Imagine you're a musician doing what you love best for what could be the last time. You are dying and you know it. This was Warren Zevon's situation when he recorded THE WIND. Death had to be on his mind every day and it would have been understandable if he had put together and album full of dark ruminations on life and death and lots of weepy, woe-is-me dirges. But this is Warren Zevon, a man with a wicked sense of humor and someone who loved life more than he ever feared death. THE WIND is at once remarkable and typical Warren.
THE WIND does have to be listened to in the context of Warren's death, however. It gives his cover of "Knockin on Heaven's Door" a depth and weight that Dylan… Read more
R.E.M., a band that once said they didn't like greatest hits (or, here, "Best Of") albums, now officially have two: EPONYMOUS, which covered the band's work on IRS records, and IN TIME, which focuses on the band's (first) 15 years on Warner Brothers. While the title promises "The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003," it's really almost a collection of singles, plus a couple of songs previously available on movie soundtracks and two new songs. Many of the songs I personally consider R.E.M.'s "Best" from this era didn't make the cut, including "Country Feedback," "World Leader Pretend," "Find The River," and "Drive" (although versions… Read more
Sugar shot like a meteor across the musical sky. It burned bright and fast and not many saw it, but the few who did are destined to spend the rest of their days sharing their experience with anyone who will bother to listen. Such was the brief career of Sugar.
After the dynamic COPPER BLUE and the ferocious BEASTER, FILE UNDER: EASY LISTENING was a bit of a letdown. Nevertheless, it still has more than its fair share of classic Sugar songs including the poppy "Your Favorite Thing" (which borrows slightly from My Bloody Valentine's "Blown A Wish"), the singalong "Believe What You're Saying," the dramatic "Explode and Make Up," and the clever… Read more
