By Don Jacobson

Once upon a time, Jerry Jeff Walker ushered in the spirit of a musical movement with the cry, “Up against the wall, redneck mother!” And all the cool kids in the South, indeed the whole country, responded to this satire of hippie-bashers by getting rip-roaring drunk, lighting one up, and buying the album Viva Terlingua! by the hundreds of thousands, securing Jerry Jeff’s place in the world of cosmic country music.
Nowadays, though, it seems Walker is the one doing the bashing.

Read More

Posted on November 29, 2006

By Mick Dumke

At one time, “Lady Marmalade” was unquestionably one of the great tracks from the ’70s: a sexy, four-minute funk party with a hot streetwalker whose lovers just can’t stop thinking about her or her come-on line: “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?” But if you actually really listen to “Lady Marmalade,” you’ll sense that this character and her story are also fleeting and sad.

Read More

Posted on November 27, 2006

By Don Jacobson

In this edition:
Little Ole Wine Drinker Me / Dean Martin
The Woman Downstairs / Handsome Family
Even though Dean Martin never lived here, he and Chicago really go together. It probably comes from the fact that Dino spent so many nights here in the ’50s and ’60s playing gigs in mob-owned nightclubs, ostensibly paying back his early-career gambling debts.

Read More

Posted on November 16, 2006

By The Beachwood Playlist Affairs Desk

“The way Men’s Journal editors see it, a road trip isn’t really a road trip without the perfect soundtrack. That’s why they selected the 25 greatest traveling songs from eMusic’s massive catalogue of hits.”
– Special advertising promotion, Men’s Journal
1. On The Road Again/Willie Nelson
2. To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)/Ryan Adams
3. Sun Is Shining/Bob Marley

Read More

Posted on November 8, 2006

By Don Jacobson

Mmmmm, Stony Brook. I know it’s probably just another crappy-ass town on Long Island, but the name sounds so cool. Like there’s a bunch of folks hanging out down by this beautiful babbling brook who are, well, getting stonyed. And they all gather ’round to listen to their fine local non-commercial radio station, WUSB-FM – also known as Radio Free Long Island – especially on Tuesday nights, when the Tuesday Night Rock and Roll Dance Party is on the air. As Gene Vincent sings about pink Thunderbirds, they start dancing across the stones, deftly avoiding the rushing water below. In my mind’s eye, it’s truly an inspiring sight. Three hours later, the dancers are still high and dry, yet drenched in the sounds of garage rock at its best.

Read More

Posted on November 3, 2006