Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. Now also available online.
907 articles
List of articles in the library
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 12 March 1966
Martha and Vandellas True to Motown Sound ...
The Rising Sons: Rising Sons Sing Blue Tunes
Profile by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 18 March 1966
THEY RADIATE a complete spectrum of Pop haberdashery — odd vests, coats of varying cuts, one or two neckties, assorted shirts and a miscellany of ...
Otis Redding, the Rising Sons: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 April 1966
Otis Redding's Southern-Style Blues Band Lets Off Steam ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 1966
Rivers Returns to Discotheque for Another Spin at Vocalizing ...
Profile and Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 1966
"A WOMAN'S place is in the stove," Roger Miller drawled over the babble of four housewives sitting behind him in a plush Encino restaurant. ...
Clifton Chenier, Bob Dylan, Bert Kaempfert: Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (Columbia C2L 41 028 841)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 1966
Playboy Hops on Dylan Bandwagon ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 1966
POPULAR RECORDS: PASS ASPIRIN, PLEASE ...
The Temptations, Band of Gold: The Trip, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 6 August 1966
Rock Group Packs 'Em In at Trip ...
The Beatles: Revolver (Capitol ST-2576/T-2576)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1966
New Beatles Album Best Yet ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 28 August 1966
THIS SUMMER may rank along with most Christmases for the number of seasonal records it has produced — every radio station's hit list is loaded ...
James Brown: Brown Arrives in His Own Style
Report and Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 15 September 1966
JAMES BROWN, who will appear at the Hollywood Bowl for a concert Friday night, has built up a 10-year momentum which catapulted him out of ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 25 September 1966
Monkees Ape Their Betters ...
Simon & Garfunkel: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (Columbia CS-9363, CL 2563)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 20 November 1966
S and G Sing of Sly Sociology ...
The Temptations: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 1 April 1967
THE TEMPTATIONS, who probably are the best rhythm 'n' blues performing act of the '60s, are pulling in crowds to the Whisky a Go Go ...
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Seeds: Popular Records: Dirt Band and Seeds Sprout Hits
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 April 1967
TWO LOCAL groups straddling different sectors of pop music, each of which ripened amid the musical upheaval of the past year, have emerged from months ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 15 April 1967
Blues Singers Make Comeback ...
Profile and Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 19 April 1967
LOU ADLER, one of the best known and most respected record producers, is a defier of stereotypes: ...
The Doors: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 1967
Doors Rattle Hinges at Whisky a Go Go ...
The Flower Children and How They Grow
Essay by Richard Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 1967
Richard Goldstein is a young writer with a special view of the Flower Children and their contribution to modern American culture. He has been called ...
The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Capitol)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 1967
'Hearts' of the Beatles Beat as One on New Disc ...
The Impressions: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 1967
Impressions Win a Warm Welcome ...
Moby Grape, The Monkees: The Monkees: Headquarters (Colgems); Moby Grape: Moby Grape (Columbia)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 1967
Monkees Upgrade Album Quality ...
Report by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 1967
MONTEREY — Thirty thousand people swelled the city of Monterey over the weekend for the first International Festival of Pop Music, held in the outdoor ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 1967
Two Pop Groups in Los Angeles Debuts ...
Paul Revere & The Raiders: Revere's Raiders Attack the Treasury
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 1967
YOU CAN'T identify Paul Revere and the Raiders without a program and to get a program you have to buy it from Paul Revere, the ...
James Brown: the Royal Tahitian, Ontario CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 1967
JAMES BROWN has sustained 12 years of rock solid solid rock popularity, carving his career scream by scream, frantic performance after frantic performance, building a ...
Simon & Garfunkel: Snap, Crackle, Pop World of Simon and Garfunkel
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1967
"I WAS NOT prepared for success. My image of myself was not that of a teen star, a Monkees type of scene. I felt very ...
Simon & Garfunkel: Snap, Crackle, Pop World of Simon and Garfunkel
Profile and Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1967
"I WAS NOT prepared for success. My image of myself was not that of a teen star, a Monkees type of scene. I felt very ...
The Beatles, The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane: Pills and Pop Music: A Psychedelicate Subject
Comment by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 1967
One pill makes you larger And one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all." ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 22 August 1967
Bill Cosby Begins Career as Singer ...
Report and Interview by Richard Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 27 August 1967
HIS DESK looks impressive. A clean blotter is piled high with correspondence. A vertical file bulges with memos. A calendar and a trash can are ...
Taj Mahal, Steve Mann: Ash Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 September 1967
Taj Mahal Back With Blue Flames Band ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 10 September 1967
New Album From Bobbie Gentry ...
Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes: A&M Records Tooting Its Own Horn
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 29 September 1967
ON A 2.3-ACRE lot near the corner of La Brea and Sunset in Hollywood sits one of the most successful record companies in the country, ...
Jefferson Airplane: After Bathing at Baxter's (RCA)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 27 November 1967
Airplane Album to Be Released Friday ...
The Rolling Stones: Their Satanic Majesties Request (London)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 3 December 1967
Can't Tell an Album by Its Cover ...
Blue Cheer, Them: Whisky A Go Go
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 9 December 1967
THEM, THAT is, a group called Them, and the Blue Cheer are the current attraction at the Whisky A Go Go, where they will play ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 10 December 1967
Beatles Back With Another LP ...
The Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks: Van Dyke Parks: Pop Music's Pilot Through the Aesthetic Shoals
Profile and Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 10 December 1967
WHAT FOLLOWS is an exorbitant number of words about and from an insignificant recording artist named Van Dyke Parks. He is insignificant at the moment, ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 17 December 1967
Biggest Happening in Album Covers ...
Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Paul Revere & The Raiders: Dick Clark: Packager of Pop
Profile and Interview by Richard Goldstein, Los Angeles Times, 7 January 1968
Though the folk-rock era ended his pop music dictatorship, there are signs Dick Clark is inching his way toward the center of the scene again. ...
Taj Mahal: Taj Mahal (Columbia)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 4 February 1968
TAJ MAHAL, a talented blues singer who has kicked around Los Angeles for several years as a soloist and a member of the now-dead Rising ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 13 February 1968
Boston Sound at Cheetah Nightclub ...
The Beach Boys, Taj Mahal: How Goes It Underground?
Report and Interview by Tom Nolan, Los Angeles Times, 18 February 1968
IT WAS A big day for me, for I had just met Andrew Oldham, the brains behind the Stones. He was very thin and he ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 25 February 1968
Love's Third Album Out on Elektra ...
Jefferson Airplane: Up, Up and Away With the Jefferson Airplane
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 25 February 1968
How old are the people in the group? Grace: Oldest group in the country. Spencer: Between 25 and 30. Manager: Between 23 ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 3 March 1968
Aretha Just Keeps Rolling Along ...
T-Bone Walker: Schoenberg Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 12 March 1968
T-BONE WALKER, the Texas bluesman who composed 'Stormy Monday', treated a fair-sized crowd to an extended set of modern and traditional music for the second ...
Nina Simone: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 14 March 1968
ONE OF Nina Simone's songs contains the line "He'll find her waiting like a lonesome queen." Though she is accompanied by a quartet and though ...
Spirit: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 16 March 1968
FIVE COMPATIBLE first-rate musicians do not necessarily make a first-rate group, nor does excellent music always make excellent entertainment. ...
Dr. John, Tiny Tim: Albums from Tiny Tim and Dr. John
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 17 March 1968
Bless You, Tiny Tim ...
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 1968
AT THE AGE of 9, Jim Webb took up the organ, a utilitarian move since his father was (and is) a Baptist minister in Oklahoma ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 25 March 1968
Rock Club Opens in Hollywood ...
Solomon Burke, Laura Nyro: Laura Nyro: Eli and the 13th Confession (Columbia)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 7 April 1968
Laura Nyro Makes a Change ...
The Collectors, The Fugs: The Fugs, the Collectors: The Cheetah, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 22 April 1968
ABOUT 20 people walked out on their first set. The remainder of the audience — about 500 Friday night — tittered as the Fugs preached ...
The Byrds, Penny Nichols: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 27 April 1968
'New' Byrds Make Bow at Troubadour ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 1968
Springfield Plays Farewell Concert ...
The Nazz, Red Beans & Rice (US): The Nazz, Red Beans & Rice: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 1968
Two Rock Groups at Whisky a Go Go ...
Joni Mitchell: the Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 1968
Canadian Singer in U.S. Debut ...
Cream: Wheels of Fire (Atco SD 2-700)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 1968
Cream Rises to Top ...
David Ackles, Cream, Aretha Franklin: Albums from Cream, David Ackles and Aretha Franklin
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 1968
Second Thoughts on Cream Album ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 1968
THE DOORS' concert at the Hollywood Bowl Friday night should have been an exciting event, the high point of the career of a local rock ...
Harry Nilsson: Nilsson: Aerial Ballet (RCA Victor)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 1968
A Second Helping of Nilsson Songs ...
The Doors: Waiting for the Sun (Elektra EKS- 74024)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 1968
The Doors Find Love ...
The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Vanilla Fudge: A Band by Any Other Name...
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 11 August 1968
SEVERAL WEEKS ago I reviewed an outstanding album titled Music From Big Pink (Capitol SKAO 2955) and identified the group playing as the Band, formerly ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 18 August 1968
Big Brother Album Out ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 26 August 1968
AT THEIR best, wthe Grateful Dead are a wondrous group and they were at their best for a weekend dance concert sponsored by Pinnacle at ...
Steppenwolf: Steppenwolf the Second (Dunhill DS-50037)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 8 September 1968
Steppenwolf's Second ...
Kaleidoscope, Seatrain: the Ash Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 13 September 1968
THE KALEIDOSCOPE is possibly the most underrated rock group in the country, a local group which has been playing for two years waiting for audiences ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 16 September 1968
THE JIMI HENDRIX Experience was too much for the ushers who have managed to confine spectators to their seats during the summer series of rock ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 22 September 1968
Still Undiscovered: Gospel Truth ...
"Mama" Cass Elliot: Mama Cass Will Sing for Her New Kitchen
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 9 October 1968
WHAT'S A poor working girl to do when she needs a new kitchen, one "big enough to sit around in, drink coffee, hang out, you ...
Eric Clapton, Cream: Cream Guitarist a Reluctant Idol
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 13 October 1968
ERIC CLAPTON is a guitarist who has had the misfortune of being nearly deified by rock 'n' roll fans at the age of 23. Clapton ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 27 October 1968
Sun Hasn't Set on British Sound ...
Buffalo Springfield, Neil Young: Neil Young Charts His Own Course
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1968
"MAYBE SOME group will come along and be big, you know, but who cares," Neil Young says in his slow country way. "It's just happened ...
The Asylum Choir, Marc Benno, Leon Russell: The Asylum Choir: A Home Set Up Beats the System
Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 25 November 1968
ROCK ARTISTS have been spending increasing amounts of time in recording studios during the past couple of years. Many contemporary albums now require several months ...
The Beatles: The Beatles (Apple SWBO 101)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 8 December 1968
Another Beatles Winner ...
The Move, English Rock Group, Plays At Whisky
Live Review by John Mendelsohn, Los Angeles Times, 1969
THE FACT THAT England’s The Move, completing an abbreviated booking Sunday night at the Whisky, is unknown to all but the most devoted of anglophile ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 19 January 1969
Second Album for Clearwater ...
Dusty Springfield: Dusty in Memphis (SD 8214)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 February 1969
Down Dusty Music Road to Memphis ...
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin (Atlantic SD8216)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 2 March 1969
Zeppelin: Fresh Sound ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 7 March 1969
SLIM HARPO, a harmonica-playing Southern bluesman, is headlining at the Whisky a Go Go through Sunday with the Illinois Speed Press, a hard rock quintet ...
Crazy Horse, Neil Young: Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 13 March 1969
Neil Young Featured in Show at Troubadour ...
Taj Mahal: The Natch'l Blues (Columbia CS 9698)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 23 March 1969
Monumental Album From Taj ...
Albert Collins: The Ash Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 28 March 1969
ALBERT COLLINS, appearing at the Ash Grove through this weekend, is an electric Texas bluesman who appears destined, for — and deserves — the kind ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 17 April 1969
Spirit, Procol Play Concerts ...
Delaney & Bonnie: Delaney and Bonnie: The Original Delaney and Bonnie (Elektra EKS 74039)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 20 April 1969
Debut Album for Duo ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 22 April 1969
In Southland Concerts, Creedence and Ellis Perform ...
Deep Purple, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Sanpaku: Rose Palace, Pasadena CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 24 April 1969
Rock Shows Held at Pasadena Rose Palace ...
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 29 April 1969
THE JIMI Hendrix Experience was an unpleasant one at the Forum in Inglewood Saturday night. ...
Spirit, West, The Youngbloods: Spirit, the Youngbloods, West, Blue Morning: Rose Palace, Pasadena CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 29 April 1969
SPIRIT, THE Youngbloods, West and Blue Morning appeared in rock concerts at the Pasadena Rose Palace Friday and Saturday nights. ...
Joe Cocker: With a Little Help From My Friends (A&M SP 4182)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 1969
Singer Has Help From Ray Charles ...
Wild Man Fischer: An Evening With Wild Man Fischer (Bizarre 6332)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 1969
A RATHER unusual album froze me between my loudspeakers one late night last week and, though I am not sure it is entertainment and would ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 1969
Rock Show Staged at Pasadena Rose Palace ...
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 1969
Bettye Swann's "Soul" ...
Van Morrison: Astral Weeks (Warner Bros. 1778)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 1969
VAN MORRISON is one of the rock vocalists. He was lead singer and primary writer for Them during their 'Gloria', 'Baby Please Don't Go', 'Here ...
The Byrds, Albert King: Rose Palace, Pasadena CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 1969
Byrds in Spotlight at Pasadena Rose Palace ...
Lee Michaels, Big Mama Thornton: Rose Palace, Pasadena CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 1969
Rock Show Given at Pasadena Rose Palace ...
Brewer and Shipley, Laura Nyro: Laura Nyro, Brewer & Shipley: the Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 1969
LAURA NYRO reminded me that she is my favorite female singer Thursday night at the Troubadour, where she will appear through Sunday for two reserved-seat ...
Elvis Presley: From Elvis in Memphis (RCA LSP-4155)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 1969
Voice Saves Elvis in Memphis ...
Love: Rose Palace, Pasadena CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 1969
Love Group Plays at Pasadena Rose Palace ...
Joe Cocker, The Sons of Champlin: Joe Cocker, Grease Band: Rose Palace, Pasadena CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 1969
JOE COCKER and the Grease Band proved the most exciting British rock band to visit America since the Who in their weekend performance at the ...
Booker T & The MGs, Carla Thomas: Stax Horns Into the Pop Market for Sound Success
Profile and Interview by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 22 June 1969
MEMPHIS — A run-down movie theater in a threadbare black neighborhood is the home of Stax Records, a label whose 40 employees and 10 or ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 1969
Soul Music Presented at the Magic Circus ...
Pentangle: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 1969
THE PENTANGLE, a five-sided English folk-based group comprising two of the folk genre's most enthusiastically acclaimed guitarists, John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, plus singer Jacqui ...
Joe Cocker: A New Blues Boy Blows In From Britain
Interview by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 3 August 1969
JOE COCKER, the most recently emerged and most wildly received British soul artist since Stevie Winwood (of the Spencer Davis Group and later Traffic and ...
Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie & Friends, Free: Inglewood Forum, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 19 August 1969
BLIND FAITH'S Los Angeles debut Friday night at the Forum turned out to be as much a Hollywoodish spectacle as it was a performance by ...
Keef Hartley, Savoy Brown: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 4 September 1969
TWO ENGLISH BANDS FEATURED AT WHISKY ...
Jimi Hendrix: "I'm Into Different Things," Says Jimi Hendrix
Interview by Ritchie Yorke, Los Angeles Times, 7 September 1969
JIMI HENDRIX is about to shed some of his Experience. His next three albums will not feature either bass guitarist Noel Redding or drummer Mitch ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 9 September 1969
Smokey Robinson Crew Performs in Inglewood ...
The Band, Bob Dylan: Dylan at Wight: A New Voice and a New Style
Essay by Geoffrey Cannon, Los Angeles Times, 14 September 1969
THE TRAIN carrying us from Waterloo station in London to Portsmouth and the ferry across to the Isle of Wight Festival was full of newly ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 16 September 1969
Dog Night Joins Roots, Steppenwolf at Forum ...
Donovan: Poet-Minstrel Donovan Plays At Hollywood Bowl
Live Review by John Mendelsohn, Los Angeles Times, 30 September 1969
EVERY YEAR at this time Donovan Leitch seats himself beatifically on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl, plays the gentle poet/minstrel from another time and ...
Gypsy, The Move: The Move, Gypsy: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 11 October 1969
The Move, English Rock Group, Plays at Whisky ...
The Zombies: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 16 October 1969
Zombies Debut Here but With Some Changes ...
Hot Tuna, Jefferson Airplane: Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna: The Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 4 November 1969
GLORIOUSLY RESPLENDENT in crushed velvet and faded Levis and backed by what was possibly the Glenn McKay troupe's most breathtaking light-show since Monterey, Jefferson Airplane, ...
Gypsy, The Kinks: The Kinks, Gypsy: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 22 November 1969
England's Kinks Return After 5-Year Absence ...
The Byrds: Thelma's, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 25 November 1969
Byrds of a Different Feather Open at Club ...
Gypsy, King Crimson: King Crimson, Gypsy: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 5 December 1969
King Crimson Opens Its Rock 'n' Roll Stand ...
Spooky Tooth, The Stooges: Albums from Spooky Tooth and the Stooges
Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 7 December 1969
Spooky Tooth: Spooky Two (A&M SP 4194) This is quite representative of the latest albums by unfamiliar British rock groups (in which category Free, ...
The Rolling Stones: Altamont: 300,000 Jam Rock Festival Near S.F.
Report by uncredited writer, Los Angeles Times, 7 December 1969
Youth Stabbed to Death; Cars Tied Up for Miles ...
Eric Burdon, War: Eric Burdon & War, Elyse Weinberg: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 11 December 1969
Eric Burdon Back on Scene With War Band ...
Grand Funk Railroad, Humble Pie: Humble Pie, Grand Funk Railroad: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 17 December 1969
England's Humble Pie Here on First U.S. Tour ...
The Beatles, George Harrison: Harrison Assesses the Beatles' Past, Present, Future
Interview by Ritchie Yorke, Los Angeles Times, 21 December 1969
LONDON — George Harrison, long reputed to be the most "normal" member of the Beatles, was sitting in a spacious armchair at Apple headquarters, writing ...
