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Posts By: Steve Crawford
The Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Band Of All Time: The Velvet Underground
Hopefully, a few lives have been saved by rock ‘n’ roll in the process
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands #2: The Beach Boys
There are a small handful of true geniuses that have worked in the field of pop music and Brian Wilson is one of them.
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands #3: Parliament/Funkadelic
In the P-Funk universe, the drugs flow continuously, the dancing never stops, and Saturday night never ends.
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands #4: The E Street Band
“I told a story with the E Street Band that was, and is, bigger than I ever could have told on my own.”
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands #5: The Replacements
It took very little for the always combustible parts of the band to explode in chaotic directions.
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, #10 – #5
HEY HO, LET’S GO DOWN
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part VIII – #20 to #11
On this leg of our voyage – mock executions, cross dressing, kicking out the jams.
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part VII – #31 to #21
Things to enjoy in this segment – peanut butter, Tokyo, serial murderers, peaches
Trouble Boys: The Story of the Replacements, Bob Mehr – Book Review
If you loved The Replacements, no explanation is necessary
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part VI – #44 to #33
On this part of our journey – acid, burritos, brothels, lobster.
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part V – #55 to 45
the punk rock Cher
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part IV – #65 to 56
There were several dysfunctional relationships within the band, leading to their breakup in 1969
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part III #75 – # 66
We take a stroll through “Paradise City,” where the grass is green and the girls are pretty
AC/DC, American Airlines Center, Dallas, Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016 – Reviewed
Selling arena rock nostalgia by peddling volume over quality
The 100 Greatest American Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part II (#90 – #76)
Susanna Hoffs is just always nice to have around.
Barry Manilow, American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, Thursday, February 18th, 2016 Reviewed
Barry Manilow in 2016 is no more and no less embarrassing now than he was in 1975
America’s Greatest 100 Rock ‘n’ Roll Bands, Part 1(#100 – #91)
When it comes to popular music, individual mileage always varies
Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music, John Fogerty, Reviewed
Fogerty comes across as a good hearted, high strung perfectionist who is happier catching fish than writing music
Chris Maxwell’s Arkansas Summer Reviewed
It’s a slow, Beatles influenced number about family dynamics
Petty: The Biography, Warren Zanes – Book Review
The majority of the book alternates between a discussion of Petty’s career, issues within the band, and Petty’s personal life
Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock ‘n’ Roll, Peter Guralnick – Book Review
Guralnick has given his audience an invaluable history lesson and resource
My Top 40 of 2015
Without further ado
Kinky Friedman Birthday Bash, River Ranch Stockyards, Thursday, December 10th, 2015 Reviewed
I wasn’t sure if I was attending a concert, a pledge drive, or a geriatric redneck drunken party. It’s the day after and I’m still not sure what it was
Elvis Costello, “Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink” – Book Review
My ultimate take away is in his songwriting, as in this book, Costello doesn’t have the self-discipline to harness his enormous talents into consistent greatness
Cheap Trick At The Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas, Saturday, November 7th, 2015, Reviewed
Whether it is due to the group being revitalized with the stature nod of being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or whether the bad karma about removing Bun E. Carlos has subsided, they put on a terrific show
Los Lobos: Dream in Blue by Chris Morris – Book Review
Morris deftly chronicles the band’s recording career, more often than not letting the musicians (and producers) provide the historical perspective. He makes no grand pronouncements and indulges in no hyperbole. He is as equally generous in complimenting their successes as he is direct in addressing their failures
Ray Wylie Hubbard ‘s “a life…well, lived” Reviewed
At some level, Hubbard almost works like a magician; he’s a guy who seems to have a perpetual ace in the hole.
