Archive for the ‘What Have You Been Doing Lately?’ Category
Bachman Turner
June 13, 2010 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
Who could deny that at some point in their life they were playing air guitar to Taking Care Of Business by Bachman Turner Overdrive? And if you can deny it then you are missing a great moment of your youth. What about You Aint Seen Nothin’ Yet? Try and tell me you’ve never sung along to the “B B B Baby…You just aint seen nothin’ yet” line at least once in your life? You may yet have the... Read the full story
Chuck Prophet
January 17, 2010 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
Chuck Prophet was formerly a member of the group Green on Red and alongside Dan Stuart that made him a major player in the birth of so-called alternative music in the 80’s – a scene that gave rise to the likes of REM, The Replacements and the Dream Syndicate and who caused many a college kid of that time to skip classes and form bands or even worse start writing florid prose about them. I should... Read the full story
Nick Lowe
June 7, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
Nick Lowe has made an enormous contribution to contemporary rock as an artist, songwriter and producer and he continues to be an active artist today, being one of many fine artists on the US label YepRoc. That label is about to re-release Lowe’s first three albums as a limited edition box set. The collection of Dig My Mood, The Impossible Bird and The Convincer has been dubbed The Brentford Trilogy. Nick... Read the full story
Willie Nile’s New Album Gets Great Reviews
April 30, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
Willie Nile is one of the great unsung heroes of American music. He first came to attention in 1980 with a self titled album and he quickly followed it up with Golden Down in 1981. He was acclaimed as “another Springsteen” which actually became a millstone around his neck. He continued on though releasing a series of albums to a devoted fan base. He never became a huge mainstream star but he remains... Read the full story
Steve Forbert
March 25, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
Steve Forbert was one of several 70’s singer songwriters that were labelled with the accolade “the new Bob Dylan”. Of course he wasn’t and didn’t even aspire to be but he was a mighty good songwriter. He never really stopped working though and has released a steady stream of albums over the years. His latest is entitled The Place And The Time is about to be released in the US and hopefully... Read the full story
Stan Ridgway
March 7, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
Stan Ridgway is one of the unsung heroes of American music. His is a career that that has been marked by memorable songs, the occasion moment of startling brilliance and a willingness to push the envelope. His songs are known for their cinematic qualities, their habitation by a luridly coloured cast of characters and perspectives that are different from those offered by most of his peers. We are better... Read the full story
Prefab Sprout
February 15, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
Prefab Sprout are one of the precursors to Coldplay. I’m not sure whether serious Coldplay fans or the relatively smaller number of Prefab Sprout obsessives would agree with that statement, but I’m sticking to it. See Prefab Sprout created literate (but not literary) intelligent (but not intellectually intimidating), musical (but not virtuosic) pop music that seemed best suited for lazy Sunday... Read the full story
Golden Earring
February 1, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
What is the best thing to ever come out of The Netherlands? Cheese, tulips, wooden shoes or windmills? Pieter van den Hoogenband? Big Brother? Wrong. The best thing to ever come out of The Netherlands is the song Radar Love. Radar Love is quite possible one of the greatest rock songs ever committed to vinyl. What makes its all the more curious is that it was released by a Dutch band called Golden Earring.... Read the full story
Steve Harley
January 26, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
You could be forgiven for thinking that after he had a huge hit with the song Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) in 1975 that Steve Harley disappeared to forever live off the royalties. The surprisingly truth is that Harley and his band Cockney Rebel continued to have a viable career for several years after that and he continues to play and record today. South Londoner Harley had not surprisingly been... Read the full story
Matthew Sweet
January 17, 2009 by Andrew Watt
Filed under What Have You Been Doing Lately?
When Matthew Sweet released the album Girlfriend in 1991 he was actually having his second shot at breaking through. He didn’t waste it. He had previously released major label albums on Columbia and A&M and although he received some critical acclaim he didn’t sell a lot of records. Sweet was a native of Lincoln, Nebraska who relocated to Athens, Georgia in the early 80’s. Sweet collaborated... Read the full story