Posts From Jeff Tamarkin
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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Rolling With Jerry: When Garcia Welcomed a College Kid to the Dead’s HQ
In the summer of 1971, the author and a friend decided to go visit the Grateful Dead. What resulted was an afternoon they’ve never forgotten.
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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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Bob Dylan’s 1966 Brush With Death
He was living in bucolic Woodstock, having sought sanctuary from the noise, chaos—and drugs—that had consumed his life during the past year. Then he took his motorcycle for a spin.
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Chuck Mangione, Jazz Musician & ‘Feels So Good’ Hitmaker, Dies
Both the album and the title cut reached the top 5 of their respective charts in 1977-78.
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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 their brief career.
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Connie Francis, ’50s-’60s Hitmaker Whose Career Earned Recent Boost With ‘Pretty Little Baby,’ Dies
The singer was recently re-discovered via an obscure 1962 recording, “Pretty Little Baby,” which went viral via TikTok, garnering billions of views.
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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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