Comin’ Right at Ya: How a Jewish Yankee Hippie Went Country, or, the Often Outrageous History of Asleep at the Wheel by Ray Benson – Book Review
He ultimately found that his real love was traditional country music, performed for working class people, and went to rural West Virginia to form a band and live off the land (those were free spirited times). The band had a regular gig in Paw Paw
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominations for 2016
If you are in the business of selling blood pressure medicine, you probably discuss the inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as often as possible. Just last week a complete stranger growled at me, while waiting in line to see The Zombies, “THEY SHOULD BE IN THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME!” I almost responded with “Are you kidding me?” just to see if the guy’s head would have exploded
The Bottle Rockets “South Broadway Athletic Club” Reviewed
In 2015, The Bottle Rockets have chronicled a maturity that doesn’t sound like a defeat or a compromise; it sounds like an unmitigated triumph.
Weird Al Yankovic, Verizon Theater, Grand Prairie, Texas, Friday, 21 August 2015 Reviewed
Al’s music draws you in because you are often hearing some of the most recognizable hooks and riffs in pop music. His band has the talent to move from hard rock, modern pop, and rap seamlessly and Al never breaks character during the show. There’s no moralizing or social commentary in his material. Silliness reigns supreme.
Grand Opening of the Texas Musicians Museum, July 25th, 2015, Irving, Texas
Museum curator Tom Kreason has worked tirelessly for years to make this a project a reality. Financially, the museum is a partnership with the city of Irving as part of a downtown renovation plan, but the vision, sweat equity, and execution of the myriad details required to make this concept a reality has all been overseen by endless hours of planning, work, and personal sacrifice by Mr. Kreason
Judas Priest, Verizon Theater, Grand Prairie, Texas, Monday 13 July, 2015 – Reviewed
For an old fashioned, pump fisting night of late ‘70s/early ‘80s metal, it’s hard to imagine that few bands have held up as well as the current touring version of Judas Priest. Rob Halford might not look quite as comfortable on the prop motorcycle in 2015 as he did in his youth, but he’s still aged better than most of his competitors
Brian Wilson, Verizon Theater, Grand Prairie, Texas, Wednesday 24th June, 2015, Review
Wilson is a sympathetic figure, even more so do to the recent biopic Love & Mercy, and with his personal tragedies and triumphs, it’s impossible not to root for the man. He was in good spirits on this evening, giving brief song introductions (“This one’s in the key of E,” “Let’s hear the girls yell,” “This one rocks like hell!”) and punching the air for emphasis
The Sonics, The Texas Theater, Dallas, Texas, Saturday, June 13th, 2015, Review
Perhaps, the best pure rock ‘n’ roll experience I have ever witnessed in my life. In 2015, The Sonics may look like a group of insurance agents that should have already collected their gold watches, but they rock with an intensity that few bands could ever match
The Mountain Goats, Kessler Theater, Dallas, Texas, June 8, 2015 Review
I have never travelled too deeply into the Mountain Goats catalogue, but that wasn’t necessary to understand and appreciate what this show was really about. Fundamentally, it was about John Darnielle’s love of performing and an audience that loved him for his unique artistic vision. It was a young crowd filled with hipsters and nerds and perhaps people that fall comfortably into both categories
There Was a Time, When She was Mine… The 25 Greatest Songs of 1982
“Cleaning Windows,” Van Morrison. “Cleaning Windows” is a utopian vision of a perfectly fulfilled life, where the pursuit of money is less important than the physical and soul nourishing activities such as reading Kerouac, listening to Muddy Waters, and eating Paris buns. Van was a working man in his prime when he developed this beautiful vision.
Liz Phair Sings Like A “Canary”, Steve Crawford Sharpens His # 2 Pencil
I was never a risk taker. While other kids were smoking dope, popping pills, discovering the pleasure points of the human body, sniffing gas, and skipping school, I was doing homework assignments and making sure the living room furniture didn’t feel neglected.
30 Essential ‘70’s Songs from the Lone Star State
The following excerpts from Steve Crawford’s book “1000 Essential Songs from the 1970s focuses on Texas born or Texas based artists with entries from Waylon, Willie, Ray Price, ZZ Top, Billy Joe Shaver, the late, great Townes Van Zandt, and many other musicians who were completely comfortable wearing cowboy hats.
