965. The story behind the recording–and the band–is fascinating.
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Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie Album: Mac-To-The-Basics
What you’ve got here is Mac-to-the basics. It’s at once familiar and sparkly-new. You’re going to want to come back to it often, for a long time.
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Moby Grape: When Bad Things Happen to Good Bands
They recorded one of the greatest debut rock albums of all-time. After that, nothing went right. The sad saga of a legendary, doomed San Francisco band.
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