Blogcritics

Music Review: Jefferson Airplane - After Bathing At Baxter's

David Bowling — Fri, 9 Jan 2009 01:46:06 EST

Jefferson Airplane: Chapter 3.
The Jefferson Airplane’s second release, Surrealistic Pillow was a huge commercial success and catapulted the group to superstar status. So what do you do for an encore? The answer is you take a creative chance and move in a different direction. The folk/rock leanings were left behind, as the group put the guitars out front and embraced a...

Music Review: Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow

David Bowling — Thu, 8 Jan 2009 18:53:23 EST

Jefferson Airplane: Chapter 2.
Vocalist Signe Anderson left the Jefferson Airplane in October of 1966. She was quickly replaced by Grace Slick of the Great Society who had been an opening act for the Airplane, and would solidify the group’s line-up. Slick also possessed one of the great female voices in the history of sixties and seventies rock ‘n’ roll....

Music Review: Jefferson Airplane - Jefferson Airplane Takes Off

David Bowling — Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:33:25 EST

Jefferson Airplane: Chapter 1.
Marty Balin met Paul Kantner in 1965 and their resultant musical relationship would lead to the creation of the Jefferson Airplane. This influential and successful American rock ‘n’ roll band would eventually be elected to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. While there would be several personnel changes during the group’s early...

Music Review: The Who - Endless Wire

David Bowling — Fri, 2 Jan 2009 19:54:32 EST

The Who: Chapter 17.
I have mixed feelings about Endless Wire. I was fine with The Who continuing as a group following Keith Moon’s death in 1978, but John Entwistle’s passing in 2002 hurt my image of the group as an ongoing entity. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, however, have kept The Who alive. They continue to tour and in 2006 released their first...

Music Review: The Who - Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B

David Bowling — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:29:36 EST

The Who: Chapter 16.
Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B is a four disc, five hour, career spanning history of The Who. The musical journey begins in 1964 with tracks released when they were known as the High Numbers and finishes in 1991 with their recording of “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” which was their contribution to the Elton John...

Music Review: The Who - It's Hard

David Bowling — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:31:06 EST

The Who: Chapter 15
It’s Hard was released in 1982. At the time few people would have guessed it would be the Who’s last studio album for almost a quarter of a century. By the time of 2006’s Endless Wire, the band would be down to two original members as John Entwistle would pass away during 2002.Roger Daltrey would dislike It’s Hard while Pete...

Music Review: The Who - Face Dances

David Bowling — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:43:16 EST

The Who: Chapter 14.
Face Dances was the first Who studio album recorded without drummer Keith Moon. He would die in September of 1978 following the release of Who Are You. Former Faces drummer, Kenny Jones was picked as his replacement. Moon was a difficult musician to replace. His unique, frenetic, and all out assault on the drums was an integral part of The Who...

Music Review: The Who - The Kids Are Alright

David Bowling — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:53:23 EST

The Who: Chapter 13.
The Kids Are Alright is the soundtrack to the documentary film of the same name. It is a two-disc, 80-minute compilation of rare television performances, live concert tracks, and a studio outtake. While it makes more sense if you have actually seen the film, it is still an enjoyable and historic ride through the first 15 years of The Who’s...

Music Review: The Who - Who Are You

David Bowling — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:08:10 EST

The Who: Chapter 12.
I really need to take this album off the shelf more often. I tend to play the older Who albums fairly regularly, but I mostly ignore this one. Every time I listen to it, however, I find it enjoyable and have come to respect it for what it is.Close to three years had passed since the release of their last studio album, The Who By Numbers. This 1978...

Music Review: The Who - The Who By Numbers

David Bowling — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 04:01:31 EST

The Who: Chapter 11.
My holy trinity plus two of Who albums are Who’s Next, Live At Leeds, Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, Quadrophenia and Tommy. For me and for many other people The Who By Numbers remains an afterthought in their catalog.Pete Townshend seems to have been undergoing a crisis of aging and fame. He and The Who had just produced a series of critically...