Listen Live to WNEW.com
 
 

Posts by J.A. Bartlett

The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Out of Our Heads” by the Rolling Stones

Here's a portion of the "Out of Our Heads" American cover, featuring most of the heads of Keith Richards and Brian Jones, part of Bill Wyman's face, a bit of Charlie Watts' collar, and nothing of Mick Jagger.Here's a portion of the "Out of Our Heads" American cover, featuring most of the heads of Keith Richards and Brian Jones, part of Bill Wyman's face, a bit of Charlie Watts' collar, and nothing of Mick Jagger.

By | March 19, 2012
In the summer of 1965, the Rolling Stones staked their claim as the top rival to the Beatles in the ongoing British Invasion, becoming the first British band other than the Fab Four to hit #1 on the American album chart with Out of Our… Read more »
Bubbling Under

Bubbling Under: Jet Stream’s “All’s Quiet on West 23rd”

"All's Quiet on West 23rd" (Smash Records, 1967)"All's Quiet on West 23rd" (Smash Records, 1967)

By | March 18, 2012
In the summer of 1967, a song called "All Quiet on West 23rd" by Jet Stream bubbled under the Hot 100 for five weeks, eventually peaking at #101. Over the years, it's been said that Jet Stream was a famous band under another name. Who? Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: Elvis Presley’s Graceland

This shot of the front entrance at Graceland was taken in 1985. (Getty Images/Jim Reid/AFP)This shot of the front entrance at Graceland was taken in 1985. (Getty Images/Jim Reid/AFP)

By | March 17, 2012
Fifty-five years ago this spring (some sources say 55 years ago today), Elvis Presley purchased his famous mansion, Graceland, in Memphis. He would die there in 1977, and in 1982, the house was opened as a museum. A few years ago, I paid a visit to… Read more »
World's Worst Songs

World’s Worst Songs: “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith

This is songwriter Diane Warren, who, if she reads this post, will do so while sitting on a pile of money that reaches to the sky. (Getty Images/Valerie Macon/AFP)This is songwriter Diane Warren, who, if she reads this post, will do so while sitting on a pile of money that reaches to the sky. (Getty Images/Valerie Macon/AFP)

By | March 17, 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. Some of us saw this one coming even before it hit the radio. How? Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: “Hey Baby” by Bruce Channel

"Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel (1962)"Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel (1962)

By | March 16, 2012
Some artists make a record so perfect that it ensures they'll be remembered for all time -- or at the very least, that they will deserve to be remembered for all time. Bruce Channel is one of those artists, and "Hey Baby" is his record.Listen… Read more »
Rock News

Rock Flashback: 90 Minutes of “Puppy Love”

Donny Osmond, From the French 45 Release of "Puppy Love."Donny Osmond, From the French 45 Release of "Puppy Love."

By | March 15, 2012
Here's another one of those factoids that proliferates on rock history websites: 40 years ago today, Los Angeles DJ Robert W. Morgan played Donny Osmond's song "Puppy Love" nonstop for 90 minutes, causing listeners to call the police. We're always… Read more »
Rock News

Rock Flashback: Bob Seger in the ’90s and ’00s

Bob Seger, 2011 (Getty Images/Scott Legato)Bob Seger, 2011 (Getty Images/Scott Legato)

By | March 14, 2012
Twenty-five years ago this week, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, almost exactly a decade after Seger's breakthrough album, Night Moves. That anniversary is excuse enough for us to consider the… Read more »
Rock News

Never Number One: Fats Domino

Fats Domino, seen here in 2007, celebrated his 84th birthday last month. (Getty Images/Paul J. Richards/AFP)Fats Domino, seen here in 2007, celebrated his 84th birthday last month. (Getty Images/Paul J. Richards/AFP)

By | March 14, 2012
He's one of the icons of the 1950s. He charted 68 singles between 1952 and 1968. Surely one thing Fats Domino recorded must have made #1 on the pop chart. Nope. Really? Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: Donna Jean Godchaux

Here's part of the back cover of the 1975 album by Keith and Donna Godchaux of the Grateful Dead.Here's part of the back cover of the 1975 album by Keith and Donna Godchaux of the Grateful Dead.

By | March 13, 2012
The roots and branches of the Grateful Dead spread far and wide. Donna Jean Godchaux, the band's lone female member (from 1972 to 1979), came from interesting places and went to a few later on. Take the Trip Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: Neil Young’s “Harvest”

Every conversation we have over dinner should turn out as well as the one Neil Young had with a record producer during a 1971 trip to Nashville.Every conversation we have over dinner should turn out as well as the one Neil Young had with a record producer during a 1971 trip to Nashville.

By | March 12, 2012
Forty years ago this week, Neil Young's album Harvest hit #1. Widely considered not just his greatest record but one of the greatest of all time, its creation was, like the creation of so many rock classics, a happy accident. How So? Read more »
The #1 Albums

The #1 Albums: “Beatles VI”

It's hard to believe that many people saw these four pleasant-looking guys, as pictured on the cover of "Beatles VI," as a bad influence on American youth.It's hard to believe that many people saw these four pleasant-looking guys, as pictured on the cover of "Beatles VI," as a bad influence on American youth.

By | March 12, 2012
Another Beatles release, another #1 album, yada yada yada. Some people must certainly have felt that way in 1965, but it wasn't Capitol Records, record-store owners, or record buyers. Beatles VI was another patchwork collection compiled for… Read more »
Bubbling Under

Bubbling Under: John Entwistle’s “Too Late the Hero”

This unusual photo shows the necks of several of John Entwistle's guitars before a 2003 auction. (Getty Images/Adrian Dennis/AFP)This unusual photo shows the necks of several of John Entwistle's guitars before a 2003 auction. (Getty Images/Adrian Dennis/AFP)

By | March 11, 2012
Each week, Billboard magazine's "Bubbling Under" chart features singles that rank below its famous Hot 100. Some of rock's most noteworthy performers have appeared on this chart, and each weekend we spotlight one of them. … Read more »
Rock Flashback

Rock Flashback: March 1987

Detail From the Cover of "Licensed to Ill" by the Beastie BoysDetail From the Cover of "Licensed to Ill" by the Beastie Boys

By | March 10, 2012
The 25th anniversary of the release of U2's The Joshua Tree got us thinking about the spring of 1987 and some of the other songs and albums on the radio that March. After the jump, let's look and listen. Tune In Read more »