A real good week this week. Two singles into the new Ciara, I like Justin Timberlake a lot but MAYBE he is spreading himself a bit thin -still “Love, Sex, Magic” is a pretty good dance track and “Never Ever” -with Young Jeezy is somewhat awesome… This is almost as good as Beyonce though the…

Legend has it Lennon and Ono spent their first night together working on avant-Garde music before making love. The result was three albums of experimental music and if “the Wedding Album” (it came with free pics of wedding cake -a case of play the sleeve if ever there was one) and “Two Virgins” were inpenetratable,…

Hi Ho Silver Lining -Jeff Beck (Hatton entered the ring with ths b4 Pasqual knocked him out)Fantsay -Mariah Carey and Ol’ Dirty Bastard (forget to mention this oneNo Bed For Beatle John -Yoko Ono (from “Life With the Lions”)Little Furry Things -Dinosaur Jnr. (thank you, Juliana)So Human -Lady Sovereign (Can’t wit to see her Tuesday…

It had been five years -something like 30 in rock star years- and U2 were bac and We -We the world- were all third world nations at the tender mercies of Bono. Kicking off the Grammy’s this year U2 had nothing to prove and a world to save and a not particulalry good song, “Get…

Ol‘ Dirty Bastard, rapper with the posse to beat Wu Tang Clan, is pushing the product. Wu Tan Clan have just released “Forever” and they are closing out Hot 97’s Summer Jam circa 1997 and ODB isn’t having it. “Why are we here?” he ask. “Hot 97 never play us. All they play is pop.”…

In December 1979 the Clash released their magnum opus, “London Calling”, considered by some the greatest rock album of all time, and the highest testament to the rule of punk which had begun all of three years earlier. A snarling, raging, multi-genre, punk, ska, R&B meisterwork that in any other year would have put rock…

Last night I went to see “33 Variations” on Broadway: a new play based upon Beethoven’s 33 variations of a second rate Diabelli waltz. The play was way too busy to be any good but the music was absolutely beautiful. I don’t know my classical all that well so I knew Beethoven for Symphony #…

It is the winter of 81 -maybe February- and I am at the half empty Ritz (now Webster Hall) standing next to my friend John, drummer with Bounce -another greatest band you’ve never heard of, with my mouth agape and my face a mask of terror. The greatest rock band in the world are a…

In 1999 I was at a Labor Day Puerto Rican Music festival produced by Ralph Mercado -this is an all night long coming together of Salsa and Merengue royalty -I’ve seen Celia Cruz here, Tito Puente, this is the cream of Latin Dance. And this night it was a coming out party for Elvis Crespo…

Here’s a story for you: maybe seven years ago I went to see the late great Ike Turner (yes, great, he was a wife beater and a great musician: wrote the first rock song in case you forgot) at the late great Tramps on west 23rd. Pretty good set as well except half way through…

Three was not the charm with Primal Scream, “Zombie Man” is all foot stomping and hand clamping signifying nothing. Three was the charm with Pet Shop Boys, “Did You See Me Coming” is yet another synth-pop confection off “Yes”. When I was a wee slip of a lad I had no time (tight or otherwise)…

Around the fifteen minute mark of “Shakedown Street” the Dead segued into “He’s Gone” -a song Jerry Garcia used to take lead, and the pastoral, countryfied and unique jam of the past hour defined itself: Weir sang “Nothing left to do but smile, smile , smile…” and he was right. In the world of jam…

Sounds don’t make a U-Turn on January 1st so why it should be a year has its own distinct personality is beyond me. If there was a theme to 2008 it was everybody from My Morning Jacket to TV On the Radio -bands who have been around for years- mking not just their most commercial…

On a certain evening last year you might have found me in the cheap seats at MSG, eyes glazed over, fingers on temples, trying desperately to stay awake halfway through R.E.M’s set. They were promoting yet another depressingly bad album “Accelerate” (I only bought three songs off this misnamed product and they were just not…

I know i promised a Juliana Hatfield overview but as I started researching I realised she wrote an autobiography, “When I Grow Up,” last year which I have just downloaded onto my kindle and will give a quick read before I attempt my usual brief to the point of incoherrence think piece. This kindle (my…

Every Tuesday Itune changes my life: I go through the new releases, buy ten to fifteen songs, tuesday evening buy another couple from people’s whose songs I liked and by Saturday decide whether I want to invest in the entire album. So here’s this weeks round up: It is more than possible Pet Shop Boys…

Miley Cyrus is a talented girl, a fine comedienne with a nice voice and some good -and sometimes some great- material. She might be the Marie Osmond of the 00s and she might be more. With a howling pack of tweens and younger girls screaming for blood she appears to be traversing the horrors of…

The back up band was a bit nondescript, the mix was screwed up on the first two songs, she didn’t perform “Alfie” and otherwise Lily was excellent at Roseland last night. I arrived halfway through the opening band’s set and I have one valuable piece of advise for them: CHANGE YOUR NAME. They are a…

Back in the day PJ Harvey could do no wrong: from the insane charged and sexual confusion of her earliest solo work like “Dry” and “Rid Of Me’ to the Jungian wetness of “To Bring Your love To Me” (possibly the best album of 1994) we were right there with her. But then things went…

To paraphrase: hip hops been going down hill ever since Biggie died and by now… wow, if you’d told me five years ago, when the Cash Money crew got blown off stage by Eminem, Snoop, and Dre at Summer Jam, Lil Wayne would be the keeper of the faith idda wondered who shot Jay-Z. Well,…