The top of the Billboard album chart in the early months of 1969 had something for everybody: the Beatles’ psychedelic flights on the White Album, Glen Campbell’s adult country/pop on…
J.A. Bartlett
102 Articles
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J.A. Bartlett
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I am always happy to accept reader suggestions for this feature, although I think this is the first request I’ve actually fulfilled. Art is supposed to reflect the times in…
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J.A. Bartlett
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Over the years, certain television programs became iconic because of their historical value—the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, Elvis Presley’s 1968 “comeback” special, Nirvana on MTV Unplugged. Others have…
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J.A. Bartlett
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We love us some Stevie Wonder around here. From his hits off the Motown production line in the 60s to his groundbreaking solo work in the 70s, writing and playing…
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J.A. Bartlett
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The Beatles, better known as The White Album, hit #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart for the week of December 28, 1968, and spent nine weeks at #1 in…
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J.A. Bartlett
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Forty years ago this fall, Chuck Berry’s career was in renaissance. His last hits of any consequence had come in 1964, but in 1972 he benefited from the ongoing rediscovery…
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J.A. Bartlett
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We reach the end of 1968 riding a wave of all-time rock classics, and we’ll see in 1969 with another, in next week’s installment. This week, however: As one of…
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Louis Armstrong is one of the most important figures in the history of music. Critic Gary Giddins says he “invented modern time.” Kenny G is one of the most polarizing…
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J.A. Bartlett
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Certain albums in this series present a challenge even to a professional gasbag such as I. What can one possibly say about the most legendary albums in the history of…
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J.A. Bartlett
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While the scope and audacity of the September 11 attacks was shocking, that the United States had finally been hit was not. Informed citizens understood that there were people in…
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J.A. Bartlett
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You have undoubtedly heard DJs talking about “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin. When they do that, they’re wrong. It’s properly billed to Big Brother and the Holding Company,…
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J.A. Bartlett
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How many times have I prefaced one of these features by apologizing? I am a Rod Stewart fan, but “Hot Legs” sucks. I love Bob Seger, but I hate “We’ve…
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J.A. Bartlett
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The geographical center of the pop music universe was all over the map during the first decade-and-a-half of the rock era. It began in New York, where the old and…
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J.A. Bartlett
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I beg of you, in the name of all that’s holy, tread carefully with the video embedded below. It will suck out your soul and kill it in front of…
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J.A. Bartlett
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The first two Doors albums, The Doors and Strange Days, were both written at about the same time, and each one is studded with classic songs. In fact, many if…
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J.A. Bartlett
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The best thing about writing World’s Worst Songs is when people disagree. I am under no illusions that my opinion in these matters is definitive, and I don’t mind being…
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J.A. Bartlett
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Certain dates in pop-culture history ring with importance. On February 9, 1964, the Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. On August 16, 1977, Elvis Presley died. Nobody stops to…
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J.A. Bartlett
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OK, this one hurts. But in the grand scheme of things, it was not entirely unpredictable. No artist with a major reputation needs the comprehensive box-set treatment more than Bob…
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J.A. Bartlett
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You don’t hear the phrase “mood music” much anymore. It was often used to refer to the instrumental pop music that rose in favor along with with the popularity of…
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J.A. Bartlett
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I grew up on a farm. The proceeds from a small herd of dairy cows put clothes on our backs and two of us through college. Farming is hard, and…
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J.A. Bartlett
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There was nothing hippie about Simon & Garfunkel, really. Among the general run of late 60s pop stars, they were remarkably straight. That’s not to say they didn’t appeal to…
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J.A. Bartlett
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“Wind Beneath My Wings” expresses a lovely sentiment: “you’re my hero, you’re everything I would like to be, whatever I am capable of doing is because of you.” If anyone…
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J.A. Bartlett
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The year 1968 is one of pop’s most legendary, and to look back on it now is to imagine a continuous stream of genius pouring out of radios and stereos,…
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J.A. Bartlett
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Within the last few weeks, The Mrs. and I have become full-fledged 21st century TV-equipped householders, adding HD and streaming video capability on the flatscreen in the living room. Being…
J.A. Bartlett
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Lots of us—and I am a particularly big offender in this area—have praised Rod Stewart’s early solo work to the skies at the expense of what came later. By the…
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As if there wasn’t enough evidence of the vast gulf between record industry marketing practices of the 1960s and today, consider this: less than six months after releasing an album…
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J.A. Bartlett
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Novelty songs are a chancy proposition for a feature such as this. Many novelties are awful by design, in their attempts to capitalize on a fad or to insinuate themselves…
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In 1967, the album supplanted the single as rock’s preeminent art form. Yet the album that ended 1967 at #1 in Billboard sits astride both sides of that divide. Pisces,…
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When people like me gripe about artists left out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Heart is one of the first bands we mention. As the first superstar…
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I quit buying 45s when I was 13 years old. After that, I considered myself an album consumer, but that sometimes created an economic conundrum: when a cool new song…