Barclay James Harvest-Once Again

Music Reviews: Barclay James Harvest, Willie Nelson, Kendra Morris, Frank Zappa, and Jourdan Thibodeaux

Barclay James Harvest, the British progressive rock outfit, delivered some of its most innovative and accessible work on Once Again. An FM radio and dorm-room favorite when it first appeared in 1971, it has just been reissued as a deluxe box set. Like the group’s other early albums, this sophomore release incorporates a full orchestra […]

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The Songs of Bacharach & Costello

Music Reviews: Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, plus Memphis Slim, New Earth Farmers, and an Anthology of Seminal Folk

The great songwriter Burt Bacharach, who teamed up most famously with lyricist Hal David, also worked for nearly three decades with Elvis Costello. That pairing may at first seem as unlikely as the one between Robert Plant and Alison Krause or the Christmas medley recorded by Bing Crosby and David Bowie. Take a close look […]

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Del Shannon

Music Reviews: ‘Stranger in Town: A Del Shannon Compendium,’ plus Iris DeMent, the Church, and Furry Lewis

Germany’s Bear Family label often outshines all the competition with its gargantuan, career-spanning box sets. Not when it comes to rocker Del Shannon, however. Granted, that company’s eight-CD Shannon anthology, Home and Away, isn’t exactly insubstantial. But that 2005 collection covers nothing released after 1970, and its list of 226 selections falls short of what […]

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Dexys Midnight Runners - Too-Rye-Ay

Music Reviews: Dexys Midnight Runners, plus Jethro Tull and an Eric Andersen Tribute

Dexys’ Do-over Kevin Rowland’s overlooked 1999 album, My Beauty, got a deserved second chance with its 2020 rerelease. Now Too-Rye-Ay, the sophomore LP from Rowland’s band, Dexys Midnight Runners, is getting another shot in the spotlight as well, thanks to a recently issued three-CD 40th-anniversary edition. Unlike My Beauty, Too-Rye-Ay didn’t go unnoticed when it […]

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Carly SImon-Grand Central

Music & Film Reviews: Carly Simon ‘Live at Grand Central,’ plus Iggy & the Stooges, R&B from the 1940s, and Robert Forster

Carly’s Surprise The most you can usually hope for when you walk into New York City’s Grand Central Station is that your train will be on time, but travelers on April 2, 1995, got something more: a surprise concert by Carly Simon. The show—the first live performance in 14 years for the performer, who suffers […]

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Bob Weir -Ace

Music Reviews: Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, the Impressions with Jerry Butler, Orchestra Gold, & Howdy Glenn

Bob Weir, the Impressions with Jerry Butler, Orchestra Gold, & Howdy Glenn “Hey, That Sounds Like a Dead Album” Though Bob Weir’s name is on the cover, 1972’s Ace sounds like a Grateful Dead album because…well, that’s what it is. True, Weir provided all the lead vocals for the record, which was ostensibly his solo […]

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