Allman Brothers Band, Ten Wheel Drive: Allman Bros., Ten Wheel Drive at the Whisky
Profile by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 24 January 1970
THE ALLMAN Bros. Band and Ten Wheel Drive, who will be co-featured at the Whisky A Go Go through Sunday, are respectable entries in their ...
Cat Mother & the All-Night Newsboys, Smokestack Lightnin': Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 31 January 1970
Lightnin', Cat Mother Share Musical Billing ...
Elvin Bishop, Santana: Santana, Elvin Bishop: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 3 March 1970
Santana Plays Two Rock 'n' Roll Shows ...
The Who: Who interview... Got Love, Zoot Suits, Tarzan... If You Want It
Interview by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 6 March 1970
GRANTED, OF course, that you're conceivably up to here with P. Townshend interviews (that gentleman having made himself available for comment to seemingly everyone with ...
Kaleidoscope: Incredible! Kaleidoscope (Epic BN 26467)
Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 22 March 1970
KALEIDOSCOPE, APPARENTLY disillusioned (an justifiably so) after a three-year career as one of the world's most interesting yet chronically most-ignored rock groups, has here given ...
Crazy Horse, Neil Young: Neil Young: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 2 April 1970
Neil Young Appears Singly ...
Fairport Convention: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 1970
English Folk Material by Fairport Convention ...
Ballin' Jack, The Guess Who: Guess Who, Ballin' Jack: Convention Center, Anaheim
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 1970
CANADA'S GUESS Who radiated indifference at the Anaheim Convention Center Friday night. ...
Terry Reid: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 1970
Songwriter Reid Does His Bit as a Performer ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1970
Grand Funk, Other Rock Groups on Stage ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 24 August 1970
WITH HIS latest assortment of the Mothers of Invention, which was on display Friday evening at the Santa Monica Civic, Frank Zappa, America's most beloved ...
Led Zeppelin: Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 7 September 1970
Led Zeppelin Plays for Forum Audience ...
Mungo Jerry: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 23 October 1970
Mungo Jerry Performing in Hollywood ...
The Rolling Stones: Rolling Stones and a Rocky Night in Paris
Report by Geoffrey Cannon, Los Angeles Times, 15 November 1970
PARIS — "Funny," said Philippe Paringaux (chief writer for Rock 'n' Folk), "how English freaks refer to pop festivals in Britain as psychedelic concentration camps." ...
Derek & the Dominos, Toe Fat: Santa Monica Civic and Pasadena Civic, CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 24 November 1970
Derek and Dominos in Two Concerts ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 1 December 1970
James Gang Backs Up the Steve Miller Band ...
Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band: Bitter End West, West Hollywood CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 5 December 1970
CAPTAIN BEEFHEARTS MAGIC BAND PERFORMS ...
Dreams, J. Geils Band: J. Geils Band, Dreams: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 2 April 1971
J. GEILS BAND PLAYS WHISKY ENGAGEMENT ...
The Rolling Stones: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Geoffrey Cannon, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 1971
Getting Lots of Satisfaction From Mick, Stones ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Ike and Tina Turner: Olympia, Paris
Live Review by Geoffrey Cannon, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 1971
Author's note, 2018. The piece below describes the Ike and Tina Turner concert at the Olympia, Paris, in May 1971. I prefer Ike and Tina ...
Juke Boy Bonner, Freddie King: Freddie King, Juke Boy Bonner: The Ash Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 1971
Freddie King Performs on Ash Grove Stage ...
Grin, Jackie Lomax: Jackie Lomax, Grin: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 1971
Jackie Lomax and Band Playing at the Whisky ...
The Persuasions: Bitter End West, West Hollywood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 1971
IF YOUR friends are going to think less of you if they see you floating two feet above the ground with a silly grin stretched ...
Alice Cooper: Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 1971
Alice Cooper Tops Show at Long Beach ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 1971
ELP Group Presents a Mixed Bag at the Bowl ...
Carole King, James Taylor: Carole King — Secret Star on the James Taylor Tour
Report and Interview by Geoffrey Cannon, Los Angeles Times, 15 August 1971
Author's note, 2018: A transcendent moment in Carole King's life was during the evening of 7 December 2015 in Washington. She is sitting next to ...
Donny Hathaway, Ian Matthews: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 August 1971
THE TROUBADOUR this week is the scene of one of those unfortunate billings, a pairing whose promise as one of the club's most attractive one-two ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 September 1971
His Lordship at Troubadour ...
Black Sabbath, Stoneground, Sweathog: Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 27 September 1971
CONSIDERING THAT Black Sabbath's popularity seems to be increasing almost logarithmically, as was suggested by its filling to capacity the enormous Long Beach Arena Saturday ...
Pink Floyd: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 19 October 1971
Pink Floyd Performs at Santa Monica Civic ...
Fanny, Wet Willie: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles, CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 October 1971
Fanny Rock Group in Engagement at Whisky ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 1 November 1971
New Jeff Beck Group in Long Beach Concert ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 November 1971
THROUGH THE first few moments of its set, the listener may have trouble seeing exactly what it is that has so endeared Commander Cody and ...
Loudon Wainwright III: Ambassador's Son to Recording Biz Mogul
Interview by Geoffrey Cannon, Los Angeles Times, 14 November 1971
...
The Band Comes Back to California
Live Review by uncredited writer, Los Angeles Times, 30 November 1971
SAN FRANCISCO -- It was exactly 9:30 p.m. Saturday when Bill Graham, far more relaxed than in his intense Fillmore days, walked on stage at ...
Merry Clayton, Danny Cox: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 December 1971
Merry Clayton Tops Lineup at Troubadour ...
Big Mama Thornton, Phillip Walker: Ash Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 4 December 1971
Big Mama Thornton on Stage at Ash Grove ...
The Osmonds: Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 December 1971
BUSINESS AT the bar Saturday in the Inglewood Forum lobby isn't brisk. The odor of hot dogs fills the room. Daddy Whitebucks, Pat Boone himself, ...
Billy Preston: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 December 1971
Billy Preston Show Opens at Troubadour ...
Labelle: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 21 January 1972
THE IDEA of wedding an English or other foreign fan's perspective on the idiom with a fading American rhythm-and-blues group looks fine on paper, and ...
Alan Lomax: Making a Science of Man's Music
Profile and Interview by Geoffrey Cannon, Los Angeles Times, 23 January 1972
Alan Lomax, the man who went into the fields of the southern states in the 1930s and brought the glory of the blues to the attention ...
Uriah Heep, Manna: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 4 February 1972
Uriah Heep Epitomizes Power Rock at Whisky ...
Jo Jo Gunne: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 12 February 1972
SEEING HOW it packed the Whisky to overflowing in its opening Thursday, only a fool could doubt that Jo Jo Gunne will soon he enjoying ...
Willie Dixon, Walter "Shakey" Horton: Willie Dixon All-Stars: Ash Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 March 1972
Willie Dixon Fronting All-Stars at Ash Grove ...
Black Sabbath, Yes: The Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 17 March 1972
Black Sabbath and Yes in Concert at Forum ...
J.J. Cale, Bonnie Raitt: The Ash Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 March 1972
J. J. Cale on Stage at Ash Grove ...
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 21 March 1972
KING CRIMSON, which performed locally for the first time in two years Sunday afternoon at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, is the very embodiment of ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 March 1972
EMERSON, LAKE and Palmer, at their Wednesday night Long Beach Auditorium concert, made the tactical error of presenting Tarkus as their first long selection. ...
Free, West, Bruce & Laing: West, Bruce & Laing, Free: Palladium, Hollywood CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 10 April 1972
West, Bruce & Laing Work Out on Late '60s ...
Little Feat, Osibisa: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 1972
FEW INDEED are the groups whose emergence has been heralded by more glowing reviews than Little Feat. It's my guess, though, that few indeed who ...
Alice Cooper: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood CA
Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 1972
Alice Cooper Mounts Camel, Gallows at Bowl ...
Tower of Power: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 11 November 1972
THE POOR Whisky stage has never been made to bear so much weight to so little avail as it must this week. Tower of Power ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 13 November 1972
Mahavishnu Headlines Rock Concert ...
Steely Dan: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 December 1972
Steely Dan and the Visual Side of Rock ...
Azteca, Stevie Wonder: Stevie Wonder: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 March 1973
THERE ARE innovative artists and there are great entertainers, but for one reason or another the twain seldom seem to meet. Stevie Wonder is remarkably ...
It's a Beautiful Day, Sylvester & the Hot Band: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 March 1973
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY GOES ON A TIME TRIP ...
Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks: Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 April 1973
DAN HICKS, HOT LICKS ON TROUBADOUR STAGE ...
Iggy Pop, The Stooges: Iggy and the Stooges: Raw Power (Columbia KC 32111).
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 1973
The Genuine Depravity of Iggy ...
Iggy Pop, The Stooges: Iggy and the Stooges, Rufus: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 1973
Iggy and the Stooges —Theater of Cruelty ...
Sylvester & the Hot Band: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 1973
Hot Band Sizzles for Fourth ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 1973
DOOBIE QUINTET PLAYS UNCOMPLICATED ROCK ...
Danny O'Keefe, Bonnie Raitt: Bonnie Raitt, Danny O'Keefe: The Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 November 1973
Bonnie Raitt Leans Heavily on the Blues ...
Todd Rundgren: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 1974
Rundgren Pop Machine at Santa Monica Civic ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 1974
THE MARSHALL Tucker Band has in a relatively short time picked up a large enough following to achieve headline status, but its Santa Monica Civic ...
Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 1974
Blue Oyster Cult in Heavy-Metal Offering ...
Kiki Dee, Steely Dan: Steely Dan, Kiki Dee: Civic Audiorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 1974
Steely Dan Shows Its Mettle ...
Peter Frampton, J. Geils Band, P.F.M.: J. Geils Band, PFM, Peter Frampton: The Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 1974
Geils Band Goes Through Its Paces ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 1974
THE GRATEFUL Dead and its good vibes competed with some decidedly bad ones from a too active, too physical security force at the Hollywood Bowl ...
Jobriath: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 August 1974
Jobriath Potent, but Not Nuclear ...
Elvin Bishop, ZZ Top: ZZ Top, Elvin Bishop: Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 August 1974
ZZ Top a Sell-Out Sleeper ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 September 1974
Souther, Hillman and Furay in Rock Brew ...
Electric Light Orchestra, The Move, Wizzard: Move, Wizzard, ELO Play Musical Chairs
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 September 1974
THE TASK is somehow to connect and make a little sense of this odd assortment of data: A once musically booming English industrial city, home ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 October 1974
Glitter-Rock Stages a Symbolic Wake ...
Hot Tuna, Journey: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1974
Folk-Blues Program Offered by Hot Tuna ...
Blue Cheer, Michael Fennelly: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 December 1974
Muted Blast From the Musty Past ...
Utopia: Todd Rundgren: Out of the Mainstream, Into the Mystic
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 January 1975
City in my head/Utopia/Heaven in my body/Utopia/It's time for me/For me to go — Todd Rundgren's 'Utopia' ...
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 March 1975
"THE MYSTERY," said Alice Cooper, an unmistakable hint of determination in his voice, "is the fact that no matter what, when people go to see ...
Tim Buckley: Starwood, West Hollywood, CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 1975
Tim Buckley and His Band: Sinuous Folk-Rock ...
Kraftwerk: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 1975
Kraftwerk — 'Fun, Fun' at Civic ...
Steely Dan: Whole Is Greater Than Parts
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 1975
"It has been said many times and in many ways that what the world needs now is another rock 'n roll band. This could very ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 1975
Magic of Reggae by Marley & Co. ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 September 1975
Lynyrd Skynyrd Predictable ...
The Runaways: Starwood, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 February 1976
At The Starwood: Runaways Catch New Rock Wave ...
Tom Waits: Personality Without Pretension
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 March 1976
THERE'S NO PLACE like Tom Waits' home. There's no home, at any rate, quite like Tom Waits' place. The Silver Lake court cottage looks like ...
Cherry Vanilla: Studio One, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 1976
Cherry Vanilla's Act Moves West ...
Peter Frampton — Up From Rock's Infantry
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 1976
SUPPOSE, FOR illustration's sake, that your family is a rock 'n' roll band — not a great one, but solid and promising. The amateur dates ...
The Beach Boys: The Surf's Up and Brian Wilson's Ready
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 1976
There's a world where I can go And tell my secrets to In my room... Now it's dark and I'm alone But I won't be ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 1976
Yes, Frampton in Rock Concert ...
Bob Seger: Candy-Coated Summer for Bob Seger
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 29 August 1976
"UP UNTIL three years ago, we did a lot of things wrong," explains Bob Seger, whose strong drawing power (he has headlined to an audience ...
Steely Dan Ready to Hit the Road Again
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 September 1976
MORE OFTEN than not, the news on Steely Dan is no news. Compulsive recordmakers Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, the group's creative core, are usually ...
The Meters: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 December 1976
Hard-Nosed Funk From the Meters ...
Tom Waits: Royce Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 December 1976
Emotional Pull of Tom Waits ...
Kim Fowley, The Runaways: L.A. Rock Resurgence
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 18 December 1976
LOS ANGELES is the home of countless musicians and the center of the music industry, but in terms of nurturing local teen-on-the-street talent, the city ...
Van Halen: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 December 1976
Spreading Out From Punk-Rock ...
Electric Light Orchestra: Jeff Lynne Orchestrates ELO's Success
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 January 1977
MOST ATTEMPTS to combine rock and orchestral formats have led to uncomfortable mergers at best, and more often to utterly pretentious and insignificant music. The ...
Van Halen: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 1977
Van Halen Keeps Asserting Itself ...
The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson: Brian Gets Some Satisfaction
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 February 1977
AMID CONTINUING speculation in rock circles over Brian Wilson's future productivity, the new The Beach Boys Love You album arrives with solid evidence that his ...
Latimore: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 April 1977
Latimore: Simple, Earthy Approach ...
The Damned: the Starwood, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 April 1977
THE DAMNED, the first representative from England's Blank Generation of punk-rockers to reach America, proved more harmless Monday at the Starwood than dispatches from abroad ...
Little Feat, Little River Band: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 1977
Big Step Forward for Little Feat ...
Wild Cherry: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 1977
TEN YEARS ago, a blue-eyed soulster like Mitch Ryder filled the role that Wild Cherry occupies today with its funk-rock. Basically a Midwest bar band ...
Gene Clark: Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 1977
A Forgotten Man in the Spotlight ...
Foghat, Peter Frampton: Peter Frampton, Foghat: Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 1977
Bleached Sounds From Frampton ...
Heart, John McEuen: Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 1977
Wilson Sisters Put Beat in Heart ...
The Sex Pistols: Sex Pistols Trigger Punk Rock Invasion
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 1977
DESPITE ENORMOUS media attention, the U.S. music industry has maintained a hands-off policy toward new wave or punk-rock music, probably hoping that it will go ...
The Sex Pistols: Sex Pistols Trigger Punk Rock Invasion
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 1977
DESPITE ENORMOUS media attention, the U.S. music industry has maintained a hands-off policy toward new wave or punk-rock music, probably hoping that it will go ...
Mink DeVille, Styx: Styx, Mink DeVille: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 August 1977
Versatile Styx Impresses the Fans ...
The Runaways, The Weirdos: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 29 August 1977
Jett, Ford Grab Runaways' Reins ...
Devo, the Weirdos: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 October 1977
Avant-Garde Devo at Whisky ...
Steely Dan: Aja (ABC Records AB 1006)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 October 1977
Welcome to Steely Dan's World ...
Tom Waits: Pantages Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 November 1977
TOM WAITS' followers keep a close, almost medical eye on their hero's voice, much as Jets fans used to watch the status of Namath's knees. ...
Patti LaBelle: Pantages Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 November 1977
THE RECENTLY disbanded Labelle was a one-of-a-kind musical experience, and there would be little point in its members trying to duplicate its theatrical, space-age R&B ...
John Fahey: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 December 1977
Beyond Virtuosity With John Fahey ...
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1978
CHANCES ARE GOOD that this time last year you had never heard of Thin Lizzy, let along heard them. Young veterans of the British music ...
Jackson Browne, Kaleidoscope, David Lindley: David Lindley: Stringing Together an Aesthetic Sound
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 January 1978
LOS ANGELES folkies fondly remember David Lindley as the perennial winner of the Topanga banjo-fiddle contest. Some rock fans, among them Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page ...
The Ramones: The Group That Sowed the Seeds of Punk
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 January 1978
BEFORE THE Sex Pistols, there was the Ramones. With its supercharged rock sound, comically demented lyrics and stylized, street-tough image, the foursome emerged from Forest ...
Captain Beefheart: Musical Rash of Capt. Beefheart
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 January 1978
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART'S songs aren't exactly the sort to replace 'You Light Up My Life' in America's heart. The jagged, jerky music of such numbers as ...
The Ramones, the Runaways: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 January 1978
THE RECENT Sex Pistols tour threatened, among other things, the Ramones' standing as rock's premiere punk band. But while the Ramones is a bit lightweight ...
The Clash: Give 'Em Enough Rope (Epic JE 35543)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 16 February 1978
THE CLASH IS A PUNK ROCK BAND and proud of it, but fans who dismiss it for that reason alone are making a mistake. This ...
Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, The Stooges: Lou Reed: From Genius to Jerk and Back
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 March 1978
LOU REED has been called everything from genius to jerk, and in the course of his career he's lived up to it all. With New ...
The Beatles: Mistakes And All: Recreating The Fab Four in Beatlemania
Report and Interview by John Mendelsohn, Los Angeles Times, 9 April 1978
IF THE FOUR young musicians who portray the Beatles in Beatlemania deliver anything less than the "incredible simulation" a sign in the Shubert Theater ticket ...
Devo, The Dickies, The Heaters, The Screamers, The Zippers: Punk Bands: Some Do, Some Don't
Report by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 April 1978
THE DICKIES and the Heaters have it. The Runaways and the Quick did, but not anymore. Venus & the Razorblades had it for an instant, ...
Blondie, Mike Pinera: Starwood, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 April 1978
A Disciplined Blondie at the Starwood ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 1978
Five Punk Bands on Bill at Whisky ...
Television: Adventure (Elektra 6E-133)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 1978
Television Sends a Pale New Signal ...
Todd Rundgren, Utopia: Todd Rundgren in Retrospect
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 1978
TODD RUNDGREN, who usually alights in medium-size halls with his band Utopia, opens a week-long solo stand Wednesday at the 500-seat Roxy. The show will ...
Toni Basil: Fox Theater, Venice CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 1978
Toni Basil, 'Follies Bizarre' Troupe ...
Donna Summer: Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 1978
Donna Summer's Debut at Universal ...
Television: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 1978
MOST PUNK bands, wary of media labels, seem to spend half their energy denying that they're punk bands, but Television, which closes tonight at the ...
