Michael Azerrad

YouTube video by Charclem Charcleme The Planets - Isao Tomita

Gustav Holst's 1918 orchestral suite "The Planets" is notable for many reasons, not the least of which is that it inspired this all-synth version, a certified '70s stoner classic. Best heard on big, bulky headphones in total darkness.

"Pants Prince"! 😂

Kurt Cobain, Lead Belly and "Grey Goose" The greatest song that Cobain never sang

I wrote a Substack about Kurt Cobain and Lead Belly — and a song that Kurt never sang.

tinyurl.com/CobainLeadBe...

Sad news: Midnight Oil drummer Rob Hirst has died. Wow, he was great: played with immense flair and power, a sonic embodiment of the band's righteousness. Also co-wrote many MO songs, was archivist, art director, political researcher, spokesperson and internal cheerleader. Like I say, he was great.

They would do well to have you involved.

YouTube video by Al Green Al Green - I Found A Reason (Official Lyric Video)

Al Green has done some great covers of great songs, uncovered new depths in them, both made them his own and everyone else's. When he does a cover, it's a kind of benediction. Here's his beautiful new take on Lou Reed's "I Found a Reason," from the Velvets' _Loaded_.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSf...

A good executive knows how to delegate. 😉

Thanks for letting me know.

YouTube video by Nicolas Farrugia Giants steps solo by a Robot!

I've always been fascinated by what makes music swing. It's kind of an elusive thing, but sometimes one can better understand something by observing its absence. This robot playing John Coltrane's solo on "Giant Steps" is a case in point.

"Early British jazz appreciation shared with so many forms of left-wing culture an eschewal of the popular, a comradeship of the elect, which was the secret at once of its richness and its marginality."
— Kevin Morgan, "King Street blues: jazz and the left in the 1930s-1940s," 1998

Silver Bells: Communing with Phil Kline's "Unsilent Night" "Unsilent Night" is perhaps noted new music composer Phil Kline's greatest hit.

I did a Substack about composer Phil Kline's magical classic "Unsilent Night," flash mobs, self-checkout registers and benevolent conspiracies.

I think you'll find this an enjoyable follow, if you don't already.

Dramatically increased electric bills also help a lot. That's a language everybody can understand.

Perhaps you love late-'50s South African pop vocal music. In that case, I recommend _The Very Best of the Skylarks, 1956-1959_, vol. I and II. Yep, that's Miriam Makeba's group. RIYL: the Andrews Sisters and mbaqanga

Well, I wouldn’t take credit for one of Damon’s excellent pieces.

If you're interested in the craft of songwriting, I recommend listening to this "Democracy Now" episode about lyricist E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, who wrote the words to classics like "Over the Rainbow," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" etc.

podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

On Vince Guaraldi's Immortal Soundtrack to A Charlie Brown Christmas This Peanuts stuff was a little more sophisticated than it appeared

I did an UnderPile about the story behind Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ and why the music touches us so deeply. There are also some words of wisdom from the record's potty-mouthed drummer.

As yesterday's _New York Times_ "Connection" puzzle so compellingly demonstrates, the B-52s' legacy is deep and abiding.

Funny timing for a piece about Peanuts and commercialism: Sony just bought 41% of Peanuts Holdings LLC for $457 million, increasing its stake to 80% of the company.

A Charlie Brown Christmas: You Are Not What You Own Commercialism meets the Gospel of St. Luke

I did a Beneathpile on the enduring relevance of the classic _A Charlie Brown Christmas_ — with a Fugazi reference thrown in.

Popscreens are for snowflakes.

Happy 82nd birthday to Keith Richards, who has been struggling to be free ever since.

Life is short. Just throw on that desert island disc that you've been waiting for the absolutely perfect moment to listen to again. You won't regret it.

Miller calls OBCBYL "An almost inadvertent 'How-To' primer..."

Any work has unintended consequences, and that's a beautiful thing — but the "almost" is well said: the book is called _Our Band Could Be Your Life_ for a reason.

"I'm still against guns generally. They've impacted my life in a negative way."
— Sean Lennon

John Lennon (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980)

The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana The Story of Nirvana

Perhaps you're looking for a holiday present for the Nirvana fan in your life. Then may I humbly suggest... my own book!

“Enriched with new anecdotes, insights and info-morsels, this super-expanded Michael Azerrad classic is a great story made even more gripping.”
—Simon Reynolds

Ageless and Evergreen: "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" How Arlo Guthrie's '60s counterculture classic is a gift that keeps on giving

I did a belated Underneath the Heap about a Thanksgiving classic: Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant Massacree."

open.substack.com/pub/michaela...

Well, Jill Lepore just said she was thinking of leaving academia due to the "repressive" campus culture and an environment she described as "miserable" — and she’s tenured at Harvard.

Today is the 32nd anniversary of Nirvana's epochal appearance on "Unplugged." Here's one of the passages about that show from my book _The Amplified Come as You Are_.