Posts From Jeff Tamarkin
The Classics IV Trio: ‘Spooky,’ ‘Stormy’ & ‘Traces’
They had three huge hits in less than a year and a half. Who were they and what became of them? We look back at the brief career of the Classics IV.
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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.
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Over Under Sideways Down: Making Sense of the Yardbirds’ Album Releases
The Yardbirds’ recorded legacy was just as convoluted as their personnel timeline, with few correlations between their American and British output.
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Blues Image’s ‘Ride Captain Ride’: A Tale of 73 Men
The singer and the keyboardist were having trouble coming up with a lead lyric for the new song they were writing. The answer was sitting right in front of them.
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The Youngbloods’ ‘Get Together’: Unique Path to Success
The song had been kicking around for a few years when they recorded it. Their first release of the tune bombed. Then it became a timeless anthem.
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Linda Ronstadt—A Rare Interview: ‘I’ve Got to Get That Song’
In an intimate conversation, the Rock Hall of Famer discusses the ’70s SoCal singer-songwriter boom and how her backing band evolved into the Eagles
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D.A. Pennebaker on ‘Monterey Pop,’ Dylan, Hendrix, ‘Ziggy’ & More
The Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, who passed on Aug. 1, 2019, spoke about his encounters with some of rock’s greatest talents.
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Steppenwolf, Born to Be Wild & Easy Rider
Some songs are inextricably associated with certain films, and few are as evocative as this 1968 classic, which has come to define biker culture
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Jim Gordon: From A-List Drummer to Convicted Killer
He’s played on hundreds of hits but you won’t find any gold records on his wall: Since the ’80s he’s been locked away for murder.
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‘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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