Blue Öyster Cult's Bivalve Personality
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 August 1978
BLUE OYSTER Cult's lead singer Eric Bloom was never comfortable with the band's original image — a tongue-in-cheek, leather-bound melange of macabre, tough guy and, ...
Thin Lizzy: Live And Dangerous (Warner Bros. 2BS 3213)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 September 1978
THIN LIZZY IN A TIZZY ...
Nick Gilder, Anne Murray: Gilder, Murray: On Top of the Pops
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 November 1978
FOR WEEKS, Nick Gilder's 'Hot Child in the City' and Anne Murray's 'You Needed Me' have jockeyed for the top position on the national singles ...
Blondie, Greg Kihn: Blondie, Greg Khin: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1978
"BLONDIE IS a group!" is the band's battle cry, raised against the public's tendency to focus strictly on vocalist/sex symbol Deborah Harry and to overlook ...
Grace Jones: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 4 December 1978
Grace Jones in an Exotic Pose ...
Steely Dan's Greatest-Hits & Quips
Interview by Wayne Robins, Los Angeles Times, 10 December 1978
NEW YORK — Maybe it's the air quality. Or fear of earthquakes. Or brushfires. Or terminal boredom. Whatever the reasons, a number of musicians long ...
Tom Waits: Blue Valentine (Asylum 6E-162)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 10 December 1978
TOM WAITS, BEAT-ERA RELIC ...
Tom Waits: Huntington Hartford Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 December 1978
IT'S FITTING that Tom Waits is appearing at the Huntington Hartford, usually the home of legitimate stage productions. Waits finally has come upon an ideal ...
The Clash: Give 'Em Enough Rope (Epic JE 35543)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 17 December 1978
A PUNK BAND NOT TO BE SNEERED AT ...
Sylvester: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 December 1978
Sylvester: Disco, Soul at the Roxy ...
Willie Bobo Band: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 January 1979
ALTHOUGH LARGELY unrecognized outside the jazz community until recently, Willie Bobo has been one of the prime forces in introducing Latin rhythms and percussion to ...
The Alley Cats, The Screamers, X, The Zippers: L.A. Bands: Rocking Or Reeling?
Report by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 January 1979
A YEAR AGO, Pasadena's Van Halen was just a promising band on the L.A. scene. Its most stellar dates were in Glendora, Redondo Beach and ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 January 1979
LOU REED IS one of the major influences on '70s rock, but consistency has never been his strong point. As the creative catalyst of the ...
Ronnie Laws: Flame (United Artists UA-LA881-H)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 February 1979
LAWS' FLAME SET ON LOW ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 February 1979
Toto: So-So at the Roxy ...
Aging Musicians’ Dilemma: Is There Rock After 30?
Comment by John Mendelsohn, Los Angeles Times, 25 March 1979
AT THE APOGEE of Beatlemania, Paul McCartney was asked at a press conference how long the Beatles would last: "Dunno," he replied, "but I can’t ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 19 April 1979
IT'S NOT SURPRISING that when Todd Rundgren first spoke to the crowd Tuesday night at the Roxy he mentioned recognizing a lot of familiar faces. ...
Generation X: Valley Of The Dolls (Chrysalis)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 April 1979
MOST NEW-WAVE bands decry the jet-set life styles of established rock stars, but it's a safe bet to assume many were attracted to rock by ...
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 April 1979
MOST LOCAL BANDS have drawn inspiration from the classic rock bands of the '60s – notably the Rolling Stones and the Who. The chief exception ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 1979
Robert Gordon: The Roxy, Los Angeles ...
Rickie Lee Jones, Chuck E. Weiss: Chuck E. Weiss: Hanger-Out Is Moving Up
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 1979
CHUCK E.'S IN business. Thanks to Rickie Lee Jones' hit single 'Chuck E.'s in Love', one of L.A.'s perennial hangers-out is emerging from the shadows ...
Willie Dixon Loves To Write The Blues
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, June 1979
WILLIE DIXON'S name doesn't pop up frequently on lists of great songwriters, but American music wouldn't sound the same without him. Muddy Waters and Howlin' ...
Blondie's Disco Detour: Big Seller or Big Sellout?
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 1979
"DEATH TO DISCO" T-shirts weren't an uncommon sight among the new wave audience that formed Blondie's first base of support. But, as it turns out, ...
Lowell George: Thanks I'll Eat It Here
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 1979
THE IMMINENT RELEASE or this, the first solo LP by Little Feat mainstay Lowell George, was a rumor in good standing among certain segments of ...
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 1979
GRAHAM PARKER'S salute to Lowell George at the close of his Santa Monica Civic concert last weekend symbolized the respect the rock community held for ...
Dire Straits: Communique (Warner Bros.)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 1979
THE GREATEST CHALLENGE facing a band that has enjoyed sudden commercial success is to avoid churning out subsequent LPs that are carbon copies of the ...
The Who: What's What With The Who Movie
Film/DVD/TV Review by John Mendelsohn, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1979
THE KIDS Are Alright movie – opening Thursday at the Cinerama Dome – begins with the Who performing their ode to teen inarticulateness, 'My Generation', ...
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 4 August 1979
"I FEEL LIKE I'm in an old MGM photo," cracked Bonnie Raitt as she and the other participants in tonight's "Tribute to Lowell George" concert ...
Pere Ubu Plays for Body, Brain
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 August 1979
Pere Ubu: The Whiskey, Los Angeles ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 August 1979
Concert Tribute to Lowell George ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 August 1979
Kinks Are Still Crowd-Pleasers ...
Blue Oyster Cult at Pauley Pavilion
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 August 1979
THERE WERE enough guitar solos at Blue Oyster Cult's concert at UCLA'S Pauley Pavilion Friday to satiate even the most dedicated ax fanatic. But, judging ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 September 1979
NILS LOFGREN was widely regarded as a sure bet for rock stardom during the mid '70. The singer-songwriter-guitarist's early solo albums and efforts with the ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 12 September 1979
AC/DC: Long Beach Arena ...
AC/DC, Prism: Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 12 September 1979
AC/DC Plugs Into Primitivism ...
New Orleans: Crescent City's Other Legacy
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 September 1979
NEW ORLEANS IS widely recognized as the birthplace of jazz, but the Crescent City has also played a part in rock 'n' roll. Its rhythm ...
Talking Heads: Fear Of Music (Sire/Warner Bros. SD-6076)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 September 1979
THE TALKING HEADS' FEARS, FIXATIONS ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 September 1979
LAST YEAR'S Wavelength may have dispelled lingering doubts about Van Morrison's creative talents, but it did so only at the expense of some of the ...
J.J. Cale's Cooking a Low-Burner Affair
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 16 October 1979
J.J. Cale: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Los Angeles ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 October 1979
DAVID JOHANSEN'S first solo effort last year was a satisfying effort which found the former New York Dolls lead singer working on musical turf halfway ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 October 1979
WHILE THE PRESS has been busily lavishing attention on punk bands, a new wave of groups has been quietly – well, not exactly quietly – ...
Rock's Fiery Jamaican Connection
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 11 November 1979
REGGAE MUSIC was widely tabbed as pop's Next Big Thing five years ago. With fiery lyrics of social protest wedded to a catchy dance rhythm, ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 November 1979
REEMERGENCE OF IGGY POP ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 November 1979
IT MUST BE A daunting prospect for anyone to make his or her performing debut, save for a couple of hometown Minneapolis tuneups, before an ...
Rock Dreams Come True For Rodney
Interview by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 9 December 1979
"IN GOING FROM a kid standing in utter terror outside Connie Stevens' house to a Monkee's double to the king of the local nightclubs, he's ...
Bonnie Raitt Plus a Surprise Co-Star
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 December 1979
Bonnie Raitt: Santa Monica Civic, Los Angeles ...
Bob Marley & The Wailers: Confrontation (Island)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1980
MOST RECORD COMPANIES waste little time in emptying the vaults when a major artist dies, but Island has refrained from pursuing that course with the ...
Squeeze: British Squeeze at the Whisky
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1980
AN ECLECTIC MUSICAL approach can be a double-edged sword for a rock band. Incorporating a wide variety of styles can prevent a group from becoming ...
Queen Ida: Zydeco Is Her Realm
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1980
IN THE LAST 18 months, zydeco musician Queen Ida Guillory has spent more than 250 days on the road. Contributed some background music to Francis ...
Nazareth: 'Skunk' Leads Nazareth To '80s
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 January 1980
A RECORDING STUDIO can make strange bedfellows. Guitarist Jeff (Skunk) Baxter is best known for his work with the sophisticated rock of Steely Dan and, ...
Tom Waits Does New York Shuffle
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 January 1980
IF NEIL SIMON can relocate from New York to Los Angeles, it's only fair that one of our local fixtures should return the favour. Tom ...
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 3 February 1980
MADNESS PROVIDED the L.A. rock audience with its first tantalizing taste of the ska sound that has taken off in England in the past six ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 17 February 1980
DOWN ON the Farm is Little Feat's best-selling album ever — but don't chalk that up as merely a posthumous tribute to Lowell George, the ...
The Jam: Setting Sons (Polydor PD-1-6249)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 February 1980
JAM GETS ITS OWN FLAVOR ...
Madness, The Selecter, The Specials: Ska Jump: England to America
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 16 March 1980
ROCK MUSIC'S vitality depends on a constant influx of new sounds. Just when American audiences are catching on to the three-year-old British punk/new-wave movement, a ...
Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman: Old and New Dreams: Schoenberg Hall, UCLA, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 March 1980
JAZZ: OLD AND NEW DREAMS AT UCLA ...
Frank Zappa: Zappa Zeros In On L.A.
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 6 April 1980
FRANK ZAPPA'S CONCERT at the Sports Arena tonight will be his first local appearance in 2 years, but rock's iconoclastic satirist certainly isn't viewing it ...
The Michael Ochs Archives: An Obsession that Grew Into a Business
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 11 April 1980
MICHAEL OCHS was caught red-handed in 1958 stealing a copy of the Five Shillings' 'Letter to an Angel' single from a Columbus, Ohio, department store. ...
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 1980
AT 21, JOAN Jett is a five-year rock veteran. She was a 15-year-old San Fernando Valley high schooler when L.A. entrepreneur Kim Fowley recruited her ...
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 1980
DESTRUCTION OF THE BLUES ...
Grace Jones: New Wave for a Disco Diva
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 1980
Grace Jones' new LP tailors the music to fit her flamboyant visual concepts. ...
Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (Mercury SRM 1-3848)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 1980
MUSIC WITHOUT FRONTIERS ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 August 1980
Speed, Precision of Oingo Boingo ...
Review and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 31 August 1980
STAUNCH KINKS fans have been predicting anticipating a solo album from lanky lead guitarist Dave Davies ever since his single 'Death of a Clown' reached ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 31 August 1980
YOU WOULD expect a venue that's been presenting live popular music longer than any local club this side of the Lighthouse to be a familiar ...
Shaun Cassidy, Todd Rundgren: Shaun Cassidy: Shaun, Todd Break Mold
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 August 1980
IT'S TOUGH being a teen idol, we're told. But it's even harder to break out of the teen-idol image. ...
The B-52s: The B-52's: Wild Planet (Warner Bros. BSK 3471)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 September 1980
WILD TIMES ON PLANET B-52 ...
Yes: The Band That Punks Say Is A "No"
Interview by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 28 September 1980
Question: Do you imagine it impossible to sum up in a single word all that rock's third generation, that is, the punks and their new ...
Derek Bailey, Evan Parker: Derek Bailey and Evan Parker: Playhouse, Century City CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 October 1980
GUITARIST DEREK Bailey and saxophonist Evan Parker's sold-out performance at the Century City Playhouse Wednesday night drew a diverse crowd that included jazzman Vinny Golia ...
Burning Spear Debuts At The Roxy
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 October 1980
THE WEST COAST debut of Burning Spear before a packed house at the Roxy Tuesday night may not have matched the excitement of Bob Marley ...
Cabaret Voltaire, Young Marble Giants, Monitor: Sokol Hall, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 November 1980
PEOPLE MAY complain about restrictive radio and record-company policies that stifle the development of new, daring bands, but there is a bright side. No matter ...
Joni Mitchell: Shadows and Light (Asylum BB704)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 November 1980
JONI'S NEW ALBUM STAYS IN SHADOWS ...
The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta (A&M SP-4831)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 November 1980
POLICE STATE: SLUGGISH ...
Talking Heads: The Transfiguration of Talking Heads
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 November 1980
VISITING A rock star at a Hollywood hotel is usually a bit like attending the circus, with publicists, aides, new and old friends, ringing phones, ...
The Stranglers: Live at the Whisky, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 November 1980
THE STRANGLERS, the British band which opened a four-night stand at the Whisky Friday night, didn’t waste any time in letting the packed house know ...
The Specials: More Specials (Chrysalis)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 November 1980
CAUTION: Anyone expecting More Specials to duplicate the ferocious wallop of the British ska band’s live performances or debut LP is in for a surprise. ...
Smokey Robinson: Smokey — Once & Future
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1980
THE TEST OF time is one accepted yardstick for determining great songs and, by that standard, Smokey Robinson certainly ranks as one of the premier ...
Tangerine Dream: Santa Monica Civic, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 November 1980
ROCK MUSIC has undergone some major upheavals in the 3½ years since Tangerine Dream last played in Los Angeles. The German trio appeared untouched by ...
Steely Dan: Gaucho (MCA MCA-6102)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 November 1980
AN LP WITH IRONIES IN THE FIRE ...
Dr. Feelgood: Dr Feelgood: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 30 December 1980
New Feelgoods know the ropes ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 30 December 1980
Dr. Feelgood's Los Angeles debut four years ago was an impressive and welcome breath of fresh air. The British quartet's lean, mean brand of English ...
Disc Haven For Rockers: Rough Trade
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 January 1981
SMALL, INDEPENDENT labels have introduced many of rock music's most influential figures. Elvis Presley (on Sun Records), Chuck Berry (Chess) and Little Richard (Specialty). Even ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: Rolling Stone Gathers A Little Moss
Report by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 January 1981
SIX LOS Angeles area supermarket chains, including Ralphs, Safeway and Alpha Bela, have refused to carry the Jan. 22 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. The ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 January 1981
ASK KURTIS BLOW about 'Another One Bites the Dust' and his reply is quick and to the point. "That's my 'Christmas Rappin''." ...
Gil Scott-Heron has Staying Power
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 January 1981
GIL SCOTT-HERON was widely viewed as a potential superstar in 1974 when he became the first performer signed by Clive Davis at Arista Records. The ...
Joe Higgs, the X-Streams: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 1981
JOE HIGGS: LESSON FROM A REGGAE LEGEND ...
Chic Gets Its Class Act Together
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 February 1981
NEW YORK — Chic's 1978 hit, 'Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah. Yowsah, Yowsah)', was the kind of novelty record that can ruin an act's career. The ...
The Plimsouls: The Plimsouls (Planet P-13)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 March 1981
Plimsouls: L.A.'s Savior? ...
The Blues Brothers, Steve Cropper: Cropper: Into The Spotlight
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 March 1981
POP FANS shouldn't have much difficulty in identifying Wilson Pickett with 'Midnight Hour' or Otis Redding with 'Dock of the Bay' but mention the name ...
Gil Scott-Heron: Real Eyes (Arista AL 9540)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 March 1981
REAL EYES, Gil Scott-Heron's eighth Arista album, is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. It's the poet-cum-songwriter's first recording without Brian Jackson, his musical partner ...
Sun Ra Returns From Hyperspace
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 April 1981
SUN RA doesn't take a back seat to anyone when it comes to transforming a live performance into a musical and visual spectacle. ...
The Beach Boys, Carl Wilson: Carl Wilson: Testing The Waters Without The Other Beach Boys
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 April 1981
CARL WILSON has performed in Los Angeles countless times, but tonight at the Roxy things will be a little different. Instead of sharing the stage ...
The Jam: Sound Affects (Polydor PD-1-6315)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 April 1981
SPARE SOUND FROM THE JAM ...
Throbbing Gristle Makes L.A. Debut
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 1981
Throbbing Gristle: Veteran's Auditorium, Culver City, CA ...
Moog On The State Of The Synthesizer
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 1981
IT’S NOT UNUSUAL for a musician to become controversial, but it is rare for a musical instrument to be debated. Robert Moog may have envisioned ...
Dennis Brown: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 1981
Dennis Brown Set Danceable, but Routine ...
Kurtis Blow: Rap, Rap, Rapping At Top 10’s Door: Kurtis Blow and Company
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 1981
Twas the night before Christmas and allthrough the house...Hold it, hold it. That’s PLAYED OUT.Don’t give me all that jiveAbout things you wrote before I ...
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 1981
This year's New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival included veterans like Dexter Gordon, bluesman Muddy Waters and local favorite Allen Toussaint. ...
The Pretenders: Sequel Excites Pretenders
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 1981
THE PRETENDERS are gearing up for another assault on the rock world. Things have been fairly quiet in the British quartet's camp since the band's ...
Overview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 1981
BESIDES MAKING names for themselves in local rock clubs and in the hearts of the police and the media, the Southland's hard-core punk bands have ...
Kraftwerk: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 August 1981
WHEN KRAFTWERK played the Santa Monica Civic in 1975, the German quartet's electronic music seemed like an academic aberration from the rock norm, and the ...
The Ramones: Pleasant Dreams (Sire SRK 3571)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 August 1981
ANOTHER PIONEERING punk band that's broadened its base will be in town next weekend — the Ramones. The New York quartet also has a new ...
X Marks a New Rock Spot at the Greek Theater
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 August 1981
X AT THE Greek Theater? ...
Electric Light Orchestra: Time (Jet FZ 37371)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 August 1981
E.L.O. FAILS TEST OF TIME ...
The Specials: English Music Scene Like a 'Ghost Town'
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 August 1981
This town coming like a ghost town... Bands won't play no more — Too much fighting on the dance floor... Why must ...
Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters: Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 September 1981
WATERS SHORTAGE ...
U2: October (Island ILPS9680).
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 November 1981
U2 FOLLOW-UP STALLS OUT ...
Overview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 November 1981
PUNK JAZZ? It's hard to imagine a more unlikely musical combination. Punk rock favors short, fast songs and disparages musical technique in favor of "anyone-can-do-it" ...
Adam & the Ants: Prince Charming (Epic ARE37615)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 December 1981
Adam and Ants Back as 'Prince Charming' ...
‘Home Runs, No Bunts’ — Solar Power On The Rise
Interview by Gene Sculatti, Los Angeles Times, 6 December 1981
Does the Stones' latest album fail to start you up? Has your affair cooled with the New Romantics? You say you didn't grow up to ...
