New One

Counterbalance No. 79: Elvis Costello's 'This Y...

I don’t have any history with Elvis Costello, Klinger. I’m not going to ply you with excuses—what it comes down to is I’m lazy and unless I have a reason...

Elton John and Bernie Taupin Look Back At 'Good...

Elton John was on a historic roll when he traveled to France in early 1973 to make what would become one of rock's great double albums. He'd scored seven Top...

The Day I Heard Johnny Cash Play at Folsom Prison

I was a freelance writer looking for a break when I heard that Johnny Cash was going to record a live album in Folsom Prison in California. I thought...

When Billy Joel met 'The Stranger'

You might not have wanted to bet on Billy Joel in the summer of 1977. For a guy whose career had started out promisingly, he'd undergone more setbacks than a...

Guns N' Roses, 'Appetite For Destruction' at 25...

Certified 18-times platinum and named the best-selling debut album of all time by the RIAA, "Appetite for Destruction" -- released exactly 25 years ago on July 21, 1987 --- is...

Stevie Wonder’s Songs In The Key Of Life

There’s this thing that Stevie Wonder does with his voice when he gets to the emotional marrow of a song. I call it the “weeping push,” because whenever he does...