AJOBO: 10 Stories You Loved Last Week
This is the first official AJOBO of 2015, so should I say, “Welcome to the future”? Nah. I took some time off to recuperate from the holidays, traveling, and general busy-ness last week, and to also put some thought into the grand ~purpose of this column. Obviously, I’m here to entertain, but as editor, I also like to keep you, the reader, informed of what’s up at REBEAT and what’s brewing behind the scenes.
In that spirit, I’m going to start featuring some of our past articles from time to time, starting with five that our visitors couldn’t get enough of last week. Of course, your weekly menu of upcoming stories will never go away and will always be featured at the end of every AJOBO. So, without, further ado, here’s what was popular on REBEAT last week:
1) 12 Censored, Altered, and Banned Album Covers from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s
The rock ‘n’ roll milieu is littered with dozens of album covers that, through the years, have featured pictures that were deemed inappropriate for one reason or another… More?
2) An Ode to Bobbie Gentry at 70
In May 1981, Bobbie Gentry was one of many guest stars on the NBC special “An All-Star Salute To Mother’s Day.” She sang just one song: a touching rendition of the Broadway tune “Mama, A Rainbow,” dedicated to her own mother in the audience. What no one knew at the time was that this would be her last onstage appearance ever… More?
3) BOOK REVIEW: ‘The Fender Archives’ by Tom Wheeler
Tom Wheeler’s new book, The Fender Archives, out now from Hal Leonard, provides a fun and detailed look into one of the world’s leading guitar companies… More?
4) LIVE REVIEW: Tony Visconti at City Winery, NYC (1/3/2015)
Featuring a diverse showcase of singers and musicians, the show was a celebration of Visconti’s contribution to rock music from the ’60s to the present, as well as a loving tribute to the artists whose songs were featured in the show… More?
5) FILM REVIEW: ‘Big Eyes’
Tim Burton’s filmmaking is often as polarizing as the artwork that’s the subject of his latest movie; you either love it or you hate it. Fortunately for Burton non-fans, Big Eyes is his least strange movie to date… More?
6) Oh, What a Life: The Four Seasons’ Gerry Polci, Lee Shapiro with Larry Gates
You might not know the names, but you know the sound. It’s high time you knew both… More?
7) Staff Picks: 8 Mondegreens You Can’t Unhear
Even the most hardcore music fans have had close encounters with “mondegreens,” defined simply as a misheard lyric. Here are seven of our choice mondegreens… More?
8) 10 Criminally Underrated Beatles Songs
While these lists are purely subjective, I feel that underrated Beatles songs are those that typically didn’t crack the top 10 music charts and are often overlooked on radio station playlists… More?
9) ALBUM REVIEW: The Kinks, ‘The Essential Kinks’ and ‘Muswell Hillbillies (Legacy Edition)’
Legacy Recordings/Sony Music Entertainment has recently released two new CDs featuring those enigmatic North London lads they’re perfect for you or any Kinks-fan you might know… More?
10) What Keeps Billy J. Kramer Satisfied
Plucked from the same incubator as the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Searchers, and others, Billy J. Kramer, along with his Dakotas, quickly became a household name in England and, later, America during the first wave of the British Invasion… More?
This Week on REBEAT!
– As a third of the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter Yarrow toured for decades alongside his bandmates and helped cement not only musical movements, but support political and social issues as well. This week, we’ll chat with him in a special two-part interview.
– Known best for her songwriting, often with her husband, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil can now add a new line to her illustrious resume: YA author. Carey Farrell reviews Weil’s first novel, a mystery entitled I’m Glad I Did.
– When one thinks about Beatlemania, New York or England come to mind. But in a feature from our new contributor, Sarah Stacey, we’ll take a deeper look at the Fab Four’s Irish connections and significant Beatles sites in Dublin.
