Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys
In the spring of 1966, while the Beach Boys toured Japan, Brian Wilson stayed in Los Angeles and built an album that no longer depended on the beach.
Interview of John Lennon (1975)
John Lennon’s 1975 Tomorrow Show interview with Tom Snyder shows a calmer post-Beatles Lennon talking fame, politics, and fatherhood in New York.
T Rex – 20th Century Boy
T. Rex hit UK number 3 in March 1973 with 20th Century Boy: Tony Visconti credited, Bolan’s riff first, Tokyo basics then English overdubs.
Live or studio: where does an artist’s truth show up?
Sweat and risk on stage, or control and detail on tape?
Billy Idol – The journey of a punk crooner
William Broad co-founded Generation X in 1976, moved to New York in 1981, paired with guitarist Steve Stevens, and turned a calculated British punk persona into a face MTV kept on screen for years.
George Harrison – The quiet Beatle who finally took the lead
After the Beatles split, George Harrison filled Abbey Road leftovers and new songs into All Things Must Pass (1970), then reached the charts on his own.
The Last Waltz
On Thanksgiving 1976 The Band played their farewell at Winterland, filmed by Martin Scorsese with a guest list that covers a wide stretch of American music.
The Doors – Riders on the Storm
The Doors’ Riders on the Storm (L.A. Woman, 1971): Rhodes, rain FX, Morrison whisper overdub, Botnick.
David Bowie – Modern Love
David Bowie’s Modern Love (Let’s Dance, 1983): Nile Rodgers, Power Station, EMI opener single.
Tommy – Double opera that put the band on stage forever
In May 1969, The Who released Tommy, a double rock opera produced by Kit Lambert that turned the band from singles specialists into a long-form act.