AC/DC: For Those About To Rock We Salute You (Atlantic SD 11111)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 6 December 1981
ROCK'S A-B-C'S FROM AC/DC ...
Chic: Take It Off (Atlantic SD 19323)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 20 December 1981
CHIC ON A COLD STREAK ...
Mötley Crüe: Country Club, Reseda CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 December 1981
CATCHING MÖTLEY CRÜE IN A FLASH ...
Foreigner, Junior Walker & the All Stars: Junior Walker — A Soul Man
Report and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 4 January 1982
BY 10:30 SATURDAY night, the line in front of the Club Lingerie, a trendy Hollywood rock spot catering to in-crowd tastes, stretched around the corner. ...
Wall of Voodoo: Dark Continent (I.R.S. SP 70022)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 January 1982
WALL OF VOODOO'S EERIE LANDSCAPE ...
James Cotton: Hop Singh's, Marina Del Rey CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 26 January 1982
COTTON'S BLUES AT HOP SINGH'S ...
Van Halen: Diver Down (Warner Bros. BSK 3677)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 1982
'DIVER DOWN' IS UP WITH THE BEST ...
Van Dyke Parks: McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 1982
ESOTERICA FROM VAN DYKE PARKS ...
The Plugz, War: War, the Plugz: Country Club, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 1982
GOING TO WAR FOR AN L.A. SOUND ...
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 1982
IS THE phonograph record on its deathbed? Neil Cooper, who runs a record company that doesn't sell records, thinks so. "Within five years, vinyl will ...
Richard and Linda Thompson: Let There Be Lights
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 1982
RICHARD AND Linda Thompson opened their show at the Roxy Thursday night with 'A Man in Need', and followed it with 'Walking on a Wire', ...
The Clash: Combat Rock (Epic FE 37689)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 1982
CLASH ON THE BATTLEFIELD ...
Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 1982
KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS MAKE A DIZZYING, DAZZLING ROXY DEBUT ...
The Weavers: The Warp and Woof of the Weavers' Decade
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 1982
THE QUARTET came out of nowhere early in the decade and turned popular music around, taking over the Top 10 with a fresh sound that ...
Bobby "Blue" Bland, Millie Jackson: Millie Jackson, Bobby Bland: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 1982
THE WAY Millie Jackson carries on in concert would make Bette Midler blush. Jackson, who sprang to prominence in the early '70s with a batch ...
James Blood Ulmer: Guitarist Ulmer At Club Lingerie
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 1982
NEW YORK-BASED guitarist James (Blood) Ulmer has become a cause celebre in hip jazz and rock circles over the past few years. Several Big Apple ...
Sly & Robbie: Sly and Robbie: Laying Reggae's Bottom Line
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1982
QUESTION: WHAT do chic chanteuse Grace Jones. English rockers Joe Cocker and Ian Dury and reggae power house. Black Uhuru have in common? ...
Defunkt, Talking Heads: Talking Heads, Defunkt: Greek Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 August 1982
TALKING HEADS: WHOLE LOTTA RHYTHM ...
Rick James, Ray Parker Jr.: Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 August 1982
RICK JAMES AND THE FUNK CAPADES ...
Professor Longhair: The Longhair Legacy
Retrospective by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 5 September 1982
MOST ROCK fans have never heard of Professor Longhair, but lots of their favorite musicians certainly have. The New Orleans-based piano I player, who died ...
Van Halen: From Tahiti to the 7-11
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 September 1982
"SUMMERTIME BLUES HIT CONCERT BUSINESS." bemoaned the headline in a recent Billboard magazine survey of America's troubled pop-music promoters. ...
Gil Scott-Heron: Moving Target (Arista AL 9606)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 September 1982
A WEAK MOVING TARGET ...
ABC: The Lexicon Of Love (Mercury SRM-1-4509)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 24 October 1982
POTENT LOVE SONGS ...
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 24 October 1982
HOT FUNK IN DOUBLE TIME ...
Cheryl Lynn, Luther Vandross: Luther Vandross, Cheryl Lynn: Greek Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1982
VANDROSS — A STAGGERING POTENTIAL ...
Oingo Boingo, Suburban Lawns: Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 November 1982
HALLOWEEN HOP WITH OINGO BOINGO ...
Michael Jackson: Thriller (Epic QE 38112)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 December 1982
JACKSON GOES OVER THE WALL ...
Grace Jones: Living My Life (Island 90018)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 January 1983
GRACE NOTES FROM A CULT QUEEN ...
Malcolm McLaren: McLaren: Svengali or Superpro?
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 January 1983
SEVEN YEARS ago, boutique owner and fashion designer Malcolm McLaren propelled four hostile London youths on one of rock's most tumultuous chapters. As manager of ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 February 1983
STREET ART AT LINGERIE: L.A. TAKES THE RAP FROM N.Y. MOVEMENT ...
Willie Dixon: Hop Singh's, Marina del Rey CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 8 February 1983
DIXON HOLDS COURT AT HOP SINGH'S ...
Rock Sax: Resurgence Of The Saxophone
Overview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 6 March 1983
THE SAX IS BACK.Honking saxophones played a major part in shaping '50s rock 'n' roll, but the instrument's role was virtually eliminated by the guitar ...
The Clash, Allen Ginsberg: Ginsberg Finds Poetry in Punk
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 1983
WHEN THE Clash decided it wanted "the voice of God" in its last album, the group turned to Allen Ginsberg. The 56-year-old poet with the ...
The Cramps: the Country Club, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 1983
STIMULATING BREW FROM THE DREGS ...
In Search Of The L.A. Black Beat
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 1983
LOS ANGELES IS the home of black music stars. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Donna Summer, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Earth, Wind & Fire, ...
Jackie Wilson: The Jackie Wilson Story (Epic EG 38623)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 1983
JACKIE WILSON: FADE TO BLACK ...
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 1983
MOST ROCK bands send out photos and press clippings with their records. But inside the new album Everything Went Black is a copy of a ...
The Fleshtones: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 1983
THE SPONTANEOUS FLESHTONES ...
Cameo, Dazz Band: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 1983
CAMEO GENERATES PARTY-TIME SPIRIT ...
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: Texas Flood (Epic BFE 3S734)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 1983
ELECTRIC STORM ...
King Sunny Ade and his African Beats: Synchro System (Mango)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1983
APPROACHING SUNNY ADE'S juju music from a Western pop perspective is difficult, because his creative objective is a smooth flow with nothing much happening in ...
Duane Eddy and A Band He Couldn't Refuse
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 1983
DUANE EDDY's "twangy" guitar sound on hits like 'Rebel-Rouser' established him as a major star during the golden era of rock instrumentals, so his return ...
Clifton Chenier: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 6 August 1983
CHENIER GETS THE LINGERIE ON ITS FEET ...
Elvis Costello & the Attractions: Punch The Clock (Columbia FC38897)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1983
COSTELLO CLOCKS OUT ...
Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh: Peter Tosh and Dennis Brown: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 August 1983
REGGAE RAUCOUSLY RECEIVED AT GREEK ...
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 24 August 1983
A TOWERING DISPLAY OF BLUESICIANSHIP ...
James Jamerson: Motown's Unsung Hero
Obituary by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 August 1983
THE EMPHASIS IN pop falls on people in the spotlight but some of the biggest contributions to our pop culture come from the musicians who ...
Albert King: Full Circle For Albert King
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 11 September 1983
Albert King is no stranger to passing pop fashions. ...
Ray Manzarek: Manzarek Hears Echoes Of Doors
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 September 1983
Ray Manzarek's Carmina Burana will distance him even farther from his days with the Doors. ...
ZZ Hill: Z.Z. Hill Is Happy He's Got The Blues
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 October 1983
Z.Z. Hill's most recent blues albums have surpassed the sales of those recorded by bigger names. ...
Marianne Faithfull: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 October 1983
KEEPING FAITH AFTER MANY TEARS AND YEARS ...
Michael McDonald: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1983
McDonald dodges the spotlight ...
Uncle Jam’s Army: Mobile Disco Dances To A Different Beat
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 30 October 1983
A GROUP OF MODS, coats festooned with badges of their favorite bands and likenesses of the "Two-Tone" man, snake around the perimeter of the dance ...
The Blasters, X: Language: Thick Malt, Weird Cream
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 13 November 1983
NOTED SONGWRITERS Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen contribute liner notes to the album, but they don't sing on it. The two records feature members of ...
The Cramps: Cramps Rocks 'N' Rolls Out Of An Early Grave
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 16 November 1983
A DISPUTE with their label kept them from releasing a record for more than two years. ...
Jaco Pastorius: Beverly Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1983
JACO PASTORIUS established himself as the most influential bassist of the late '70s during his extended tenure with Weather Report. But if Sunday night's 90-minute ...
James Booker: R&B's Invisible Great
Obituary by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 December 1983
The late James Booker fit comfortably into the New Orleans R&B piano tradition of Fats Domino but he also was a contemporary equivalent of the ...
Girlschool: Country Club, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 December 1983
GIRLSCHOOL'S BRITISH CLASS ...
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Life For Jay Hawkins Is Still A Scream
Profile and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 25 December 1983
"MAN, I WAS 20 years ahead of my time," says rocker Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose early '50s recording of 'I Put a Spell on You' ...
The Beach Boys, Dennis Wilson: Ironic Loss In Saga Of Beach Boys
Report by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 December 1983
THE IRONY IS heavy and inescapable: Dennis Wilson, who introduced the Beach Boys to surfing, died in the Pacific Ocean, the ultimate source of the ...
Herbie Hancock: Beverly Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 January 1984
HERBIE HANCOCK still refuses to put all of his eggs in one basket. The veteran keyboard player blithely continues to release both funk-oriented material geared ...
The Brat, El Chicano, Los Illegals, Los Lobos, Tierra: Latino Bands
Overview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 January 1984
EVER SINCE Ritchie Valens rocketed into the national spotlight a quarter century ago with 'La Bamba', Los Angeles' Latino musicians have made repeated attempts to ...
David Williams, Michael Jackson: David Williams: A Slight Case Of No Credit
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 January 1984
Session guitarist David Williams' name was left off Thriller album. ...
Irma Thomas, Lee Dorsey: New Orleans R&B Hits The Club Lingerie
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 January 1984
Bill Bentley and Harold Battiste hope to trigger renewed local interest in New Orleans music at Club Lingerie. ...
Van Halen: 1984 (Warner Bros. 1-23985)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 January 1984
VAN HALEN'S 1984 CLEARS COBWEBS ...
Lee Dorsey: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 January 1984
DORSEY'S NEW ORLEANS R&B SOUL ...
The Clash: Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 January 1984
CLASH LEAVES A LOT OF QUESTIONS UNANSWERED ...
Hal Willner, Thelonious Monk: Interpretations Of Monk By Jazz, Rock Musicians
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 January 1984
WHAT DO FELLINI soundtrack composer Nino Rota and the late jazz great Thelonious Monk have in common? ...
Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops For A "Footnote"
Obituary by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 1984
LIKE MANY A true fan, I always thought that one day Jackie Wilson would suddenly leap out of the hospital bed where he lay semi-comatose ...
Johnny Adams: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 30 January 1984
JOHNNY ADAMS IN LOCAL DEBUT ...
Van Halen: Life With The Top Down
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1984
"A LOTTA PEOPLE figure, 'Oh, Diamond Dave, he gets all the women he wants,'" says David Lee Roth with a cat-that-ate-the-canary gleam in his eye. ...
Thee Midniters: Zyanya: Tuned To New Latino Rock
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1984
THE LOCAL Chicano rock contingent has a new outlet for its music, courtesy of Rhino Records. The plucky independent label recently inaugurated a subsidiary label, ...
Guide by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 12 February 1984
PERSONNEL: Brooks, lead guitar/vocals. Dion Payton, guitar. Tom Giblin, keyboards. Lafayette Evans, bass. Earl Howell, drums. ...
Cyndi Lauper, the Three O'Clock: Beverly Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 29 February 1984
CYNDI LAUPER: DAFFY BUT ENDEARING SPECIAL DATE ...
The Meters: Leo Nocentelli Looks Back
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 April 1984
LOS ANGELES is a Mecca for hungry musicians...and not only those with dreams of stardom. The constant demand for movie and TV soundtracks, commercial jingles ...
Adam & the Ants: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 April 1984
THE LOST INNOCENCE OF POUTY ADAM ANT ...
Shredder: Teen Scene from Belly of the Beast
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 1984
Now flip that teen coin and meet a breed of kiddies who are not going to dance clubs, who are not listening to floaty romantic ...
Van Halen: Forum, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 1984
VAN HALEN ACHIEVES INTIMACY ON HUGE SCALE ...
Steel Pulse: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 1984
STEEL PULSE'S strong performance before a capacity audience at the Hollywood Palladium Friday night confirmed the veteran British sextet as one of the leading contenders ...
George Duke, Mtume: Mtume, Duke et al: Class Of '74 Pops Into The Mainstream
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 1984
LOOK AT WHAT 10 years can do to jazz mavericks. A decade ago, George Duke, James Mtume, Reggie Lucas, Ndugu Chancler and Stanley Clarke were ...
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Palladium, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 1984
OK, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN can play the everlovin' bejeesus out of the guitar, but packing a flash Stratocaster just ain't enough. ...
Roy Head: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 1984
YEAAHHH, MAH man. As a semi-legend, Joan Rivers has nothing on Roy Head, whose '65 smash 'Treat Her Right' remains one of the toughest, most ...
Alton Ellis: A Reggae Pioneer Who Preceded Marley
Retrospective by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 1984
Artist: Alton Ellis. Personnel: Ellis, vocals, backed by local reggae musicians. ...
Tina Turner: Onstage A Blaze In Total Control
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 1984
"I'M NOT A mystery," says Tina Turner. "Look what's in now — body building, aerobics, exercise — I've been yelling and running for 20 years! ...
KACE's High: Funky Music In The Park
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 1984
'And the winner is band number....Number...." ...
R.E.M.: The Reckoning of R.E.M.
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 1984
R.E.M. DIDN'T go courting success but the acclaimed Georgia quartet is learning to deal with it. ...
Black Flag: The Flag Is Up For Henry Rollins
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 1984
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, Henry Rollins will work himself into a frenzy as he leads L.A. punk kingpins Black Flag in a special matinee performance at West ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1984
APPARENTLY THE audience at this 1981 D.C. club date didn't realize that classic, gospel-rooted soul is hopelessly unhip, because it responds to Burke's impassioned performance ...
The Time: Ice Cream Castle (Warner Bros.)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1984
THE TIME FLIES IN ICE CREAM CASTLE ...
The Fleshtones Let the '60s All Hang Out
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 11 August 1984
CAN THE FLESHTONES prosper in today's slick, sophisticated pop world of Michael Jackson and Boy George? Percentage players would probably bet against the irreverent New ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 August 1984
SUNDAY'S "WORLD Cultural Music Festival" was postponed Friday after two key performers coincidentally ran into customs difficulties, festival publicist Jeff Gans said. He expects the ...
Fishbone, The Neville Brothers: The Neville Brothers, Fishbone: Palace Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 August 1984
CLASSY NEVILLES ...
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Energetic Updating Of Brass-Band Sound
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 September 1984
NEW ORLEANS — This city is a hotbed of jazz tradition, but the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has come up with a new twist on ...
Denise LaSalle: Right Place, Right Time: The Return of Denise Lasalle
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 September 1984
DENISE LASALLE THOUGHT her singing career was over three years ago. The blues-soul singer, who appears at the Long Beach Blues Festival Saturday, was a ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 9 September 1984
WASHINGTON – Ronald Reagan may preside over official Washington, but Trouble Funk rules the inner city surrounding it. ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 13 September 1984
THREE YEARS AFTER Bob Marley succumbed to cancer, his old Wailers band and three backing vocalists — including his widow — are embarking on an ...
Johnny Adams Creeps Up On Some Recognition
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 September 1984
NEW ORLEANS — Sometimes talent alone isn't enough to forge a successful career in pop music. ...
Sheila E.: Palace Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 September 1984
SHEILA E. IN LOCAL BOW AT PALACE ...
Augustus Pablo.: A Shadowy Reggae Legend
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 30 September 1984
Personnel: Pablo, keyboards-melodica; Liebert (Gibby) Morrison, lead guitar; Fazal Prendergast, rhythm guitar; Anthony (Asher) Brissett, Errol (Tarzan) Nelson, keyboards; Christopher Meredith, bass; Harry (Harry T) ...
Joneses, The (punk), The Minutemen: The Minutemen, the Joneses: Music Machine, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 October 1984
Minutemen Surpass the Joneses With Engaging Mix of Rock, Jazz, Folk ...
The Last Poets: Last Poets: The First And Lost Poets Of Rap
Retrospective by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 14 October 1984
Group: The Last Poets. Record: The Last Poets (Celluloid 6101). Personnel: Abiodun Oyewole, Alafia Pudim, Omar Ben Hassen, vocals. Nilaja, percussion. ...
Sam Moore, Sam & Dave: Sam Moore: The Soul Man Makes A Comeback From Heroin
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 October 1984
IN THE late '60s, Sam & Dave were right up there with Otis Redding as stars of Memphis' legendary Stax Records. Singles like 'Hold On, ...
Retrospective and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1984
That was the Baby Boom age. There were more Mexicans being 15, 16, 17 years old than you can think of. Everybody seemed to be ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Aston Barrett: Rhythm Behind The Reggae
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 November 1984
THE BARRETT BROTHERS may be the most influential unsung heroes in pop music. ...
Frankie Goes to Hollywood: Welcome To The Pleasuredome (Island)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 18 November 1984
FRANKIE GOES TO EXTREMES ...
Los Lobos: How Will The Wolf Survive? (Slash/Warner Bros.)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 25 November 1984
HOWLIN' WOLVES ...
Michael Jackson, The Jacksons: The Jacksons: Dodger Stadium, Elysian Park, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 3 December 1984
JACKSONS FALL SHORT OF A CLEAR-CUT VICTORY ...
Los Lobos: How Will The Wolf Survive?
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 10 December 1984
THE EAST L.A. musical landscape is littered with one hit wonders who plunged back to obscurity as swiftly as they escaped from it, but the ...
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 16 December 1984
"PARIS, TEXAS IS like a perfect career job," reflects Ry Cooder, the composer of the film's haunting score. "It's the kind of film that if ...
Bull Moose Jackson: A Bull Moose Party
Profile by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 30 December 1984
Personnel: Jackson, vocals, backed by the Flashcats: Cindy Sotak, vocals, guitar; Dave Kent, vocals, guitar; Pete Loria, trumpet; Phil Brontz, saxophone; Jim Fanning, bass; Carl ...
