Guest Power Balladologist: Jeff Vrabel Let it never be said that Warrant didn’t know their way around a metaphor: The cover of their sophomore release Cherry Pie featured a raspberry-lipped…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
The Sharp Things – A Moveable Feast (2007)purchase this album (Bar/None)review by Kenn Scott New York’s The Sharp Things and their new album A Moveable Feast are a little hard…
Jason Hare
6 Min Read
It’s summer and although I should be relaxing, I’m actually ridiculously busy. Either way, that means it’s time for a Mellow Gold repost. Often, I’ll pick a Mellow Gold song…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
If Disco was dead by 1981, no one bothered to tell Canada. When even the Village People had denied Disco and gone New Romantic by that time, Voggue, a studio…
Darren Robbins
2 Min Read
Dear Eddie, As someone who has lived just up the street from you for close to a decade, we’ve crossed paths numerous times and you’ve never been less than completely…
Scott Malchus
2 Min Read
I completed reading Michael Chabon’s brilliant “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” this afternoon. I found myself so attached to the characters of Josef Kavalier, Sam (Sammy) Clay and…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
I had always planned on covering this song, but then David made the following side-splitting comment a few days ago, in reference to Def Leppard’s “Love Bites”: Love this song….
Scott Malchus
8 Min Read
Driving through the Verdugo Mountains, I couldn’t help but grin and crack up. This was the kind of event Matt would have loved to attend, wasted out of his gourd…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Checkpoint Charley – FreeTom Petty – Wake Up TimeGreat Lake Swimmers – Put there by the landGang Starr – Take A RestTeen Machine – Hot MomDavid Cross – Flying on…
Darren Robbins
2 Min Read
The scene: a house party in southern Illinois, summer 1988. With my debut CD’s release date fast approaching, I had driven down from Chicago to shoot a video for the…
Darren Robbins
4 Min Read
(inner sleeve photo from my first solo record, “Darren Robbins Steals Your Girlfriend”)The year was 1986. I was high on life and playing in a little rock band that was…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
The Beatles were my first love, musically. I remember being a young kid and having my uncle play me a copy of “Help!”. I hadn’t even heard of the Beatles…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
Today, I signed a one-year lease on a crappy little apartment in a crappy little part of the San Fernando Valley. No big news, really. The thing is, I came…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
Hey, did you know Sunday, August 12th is Vinyl Record Day? Me neither, until I was invited by the lovely jb over at The Hits Just Keep On Comin’ to…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
DaBlog gives it up for Wayne Shorter and Terence Blanchard, then reviews the new Robben Ford and comes to the defense of the Goo Goo Dolls; AM, Then FM kneels…
The Chartburn Panel
17 Min Read
Mainstream Rock: Men at Work, “Down Under” (1982) John: Forget “Lady Bump” — Kath & Kim need to remake this. Kurt: Ah, the song that introduced the world to the…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Montreal’s Men Without Hats have an unfair reputation as one hit wonders (“Men Without HITS! Har!”), but people tend to forget they had another fair-sized hit in 1987 with “Pop…
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Jeff Giles
4 Min Read
Paul Shaffer – Coast to Coast (1989) purchase this album (Amazon) The following was reproduced, unaltered, from this album’s booklet: Here was the idea: that for one year, every time…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
For a brief period in the ’80s, it was acceptable for a man to wear a headband and red leather pants. This was thanks to Loverboy, the Canadian hardish-rockish band…
Robert Cass
8 Min Read
What were you doing in 1986? If you were a suburban kid with access to a radio or MTV, you were experiencing the dawn of rap as a commercial force…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
Greetings, Videots! CAPTAIN VIDEO! apologizes for running out on you so quickly during our last session together, but we had a bit of a commotion here on the ship’s bridge….
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
There’s plenty of debate as to the “original” power ballad — this Wikipedia entry even traces it back to a Carpenters song! — but when it comes to the ultimate…
Jason Hare
7 Min Read
What, you thought a measly little vacation was going to stop me from providing you with the mellowest music on the face of the planet? Au contraire! Player – Baby…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Before Hairspray, the musical…before Hairspray, the movie…Harris Glenn Milstead, aka Divine, aka John Waters’ original muse, was best known for eating dog poop. But we’re not here to talk about…
Jeff Giles
15 Min Read
[Jefito’s Note: His first Idiot’s Guide was a controversial one for many of you — but I loved it, and he wanted to come back for more, so this week,…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
For a time, the power ballad was so prevalent that you almost couldn’t be a rock band and get away without recording one. Even the grizzled ass-kickers in ZZ Top…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
(For more information on the 2 Meter Sessions, see 2 Meter Sessions: Volume One) Buffalo Tom – I’m AllowedShine – ShameG. Love & Special Sauce – Blues MusicJames Taylor –…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
Giant – I’ll See You in My Dreams (1990) Well, this is awkward. What are the odds that a Cassingle Vault entry during Power Ballad Month would wind up being…