“The power of the people is so much stronger than the people in power” – U2, “American Obituary” As often happens, I hit the “publish” button on our latest post about our “favorite rock n roll comebacks,” only to discover that U2 had released a new EP on Ash Wednesday, Days Of Ash EP. I…
*Photo taken by your intrepid blogger includes Dylan’s ‘Time Out Of Mind,’ Neil Young’s ‘Freedom’ and McCartney’s ‘Memory Almost Full’ I think we all love a good comeback story. Our hero faces a setback and battles through it to regain his footing atop the mountain, so to speak. I know the comeback is big in…
While I spent most of February obsessing over 70s bands who sold out in the 80s, the Joe Bonamassa helmed B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, and Beck’s new compilation of rarities, Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime the Black Keys snuck out a new song. I’m not sure how I didn’t catch this earlier? But on February 5th, the Black…
*Image taken from the internet and likely copyrighted Funky troubadour and B&V favorite Beck has released what I can only describe as an “Odds & Sods” collection of previously released tracks under the title Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime. The album’s collection of songs, many of which are cover tunes, are songs that have been released as…
Guitar genius Joe Bonamassa has pulled together a host of musicians to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of blues legend B.B. King with the release of B.B. King’s Blues Summit 100, chalk full of blues guitar power and stars galore. I’ve always loved B.B. King, although I was only honored to see him…
We’re in the dog days of our miserable “winter of discontent,” if I may borrow that phrase from Shakespeare. Cold, grey days that go on seemingly endlessly. Can’t really go outside, everything is still blanketed in dirty, soot-covered snow. Typically this time of year sends me into some deep rock n roll ruminations. Last year…
Lucinda Williams has returned with a spectacular new album, World’s Gone Wrong, and it’s chock full of rocking – and for lack of a better description – socially conscious tracks. There’s nothing as overt as Springsteen’s spot-on new protest tune, “Streets Of Minneapolis.” Instead these tracks are all about every day people and the difficulties life is…
Venerable rock legend and B&V favorite Van Morrison has returned less than a year after the spectacular Remembering Now – which can only be described as a sensational comeback after a few years “in the wilderness” – with Somebody Tried To Sell Me A Bridge. I was wondering how Van had returned so quickly with a new…
Last night, while the Rock Chick and I were watching the Australian Open, venerable soul-legend Al Green dropped a 4-song EP entitled Everybody Hurts. The four songs are all cover songs – and admittedly we’ve heard some version of two of them before – from The Bee Gees, R.E.M., Lou Reed solo, and Lou Reed with the…
One of our favorite bands here at B&V, the Cult, have released a brand new 16-track live album Paradise Live under their earlier moniker, Death Cult. The Cult began their career when lead singer Ian Astbury formed Southern Death Cult. By the time shredding lead guitar player Billy Duffy joined they decided to drop the “Southern”…