Tag Archives: music

An Album I Love: Wildflowers

Posted on August 19, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

There were two big problems with picking ten records for my Desert Island Albums series: 1) Only ten records! 2) Those posts were really time-consuming to write, as they often approached two-thousand words. There are so many more albums I … Continue reading →

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Concert Review: The Elliott Smith Tribute at the Bowery Ballroom

Posted on August 12, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

Music is probably the topic I write about the most on this blog. I can’t help it; I’m a music geek. I spend a ton of time writing those posts, even though I know they typically get fewer page views … Continue reading →

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The Top 5 Versions of The Weight on YouTube

Posted on August 5, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The Weight is one of the most instantly recognizable songs in all of rock and folk music. Every part of it is distinctive–the acoustic guitar intro, the opening “I pulled into Nazareth” lyric, the descending chord pattern on the chorus, … Continue reading →

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My Top 10 Led Zeppelin Songs

Posted on July 29, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

If there’s one thing my compadre Juan Alvarado likes to do, it’s challenge me to write lists. Fortunately, if there’s one thing I like to do, it’s write lists. Following our competing Top 10 Simpsons Episodes lists, he immediately challenged … Continue reading →

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Desert Island Album #10: Eat a Peach

Posted on July 22, 2013 by fromabrooklynbasement

The album cover: The album cover of Eat a Peach is one of the most famous in rock ‘n’ roll history, though it’s often misinterpreted. Legend has it that the Allman Brothers Band chose the name and artwork because guitarist … Continue reading →

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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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