Theme for an Imaginary Western

Finally, a record from 1969 that I’ve never heard before! After Cream broke up, Jack Bruce did not go on to match Eric Clapton’s widespread success, nor yet Ginger Baker’s notoriety. He just went along doing his thing in relative obscurity for a small cadre …

That’s the Way Love Is

Transient, short-lived, and doomed to end – that’s the way that love is, according to Marvin Gaye. That’s more often right than wrong, as we all know, but in Gaye’s hands that message actually sounds comforting. Gaye was one of those God-gifted singers who could …

That’s the Story of My Life

I’d like to know what Lou Reed thought the ‘story of his life’ was by the time he reached the end of it. But by that point he was past being able to write songs of such naïve simplicity. It does, of course, always come …

Thank You

No, thank you. Back to safe harbour. Discovering new things is fine, but then you always have to come home to the comfort of Led Zeppelin and the golden fantasy of a time when guitar solos, long hair, and obscenely tight pants made a man. …

Tell All The People

Grandiosity is kind of a lost art. Everybody wants to come off humble and down-to-earth nowadays. Jim Morrison came on like a lounge singer turned apocalyptic messiah, and people took him seriously. The problem with Morrison’s approach, obviously, is that he’s dead. The adage that …

Sweet and Dandy

Sweet and Dandy is a 1969 album by Toots & The Maytals, one of about half a dozen they released before their appearance in The Harder They Come made them world famous in 1972. That movie, with its impeccable selection of original and previously released …

Suspicious Minds

Elvis Presley’s late 60’s comeback drew some mixed responses; hordes of fans loved it, while a few took his ‘sellout’ as a personal affront. His affinity for Las Vegas-style showmanship, gaudy personal style, and business-savvy choice to televise his biggest concerts all felt, to the …

Sun King

You’ve probably never listened to any of the weird Side 2 songs from Abbey Road out of context. The idea was, presumably, that by the time you got around to turning the record over, you’d be tripping your nuts off, and everything would just drift …

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

We can all agree that this is a masterpiece of 60’s/70’s folk rock, and no matter how you feel about the genre, this is one song that dismantles any criticism. There’s something about Crosby, Stills, and Nash that really rubs some people the wrong way, …

The Story of Isaac

As I’ve increasingly noted, Leonard Cohen’s writing is filled with religious references, some very vague and some common. However, Cohen is not given to interpreting ideas literal-mindedly, and a nearly-conventional narrative song like this one is an anomaly in his work. Anyone who has a …