The 15 Most Popular REBEAT Articles of 2016
Over the past year, we’ve shared our thoughts on the latest releases by our favorite legacy artists, watched some pretty strange and undiscovered freaky flicks, and traveled back in time. We’ve spoken with everyone from real-life cartoon singers and Beatles photographers to dead directors and teen idols.
Although these are the 15 most popular articles over the past 365 days, they’re certainly not exhaustive of what this incredible, hard-working staff has spent countless hours writing. I want to thank this amazing team for another fantastic year, particularly my editorial assistant, Erika White, and our social media maven, Jen Cunningham, for their dedication and hard work. REBEAT wouldn’t exist without the passion of this tireless staff, and they’re the true rockstars of this “blogazine.”
And where would we be without you, our readers? Thank you from all of us for giving us a moment of your day, hanging out with us on Facebook, and tweeting with us.
Without further ado, check out what you dug this year (spoiler: lots of Monkees). See you in 2017!
1) The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For: The New Monkees Single Is Here
For many, the first notes of a brand-new Monkees song come with a lot of emotion: the curiosity of expectation, the trepidation of how it might differ from their catalog, and the pure excitement of hearing something they’ve never heard before. Which, for a band like the Pre-Fab Four, is a pretty big deal…More?
2) Listen to the Band: REBEAT’s Top 10 Monkees Songs
In celebration of the Monkees’ 50th anniversary, we’re counting down our 50 favorite Monkees songs. As you might expect with a band whose catalog is so rich, diverse, and rife with material from the era’s top songwriters, it was a challenge to narrow our list down to only 50, let alone rank them…More?
[Ed. note: Many preceding installments of our Monkees countdown technically ranked in this list, but only this one is included at its proper position.]
3) The 10 Best Songs Written by the Bee Gees – That Became Hits for Other Artists
I probably don’t need any type of introduction to who the Bee Gees were, and suffice it to say that they had more than 30 Top 40 records, nine of which went to #1. That puts them in a pretty exclusive group, up there with the Beatles, Elvis, the Supremes, and a few others — very few others…More?
4) 8 Famous Bands That Scored Smash Hits in 1970 – Then Were Never Heard From Again
Nineteen seventy was not only the year that we stumbled out of the turbulent ’60s and into the more laid-back, soon-to-be-disco-fied ’70s, but also the year that nearly 50 bands made their Top 40 debut — only to later discover that their debut was also to be the last Top 40 hit they’d ever have…More?
5) ALBUM REVIEW: The Monkees, ‘Good Times’
Nearly 50 years after Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork burst onto television sets and radios as a rambunctious group of “insane boys” wielding guitars and sparkling stars in their eyes, they’ve returned with Good Times!…More?
6) 10 Times ‘The Mighty Boosh’ Made Us Laugh About Music
For anyone who has ever watched The Mighty Boosh, the number of pop culture influences scattered through the show is enormous, often alluding to musicians or retro-fashion associated with music. Multiple genres from jazz, glam rock, electro, folk, and pure “classic” rock make their way into the show in affectionate, but hilarious parody…More?
7) The Strange and Tragic Tale of Judee Sill, the ‘Female Brian Wilson’
Once upon a time, a girl ran away as a teen to join a band of bandits, got caught holding up liquor stores, was sent to reform school, became hooked on drugs, turned to prostitution, had a revelation in jail to become a singer-songwriter, released two extraordinary albums before losing it all, and died alone at just 35 of a drug overdose in relative obscurity…More?
8) LIVE REVIEW: Peter Noone in Conversation With Micky Dolenz, Westbury, NY (1/07/2016)
“Don’t get me drunk, pissed off, and armed,” Micky Dolenz says, barely five minutes into his conversation with Peter Noone. And we know we’re in for one hell of an evening…More?
9) It Was 50 Years Ago Today: “Sunny Afternoon” by The Kinks
In 1966, it looked like the Kinks — one of the most promising British rock bands of the era — might be over. Frontman and chief songwriter Ray Davies had suffered a nervous breakdown, and was spending his days at home with his wife and newborn daughter. “I had achieved everything I had set out to do creatively and I was 22 years old,” he later wrote…More?
10) The Story Behind: The O’Kaysions, “Girl Watcher”
The O’Kaysions started in Wilson, North Carolina, in the ’60s as the Kays, though by 1968 Donnie Weaver, Wayne Pittman, Ron Turner, Jim Spiedel, Jimmy Hinnant, and Bruce Joyner had changed their name to the O’Kaysions because “in order to play in the clubs up north, you had to become a union member,” Pittman said…More?
11) 9 Iconic ‘Willy Wonka’ Quotes and Their Little-Known Origins
The news of Gene Wilder’s death earlier this week came as a surprise to his fans around the world. Many people instantly recalled his illustrious film career, including leading roles in landmark comedies like The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Blazing Saddles. But for many of us, he’ll always be the titular candy man in 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory…More?
12) 10 More #1 Songs of the ’60s You’ve Likely Never Heard
These bands who can claim a #1 to their legacy deserve another moment in the spotlight, and their records deserve another listen…More?
13) 9 Myths About John Lennon (And the Far More Interesting Truths)
Over the past 50-some odd years, many biographers have “retouched” the portrait of John Lennon’s life, daubing in color here and there, making his biography more appealing, so they seem to think. But as Mark Twain once said, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” And this is quite true in John’s case…More?
14) 10 Unforgettable Debut Albums From 1966
Here’s a look at 10 debut albums 1966 brought us, all well worth a home in your record collection…More?
15) The Fallen Temptation: The Tragedy of David Ruffin
In an era filled with great singers, Ruffin was special; he could convey emotions like few others and embodied angst, precision, and cogency. When he left the Temptations for a solo career, it was believed that he’d become one of music’s biggest stars. It didn’t quite happen that way…http://www.rebeatmag.com/the-fallen-temptation-the-tragedy-of-david-ruffin/More?
What were your favorite REBEAT articles of 2016? Let us know in the comments!