Al Green: The Gospel According To Al Green
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, January 1985
Al GREEN was the hottest soul singer this side of Stevie Wonder in the early '70s but don't expect to hear old hits like 'Tired ...
Magic Sam: Bluesman Magic Sam: His Legend Lives On
Retrospective by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 6 January 1985
WHAT IF HE HADN'T died so young? Among rock fans, that kind of speculation usually centers on icons like Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Holly. Among ...
Eek-A-Mouse: Reggae For The Fun Of It
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 January 1985
REGGAE ARTISTS usually strive to appear as visionary prophets in concert, but Eek-A-Mouse will bring a more light-hearted approach to the Music Machine on Saturday ...
The Blasters: Hardline (Slash/Warner Bros)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 January 1985
THE BLASTERS FACE a perennial battle in balancing their allegiance to roots forms of American music with the ever present danger of becoming predictable purists ...
Mamie Van Doren: Palomino, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 1 February 1985
RETURN OF '50s BIMBO ROYALTY ...
Rockin' Dopsie: Hail The Crown Prince Of Zydeco: Rockin' Dopsie
Profile by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 10 February 1985
ARTIST: Rockin' Dopsie & the Cajun Twisters. PERSONNEL: Alton Rubin (Rockin' Dopsie), accordion, vocals; John Hart, saxophone; Russell Gordon, guitar; Alonzo Johnson, bass; David Rubin, washboard; ...
Allan Holdsworth: Guitarist Making Up Lost Time
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 February 1985
HOW DOES ALLAN Holdsworth react to being labeled a "guitarist's guitarist"? ...
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 February 1985
"REGGAE IS JUST as much a part of my culture as it is for any Jamaican guy my age," contends guitarist/vocalist Robin Campbell of UB40. ...
Prince: The Forum, Los Angeles
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 February 1985
FOR PRINCE'S CONCERT It's A Reign Of Rock When a rock artist makes a movie, it's usually to express things that can't be conveyed in mere ...
Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon: Fela
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 February 1985
THE CONCEPT OF combining music with a strong political message is a romantic, enticing notion to many young musicians but it's a harsh, often painful ...
Fela Kuti: Music Is the Weapon
Film/DVD/TV Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 February 1985
THE IDEA of combining music with a strong political message is a romantic notion to many young musicians, but the concept is a harsh reality ...
Roland Alphonso: Kingston 12, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 February 1985
THE START of saxophonist Roland Alphonso's second set at the Kingston 12 Friday brought to mind those uncomfortable evenings with aging blues legends where the ...
Mick Jagger: She's The Boss (Columbia)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 March 1985
GETTIN' NO SATISFACTION ...
Richard Thompson, Richard and Linda Thompson: Richard Thompson: A Rock Veteran's New Beginning
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 March 1985
RICHARD AND Linda Thompson, whose 10-year marriage and musical partnership ended in 1982, were a decidedly low-profile couple by rock standards. In fact, they were ...
The Replacements: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 13 April 1985
CALL IT indulgent, call it self-destructive, even chaotic, but the Replacements' show at the Palace on Thursday was one that eyewitnesses aren't likely to forget. ...
The Power Station: The Power Station (Capitol)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 April 1985
SCHIZO SUPERGROUP ...
Otis Rush Singing The Blues About Obscurity
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 17 April 1985
THE IMAGE OF THE under-appreciated blues artist laboring in obscurity has almost become a cliche, but Otis Rush genuinely fits that description. ...
James Blood Ulmer: The 'Harmolodics' Of James Ulmer
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 1985
NEUTRAL GROUND doesn't seem to exist when it comes to James (Blood) Ulmer's music. ...
Rockin' Sidney: It's Time For 'Toot Toot'
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 1985
You can look as much But if you as much as touch You're gonna have yourself a case I'm gonna break your face So don't ...
Dr. John: Nights For Trippin' With Dr. John At The Lingerie
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 1985
DR. JOHN SHOULD feel right at home this weekend at the Lingerie in Hollywood. ...
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 1985
FEW BANDS can claim a better pedigree than New Order. The English quartet is the offspring of Joy Division, the influential group whose name is ...
Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 (RCA)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 1985
SAM COOKE — ALIVE AGAIN ...
Eugene Chadbourne: Chadbourne Country: A Rake 'N' Roll Hybrid
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 1985
"PEOPLE HAVE said to me, 'You could be as good on guitar as Al Di Meola if you quit screwing around,'" says Eugene Chadbourne. "Well, ...
Alex Chilton: Feudalist Star: Alex Chilton
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 1985
AFTER YEARS of maintaining a low musical profile, southern pop cult hero Alex Chilton's star may be on the rise again. ...
Nile Rodgers: B-Movie Matinee (Warner Bros.)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 1985
RODGERS: SLY, SLICK AND WICKED ...
Chris Strachwitz: Slices From Arhoolie
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 1985
EL CERRITO, Calif. – "Since I only record music I really love, it's like being a preacher or a junkie," mused Chris Strachwitz, founder of ...
Film Fest To Offer Jazz, Reggae Documentaries
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 1985
THE PAIR OF 1981 documentaries making their local premieres this weekend as part of the Fox International Theater's ongoing Summer Music Film Fest offers an ...
Aswad: The Palace, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 1985
STEEL PULSE spearheaded the charge of British reggae artists to America, but Aswad served notice at the Palace on Wednesday that it's ready to claim ...
Mutabaruka: Reggae Star Is More Than A Poet
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 1985
"I DON'T LIKE being classified as a dub poet because dub poetry is a limit to one's expression," Mutabaruka declares. "It's like saying that you're ...
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 August 1985
SOLOMON BURKE looked more like Don Corleone surveying his domain in The Godfather than a preacher preparing to conduct a recent late-afternoon service. ...
Lonnie Mack: Guitarist Mack Brings Varied Life To L.A. Concert
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 August 1985
"FIRST TIME I met Jeff Beck was when they were doin' that benefit for Ronnie Lane down in Dallas. Ah came in the door and ...
Joe Higgs Seeks Reggae 'Triumph'
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 14 August 1985
"IF I WAS A prophet, I wouldn't have left the Wailers, but I didn't know they were going to become this monstrous," Joe Higgs said ...
Mötley Crüe: Inglewood Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 August 1985
ROCK GROUP RIPE FOR A CRÜE-SADE? ...
9.9, Five Star, Nona Hendryx: Nona Hendryx, 9.9, Five Star: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 29 August 1985
RCA RECORDS SHOWCASES THREE ACTS ...
Sheila E.: Romance 1600 (Warner Bros.)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 1 September 1985
SHEILA E.: GENDER IN A BLENDER ...
Linda Hopkins Sticks To The Gospel Truth
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 13 September 1985
GOING FROM the glitzy glamour of opening four shows for Joan Rivers to the down-home atmosphere of the Long Beach Blues Festival this Saturday afternoon ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 22 September 1985
DAVID HINDS was not in the mood to mince words. The lead singer and chief songwriter of Steel Pulse was furious over the delay in ...
Bruce Springsteen... More Than Just Words?
Report by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 September 1985
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN closes his 15-month world tour tonight and Wednesday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as more than just the biggest star in rock. ...
Memphis Slim: McCabe's, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 14 October 1985
Sly Slim ...
Robert Cray Bringing The Blues Up To Date
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 17 October 1985
YOU CAN UNDERSTAND why Robert Cray felt uncomfortable about the stir he created among blues fans two years ago. The arrival of an accomplished young ...
Etta James: Her Voice Can Get A Hold On You
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 26 October 1985
"WHAT'S HAPPENING now is that all the kids who grew up listening to me on their transistor radios in the '50s and '60s are now ...
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 27 October 1985
IS WASHINGTON'S explosive Go-Go funk Style destined to follow New York's rap/scratch/hip-hop brigade into the pop mainstream? ...
Divine: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 November 1985
AS A SINGER NOW, DIVINE ISN'T QUITE AS DIVINE ...
Grace Jones: Slave To The Rhythm (Manhattan)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 December 1985
GRACE: EGO TO GO ...
The Five Blind Boys of Alabama: Fountain, Five Blind Boys Spout The Gospel
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 December 1985
"ACTING? IT'S nothing complicated. All you have to do is remember your lines," Clarence Fountain was saying. "I can talk — that's my job, talkin', ...
The Long Ryders: Griffin, Long Ryders Set To Go The Distance
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 December 1985
WHEN SID Griffin talks about his "family" these days, he doesn't just mean his folks back in Kentucky. He's referring to the Los Angeles musical ...
Sade: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 December 1985
Sade Seeks to One-Yup the Competition With Its Sultry Yet Sedate Approach ...
The Long Ryders: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 21 December 1985
LONG RYDERS: WHO WERE THOSE COUNTRY-ROCKERS? ...
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 December 1985
THE EXCITEMENT of performing before a live audience is the incentive for most pop artists to enter show business but it's taken Allen Toussaint almost ...
Allen Toussaint: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 30 December 1985
A NEW ORLEANS KING ...
Dr. Ross: Blues – What The Doctor Ordered
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 16 January 1986
SAM PHILLIPS' Sun Records has a special place in rock history as the musical birthplace of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny ...
The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Red Hot Chili Peppers: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 7 February 1986
PEPPERS' HIGH JINKS ...
Blancmange, Timbuk3: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 February 1986
BLANCMANGE DEBUT STILL IN ITS MOLD ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 13 February 1986
BUNNY WAILER, who formed the creative nucleus of the Wailers with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh when the group became Jamaica's reigning pop heroes in ...
Judy Mowatt: Mowatt's Winding Path To Success
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 13 February 1986
JUDY MOWATT'S Working Wonders album has received a Grammy nomination, but that isn't the only reason she'll remember the record. A succession of studio disasters ...
Johnny Adams, Earl King: Earl King, Johnny Adams: Nugget Club, Long Beach CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 March 1986
KING: ORIGINAL LICKS ...
George Thorogood & The Destroyers: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 March 1986
GEORGE THOROGOOD & the Destroyers have added a few wrinkles, but the quartet hasn't changed much since Thorogood first danced on local tabletops seven years ...
Merry Clayton, The Rolling Stones: 'Shelter' from the Storm: Merry Clayton
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 13 March 1986
MERRY CLAYTON'S spine-chilling vocal in the middle of ‘Gimme Shelter’ is one of the most electrifying moments in rock history but you couldn't blame Clayton ...
Merry Clayton: Gardenia Room, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 17 March 1986
WITHOUT A SONG... ...
Dwight Yoakam: the Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 March 1986
YOAKAM'S CONSERVATIVE COUNTRY ...
Hüsker Dü: Candy Apple Grey (Warner Bros.)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 March 1986
HÜSKER HURLS A CHANGE-UP ...
Prince & the Revolution: Parade: Music From The Motion Picture Under The Cherry Moon (Paisley Park)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 March 1986
THE PURPLE ONE'S FLOWER POWER ...
Bunny Wailer: Wailers 'Together Again'
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 April 1986
THE UPCOMING Wailers album Together Again isn't just your average reunion record. Besides Bunny Waller, Peter Tosh, Junior Braitwaithe and Constantine Walker, the lineup will ...
The Bangles: Local Girls Make Good
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 1986
FOUR WAYS to tell when you've made it, courtesy of the Bangles: Drummer Debbi Peterson: "It's so amazing, standing on the corner — this happened ...
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes: Southside Johnny: Dancing The Night Away With The Jukes
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 1986
"YOU SWEAT HERE as much as anywhere else in the world, let me tell ya," said Southside Johnny Lyon, and that sentiment aptly summed up ...
Run-DMC: Run-D.M.C.: Raising Hell (Profile)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 1986
RUNNING ON FULL ...
The Skatalites: The Fathers Of Ska
Profile by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 1986
Personnel: The 11-man lineup will include charter members Johnnie Moore (trumpet), Lester Sterling (alto sax), Roland Alphonso and Tommy McCook (tenor sax), Rico Rodriguez (trombone), ...
Charlie Sexton: The Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 1986
CHARLIE SEXTON'S UPS 'N' DOWNS ...
Charles Brown: Music Machine, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 1986
BROWN: SMOKY BLUES ...
Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Paul Butterfield
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 1986
PAUL BUTTERFIELD played a vital role in popularizing blues with the '60s rock audience but the Chicago-born harmonica player/singer never experienced them as acutely as ...
The Cramps: Palladium, Hollywood CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 1986
A DATE WITH CRAMPS ...
Ziggy Marley: Marleys' Melodious Messages
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 1986
REGGAE FANS may still mourn the death of Bob Marley from cancer five years ago, but the next generation of the Marley clan is already ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 1986
"THE BARRELHOUSE used to be right down there on the northeast corner of Wilmington," Johnny Otis said Saturday afternoon, referring to the nightclub – a ...
Chaka Khan: Destiny (Warner Bros.)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 1986
CHAKA STRUTS STUFF ...
Stevie Ray Vaughan: Greek Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1986
YA-HOO! STEVIE VAUGHAN AT GREEK ...
Art of Noise, Duane Eddy: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 1986
DUANE EDDY ROCKS LIFE INTO ART OF NOISE ...
The Beatles: Four Who Dared : Backstage With the Beatles on Their Last Tour
Retrospective by Judith Sims, Los Angeles Times, 3 August 1986
Twenty years ago this month, the Beatles, on their third American tour, staged 18 concerts in 14 cities and played to more than 450,000 screaming ...
The SOS Band: The S.O.S. Band: Sands Of Time (Tabu)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 August 1986
S.O.S.' NOUVEAU FUNK ...
The Swan Silvertones: Pet Sounds: Get Right With the Swan Silvertones (Archives Alive/Rhino)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 August 1986
GOSPEL MUSIC GENERALLY gets much lip service as an influence on R&B (and indirectly rock) vocalists but short thrift when it comes to re-issues of ...
Phranc, The Smiths: The Smiths, Phranc: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 August 1986
MORRISSEY SPILLS HIS SOUL FOR FANS ...
Phranc, The Smiths: The Smiths, Phranc: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 August 1986
MORRISSEY SPILLS HIS SOUL FOR FANS ...
Jimmy Johnson: Johnson At Peace With His Music
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 19 September 1986
LARGE EGOS are common in the music world, but Jimmy Johnson is one performer who doesn't believe in loudly trumpeting the virtues of his music. ...
Little Milton: Long Beach Blues Festival, Long Beach
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 22 September 1986
IF SOMEONE HAD distributed a checklist following Little Milton's set Saturday afternoon – rating his performance for singing, instrumental solos, arrangements, set pacing, use of ...
Nanci Griffith: McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 October 1986
GRIFFITH SINGS AND STRUMS COUNTRY ...
Motorhead: No Sleep 'Til San Diego: Motorhead
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 7 October 1986
IT'S BEEN A TOUGH five years for Motorhead. The English heavy metal quartet, which appears Saturday in Santa Monica, Sunday in San Bernardino and in ...
Motorhead Guitarist Is Running On All Cylinders
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 10 October 1986
WURZEL BURSTON'S road to Motorhead qualifies as one of rock's more implausible success stories. Originally a drummer, Burston switched to guitar at the advanced age ...
Sky Saxon: The View From The Haze
Profile and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 12 October 1986
BEHIND THE door of the aging, cracker-box Hollywood apartment sits a velvet-covered table strewn with rose petals. Two white candles cast flickering shadows over plates ...
Oran "Juice" Jones: Juice (Def Jam)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 19 October 1986
'RAIN' GEAR ...
Timbuk3's Hit Twosome: Their Future's Bright
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 November 1986
"THE ONLY thing we've got that's been kind of weird is people offering endorsements, people wanting to use the song 'Shades' to endorse their products." ...
Peter Guralnick's Soul Hits Sweet Spot
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 November 1986
DO YA LIKE good music? (Yeah, yeah.) Then Peter Guralnick's new book Sweet Soul Music (Harper & Row) is right down your alley, two steps ...
Fela Kuti: Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 November 1986
KUTI IN HIS OWN GROOVE ...
The Smithereens: Success Dawns for the Smithereens
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 22 November 1986
"I THOUGHT I would like the desert, going through Arlzona," said the Smithereens' lead singer Pat DiNizio. "But it scared me more than anything." ...
Jesse Johnson: Shockadelica (A&M)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1986
JESSE: PEDESTRIAN CROSSING ...
Black Flag, Gone, SWA: Ex-Black Flag Rockers Battle The Mainstream
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 November 1986
"WE WEREN'T a band that came out and played a lot of our old songs," reflects Black Flag founder/guitarist Greg Ginn in the wake of ...
Cameo Wins Funk Fans With Sly Wit
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1 December 1986
Cameo: Santa Monica Civic, Santa Monica ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 December 1986
'AT THIS MOMENT' is fast becoming the left-field pop success of the year. The soulful ballad by Billy & the Beaters, a popular fixture on ...
Youssou N'Dour: Super Star of Dakar: Youssou N'Dour
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 December 1986
PETER GABRIEL HAS often acknowledged the influence of Third World styles on his recent songs and the veteran British rocker is paying back that debt ...
Billy Vera: Billy & the Beaters et al: Bar Bands Make The Rounds
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 December 1986
THE SATURDAY NIGHT crowd packed into At My Place in Santa Monica whooped it up as Billy & the Beaters kicked off their opening set ...
The Knack Rises Out Of The Ashes
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 December 1986
REMEMBER THE Michael Jackson backlash? You think Madonna and Sean are facing one now? Those are nothing compared to the greatest rock backlash of them ...
The BoDeans: Odd Match, Hot Harmony
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 4 January 1987
THE EVERLY Brothers. Buddy Holly. Ritchie Valens. Chuck Berry. ...
Joe Louis Walker: Blues With A Gospel Tint
Profile by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 January 1987
Band: Joe Louis Walker & the Boss Talkers.Personnel: Walker, guitar and vocals; Kevin Zuffi, keyboards; Henry Oden, bass; Sieve Griffith, drums. ...
Cyndi Lauper: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1987
HEARTFELT MOMENTS OF LIVE LAUPER ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 February 1987
BEASTIE BOYS BAPTISM ...
Freddie Jackson: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 16 March 1987
FREDDIE JACKSON: SURPRISES, CONTROL ...
Charlie Haden Recalls Lessons Of Cuba Visit
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 27 March 1987
CUBA IS A RARE tour stopover for any American, artist, but Charlie Haden’s appearance in Havana last month fulfilled a dream the eminent bassist had ...
Peter Wolf: Come As You Are (EMI-America)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 April 1987
LUPINE, SUPINE ...
Shirley Murdock, Luther Vandross: Luther Vandross, Shirley Murdock: Inglewood Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 April 1987
VANDROSS JUST DOESN'T GO THAT EXTRA DISTANCE ...
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 19 April 1987
AIRY 'N' EERIE ...
