The Single That Escaped: John Fogerty’s “You Got the Magic” Before Hoodoo Disappeared
A rare 1976 single became the lone public trace of an album John Fogerty chose...
Melody Era
David Cassidy’s Rougher Edge on The Partridge Family’s “Where Do We Go From Here” Made Bulletin Board Feel Like an Ending
On Bulletin Board, the bright family-band fantasy met a more unsettled voice, and David Cassidy...
A Rare Credit Changes How Linda Ronstadt’s “Try Me Again” Lands on Hasten Down the Wind
On Hasten Down the Wind, Linda Ronstadt’s “Try Me Again” carries a rare signature of...
A Spotlight Full of Doubt: Neil Diamond’s “Amazed and Confused” in the 1980 The Jazz Singer Soundtrack
Neil Diamond’s “Amazed and Confused” sits inside the 1980 The Jazz Singer soundtrack like a...
The 1984 Nerve in Neil Diamond’s “Crazy,” the Primitive Cut Richard Perry Helped Sharpen
On “Crazy”, Neil Diamond let the sleek surface of 1984 carry something more restless underneath....
Buried Beside a No. 1, Bee Gees’ Israel Gave Trafalgar Its Most Sweeping Barry Gibb Moment
On Trafalgar, Bee Gees placed Israel in the shadow of a giant single, but Barry...
Bee Gees’ E.S.P. Turned a Comeback with Arif Mardin into a Signal from Tomorrow
On E.S.P., the Bee Gees did not simply return to the studio; they stepped into...
Before Nashville Fully Knew Josh Turner, “To Be Loved By You” Spoke Softly on the 2004 Lost Tracks EP
Before his baritone became one of modern country’s most recognizable sounds, Josh Turner’s early EP...
The Accent Does the Talking in Josh Turner’s Southern Drawl, the Deep South Cut Built for His Voice
In “Southern Drawl,” Josh Turner turns accent into atmosphere, making a 2017 Deep South album...
Before the polish, Linda Ronstadt let Mel Tillis’s Mental Revenge bite on Silk Purse
Before Linda Ronstadt’s voice became associated with grand crossover ballads, Mental Revenge caught her learning...
A No. 1 Album Ends in a Whisper: Linda Ronstadt’s Love Me Tender on Living in the USA
On an album full of motion and color, Linda Ronstadt chose to close the door...
Emmylou Harris Turned Sandy Denny’s Like an Old Fashioned Waltz Into a White Shoes Confession
On White Shoes, Emmylou Harris did not simply cover Sandy Denny; she carried a fragile...
A Factory Voice Crossed Over: Emmylou Harris Reframed James Taylor’s “Millworker” on 1981’s Evangeline
On Evangeline, Emmylou Harris carried James Taylor’s “Millworker” out of the theater and into country-folk,...
A Clean Voice, a Restless Heart: Emmylou Harris’s In My Dreams Carried White Shoes Into the 1984 Country Top 10
On In My Dreams, Emmylou Harris turned a polished country single into something quieter and...
A Voice Arrives by Holding Back: Emmylou Harris’s 1975 Before Believing on Pieces of the Sky
In Emmylou Harris’s first clear major-label arrival, Before Believing sounded less like a plea than...
A Rock Voice Stepped Back: John Fogerty’s 1973 “Please Help Me, I’m Falling” on The Blue Ridge Rangers
On The Blue Ridge Rangers, John Fogerty did not announce a new identity so much...
The 1997 B-Side That Darkens John Fogerty’s Blue Moon Swamp: Endless Sleep on the 2004 Remaster
A stray B-side can reopen the weather around an album, and John Fogerty’s “Endless Sleep”...
Buried After the Big Hits, The Partridge Family’s Come On Love Shows 1973’s Crossword Puzzle Had More to Say
In a catalog often remembered through its brightest singles, The Partridge Family let Come On...
The Teen-Idol Label Missed David Cassidy’s Goodbye Blues on 1976 RCA Album Home Is Where the Heart Is
On Goodbye Blues, David Cassidy sounds like an artist asking to be heard beyond the...
Before the Spotlight Settled: Linda Ronstadt’s “The Only Mama That’ll Walk the Line” on Hand Sown… Home Grown
Before the arena lights and the polished hits, Linda Ronstadt’s “The Only Mama That’ll Walk...
Linda Ronstadt Let Her Roots Speak First on “Gritenme Piedras del Campo” from Más Canciones
On “Gritenme Piedras del Campo,” Linda Ronstadt did not treat mariachi as a detour from...
A Rougher Neil Diamond Breaks Through on 1968’s “Two-Bit Manchild” from Velvet Gloves and Spit
In 1968, Neil Diamond’s “Two-Bit Manchild” caught the sound of a songwriter pushing past his...
The Bee Gees Sounded Stranger Than Memory Allows on “Red Chair, Fade Away” from Bee Gees’ 1st
Before the world fixed the Bee Gees in later memory, “Red Chair, Fade Away” caught...
A Baritone Met the Flag: Josh Turner’s 2014 Smithsonian “The Star-Spangled Banner” Felt Different
In the museum that safeguards the flag behind the anthem, Josh Turner’s 2014 live performance...
Two Voices Catch the Fall: Linda Ronstadt’s You Tell Me That I’m Falling Down with Maria Muldaur
On You Tell Me That I’m Falling Down, Linda Ronstadt does not stand alone; Maria...
A Stray Highway Song Returns: Emmylou Harris’ Me and Willie on the 2004 Luxury Liner Reissue
On the 2004 reissue of Luxury Liner, Emmylou Harris let a stray song step into...
Bluegrass Wasn’t a Detour for Emmylou Harris: I’ll Go Stepping Too on Roses in the Snow
On Roses in the Snow, Emmylou Harris made an old bluegrass number feel less like...
Buried in the Centerfield Era, John Fogerty’s I Confess Was the B-Side That Refused to Disappear
A forgotten flip side from the Centerfield years shows how even John Fogerty’s smaller songs...
Reinvention Had a Cost: David Cassidy’s “Living A Lie” on 1976’s Gettin’ It in the Street
In “Living A Lie,” David Cassidy’s 1976 reinvention sounded less like escape than a test...
Three Voices Turned a Warning Into Prayer: Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris Sing “After the Gold Rush” on Trio II
On Trio II, three unmistakable voices took Neil Young’s dreamlike warning and made it feel...