Listen to full interview with music here:

I’m very happy to be able to post this full one hour radio show recorded 7/19/2023 from 9 – 10p on WFUV. I’ve always been a huge fan of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era 1965–1968 so it was a blast as well as an honor to have the man who created it, Lenny Kaye, come in and co-host an hour with me on-air. In addition to his adorable dog Sylvie, Lenny brought the 50th anniversary 5 LP set unleashed earlier this year for Record Store Day. We played some tunes from the original compilation as well as the planned but – until recently unreleased Vol. 2, and a bonus disc of songs that were considered for the original set but not included for one reason or another. Lenny spoke about the circumstances surrounding his curation, offered tidbits about a handful of songs and artists, and revealed details about the upcoming Golden Jubilee shows at City Winery.  

Listening to Chris Cornell climb the seemingly infinite ladder of his vocal range on tracks like Loud Love and Jesus Christ Pose remains thrilling and a new release of Soundgarden A-Sides, the tasty compilation originally unleashed in 1997, offers the chance to renew your appreciation for him and them. These seventeen essential tracks from Cornell’s signature band are an invitation, sixteen months after Cornell’s unbearable suicide, to relegate the experience of learning about the end of his life to the very minor position it insists on holding aside the experience of hearing one of rock’s most exciting and vital vocalists.

Sure spending some time with this set spurs my memories of a colossal ’94 show at the Tower Theater outside Philly and the surreal breakup show at Honolulu’s Blaisdell Arena in ’97 that I was lucky enough to see but I’m not being nostalgic. I’m just playing Soundgarden on the merits that recommended them the first time around: The power and precision…and the riffs of Kim Thayil, the astounding vocals and sometime rhythm guitar of Cornell, and the mostly ferocious but pliant rhythm section of Matt Cameron and either Hiro Yamamoto who is on bass on songs 1 – 5 or Ben Shepherd the rest of the way. They never sounded as dynamic as a result of the re-mastering on two black vinyl records inside a spiffy gatefold sleeve.

Soundgarden A-SIDES [LP]

Side A:

1. NOTHING TO SAY

2. FLOWER

3. LOUD LOVE

4. HANDS ALL OVER

Side B:

1. GET ON THE SNAKE

2. JESUS CHRIST POSE

3. OUTSHINED

4. RUSTY CAGE

Side C:

1. SPOONMAN

2. THE DAY I TRIED TO LIVE

3. BLACK HOLE SUN

4. FELL ON BLACK DAYS

Side D:

1. PRETTY NOOSE

2. BURDEN IN MY HAND

3. BLOW UP THE OUTSIDE WORLD

4. TY COBB

5. BLEED TOGETHER

Everybody had a hard year, Everybody had a good time
Everybody had a wet dream, Everybody saw the sunshine
Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah, oh yeah – I’ve Got A Feeling by The Beatles from Let It Be

Yes, 2017 was a hard year but we the time to moan and groan is past and the time to buy some timeless, life-affirming music for you or a loved one has come.  This year marked the 50th anniversary of the granddaddy of them all (No, not the Rose Ball) Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and you’e got your pick of a half dozen Pepper packages: single and double CDs, a deluxe box of four CDs and two DVDs (containing videos and 5.1 surround mixes of the original album), as well as a double LP that, like the other expanded editions, includes a handful of the album’s songs in embryo and in various stages of development.  All editions feature a stereo remix by Giles Martin (who is the son of George Martin who  died last year at 90) and Abbey Road audio engineer Sam Okell. 

That Ringo flashback was from when I spoke to him last summer.

It is a golden era for vinyl mavens. We now have the opportunity to acquire the entire George Harrison catalog on wax in one package.  Another guy, named Gordon Sumner, also started a solo career after the biggest band in world broke up.   Sting’s complete solo discography has been lovingly re-mastered on180 gram vinyl with original artwork at, where else, Abbey Road.    All albums by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers were also made available this year in The Complete Studio Albums Volume 1 covering 1976-1991 and Volume 2 covering 1994-2014.  The Chuck Berry super deluxe Great 28 box is also a tasty treat as it restores the definitive Berry anthology to two LPs along with three other albums of delights including a hot live set from ’63 with Motown’s Funk Brothers backing him up.  

Dynamite live material from The Replacements and Bob Dylan was also unleashed in 2017.  Tapes of The Mats ‘86 Hoboken show has been kicking around for years but that hardly diminishes the excitement of the official release of For Sale.  The performance was captured about 

I spoke to Tommy in January when a new Bash & Pop album came out.