Robert Cray: New Twist On The Blues
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 April 1987
"IT'S REALLY FUNNY now, because when you're really down and out, nothing comes to you," reflected Robert Cray. "But when things start going for you, ...
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 1987
MALACO RECORDS isn't exactly a household name in the music industry but the Jackson, Mississippi-based label was behind one of the surprise grass-roots success stories ...
Green on Red: The Killer Inside Me (Mercury) **
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 1987
AMERICANA NOIR ...
Clarence Carter: Dr. Carter To You
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 1987
CLARENCE CARTER decided to challenge himself last year and hit the jackpot with the best-selling album of his career. ...
Ornette Coleman Explores Old, New
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 June 1987
APPEARS WITH HIS TWO BANDS ...
Ornette Coleman: Music Dreams Are Made Of: Ornette Coleman at Town Hall, New York
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 1987
NEW YORK – Funny, the pent-up anticipation that usually wells up before a concert didn't hit me until a half hour before Ornette Coleman took ...
James Carr: At the Dark End of the Street (Blue Side)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 1987
Artist: James Carr.Album: At the Dark End of the Street (Blue Side). ...
1967, The Summer of Love: There Was a Brief Moment When the Sun Really Shone
Memoir by Judith Sims, Los Angeles Times, 2 August 1987
I'LL GET right to the point: 1967 was one of the best years of my life. ...
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 August 1987
WHAM, GLAM, NO THANK YOU, MA'AM ...
Tom Waits: Franks Wild Years (Island)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 August 1987
WAITS: DREAMLIKE, DISTANT ...
Anita Baker, Perri: Anita Baker: Greek Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 September 1987
BAKER PLAYS IT LOOSE AT THE GREEK ...
Snooks Eaglin: The Eclectic Blues Of Unpredictable Eaglin
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 19 September 1987
WHAT DO WASHINGTON'S Go-Go masters Trouble Funk, California instrumental rockers the Ventures and New Orleans R&B singer Smiley Lewis have in common? ...
Peter Tosh, The Wailers: Reggae: Can The Beat Go On?
Comment by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 27 September 1987
THE DEATH OF Peter Tosh, gunned down Sept 11 at his Kingston, Jamaica, home during an apparent robbery, is only the latest tragedy in the ...
Little Milton: Touring Little Milton Still Big On The Blues
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 October 1987
LITTLE MILTON'S set was the clear highlight of the 1986 Long Beach Blues Festival, and it turns out that performance was just as memorable for ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 3 October 1987
ALBERT COLLINS' CAREER has been on the upswing since he signed with Alligator Records in 1979 but the veteran blues guitarist has shifted into overdrive ...
Cecil Taylor: Pianist Cecil Taylor Makes Poetry Of His Jazz
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 10 October 1987
"GREAT MUSICIANS are more than musicians – they are poets and spiritual forces," said pianist Cecil Taylor. "It is the sensitivity and the concept of ...
Ry Cooder Charts His Own Course
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1987
RY COODER'S atmospheric film scores, eclectic albums and collaborations with prestige performers like Randy Newman and John Hiatt have created an image of the musician ...
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 November 1987
George Jones' Myth Persists at the Greek ...
Tom Waits: Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 November 1987
Tom Waits Shines His Lamp on Sleazy Underside of Life Quirky Sounds, Offbeat Lighting, Wiggy Jigs Make for a Highly Stylized, Intimate Concert ...
Warren Zevon: Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1987
Zevon: Mean and Black ...
Clifton Chenier: Remembering Clifton Chenier, the King of Zydeco
Obituary by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 December 1987
THE ONLY WAY Angelenos could get a true glimpse of the musical world of Clifion Chenier, who died last weekend at 62, was to attend ...
The Clash, Joe Strummer: Strummer on Man, God, Law – and the Clash
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 January 1988
HAS JOE STRUMMER lost his ambition and drive? It was strange last month to see one of rock's all-time most involving performers serving simply as ...
Irma Thomas: Time On Her Side: Irma Thomas
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 9 February 1988
IRMA THOMAS' entrance into the music business is the kind of story rock dreams are made of. ...
The Gun Club: Reloaded Gun Club Takes Aim Again
Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 April 1988
SITTING AT the coffee table at his mother's West Hollywood apartment, Jeffrey Lee Pierce keeps jumping up to change records. Sly & the Family Stone's ...
David Sylvian: Sylvian Gives the People What He Wants
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 April 1988
SAY YOU'VE come under the melancholy spell of David Sylvian's richly atmospheric music — an autumnal wash of strings and electronics, with the singer's low, ...
Peter Tosh: Andrew Tosh Shoulders Reggae Legacy
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 7 April 1988
"YEAH, I ALWAYS think that I might be a target," said Andrew Tosh, son of gunned-down reggae star Peter Tosh. "I keep a good watch ...
Morris Day: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 1988
Sellout Time for Day but the Routine's Dated ...
Buckwheat Zydeco Happily Plays to the Younger Set
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 1988
STANLEY (BUCKWHEAT) DURAL Jr. played organ with Clifton Chenier from 1976 to 1978 – a stint that left more than a musical mark on the ...
Tony Joe White: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 1988
Swamp-Rocker White: Sandpaper 'n' Molasses ...
Buster Poindexter: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 1988
Pop Cultures Collide in Buster's Eclectic Mix ...
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 1988
Three Women, One Fine Show ...
Stanley Clarke Lets His Bass Do the Talking in Solo Album
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1988
STANLEY CLARKE got an offer last year that he couldn't refuse... once he picked himself off the floor. ...
Global Music With a Single Heart
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1988
QUICK, WHAT do English rock star Peter Gabriel, L.A. club favorites the Bonedaddys, West African vocalist Salif Keita, Israeli pop star Ofra Haza and the ...
Sinead O'Connor: The Pluck of the Irish
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1988
"DO RICH people live there?" asked Sinead O'Connor, gazing at the hillside homes opposite her Hollywood hotel room. ...
Laura Nyro Returns for a Soulful Connection
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 11 August 1988
IN THE YEAR of the comeback, the touted returns of Brian Wilson and Patti Smith are no more startling than the re-emergence of Laura Nyro, ...
Robert Johnson: Demons on the Delta
Retrospective by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 14 August 1988
Standing at the crossroadsI tried to flag a rideNobody seemed to know meEverybody passed me by.– 'Crossroads Blues' by Robert Johnson ...
Pere Ubu: The Picturesque Sound of Pere Ubu
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 September 1988
IS THE ROCK world finally ready for Pere Ubu? The critically acclaimed sextet from Cleveland, which finishes a two-night stand at Club Lingerie tonight – ...
Keith Richards: Talk Is Cheap (Virgin Records) ***½
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 October 1988
Keef Rolls Alone ...
Howard Armstrong: Louie Bluie Still Plucking Away at Strings of His Heart
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 October 1988
HOWARD ARMSTRONG may be the music world's leading 79-year-old rapscallion. ...
Rudy Ray Moore, Clarence Reid (aka Blowfly): Blowfly, Rudy Ray Moore: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 12 December 1988
Blowfly Captures Crowd ...
Was (Not Was): What Up, Dog? (Chrysalis)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 18 December 1988
AS CONCEPTUALISM goes, this mutant brainchild of Dee-troit unbrothers David and Don Was is semibrilliant, taking something from everybody who ever contributed anything to the ...
Toots & The Maytals: Toots In Memphis
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 January 1989
REGGAE GOT SOUL was the title of a 1976 Toots & the Maytals album, and Frederick (Toots) Hibbert decided to re-emphasize the connection when he ...
The Memphis Horns: Two-Man Memphis Horns Keep Punching Those Sounds
Interview by Fred Shuster, Los Angeles Times, 27 January 1989
QUESTION: What do recent hit albums by Peter Gabriel, Steve Winwood and Robert Cray have in common with earlier best sellers by Otis Redding and ...
Charlie Sexton: Charlie Sexton (MCA) **½
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 1989
SAL, BABES, have you heard this kid, here, Charlie Sexton? That's right, kid. Yeah, he's all of 20 years old now and this is his ...
Burning Spear, Judy Mowatt, Pato Banton: Second Generation Picks Up the Torch From Bob Marley
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 7 February 1989
Bob Marley Day: Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles ...
Experience Unlimited (EU): E.U.: Livin' Large (Virgin) ***
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 March 1989
YOWL, Y'AWL. Let's git LARGE. Big Time big time. For their major-label debut, the D.C.-based veteran "go-go" outfit not only reprises last year's booty-bustin' dance ...
Public Enemy: Ackerman Ballroom, UCLA, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 March 1989
Public Enemy Raps the System ...
Bananarama: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 April 1989
Bananarama Half-Packs Universal Amphitheatre ...
Tin Machine: Tin Machine (EMI)
Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, May 1989
Bowie's Machine: The Return of the Chameleon ...
The Replacements: Palladium, Hollywood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 1989
Replacements Aren't Replaceable at Palladium ...
Bob Mould: Ex-Husker Du Bob Mould Offers an Exercise in Angst
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 1989
TO BORROW two titles from bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson, Bob Mould could be Mr. Downchild taking up permanent residence on Bummer Road. ...
Half Pint Making a Splash With Rebellion
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 1989
HALF PINT'S 'Greetings (to All Ragamuffins)' was the Jamaican equivalent of Tone Loc's 'Wild Thing' — a record that went beyond hit status to become ...
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 1989
The new sound pumps up the volume and eyes a move from R&B underground to the pop mainstream. ...
Big Daddy Kane, De La Soul, Rodney-O & Joe Cooley: Celebrity Theatre, Anaheim CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 1989
Dislocated Metaphysics of De La Soul ...
24-7 Spyz: Spyz Call Their Tune and 'Go for the Throat'
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 1989
JIMI HAZEL got hooked on the guitar when he was 6 years old and his brother took him to see Jimi Hendrix at the 1970 ...
Phranc: Folk Singer Enjoys Being Phranc at Last
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 1989
'I ENJOY Being a Girl' is the title song of Phranc's new album, and when she sings the 1958 Rodgers & Hammerstein show tune it ...
Charles Brown: The Rebirth Of Charles Brown And His Blues
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 1989
A resurgence of interest in a big man of the post-World War II era ...
Sampling: A Creative Tool or License to Steal?
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 6 August 1989
Guitarist Leo Nocentelli vividly remembers his first exposure to sampling in 1982. "I was on a session and the guy pressed one note on the ...
Ziggy Marley Livelies Up Himself in the Nick of Time
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 7 August 1989
ZIGGY MARLEY did not wait a minute too long to dip into his father's songbook for 'Lively Up Yourself'. ...
K.T. Oslin, Randy Travis: Randy Travis, K.T. Oslin: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 August 1989
Travis, Oslin's Smooth and Easy Outing ...
10,000 Maniacs: The Queen of Nostalgia Gets Real
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 13 August 1989
10,000 Maniacs' Natalie Merchant puts focus on the here and now ...
Tony Williams: Jazz Drummer Tony Williams: A Lifetime of Risky Riffs
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 17 August 1989
"Every time I go on stage to I play, I'm risking," declared jazz drummer/bandleader Tony Williams. "That's part of my job and part of my ...
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 3 September 1989
At the height of his band's success, Robert Smith decides to pack it all in. ...
Burning Spear Aims to Stay True to Roots Reggae
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 11 September 1989
THERE IS no more pure exponent of roots reggae than Burning Spear. Reggae has gone through a number of permutations in the 15 years since ...
Little Feat: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 September 1989
SO MUCH attention was focused on the late Lowell George's central role as the chief singer-songwriter for Little Feat that the inimitable funky boogie style ...
Daniel Lanois: A Nomad Settles Down to Record His Own Album
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 17 September 1989
DANIEL LANOIS is best known for co-producing such chart breakthrough albums as U2's The Joshua Tree and Peter Gabriel's So. But you won't find much ...
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 October 1989
Guns N' Roses Shows Some Mettle ...
Curtis Mayfield: The Palomino, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 October 1989
Mayfield Performs Cream of His Crop of Hits ...
The Jesus & Mary Chain: The Jesus and Mary Chain: Automatic
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 November 1989
THE BROTHERS REID have made an art form of abrasiveness: a first album that dragged you through thickets of distortion to reach the sweetness at ...
Joe Strummer: The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 22 November 1989
Strummer: Crying and Rocking at Coach House ...
Soundgarden: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 December 1989
Moody Soundgarden Gets a Lift From Cornell's Voice at Whisky ...
The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Chili Peppers Taste Success at Last
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 January 1990
After seven long years, L.A.'s loony punk-funk band finally gains respect for its music as well as its off-stage antics ...
The Residents Keep an Eye on Their Secret Identities
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 January 1990
San Francisco's visionary underground musicians will surface tonight with a unique take on Elvis. ...
The Residents Keep an Eye on Their Secret Identities
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 January 1990
Pop music: SanFrancisco's visionary underground musicians will surface tonight with a unique take on Elvis. ...
Marcia Grifiths, Ziggy Marley: The Resurgence of Reggae
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 3 February 1990
Pop music: Major labels sign more artists and watch sales rise. The Jamaican style enjoys renewed popularity with a new generation of performers and fans. ...
Experience Unlimited (EU), Skyy (US): Skyy, E.U.: Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1990
Skyy Pales Before the E.U. Groove Machine ...
Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Art Ensemble Of Chicago
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 2 March 1990
"OUR MUSIC IS primarily intended to stimulate thought, to get people to make new rationales," said Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpeter Lester Bowie. "We're expanding ...
Linton Kwesi Johnson: Reggae's Pioneer Poet Has Picked Up His Pen Again
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 6 March 1990
Music: Linton Kwesi Johnson took a break because he was afraid he'd run out of things to say, but Europe thought otherwise. ...
Fishbone: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 7 March 1990
Fishbone Hooks Fans at the Roxy ...
Johnny Adams, Percy Mayfield: Johnny Adams and Percy Mayfield: A Blues Gem From A Surprising Pairing
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 15 April 1990
Walking on a Tightrope album mixes Johnny Adams' vocals and Percy Mayfield compositions ...
Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (Priority) **
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 1990
LIKE HIS new cohorts Public Enemy, Ice Cube is fueled by persecution. The rapper's first solo album since leaving N.W.A. opens with the sounds of ...
Digital Underground: Palace Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 1990
Digital Underground Can't Get Over the Humpt ...
Vic Chesnutt: And a Singer Grows
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 1990
"I AIN'T NO fashion plate," singer Vic Chesnutt conceded when asked about the price tag on the collar of his thrift-shop Western shirt. "I just ...
Mazzy Star: She Hangs Brightly (Rough Trade) ***½
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 1990
Mazzy Star Debut a Fine Fix of Country Blues ...
Albert King: An Old Blues Artist Is Easing Away
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 1990
"It's Time to Quit," Says Famed Guitarist Albert King, 67 ...
The Breeders: A New Breed of Women in Rock
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 1990
TAKE A PIXIE, add a Muse, throw in a Perfect Disaster and you've got the Breeders. ...
The Smithereens: Palladium, Hollywood CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 1990
Smithereens Deliver Right-Left Combination ...
The Melvins, Mudhoney: Mudhoney, the Melvins: Hollywood Live, Hollywood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1990
Mudhoney's Roar of Confusion ...
24-7 Spyz, Primus: Hollywood Live, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 1990
24-7 Spyz: A Blend of Idealism, Stage-Diving ...
The Motels: Not Long Ago, But Far, Far Away: They Were There When L.A.'s Vital Club Scene Was Reborn
Retrospective and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1990
IT WAS 1976 and they were five newcomers in three bands. Together, they helped stage 'Radio Free Hollywood' and opened the door for hundreds of ...
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1 August 1990
YOUSSOU N'DOUR has supplanted King Sunny Ade as the most visible African artist to Western pop audiences since the current surge of international interest in ...
Mazzy Star: Club Lingerie, Hollywood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 August 1990
Hipster Hypnotists at the Lingerie ...
Perry Farrell, Jane's Addiction: An Offbeat Addiction
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 September 1990
Perry Farrell inflames passions and plays for high stakes as he leads Jane's Addiction in its quest for importance ...
Koko Taylor: A Blues Belter Bounces Back From Adversity
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 6 September 1990
Pop music: Koko Taylor was injured in a van accident and then suffered the death of her husband-manager. ...
T-Bone Walker: The Complete Recordings of T-Bone Walker, 1940-1954 (Mosaic)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 16 September 1990
The Complete Recordings of T-Bone Walker, 1940-1954 display the bluesman's seminal influence on the genre ...
The Replacements: All Shook Down (Sire)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 September 1990
IN WHICH Paul Westerberg completes the progression from unruly rocker with a tender heart to tender-hearted tunesmith given to rock spasms. All Shook Down erupts ...
Charles Brown: His Blues Get a New Audience
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 29 September 1990
Comeback: The low-key, urbane music of veteran singer-pianist Charles Brown fell out of favor during the rock era, but he is winning new fans opening ...
The Pixies, Clarence Reid (aka Blowfly): The Pixies, Blowfly: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 December 1990
Pixies Play Nice and Rough ...
A Special Time In Rock: 1966 On The Sunset Strip
Retrospective by Roy Trakin, Los Angeles Times, 1991
THE SUMMER of 1966 on L.A.'s Sunset Strip was a time when many young musicians thought anything was possible. A teenager from the San Fernando ...
The Replacements: Palladium, Hollywood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 January 1991
The Replacements Face Their Future ...
Maxi Priest: Reggae's Maxi Priest Wins Mainstream Favor
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 February 1991
Pop music: The British singer adds an R&B flavor to the Jamaican sound. He and his band play San Diego and Long Beach this weekend. ...
C+C Music Factory: This Ain't No Disco
Overview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 April 1991
UNLIKE THE '70s, today's dance music is based on a radical mix of styles that may signal a new era in pop. ...
Megadeth, Slayer: Megadeth: "Titans" Aim to Alter Metal's Image
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 1991
WHEN THEY named the concert tour "Clash of the Titans," they didn't know how right they were. ...
The La's: Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 1991
The La's: Tuneful, Fiat-Footed at the Fonda ...
Chris Whitley: His Moody Blues Burn at Candlelight Sessions
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 18 August 1991
WHEN SINGER-guitarist Chris Whitley talks about house, he's not referring to the neo-disco dance style known as house music. He means the New Orleans home ...
Primus: Palace Theater, Los Angeles Ca
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 August 1991
Primus Plies Primo Art-Funk at Palace ...
Soundgarden: Fertile Ground: Soundgarden
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 August 1991
MIXING ENGINEER Ron St. Germain stands at a tape machine in a Tarzana studio, twisting the reels by hand until he creates the perfect space ...
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 October 1991
BIG JOE Turner's powerful vocals on the original version of 'Shake, Rattle & Roll' propelled the late blues shouter into the Rock and Roll Hall ...
