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Posts by J.A. Bartlett

Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: The Tragic Life of Florence Ballard

Florence Ballard of the Supremes, From the Cover of the Album "Meet the Supremes"Florence Ballard of the Supremes, From the Cover of the Album "Meet the Supremes"

By | February 22, 2012
The tale of Motown singer Florence Ballard was tailor-made for one of those Behind the Music shows, full of long odds, great songs, and soaring success, with a tragic ending. Read More Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Modern interstates are fast (such as I-10 in Texas, where the speed limit is 80), but travelers miss a lot of the local color once found on highways such as Route 66. (Getty Images/Rick Scibelli)Modern interstates are fast (such as I-10 in Texas, where the speed limit is 80), but travelers miss a lot of the local color once found on highways such as Route 66. (Getty Images/Rick Scibelli)

By | February 21, 2012
Thanks to our system of interstate highways, it's possible to drive from coast to coast without ever hitting a stoplight. But the speed and convenience of the interstates has a price. It's possible to drive from coast to coast without seeing much of… Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: A Day In The Car With The Beatles

From the Label of the British EP "The Beatles' Hits"From the Label of the British EP "The Beatles' Hits"

By | February 20, 2012
For a working musician, playing is a joy. Traveling often is not. I once interviewed an artist who asked me a question before I could ask him one: "Where am I?" He'd gotten on the bus after the previous night's show and gone to sleep without knowing… Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Beach Boys Concert”

The Beach Boys in Concert, 2007 (Getty Images)The Beach Boys in Concert, 2007 (Getty Images)

By | February 20, 2012
The Beach Boys had smashed onto the scene in 1963 with several iconic hits, and they managed to withstand the British Invasion in 1964 with several more: "Fun Fun Fun," "I Get Around," and "Dance Dance Dance" among them. At the end of the year,… Read more »
Rock News

Bubbling Under: Chi Coltrane

Chi Coltrane - "Go Like Elijah" (CBS)Chi Coltrane - "Go Like Elijah" (CBS)

By | February 19, 2012
One of our favorite one-hit wonders is Chi Coltrane, singer/songwriter from my home state of Wisconsin, whose "Thunder and Lightning" is all kinds of awesome. But "Thunder and Lightning" was merely her only Top 40 hit, back there in the fall of 1972.… Read more »
Rock News

Rock Flashback: Doris Troy

Doris Troy - "Ain't That Cute" - BMIDoris Troy - "Ain't That Cute" - BMI

By | February 18, 2012
Soul singer Doris Troy was born in the Bronx. She co-wrote many of her own songs, even her only American hit, "Just One Look." By the end of the 1960s, she had moved to London and scored other hits in the UK, and her fame there led to an… Read more »
World's Worst Songs

World’s Worst Songs: “Mr. Roboto” by Styx

Detail From the Cover of "Kilroy Was Here"Detail From the Cover of "Kilroy Was Here"

By | February 18, 2012
Everybody who loves music also hates music --- certain specific examples of it, anyhow. This feature is about those songs: the World's Worst Songs. … Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: Vickie Jones Is Not Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin Performs in January 2012 (Getty Images/Kris Connor)Aretha Franklin Performs in January 2012 (Getty Images/Kris Connor)

By | February 17, 2012
OK, this is one of the weirdest tales we've come across in a long time. How Weird Is It? Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: David Lee Roth Goes Solo, 1985

David Lee Roth (L) and Eddie Van Halen share the love in 2007. (Getty Images/Michael Buckner)David Lee Roth (L) and Eddie Van Halen share the love in 2007. (Getty Images/Michael Buckner)

By | February 16, 2012
Back in the day, I was no fan of Van Halen. While I recognized Eddie Van Halen's prowess on guitar, I also considered David Lee Roth the luckiest man on Earth to have joined up with a guy who had talent enough for both of them. So when Roth… Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: Michael McDonald

Michael McDonald (Getty Images)Michael McDonald (Getty Images)

By | February 15, 2012
In a 2006 concert review, a writer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel described Michael McDonald's voice as "like a shout in an oak barrel." That's a tremendous description of his highly-recognizable sound. He sang with Steely Dan in the 70s,… Read more »
Never Number One

Never Number One: “Led Zeppelin IV”

Led Zeppeling IV (Atlantic, 1971)Led Zeppeling IV (Atlantic, 1971)

By | February 15, 2012
It seems impossible that one of the most popular albums of all time, one that is discovered by every new generation, one that will probably still be heard in 100 years, never made it to #1 on the American charts. But that was its fate 40 years ago… Read more »
Rock News

Rock Flashback: Heart Songs for Valentine’s Day

To blow a pile of money on your sweetie this Valentine's Day, hire a skywriter. (Getty Images/Gabriel Bouys/AFP)To blow a pile of money on your sweetie this Valentine's Day, hire a skywriter. (Getty Images/Gabriel Bouys/AFP)

By | February 14, 2012
Valentine's Day sent us scurrying to the reference books in search of chart singles containing the word "heart." Here's our special report. Beat It Read more »