Zimmy was prolific, even by his standards, from 1979 to 1981 as his conversion to Christianity re-lit his songwriting fuse.  As with past eras, Volume 13 of The Bootleg Series presents enough material to satisfy completists while cherry-picking the inevitable treasures found among the live tracks and outtakes from his studio albums of the time: Slow Train Coming, Saved, and Shot of Love.  The packaging is gorgeous and the book of photographs, Pressing On, included in the 9 disc deluxe set is especially lovely.  All of those participating in putting together this and all the volumes of The Bootleg Series deserve praise.  However, I’d like to single out co-producer Steve Berkowitz and co-mixer/masterer Steve Addabbo – both of whom I had a chance to speak with regarding their work with Jeff Buckley last year.

Ho Ho Ho!  Have a fab holiday season and here’s to an excellent 2018 –

The Zombies will make a pair of appearances in New York this month as their mighty Odessey & Oracle approaches its fiftieth birthday. The brilliant rock and pop outfit from St Albans, Hertfordshire in England are experiencing an amazing phase in their career that began in 1961.  I was fortunate enough to speak to Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone the last time they were in town in the Autumn of 2015.  At that time, their album, Still Got That Hunger was just being released and they were beginning a tour featuring new songs aside all the songs from 1968’s Odessey and Oracle. (sic!)  The performance on October 9, 2015 at The New York Society for Ethical Culture on the upper west side was a triumph and it was the first time they had played O&O its entirety in the U.S.  Now they’re back for a victory lap with a show at Town Hall on March 25th as well as a book signing at the Strand on Wednesday the 15th.  (Careful with the dates, the video above is airing on NY1 on the 14th so I refer to the signing happening ‘tomorrow evening.’)  Vinyl mavens will also be pleased to know their greatest hits is back in print on wax beginning next month.  It’ll hit on April 7th.

Even before this week’s (March 17th with bonus tracks) reissue, Odessey & Oracle had been selling more copies than ever before as generations of fans continue to discover its irresistible charms.  However as Rod Argent said to me in Central Park four years ago in another interview, the last thing The Zombies want to do is be a nostalgia band.  It’s crucial to them to continue to write and record new material.  That’s what drives the creative bus but when that bus is in motion, they can fully engage in bringing older material to the stage as well.  Here’s a flashback to that chat in which he speaks about recording Odessey and Oracle, The Zombies visits in the mid 1960’s to New York City and their first wave of success, as well as the creative path forward.  The video below also features some bonus footage of the Central Park show while the video above includes performance bits that I shot at South by Southwest in Austin two years ago.  

Gift Ideas: Reich, Jarrett, Elvis, Queen, Depeche Mode & Otis – December 13, 2016

Countdown to Santa’s arrival is a mere twelve days!  Here’s a grab bag of goodies across genres to stimulate your giving gland…

The ECM Recordings from Steve Reich offers a kind of Reich 101 course in the form of the most essential material, remastered of course, from the giant of minimalism.  The set is well-timed as his 80th birthday two months ago and his selection as the Debs Composer’s Chair at Carnegie Hall for the 216-2017 season has stimulated interest in his work.  That’s hardly to suggest interest was waning, he has only grown in stature since Music For 18 Musicians hit in 1978.  This three disc includes that masterpiece alongside 1980’s Violin Phase/Music For A Large Ensemble/Octet as well as 1982’s Tehillim plus the original essays written by the composer upon the release of each.

Keith Jarrett’s A Multitude Of Angels also provides illuminating liner notes (newly penned) from the artist himself to accompany the stunning collection of music contained on the four CDs.  These 1996 concerts came at a difficult time personally for the Allentown, PA born artist who, at that point, had already been an important pianist across jazz and classical lines for three decades.  The performances are all the more remarkable knowing that he was suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which would keep him away from playing for the next two years.

The video collection is a no-brainer for fans of Depeche Mode with an impressive roster of directors allowing their disparate imaginations and visual sensibilities to complement, comment on, and amplify the songs of Gahan, Gore, and Fletcher.  

Queen Greatest Hits, The Wonder Of You by Elvis Presley with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Otis Redding’s Live at the Whisky A Go Go are all available on vinyl.  Whereas the Queen collection of course is for the entry level appreciator of Freddie and the fellas, the Presley and Redding sets are aimed at the fan that wants to get somewhere they haven’t been before with the considerable material that’s already available from the the king and the big O.

Gorgeous Gift Boxes For 2016 Holidays – December 6, 2016

Another year almost in the books and a fine crop of holiday box sets has emerged.   These creatively and lovingly packaged collections are anchored by knob turning prowess that has this timeless music sounding better than ever. 