Soundgarden: Badmotorfinger (A&M)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 13 October 1991
Soundgarden Stomps and Soars ...
Donald Fagen, Steely Dan: Donald Fagen: Return of the Nightfly
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 3 November 1991
Steely Dan co-creator Donald Fagen resurfaces after nearly a decade of silence, with new works and a new outlook on life. ...
John Mellencamp: 10 Questions: John Mellencamp
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 November 1991
ROCK STAR and grandfather, oil paint and electric guitar, proud and self-deprecating, cynical and idealistic... At 40, John Mellencamp remains a feisty bundle of contradictions. ...
Queensrÿche: Guns N' Roses They Ain't
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 December 1991
For a heavy-metal group, Seattle's Queensrÿche is positively low-profile — yet its albums sell in the millions. ...
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1992
YOU CAN TELL a lot about your view of Roger Waters by your reaction to those terms. As the creative force of Pink Floyd from ...
Chuck Berry, Johnnie Johnson: Johnnie Johnson: From 'Johnny B. Goode' to Johnnie B. Bad
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 January 1992
LOTS OF musicians would consider it a career highlight to play with a musical legend, but pianist Johnnie Johnson has done it at opposite ends ...
Willie Dixon: Dixon Wrote His Blues With an Eye to the Future
Obituary by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1 February 1992
The late, great songwriter saw his craft as a fountain of wisdom for people to draw upon. ...
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 5 April 1992
AFTER AN 8-year layoff, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards relaunch their group Chic but worry that their soulful sound may be dated. Can the architects ...
Diamanda Galás: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 20 April 1992
Intensity, Thy Name Is Diamanda Galás ...
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 April 1992
THE COMMERCIAL savvy which made Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards hit pop producers for 15 years nearly derailed their Chic reunion. ...
Little Feat: The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 April 1992
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – Figures that Little Feat would show up Thursday for the first night of three "all-acoustic" shows at the Coach House with ...
Lyle Lovett: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 1992
Lovett and Band Stretch Beyond Country's Borders ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 1992
The Musical Diversity Is as Broad as the Quality Is High at Reggae Sunsplash at Greek Theatre. ...
The Pixies: The Pixie Perspective
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 1992
Off stage, the band's Black Francis is a regular Joe who bears the cult-rocker's burden of mythology with a shrug and a smile. ...
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 1992
WHEN EVAN Dando came to L. A. to record the latest album with his two partners in the sort of Boston-based band, the Lemonheads, the ...
David Rudder: the Music Machine, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 1992
David Rudder's Potent Soca ...
Clint Black: Gone Hollywood? "I Don't Worry About It"
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 September 1992
CLINT BLACK looked like the country star of the '90s when his debut album, Killin' Time, was released in 1989, spawning five No. I country ...
Toad the Wet Sprocket: Toad Album Springs Back With 'All I Want'
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 September 1992
The single is a lighter work than the controversial song 'Hold Her Down'. ...
Courtney Love: Bohemian Women's Political Alliance benefit, Club Largo, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 September 1992
Benefit a Reminder of Courtney Love's Potential ...
R.E.M.: Automatic for the People (Warner Bros.) ***½
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 4 October 1992
Playfulness, Profundity From a Rusticated R.E.M. ...
Shabba Ranks: Taking Reggae Beyond Marley
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 4 October 1992
Dancehall is the sound of young Jamaica, modern reggae in a faster, electronic style, and it's winning a once-elusive African-American audience ...
Trisha Yearwood: Crazy Horse, Santa Ana CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 October 1992
Trisha Yearwood Blossoms Under the Spotlight's Glare ...
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 November 1992
Etta James has sung and lived the blues, but these are good times for the R&B matriarch bound for the Rock and Roll Hall of ...
The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy: Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 November 1992
Sensitive Rap From Heroes of Hiphoprisy ...
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Sequoia Athletic Club, Buena Park CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 10 November 1992
A Spirited Performance of Qawwali: Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his eight-man group deliver an impressive set of intricate compositions to an appreciative ...
Rage Against the Machine: A Pair of Rant 'n' Rollers
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 November 1992
Zack de la Rocha, who grew up in Irvine, and Tom Morello take Rage to the Coach House on Sunday. ...
Babes in Toyland: Year of the Kat
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 November 1992
Kat Bjelland's penchant for purging her emotions brings Babes in Toyland to the brink of alternative rock stardom ...
Reba McEntire: Inglewood Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 December 1992
A Confusing Set From Reba McEntire at Forum ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 1993
Mishaps Plague Watts Prophets Show ...
Ween: The Ween Machine Wants It All
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 1993
They look like a classic case of basement-genius novelty, but the real joke is they may turn out to be the second coming of Billy ...
Charlie Mingus: Charles Mingus: What’s Everyone Got Against a Legend?
Retrospective by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 August 1993
In his lifetime, Charles Mingus was a rebel and a true giant of jazz, Now the Library of Congress has acquired his works and he’s ...
The Lemonheads: It's Not So Tough Being Beautiful
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 7 November 1993
Yes, Evan Dando, head Lemonhead, was one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people. That's no reason to pity him, because his band is burning ...
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine: the Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 18 March 1994
Carter's Words Get Lost in Aural Barrage ...
James, Morrissey: Morrissey, the Ever Marketable
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 March 1994
Feeling neglected in the U.S., the uncompromising singer courts a larger audience but vows to stay true to himself-and those who've deified him ...
Henry Rollins: Rollins Band: Weight (Imago)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 April 1994
Rollins Finds a New Voice in Weight ...
Salif Keita: Wilshire Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 11 April 1994
L.A. Debut by Golden-Voiced Keita ...
Beck: One Foot in the Grave (K) ***
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 1994
Minimalist Hootenanny From Independent Beck ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 1994
MORE THAN Hendrix the space bluesman or rock song performer, Woodstock spotlights Jimi the jammer, and his seemingly infinite inventiveness in the loosely structured format ...
Luscious Jackson: Girls Just Want to Have Funk
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 August 1994
Luscious Jackson's four females play the game their way, incorporating New York's vibrant soundtrack of punk and hip-hop, jazz and soul. ...
Vince Gill: Dedicated to Just Plain Foik
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 September 1994
How has Vince Gill's success changed his life? Well, if you ask him, he says he's just an ol' guitar player who likes people. (Oh, ...
Reverend Horton Heat: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 1 October 1994
Rockabilly Power ...
Ween: Viper Room, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 October 1994
Ween: Making Fun of One and All ...
American Music Club: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 November 1994
American Music Club Takes Sad Songs to Upbeat Levels ...
Jimi Hendrix, Arthur Lee, Love: Arthur Lee & Love: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 25 November 1994
Hendrix Birthday Love-In Skips a Beat at Club Lingerie ...
Travis Tritt: Q&A with Travis Tritt: "I've Put a Lot Into This"
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 2 February 1995
TRAVIS TRITT is a study in contradictions. ...
Trisha Yearwood: Thinkin' About You (MCA)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 12 February 1995
Crossover Queen Is on the Move Again With her latest album, Trisha Yearwood shows that her inner fire is burning anew. ...
Alison Krauss: A Hit From One of Country's Kinfolk
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 March 1995
Bluegrass's most prominent figure makes her way into the Top 10. But even Alison Krauss can't explain it. ...
Des'ree: House of Blues, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 31 March 1995
Some Starry-Eyed Idealism From Des'ree ...
Reba McEntire: "I Don't Like to Be Corralled or Fenced In"
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 1995
WYNONNA, TRISHA, Pam — they keep coming in waves, but no one has been able to dislodge Reba McEntire from her position as country music's ...
Thurston Moore: Psychic Hearts (DGC) **½
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 1995
IT'S NOT as if Sonic Youth's co-leader has used his first solo album to purge some foreign or unfulfilled music from his system. This is ...
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 1995
The Voice of Future Past ...
Mary J. Blige: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 August 1995
Blige Is Solid but Elusive Hip-Hop Queen ...
Collin Raye, Trisha Yearwood: Trisha Yearwood, Collin Raye: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 28 August 1995
Yearwood Needs Faith ...
Sheryl Crow: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 September 1995
There's Nothing Much to Crow About at the Greek ...
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Pyramid Arena, Long Beach CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 18 September 1995
Khan Rocks Cal State's Pyramid Arena ...
Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball (Elektra/Asylum) ***
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 September 1995
ARE FANS of the Sweetheart of the Rodeo ready for EmmyloU2? ...
k.d. lang: All You Can Eat (Warner Bros.) **
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 October 1995
Lang Delivers Torch Music Without Fire ...
Shaggy: Palace Theater, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 21 October 1995
Shaggy Wraps Past Into Fun, Sexy Package ...
Smashing Pumpkins: The Smashing Pumpkins: Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (Virgin)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 22 October 1995
"I'M RUNNING out of sound," sings Billy Corgan, seemingly determined to display every one he can think of during this sprawling swan song for the ...
Son Volt: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 6 December 1995
Son Volt's Engaging but Not Deep at the Troubadour ...
Trisha Yearwood: Q&A with Trisha Yearwood: "My Nature Is... to Know Exactly What's Going On"
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 13 December 1995
TRISHA YEARWOOD isn't the biggest-selling female artist in country music, and she's not the most critically acclaimed, but none of her peers can claim a ...
Patty Loveless: Trouble With the Truth (Epic/Nashville)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 January 1996
FOLLOWING HER best-album honors at last fall's Country Music Assn. Awards, this most reliable of today's female country singers offers another solid but unspectacular showcase ...
Aimee Mann: the Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 February 1996
Mann's Stylized Concert Leaves No Room for Intimacy ...
Bo Diddley: He's Fighting Mad and Mad That He Has to Fight
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 27 February 1996
Q&A with Bo Diddley ...
Angélique Kidjo: House of Blues, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, 8 April 1996
Kidjo Saves Heavy Hits for Show's End ...
Emmylou Harris: Singing With a Voice That's Always True to Her Heart
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 11 April 1996
EVEN WHEN Emmylou Harris was a fixture on the country charts for a decade starting in 1975, her music was marked by an uncommon sense ...
Rage Against The Machine: Evil Empire (Epic)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 14 April 1996
RAGE AGAINST the Machine's second album barges into an alternative rock world where discontent is routinely channeled into introverted abstraction and metaphor rather than a ...
Tom Verlaine: Viper Room, Los Angeles
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 1996
LIKE ITS SPIRITUAL forbearer, the Velvet Underground, the New York band Television was vastly more influential than the brevity and low commercial showing of its ...
Vince Gill: High Lonesome Sound (MCA)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 1996
Gill Takes 'Sound' Into Pop Mainstream ...
The Geraldine Fibbers: EL Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 1996
IN A BIT OF SYMBOLIC TIMING, the Geraldine Fibbers' tour-ending, homecoming concert at the El Rey Theatre on Friday took place the same week that ...
Me'Shell Ndegéocello: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 1996
Outsider 101. Teacher: Ndegeocello. At the Whisky, the singer embraces the essence of what it's like to live as a target. ...
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 1996
Beck casts aside the label or slacker savant — who needs all that alternative angst, anyway? — and lets out a yelp or sonic joy ...
Book Review by Stephen M H Braitman, Los Angeles Times, 28 July 1996
Sex, Drugs, Rock'n'Roll ...
Paul Westerberg: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 16 September 1996
Westerberg Adds New Depth to His Passion for Playing ...
BR5-49: LunaPark, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 19 September 1996
BR5-49 Gives Off Mixed Vibes as an Alternative Presence ...
The Lemonheads: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 November 1996
Dando Turns Inward, Leaves Bridge-Building to Others ...
Sleater-Kinney: An All-Grrrl Band at Heart
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 16 March 1997
In true, independent Riot Grrrl fashion, the Sleater-Kinney trio is getting heard far and wide (No. 3 in Village Voice) without abandoning its community. ...
Blur: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 March 1997
Blur Strays From Its Roots in Palace Show ...
Was (Not Was), Hank Williams: Don Was: What Was Was and What Was Is
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 March 1997
After years as a top producer and bandleader, Don Was lost his creative vision. Then Francis Ford Coppola and Hank Williams gave him an idea. ...
Ani DiFranco: Living in Clip (Righteous Babe)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 April 1997
YOU DON'T need stacks of amps to be larger than life, not when you have a persona as outsized as Ani DiFranco's. That's more than ...
Björk: Homogenic (Elektra) ***½
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 September 1997
Björk's Quirks Give Way to a Enchanting Vision ...
The Rolling Stones: Bridges to Babylon (Virgin)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 28 September 1997
The Stones Babylon and On... ...
Ray Charles, Cassandra Wilson: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 7 October 1997
Ray Charles Keeps Breaking New Ground in Old Fields ...
Los Lobos: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 13 October 1997
From Blues-Based Riffs to Norteño, Los Lobos Deliver an Intense Set ...
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 3 November 1997
Godfathers of Rap Churn Out Boogity Beat for Willing Crowd ...
Everclear: Attitude Adjustment
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 9 November 1997
Success has wrought some changes in Art Alexakis. Everclear's newest album shows a broader range — and hints at hopefulness. ...
The Crickets, Nanci Griffith: Nanci Griffith, the Crickets: Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 10 November 1997
Nanci Griffith's Long Look Back ...
Cornershop: Hollywood Athletic Club, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 14 November 1997
Cornershop Falls Far Short of Album ...
Metallica: Re-Load (Elektra) ***½
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 16 November 1997
THE TITLE of Metallica's new album does the band a disservice. This is less a sequel to last year's Load than a virtual repudiation of ...
Beck: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 November 1997
Beck's Acoustic Outing Is Quirky, Rewarding ...
Garth Brooks: Sevens (Capitol) ***
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1997
"LIFE IS only therapy — real expensive and no guarantees," Brooks sings in 'You Move Me'. Well, leave it to Brooks to take his cure ...
RuPaul: Billboard Live, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 19 December 1997
RuPaul's Act Could Use Dressing Up ...
Dwight Yoakam: Billboard Live, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 23 December 1997
Yoakam Leaps Musical Fences in Benefit for L.A. Mission ...
Backstreet Boys: And They Can Sing Too
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 4 January 1998
Two years ago, the Backstreet Boys struggled to find an audience in America for their clean-cut songs. Now, after mega-star success in Europe and Canada, ...
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 9 January 1998
Mack 10 Delivers Gangsta Rap With a Smile and a Surprise ...
Missy Elliott: All Made Up, Ready to Go
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 1 February 1998
There's no stopping Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott as she shakes up the male-dominated hip-hop world. ...
Bonnie Raitt: Fundamental (Capitol)
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 5 April 1998
Throwing Dirt on Raitt's Pristine Sound ...
Massive Attack: Mezzanine (Virgin)
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 1998
MASSIVE ATTACK'S 1991 debut album, Blue Lines, has become a watershed album in the history of electronic dance music for a number of reasons. By ...
Goodie Mob, The Roots: The Roots, Goodie Mob: House of Blues, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 1998
Roots, Goodie Mob Get Back to Basics ...
Rufus Wainwright: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 1998
Wainwright an Engaging, Versatile Singer ...
Brandy: Diversified, and Then Some
Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 1998
You have to move fast to keep up with Brandy, who's at full production with a hit sitcom, a film sequel and a No. 1 ...
Kraftwerk: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 1998
Techno-Rocking Kraftwerk Charges Up In its first L.A. concert in almost 15 years, the German quartet shows the influence of its ground-breaking circuit-driven music. ...
The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson: Brian Wilson: The Last Brother
Interview by Erik Himmelsbach, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 1998
ALL OF ST. CHARLES is racing to eat before the sunsets and the kids melt down. At 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday, a time when ...
Report by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 1998
Rap hasn't merely survived the shocking deaths of hip-hop leaders Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. It's thriving now, thanks to a fresh infusion from today's ...
Snoop (Doggy) Dogg: Snoop Dogg: Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (No Limit)
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 1 August 1998
Snoop Dogg Retains His Bite ...
Overview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 27 September 1998
When it comes to top-flight recording studios, Los Angeles has no equal. A tour or some or the best facilities. ...
The Dixie Chicks: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 October 1998
Dixie Chicks Display Slick, High-Energy Showmanship ...
Son Volt: Wide Swing Tremolo (Warner Bros.) ***½
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 10 October 1998
SON VOLT'S Jay Farrar is one of alternative country's big thinkers. Rather than go the easy route and retrace the steps of the Byrds, Gram ...
Chaka Khan, Prince: Chaka Khan: Fighting to Reclaim Her Crown
Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 17 October 1998
Chaka Khan's Forum concert might have been canceled but she's still eager to jump back into the music scene. ...
Faith Evans: Keep the Faith (Arista) **½
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 26 October 1998
TWO YEARS after the murder of her husband, the rapper Notorious B.I.G., Evans has made an album that both pays homage to him and bemoans ...
A Tribe Called Quest: The Final Gatherings — A Tribe Called Quest: House of Blues, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 3 December 1998
In its last LA shows, the influential hip-hop trio A Tribe Called Quest injects new life into its hit jams. It's a joyous party — ...
Busta Rhymes: Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front) (Elektra) **½
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 13 December 1998
Content Doesn't Rise to Level of Inventiveness ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 1999
First they were lovers. Then they created one of the great pop groups of the ’80s. Then they didn’t exchange a word for four years... ...
Pete Townshend, The Who: Pete Townshend: on The Who and Lifehouse
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 1999
The Who on the road in America again, just 18 years after their farewell tour? "It’s a long story and not a particularly nice one," ...
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 21 February 1999
TLC Takes Care to Adopt Streamlined Approach ...
DC Talk: At a Crossroads, dc Talk Keeps the Faith
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 25 February 1999
Christian rock's most successful band remains true to its spiritual roots as its popularity grows. ...
Wynonna Judd: A Winding Country Road
Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 4 March 1999
Though she has hit a few bumps, Wynonna Judd just keeps driving ahead. ...
The Roots: House of Blues, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 10 March 1999
A Stripped-Down Hip-Hop Beat ...
Kelly Willis: Well Traveled but Hopeful
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 4 April 1999
Singer Kelly Willis has stayed true to herself despite a turbulent country career. Now, things are looking up. ...
Limp Bizkit: Anything but Stale
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 18 April 1999
Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst combines charisma with marketing instincts that have spelled success for the rap-metal band. Up next: movies and more. ...
Dru Hill, Faith Evans: Faith Evans, Dru Hill: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 19 April 1999
Evans and Dru Hill Outshine Lackluster Material ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, May 1999
By the summer of 1975 Cat Stevens had it all. In the previous four years he had scored six American Top 10 albums in a ...
