Posts From Jeff Tamarkin
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.
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Three Dog Night: Under the Covers
Their value lie not in their compositional skills but in their knack for choosing songs by others that fit their style and broadened their appeal.
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1971—The Year in 50 Classic Rock Albums
Bands that had only recently performed in ballrooms and college gyms now played arenas and stadiums–and sold millions of albums.
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Revisiting the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ Super Deluxe Edition
For many it’s the crowning achievement of the Beatles and rock itself. You want to believe these mixes are new recordings
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When Brownsville Station Were Smokin’
Back in 1973, lots of high school students took extra bathroom breaks since that was generally the only place they could light up. The backstory of a classic
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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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Peter Asher Q&A: Producing Linda Ronstadt
In our detailed interview, the master producer talks about his work with Ronstadt, James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt and more
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Friend & Lover ‘Reach Out of the Darkness’: So Groovy Now
The peace-and-love message of the song resonated in 1968, a relic of its time
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Journey and the Final Scene of The Sopranos
One of the most highly anticipated, and nerve-wracking, episodes in TV history was the finale of this classic crime show. The music was supplied by Journey.
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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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