Posts From Jeff Tamarkin

Jim Gordon: From A-List Drummer to Convicted Killer

He played on hundreds of hits but you wouldn’t find any gold records on his wall: Since the ’80s until his death in 2023, he was locked away for murder

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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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17 Classic Chuck Berry Covers

The legend, who may have invented rock and roll, died at 90 in 2017. To celebrate his legacy, we’ve chosen 17 of his best, by some of his biggest fans

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‘Brandy’ by Looking Glass (It’s a Fine Song)

For one week only, in the summer of 1972, it was the best-selling, most often played single in the United States of America.

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A Vault Interview with Drummer John Barbata of the Turtles, CSN&Y & Jefferson Starship

From “Happy Together” to “Ohio” to “Miracles,” he drummed on them all.

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Wavy Gravy—The Hippie Icon Who Fed the Crowd at Woodstock

From poet to peace activist to clown that launched institutions that aided thousands, he was perennially dedicated to uplifting others.

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David Sanborn, Saxophonist Who Spanned Multiple Genres, Dies at 78

Sanborn racked up numerous gold and platinum albums during his five-plus-decade career.

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The Summer of Love and That Song About ‘San Francisco’

It was a song of its time, inviting “gentle people” to wear flowers in their hair and migrate to California. Many thousands took Scott McKenzie’s advice

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Procol Harum and ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’: That Melody!

To this day, fans still debate the meaning of the song. But more than half a century after its release, it remains one of the most popular of all-time.

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Donovan Interview: His Greatest Hits

The Scottish singer-songwriter and Rock Hall inductee examines some of his biggest songs including “Season of the Witch” and “There is a Mountain”

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