The Bad Boy box, curated by label head Harve Pierre, is comparatively bare bones.  Its makers eschewed oversized packaging and souvenirs while delivering a definitive history of the influential label founded by Sean Puff Daddy Combs.  You get five discs and a good little book that tells you crucial information on the eighty tracks presented and an essay by Michael Gonzalez.  The set leaves no doubt to Bad Boy’s hip hop legacy while making a case for the R&B artists on the roster as well.

How did the Badmotorfinger album swell to a seven disc collection!  It’s overkill of course but, with a box fronted by a battery powered spinning logo, it’s hard not to be endeared to this kind of indulgence.  As with the Soundgarden, the Temple Of The Dog 25th anniversary is being celebrated with various formats and levels of frivolity.  Regardless of how nuts you want to go, a pair of outstanding albums worthy of the attention.

Entombed in some kind of super sexy case that if pleasing to the touch, you can choose between sixteen Lou Reed CDs or six albums.  The CD set covers 1972 to 1986 beginning with his first self-titled effort after leaving The Velvet Underground album and ending with Mistrial.  This period includes some of the material Reed is best known for as well as some that will be of interest only to hard core fans.  Exhibit A in the latter category being Metal Machine Music.  However, when considering an artist of Lou Reed’s stature, I’m thrilled to have copies of relatively lesser titles like Growing Up In Public and Legendary Hearts that were meticulously remastered by the man himself.  On the vinyl front, arguably the most essential half dozen albums of the Aritsta/RCA era are offered in a box encouragingly titled Volume One: Transformer, Berlin, The Blue Mask, Coney Island Baby, Street Hassle, and Rock n Roll Animal.

Lastly, one can only marvel at the tremendous trove that is Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965-1972.  It sets a new standard for luxury in a box set while offering a fascinating, multi-dimensional experience that shows the pre Dark Side evolution of Roger Waters and pals.  It’s glorious!

Masta Killa Talks Future Of Wu Tang Clan

It was this month in 1993 that the Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers) album was released catapulting the Staten Island based collective to the forefront of the hip hop world.  This month, November 2016, sees a reissue of the disc on seven inch records that includes a ‘bloody version’ of Protect Ya Neck.

On October 2, 2016 The Roots sent a love letter to New York and backed Nile Rogers, David Byrne, and the indomitable Wu Tang Clan at Bryant Park as part of the first ever Roots Picnic NYC.  For the first time in who knows how long; RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Cappadonna, and Master Killa appeared together on stage in New York City.   It was the full complement of members with the exception of Ghostface Killah – who may be crucial if another album is to materialize – and of course, Ol’ Dirty Bastard who died in 2004.  When I asked Masta Killa how long it had been since a full on Wu Tang Clan show like this had gone down in the five boroughs, he said “It’s been a minute!”

It was a memorable event and one that satisfied a certain jones for the Wu while at the same time whetting a collective appetite for more of the nine man crew.  Will we get it?  Well, it’s complicated…

Masta Killa was generous enough to sit down with me at The Log Cabin – the lovely recording studio in midtown Manhattan – and talk about the gig with The Roots and how he sees the future as well as flashing back to key moments that led to his joining Wu Tang Clan.  He also spoke candidly about the last pair of albums: A Better Tomorrow and Once Upon A Time In Shaolin.  The latter was partially released recently by a certain despicable individual after another despicable individual won an election.  The latter bits are in the bonus video below which also includes him giving an explanation of his name.  Masta Killa also promised his long awaited Loyalty Is Royalty album will be unleashed in early ’17.

The Hold Steady Bringing Anniversary Reissues & Residence; Brooklyn via Minneapolis Band Marks Ten Years On Boys And Girls In America with Deluxe Version Plus Sexy Reissues of Almost Killed Me & Separation Sunday –

The Hold Steady have become an essential New York band since coming together in Brooklyn about thirteen years ago. Three of the guys live in Greenpoint within a few blocks of each other with the remaining members in Manhattan and Memphis. I spoke with Craig Finn and Tad Kubler (pronounced ‘Kooblerâ€) back in the spring of ’14.   The occasion was a release party for Teeth Dreams at Hill Country Live in the Flatiron District where the fellas played the new album and a handful of bonus tunes for a WFUV radio crowd.  This week The Hold Steady are getting ready to unleash three reissues while invading the Brooklyn Bowl  for no fewer than four shows.  It seemed the perfect time to revisit this interview especially as comments made relate to the passage of time.  

A bonus video below offers more bits of the show, which was a toned down affair, and Finn speaking about anxiety and truth themes on Teeth Dreams. It also offers a preview of what may become the next Hold Steady classic Jimmy Got Soup that grew out of a question I asked about the many memorable named characters of Hold Steady songs past.  The chat also includes some kind words about their bandmate Steve Selvidge and the guitar interplay between he and Kubler that emerged in performances and recording.

