Posts From Jeff Tamarkin
Brenton Wood, ’60s Soul Star of ‘Gimme Little Sign’ Fame, Dead at 83
He never sings the words “Gimme little sign” in the song of that name.
Read More
Harp On It: 20 Great Rock Songs Featuring Harmonica
The harmonica has long been used—particularly by lead singers—to inject a bit of bluesy, earthy authenticity into a song. We look at some of the best.
Read More
Zager & Evans’ ‘In the Year 2525’: The Gloomiest #1?
It was, to be sure, one of the bleakest songs ever to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And then Zager and Evans never charted again.
Read More
74 From 1974: The Albums We Listened To
A vast variety of sounds appealed to rock fans at that time, and still does.
Read More
Remembering Joe Cocker: Rock’s Soulful Interpreter
His gift was that among all the British R&B belters, he may have been the most ballsy and uninhibited of them all and an outstanding interpreter of songs.
Read More
The Yardbirds, with Both Beck and Page, in ‘Blow-Up’
It’s a classic scene from a landmark ’60s film, and a rare look at that brief moment when Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were in the same band
Read More
Dave Clark Is Still Glad All Over—An Interview With the British Invasion Legend
“Ed Sullivan contacted us, but I’d never heard of him so I turned it down. Then, I found out he was huge. I said to the guys, “Quit your jobs.”
Read More
1969’s Ill-Fated Altamont Festival: One of Rock’s Darkest Days
December 6, 1969, marked one of rock’s bleakest days. The free concert known as Altamont was an unmitigated disaster as everything that could possibly go wrong did
Read More
1967: The Year in 50 Classic Rock Albums
It was the year that the rock album came of age, with timeless releases from the Beatles, Dylan & Stones alongside newcomers Jimi Hendrix, the Doors & more
Read More
The Mamas & the Papas’ ‘Creeque Alley’: Behind the Song
The lyrics are stocked with names and places, some of which may have been (and still are) unfamiliar to fans of the group. We break it down
Read More