Dennis DeYoung, Eisemann Center, Richardson, Texas, Thursday, April 23rd, 2015 Reviewed: Styx And Stones…
The current version of Styx does a much better job of replicating the band’s recorded output than DeYoung’s group, which had a decidedly Vegas sound. Both the guitarists had extended solo turns throughout the night, displaying every cliché in the 1970’s I’m-a-shredding-hot-poop-guitar-hero arsenal. This is a show that someone could enjoy for pure camp for about half an hour, but that’s only 25% of the evening.
25 Philadelphia (or Philly Inspired) Soul Classics from the 1970s
What was the most important and influential U.S. city in terms of 1970’s music? A strong argument could be made for Philadelphia. Producers Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell created a silky soul sound that resulted in a string of hit records early in the decade and the disco beat was popularized by MFSB drummer Earl Young. Listed below are 18 tracks that were Philly creations, then several more inspired by the same sound and production techniques
Twenty Five British Classic Rock Tracks from the 1970s
After the British Invasion took America by storm in 1964, U.S. radio listeners long remained fascinated with U.K. musicians, who often were simply updating the Delta and Chicago blues traditions with a better sense of style. The U.K. bands represented below range from the traditional hard rock and metal of The Who and Led Zeppelin to the more progressive rock styles of The Moody Blues and Pink Floyd
Twenty Rare Essential Soul Tracks from the 1970s
Their organ/percussion heavy version of “Apache” wasn’t a hit, but was latter dubbed “the national anthem of hip hop” and has been sampled by Missy Elliot, LL Cool J, Moby, Nas, and Grandmaster Flash. Drummer Jim Gordon, who had played with Derek and the Dominoes, was responsible for what would become one of rap music’s most famous beats.
Your Favorite Artist/Band Deserves to Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Please, join my campaign today by liking and sharing this information. Do it for the children and eternally make the world a better, if not less cluttered, place
Lessons in How Not to Run a Business from Dan’s Silverleaf in Denton, Texas
I would have loved to have said a few words to Butch Hancock after the show – about how much his music has meant to me and it was an honor to see him perform, but I felt like I needed to leave quickly to avoid another manufactured confrontation. So, Danny Boy, don’t worry about profiling me in your club again, because I’ll never be back. And, if you don’t like this pic of Butch Hancock that I took during his soundcheck, sue me.
The 25 Greatest Songs of 1981
If your ears were glued to pop radio stations in 1981, you would have been enjoying “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, “Lady” by Kenny Rogers, and “Theme from ‘Greatest American Hero’ (Believe It or Not)” by the handsome and multi-talented Joey Scarbury. Scarbury also recorded “Flashbeagle” for the 1984 Peanuts special It’s Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown, an animated tale about a rogue pooch who was repeatedly arrested for indecent exposure.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Courtyard Theater, Plano, Texas, Thursday, April 2nd, 2015, Reviewed
His specialty is country music heartbreak and folk ballads, but he’s not a one dimensional artist. When he sings about losing his love on “Tonight I Think I’m Gonna Go Downtown,” his emotional loss is so heavy that he not only feels disconnected from his former lover, but from the world is a whole. Such is the man’s gravitas.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe – The Pride of Cotton Plant, Arkansas
Sister Rosetta Tharpe had a complicated relationship with religion – she was born into the business of religion and when she performed secular music, it was always at the risk of alienating her core audience. Late in her life she stated that she wasn’t a “fanatical believer,” although that may have been more of a casual comment than a reflection of her core convictions.
The 25 Greatest Songs of 1980
“Crawford, you are a first rate goldbricker. When will you start earning your keep, you lousy bum?” “Um…hello…is this my mom?” “Funny. Do you know what it means to be a contributing writer to Rock NYC?” “Limited street cred with aging punk rock strippers?” “It means you actually write for us. Alyson Camus sends in more articles in a week than you do in six months.”
