Category Archives: Music

Desert Island Album #9: Warren Zevon

Posted on July 15, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: A photo of the 29-year old Warren Zevon in black suit and unbuttoned white shirt, a dim, noirish image with only an offset stage light providing illumination.The image indicates a bit of Zevon’s past (he was a … Continue reading →

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Desert Island Album #8: Electric Ladyland

Posted on July 8, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: This is a fun one. The above was the cover that Reprise Records chose, a blurry red and yellow headshot of Hendrix. What Jimi wanted to use was the photo below: himself and Experience bandmates Noel Redding … Continue reading →

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Desert Island Album #7: Led Zeppelin IV

Posted on July 1, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: The image of the old man bent beneath the weight of the load of wood on his back is from a 19th Century oil painting Zeppelin singer Robert Plant bought at an antique shop. The painting was … Continue reading →

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Anatomy of a Song: Happiness

Posted on June 24, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

As always, before we get started breaking down the song, listen to it here. Recorded and released as a single in 1999, Happiness is a beloved late-period Elliott Smith song. It’s one of the finer tracks on his 2000 album … Continue reading →

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Anatomy of a Song: Born in the U.S.A.

Posted on June 17, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

Before we get started with Born in the U.S.A., listen to it–and watch the official music video, which will figure in this discussion–here. The first thing you’ll notice about the sound of the song, the cover of the single, the … Continue reading →

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Desert Island Album #6: Sticky Fingers

Posted on June 10, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: Truly one of the all-time iconic rock ‘n’ roll album covers, the image of a bulging crotch (the natural assumption is it’s Mick Jagger’s, though Warhol claimed it isn’t, and the exact identity of the model has … Continue reading →

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Desert Island Album #5: Rubber Soul

Posted on June 3, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: We see the Fab Four from below, photographed at an off angle that gives them a floating, dreamy kind of appearance, which is accentuated by the flowing script of the album title. The text is reminiscent of … Continue reading →

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On Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison

Posted on May 28, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

I think it’s safe to say that when most people think of The Doors, the image that comes to mind is the wild-haired, deep-voiced Jim Morrison, the lewdly provocative Lizard King. Morrison, no matter what you think of The Doors’ … Continue reading →

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Desert Island Album #4: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Posted on May 20, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: An old-time sort of drawing of a faceless girl waving goodbye to a boy. Behind them is the sea, in which we see several other children either swimming or drowning, depending on your interpretation. The cover was … Continue reading →

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Desert Island Album #3: Elliott Smith

Posted on May 13, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: A bleak, nearly monochromatic image of a couple of figures falling (perhaps having jumped?) from a building. Elliott Smith’s name appears to hover in midair in Smith’s handwritten script, barely legible due to its pale yellow color. … Continue reading →

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