Expect the Brooklyn Bowl Residency, which starts Wed, November 30, 2016, to be more full on rock shows.  They’ll be especially celebratory as Franz Nicolay has rejoined the band.  Nicolay, who traditionally has the best moustache in rock, will be on hand playing keyboards as he did from 2005 to 2010.

Dweezil Keeps Zappa Flag Flying At Beacon Theatre 10-30-16

I think Frank Zappa would be very proud of what his son Dweezil has done and what he is doing in regards to keeping his music alive on stages around the world.  He plays it with skill and passion and is obviously on a mission to share the genius of  it with as many people as possible.  Despite already having a son’s familiarity with Frank’s work, about thirteen years ago, Dweezil threw himself completely into the study of his Dad‘s catalog.   He spent two years preparing before putting a band together. The group that emerged has distinguished themselves by displaying love and devotion for the myriad forms of music composed by Frank Zappa.  

For about a decade, the outfit went under the banner of Zappa Plays Zappa until unfortunate events forced a name change.  The Zappa Family Trust, led by Dweezil’s younger siblings Ahmet and Diva, served him with a cease and desist order!  This is the impetus for the billing of the current tour: Dweezil Zappa Plays Whatever The Fuck He Wants/50 Years of Frank!   Frank Zappa’s first album, Freak Out, did indeed come out fifty years ago in 1966 and the band is celebrating the anniversary by including a handful of selections from it.  

The mystifying attitude the Zappa Family Trust has evidenced towards Dweezil takes the shine off the apple of the current reissue project as the trust is overseeing the releases.  Still, all family members and fans perhaps can agree that shiny remastered versions of Frank’s albums on wax and CD is a beautiful thing.  Just last week, three more albums came out: Meat Light is a deluxe expanded edition of 1969’s Uncle Meat, Chicago ’78 is a concert captured in the city and year that the title suggests, and Little Dots is a sequel to Imaginary Diseases, featuring additional selections captured on the 1972 Petit Wazoo tour in which Frank led a 10-piece horn-heavy crew.

Here’s some bonus bits with Dweezil including his recommendations on where to dig into his old man’s body of work as well as news of a fresh outrage that could legally prevent him from using his last name…

Donovan & Brian Wilson Celebrate Fifty Year Anniversaries – Sunshine Superman and Pet Sounds were both released in 1966 and both the Glasgow born troubadour and American genius are marking the landmark releases with tours visiting New York City.

Donovan played Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Thursday September 15th, 2016. Brian Wilson played the Northside Festival at McCarren Park on June 12th, 2016 and returns to New York City on Saturday September 24th for a show at The Beacon.

When Donovan was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame four years ago, it was said that he single-handedly initiated the psychedelic revolution with Sunshine Superman. When we spoke on Thursday, Don agreed he opened the door as “when you look at the lyrics, the sound, the attitude, and the presentation of that album, it does pre-date by a year and a half most of what is called psychedelic music.” My bringing up the word psychedelic spurred a discussion that touched upon music, drugs, and meditation and Donovan recalled how he and The Beatles went to India seeking the ‘purest form’ of meditation to bring it back to the West.

On stage, Donovan shared a number of funny and engaging anecdotes including a songwriting session with Paul McCartney in which Macca played an early version of Eleanor Rigby with the title character named Oliver Tungee! Upon hearing an embryonic version of what turned out to be the B-side of Eleanor Rigby, Donovan contributed the line, “Sky of Blue, Sea of Green…In Our Yellow Submarine.” The scuttlebutt is he’ll be playing a set of Beatles songs when he accepts the John Lennon Real Love Award in December. In another aside, he revealed he wrote There Is A Mountain on a trip to the Caribbean and added an exclamation point of “Rastafari” after playing it. The stories, like the songs, were delivered with affection and the lucky 600 people at Zankel Hall went home delighted. Richard Barone, by the way, was fab helping out on guitar on a couple of tracks including the climactic Sunshine Superman.

As for Brian Wilson, the show in Brooklyn on a cool night in June was an equally memorable affair. The setlist was an embarrassment of riches with the complete Pet Sounds supplemented by a a generous handful of Beach Boys hits that weren’t on the album. Matthew Jardine handled the falsetto parts admirably and it was as transcendent an experience as one would have hoped with the kind of immortal material that was presented. With the acoustics of The Beacon enhancing the experience next Saturday, Broadway and 74th will definitely be the place to be. A memoir is coming next month from the man called I Am Brian Wilson!