Jordan Knight: Jordan Knight (Interscope)
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 1999
KNIGHT MAY have served his musical apprenticeship by doing the electric boogaloo in stone-washed jeans when he was a member of New Kids on the ...
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 1999
HAVE PITY on Moby. Five years ago, he was techno's poster boy, the artist who was largely responsible for pushing electronic music up from the ...
Missy Elliott: Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott: Da Real World (Gold Mind/EastWest)
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 1999
JUST TWO albums into her solo career, Missy Elliott understands all too well that trying to keep one step ahead of the Zeitgeist isn't easy. ...
Pavement: Taking the High Road
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 1999
Pavement aims for wider appeal — but with just a few pop concessions on its own indie terms. ...
K-Ci & Jojo: The Kings of Sing
Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 1999
Two brothers raised on gospel are at the forefront of R&B's current renaissance ...
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 1999
A Smartly Wrapped Package: All That Music & More tour's acts fly by in a format tailored to kids. ...
Dido, Kendall Payne: the Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 27 August 1999
Dido's Electronic-Folk Goes in Search of Depth ...
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 25 September 1999
CREED IS THE BIGGEST-SELLING BAND you've never heard of. The Florida quartet was one of 1998's unlikeliest grass-roots success stories, a band that legitimized that ...
No Doubt: House of Blues, L.A.
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 October 1999
No Doubt, Stefani Leave Fans in High Spirits ...
Backstreet Boys: Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 16 October 1999
There's a Backstreet Boy for Every Teenage Girl ...
Wyclef Jean: House of Blues, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 18 October 1999
Wyclef Jeans Moves Keep 'em Guessing ...
Smash Mouth: The Long Beach Pyramid, California
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 4 November 1999
EVERONE WHO'S HEARD Smash Mouth's 1997 hit 'Walkin' on the Sun' knows that the band can make Farfisa-driven garage-pop for mall rats, but it's capable ...
The Olivia Tremor Control, Stereolab: Stereolab, Olivia Tremor Control: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1999
Stereolab Piles On Sounds to Create an Eclectic Tempest ...
Steely Dan: Hey 19: It's About Time
Profile and Interview by Wayne Robins, Los Angeles Times, 27 February 2000
"WHAT RECORD COMPANY are we on, by the way?" Donald Fagen wants to know. "I'm not kidding." ...
MC5, The Stooges: From The Vaults: A Look Back at Bad-Boy Pioneers MC5, Stooges
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 25 March 2000
RECORDINGS OF THESE TWO MIDWEST REBEL BANDS REVEAL THE HUGE INFLUENCE THEIR LANGUAGE AND SOUND HAVE HAD ON CURRENT ACTS. ...
For CD Guru, Masters Are His Domain
Profile and Interview by Fred Shuster, Los Angeles Times, 31 October 2000
SOME PEOPLE have the best jobs. ...
Coldplay, Craig David, David Gray: Letter From London: Garage and The New Soft Rock
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, December 2000
"TO ME, ALL MELODIES were pure embarrassment," said Radiohead's Thom Yorke recently as he struggled to explain the making of Kid A. It hardly seems ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, February 2001
OUTSIDE THE REAR door at the BBC Radio Theatre in central London there's an air of restless tension. A gaggle of girls giggles. A pack ...
Coldplay, So Solid Crew, Starsailor: Letter from London, January 2002
Overview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, January 2002
WHILE, SINCE The Beatles, we British music fans have often affected insouciant confidence in the superiority of our taste over the rest of the world's ...
Madlib: Grooving on Artistic Freedom
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 20 January 2002
Madlib's funhouse creations have won a notable following. But rap stardom isn't his goal. ...
Chuck E. Weiss: When the Gig Ended, His New Career Began
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 27 January 2002
Story line: Los Angeles club legend records first album in his late 40s, and now follows it with a stellar effort that includes a 32-year-old ...
Mary Chapin Carpenter/Anne Lamott: Royce Hall, UCLA
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 28 January 2002
THE PAIRING OF author and singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter at UCLA's Royce Hall on Saturday could have gone any number of ways. ...
N.E.R.D.: N*E*R*D: Producers Who Shape-Shift
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 10 February 2002
After years of helping others create hip-hop hits, N*E*R*D makes its own album and turns the genre inside-out. ...
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 2 March 2002
ANYONE WHO attended the rap triple bill at the Universal Amphitheater on Thursday looking for a complex worldview or an evolved take on the usual ...
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 2 March 2002
The musical genre finally gets its day in the sun with an intimate and detailed documentary that's a coup of sorts for the lower-profile station. ...
N.E.R.D.: In Search Of... (Virgin)
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 10 March 2002
AS THE IN-DEMAND production team the Neptunes, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo have tended to build hip-hop hits around hard, in-your-face hooks that aren't easily ...
Sonic Youth: All Tomorrow's Parties: A Festival That Pops With Edge
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 13 March 2002
UCLA's ambitious All Tomorrow's Parties fest, curated by avant-rockers Sonic Youth, embraces the underground. ...
Nas: House of Blues, West Hollywood
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 29 March 2002
THE CYCLES OF pop music history are as hard to fathom as the mysteries of the cosmos, or at least the logic behind choosing Grammy ...
Carla Bozulich, Willie Nelson: Carla Bozulich: Cafe Club Fais Do-Do
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 3 April 2002
A CANNY BLEND of leather-worn country standards and original compositions that sound like they could be, Willie Nelson's 1975 album Red Headed Stranger functions as ...
OutKast, The Roots: Audiotistic: "Happy Hip-Hop" Sets Festival's Vibe
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 11 April 2002
The organizers of Audiotistic expect 37,000 fans to show up for an event that plays against type. ...
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 20 April 2002
ALL THE PARENTS who dropped off their kids at the Incubus concert Thursday at the Forum, and all those middle-aged chaperons with earplugs conspicuously shutting ...
The Coup: Working Through His Anger
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2002
Boots Riley of the rap group the Coup lashes out against the war in Afghanistan and the corporate co-opting of hip-hop music. ...
Afrika Bambaataa, Slum Village: Afrika Bambaataa/Slum Village: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2002
HIP-HOP'S PAST and present converged at the El Rey Theatre on Thursday, and the results were predictably erratic. The first act, Slum Village, is a ...
The Vines: Troubadour, West Hollywood
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2002
JOINING THE growing parade of raw, stripped-down rock bands (the Strokes, the White Stripes, the Hives, etc.), the Vines played the requisite big-buzz show at ...
Warren Zevon: A Literary Answer to Lyricist's Block
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2002
Musician/bookworm Warren Zevon recruits famous authors for lyrics on a new album. ...
Elvis Costello: Classics and Newer Tunes, a Full-Circle Mix by Elvis Costello
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2002
Elvis Costello: UCLA Ackerman Grand Ballroom, Los Angeles ...
Trey Anastasio: Greek Theatre, L.A.
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2002
TREY ANASTASIO has found the funk. For his first tour as a solo artist, the guitarist and primary songwriter for Phish has left that band's ...
Ozzy Osbourne: The Osbournes Conquers Britain
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2002
PICTURE THIS. It's next Monday night at Buckingham Palace, the grand finale of Queen Elizabeth II's jubilee concert. Stars of the British rock'n'roll firmament crowd ...
Badly Drawn Boy: Amoeba Records, Hollywood
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2002
WITH HIS WOOL skull cap, scraggly beard and black T-shirt bedecked with glitter graffiti, English singer-songwriter Damon Gough, a.k.a. Badly Drawn Boy, could have been ...
Raphael Saadiq: Instant Vintage
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2002
SAADIQ WOULD rather lay back than throw down. He's got a touch of Smokey Robinson's liquid satin in his phrasing and a complete absence of ...
The Promise Ring: Breaking Out of the Emo Ghetto
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2002
Faced with health problems and a genre that felt confining, the Promise Ring chose a radical-and lush-new direction. ...
The Strokes, The White Stripes: Of Strokes and Stripes: An American Invasion
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, July 2002
LAST SUMMER THERE was a sign outside British music’s front door. It read "SITUATION VACANT", and then, in smaller print, "Wanted: the Next Big Thing". ...
Nelly: There's Joy in Nellyville
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2002
A potential big-league baseball player, the St. Louis rapper keeps his eye on the ball when it comes to music. ...
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 8 August 2002
Last year, Jim Ward and his cohorts in At the Drive-In did the unthinkable: They broke up a successful band. After seven years and on ...
Robert Plant: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 14 September 2002
AS A '70s icon, Robert Plant can't help it if he evokes fuzzy nostalgic feelings, but he is trying his best not to simply phone ...
Rush: Staples Center, Los Angeles
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 25 September 2002
SOME MIGHT ARGUE that change is the sine qua non of musical artistry, but Rush fans might contend that predictable output yields greater rewards. ...
Cody ChesnuTT, CeeLo Green, N.E.R.D., Iggy Pop: Shortlist showcase stumbles
Live Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 31 October 2002
THE SHORTLIST PRIZE for Artistic Achievement in Music is out to rectify years of Grammy frustration, and as it attempts to become an American analogue ...
Porcupine Tree, Radiohead: Old and New Wave
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 7 November 2002
Underground movement nurtures new progressive rock bands and supports existing ones. ...
Dru Hill: Dru World Order (Def Soul)
Review by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 1 December 2002
FUNNY HOW A little taste of failure can send a high-flying artist crashing down to earth. Two years ago, Sisqo's 'Thong Song' was a ubiquitous ...
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 22 February 2003
Celebrity dissent grows during U.K.'s music awards, as Coldplay's singer and Ms Dynamite protest an Iraq war. ...
Ms Dynamite, The Streets: Letter from London: The Streets and Ms Dynamite
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 23 March 2003
WHEN THE BEATLES flew over from England in the '60s, it seemed the whole of young America gathered at the airport to scream a welcome. ...
Neil Young: A Family Album: Neil Young's Risky New Project Traces A Fictional Clan's Story In Song
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, July 2003
LONDON -- Sitting on a stool amid a half-circle of racked guitars, two pianos and a pipe organ, lit by candles and an overhead spotlight ...
Rodney Bingenheimer: L.A.'s own Mayor Zelig
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 March 2004
A new film follows Rodney Bingenheimer's journey from a torn childhood to hanging with the hip bands of the music scene. ...
The Darkness: Permission To Like The Darkness
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 4 April 2004
YOU GUYS WONDER about us Brits sometimes, don't you? We're so proper and reserved, so tea and scones, so cricket, so ... just so. Then, ...
The Beastie Boys: The Beasties and their Boroughs
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2004
"HEY, BUCKINGHAM PALACE!" says Mike Diamond in high, pinched New York tones as Beastie Boys' mini-bus swings past the ugly royal pile. "Hence all the ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2004
"IT'S OUR job to serve the lives of music fans," enthuses Conor McNicholas, editor of the NME, last survivor of the UK's once thriving weekly ...
Tom Waits: A Cluttered Harmony
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 26 September 2004
THE LITTLE AMSTERDAM sits incongruously in the rolling expanse of Sonoma County farmland, a low white building adorned with a Dutch windmill - a "fake" ...
The Beach Boys, James Brown, Lesley Gore, Marvin Gaye, The Rolling Stones: The TAMI Show Remembered
Retrospective by Steven R Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 29 October 2004
THE ROLLING Stones were there, along with James Brown, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye and more, filmed live before their screaming ...
Chronicle Of A Mythic Concert: The TAMI Show Remembered
Retrospective by Steven R Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 29 October 2004
THE ROLLING STONES were there, along with James Brown, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, Chuck Berry, Marvin Gaye and more, filmed live before their screaming ...
Klaus Nomi Lives Again In The Nomi Song
Report by Steven R Rosen, Los Angeles Times, 3 February 2005
THE ARTIST KENNY SCHARF was listening to "Jonesy's Jukebox" on Indie 103.1 FM recently when he was startled to hear a Klaus Nomi song – ...
Retrospective and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 17 February 2005
O.C. was the birthplace of surf music and the fabled, amped-up Fender guitar. So take that, L.A. ...
Anohni (Antony & the Johnsons): Antony and the Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 20 March 2005
IN ALL OF pop music, only jazz singer Jimmy Scott has a voice remotely like this – ethereal and otherworldly, clenched and tremulous, a supple ...
DC Talk, Jars of Clay: Christian Rock is on a mission
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 14 April 2005
It's about new audiences and a stronger genre, the promoter of Fishfest says. ...
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2005
The electronic music poster boy picks up a guitar and uncages his rock 'n' roll animal. ...
Kasabian: Dreams of Brit-rock Empire
Profile and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2005
The four mates of Kasabian would like a shot at the crown before the sun sets on the new UK scene. ...
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2005
EVERYONE COMPLAINS that the record business, desperate for quick hits, no longer gives bands the time they need to develop. Well, here's a classic test ...
Lamb of God: Coming in Loud: Sounds of the Underground
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2005
The Sounds of the Underground tour screams into L.A., delivering what's new in metal. ...
Avril Lavigne: Just where is the next stop on this tour?
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 11 August 2005
HO-HUM. Another city, another sold-out concert date for Avril Lavigne. Not that the punky pop star could tell you exactly where the next arena full ...
Mudvayne: Same sound, cleaner faces for Mudvayne
Report and Interview by Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times, 18 August 2005
WHEN KISS wiped off the makeup in the early 1980s, heavy metal's cartoon Gorgons rubbed away much of their mystique as well. Hence, the band's ...
Babyshambles: The Blinding (Capitol)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 3 December 2006
WHEN Rough Trade Records released Babyshambles’ debut album, Down in Albion, early this year, it was a natural pairing: a maverick U.K. independent label of ...
The Good Bad & The Queen: The Good, the Bad & the Queen: The Good, the Bad & the Queen
Review by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 17 January 2007
"STROPPY LITTLE ISLAND full of mixed up people.... " That's how Damon Albarn memorably sums up England in this latest chapter of his ongoing chronicle ...
Warren Zevon: Crystal Zevon's Story: Warren from A to Z
Interview by Fred Schruers, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2007
Through interviews and diaries, the musician's ex-wife chronicles the hedonistic life of one of the genre's bad boys. ...
Obituary by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 21 January 2008
Folk patriarch recorded California Bloodlines ...
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2008
"THEN YOU find you're back in Vegas with a handle in your hand" goes a memorable line from Steely Dan's debut hit, 'Do It Again'. ...
Miami Sound Machine: The Hit Factory Criteria Studio
Report and Interview by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2008
MIAMI – On any given night, as the fabled moon rises over Miami, the densest concentration of pop stars per square foot is likely to ...
Portishead is reunited and ready to play in the desert
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Los Angeles Times, 25 Spring 2008
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND — As Portishead takes the carefully backlighted stage at the ancient, tatty Manchester Apollo, heavy shadows fall across the band's members. The concert ...
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 24 February 2009
ESCONDIDO — J.J. Cale is enjoying his lunch in a corner booth at Olive Garden, cloaked in the anonymity he's taken pains to cultivate throughout ...
Chris Clark - US: Motown's Great White Hope: Chris Clark
Retrospective and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 21 August 2009
CHRIS CLARK was a 17-year-old, 6-foot platinum blond when she arrived at Motown's Detroit headquarters in 1963 -- demo in hand -- to audition for ...
Deadmau5 promises more than just music
Interview by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 16 April 2010
THE IMAGES were grainy, the lines obscured — as if they were photos taken by a surveillance camera. The backdrop appeared to be a giant ...
Bikini Kill: Sara Marcus: Girls to the Front
Book Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 10 October 2010
BROOKLYN-BASED writer and musician Sara Marcus deserves a medal just for daring to write a book about Riot Grrrl, the fiercely uncompromising feminist movement of ...
Book Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 3 December 2010
JAY-Z IS A GREAT American artist — and he'd be the first to tell you so. Decoded is an elegantly designed, incisively written bid for ...
Dan Charnas: The Big Payback – The History of the Business of Hip-Hop
Book Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 4 January 2011
"HERE'S A LITTLE story that must be told," Dan Charnas writes by way of an ironic introduction to his brick-sized epic, quoting a classic rap ...
Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj: Staples Center, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2011
Haters Go Home: Britney Dominates L.A. Show ...
Björk: A New Map to Björk's Music
Report and Interview by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 18 October 2011
IT'S A SAD IRONY: The digitization of music has impoverished the average listening experience. Not only do compressed files sound meagre compared to the sonic ...
Kim Fowley: Impresario, Svengali, Saint, Devil
Report and Interview by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 1 April 2012
KIM FOWLEY pulls DVDs, fliers, CDs, a hospital admission slip and more DVDs out of a jumble of media on the mixing board of a ...
Carole King: A Natural Woman: A Memoir
Book Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 25 April 2012
MY FAVORITE SCENE in Carole King's long-awaited A Natural Woman comes near the beginning — appropriately, since the teen hitmaker was the epitome of an ...
Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2012
AFTER HER National Book Award-winning memoir Just Kids greatly expanded her audience, Patti Smith could have done the usual aging-rock-legend safety move: record an album ...
Yo La Tengo: Jesse Jarnow: Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock (Gotham Books)
Book Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2012
THIS IS AS SCINTILLATING as it gets: The opening and closing anecdotes of Big Day Coming revolve around typos. Shockingly, promoters and newspapers have had ...
Jack White: With Blunderbuss, Jack White aims for new beginning
Interview by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 4 August 2012
The former White Stripes leader takes his first solo album through Memphis for soul and Nashville for honky tonk. Many of the album's songs are ...
Pussy Riot and the Politics of Grrrl Punk
Comment by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 13 September 2012
I WONDER, as they sit in their separate cells, what songs the three jailed members of Pussy Riot sing to themselves to keep their spirits ...
The Riot Grrrl Collection by Lisa Darms (The Feminist Press)
Book Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2013
The Riot Grrrl Collection spreads girl germs of the '90s movement ...
Book Review by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 17 September 2015
There's no pretending in Chrissie Hynde's spare, deft memoir Reckless ...
Retrospective by Richard Gehr, Los Angeles Times, 5 March 2020
How Frank Zappa busted up his band, moved to L.A. and helped invent jazz-rock. ...
Obituary by Chris Campion, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2020
MISS MERCY, the effervescent rock 'n' roll superfan who found fame as a member of Frank Zappa's "groupie" girl-group the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), died ...
Lithofayne Pridgon, a muse to musicians and likely inspiration for Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxy Lady', dies
Obituary by Chris Campion, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2021
LITHOFAYNE PRIDGON, Jimi Hendrix's long-term girlfriend and the likely inspiration for one of his most popular and enduring songs, 'Foxy Lady', spent most of her ...
Report by Chris Campion, Los Angeles Times, 31 December 2022
IN THE EARLY 1980s, New York artist Rammellzee made two trips to Los Angeles with his friend Jean-Michel Basquiat. The second, in March 1983, inspired ...
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