The Fall review, 1989
One of my all-time favorite bands, but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a coherent explanation why onto newsprint or megabytes.
One of my all-time favorite bands, but I don’t think I’ve ever managed a coherent explanation why. I’ve tried several times too, to no avail. Here's the closest I’ve come. Reviving it now because Mark E. Smith would have turned 69 yesterday. (Born a year to the day after Teena Marie — who knew??)
06.03.2026 13:14
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150 Best Albums of 2001
“CRANKY COMMENTS!!
3000+ words on my 150 favorite albums of the year 9-11 happened -- 2/3 cranky at year's end, 1/3 less cranky years later. Topics: tween daughters drumming to System of a Down, Dylan's not-bad far-from-best-album-ever, crit sanctimony, Aunt Flo visiting r&b, country carrying on, cold ones comin' on.
05.03.2026 16:36
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150 Best Albums of 2001
“CRANKY COMMENTS!!
3000+ words on my 150 favorite albums of the year 9-11 happened -- 2/3 cranky at year's end, 1/3 less cranky years later. Topics: tween daughters drumming to System of a Down, Dylan's not-bad far-from-best-album-ever, crit sanctimony, Aunt Flo visiting r&b, country carrying on, cold ones comin' on.
05.03.2026 16:36
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Teena Marie mash note, 1991
Teena Marie (who by the way has never even been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — how stupid is that?) would have turned 70 today.
Teena Marie (who btw has never even been *nominated* for the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame — how stupid is that?) would've turned 70 today. But at 54 in 2010, Lady T sadly passed on to the great Emerald City/Xanadu/Southern Tip of Spain in the sky. Reviving this piece to honor her septuagenerian milestone.
04.03.2026 17:19
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(Okay, technically 70 *tomorrow* -- March 5. Still...)
04.03.2026 17:21
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Teena Marie mash note, 1991
Teena Marie (who by the way has never even been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — how stupid is that?) would have turned 70 today.
Teena Marie (who btw has never even been *nominated* for the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame — how stupid is that?) would've turned 70 today. But at 54 in 2010, Lady T sadly passed on to the great Emerald City/Xanadu/Southern Tip of Spain in the sky. Reviving this piece to honor her septuagenerian milestone.
04.03.2026 17:19
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150 Best Albums of 1969
My five favorite records on the November 17, 1969 WLS Chicago Top 40 Hit Parade are, in order of preference: R.B.
NEW!!! ≈4000 words about boogie plod, classical prog, blue-eyed swamp soul, heavy blues, (possibly) peak bubblegum & reggae, fringed suede vests, moonshots, Altamont, whether Led Zep were unoriginal, whether Paul was dead, whether the Stooges stunk, Detroit radio and my 150 favorite albums of 1969.
03.03.2026 17:14
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Yes and No (I don't think.)
03.03.2026 18:09
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150 Best Albums of 1969
My five favorite records on the November 17, 1969 WLS Chicago Top 40 Hit Parade are, in order of preference: R.B.
NEW!!! ≈4000 words about boogie plod, classical prog, blue-eyed swamp soul, heavy blues, (possibly) peak bubblegum & reggae, fringed suede vests, moonshots, Altamont, whether Led Zep were unoriginal, whether Paul was dead, whether the Stooges stunk, Detroit radio and my 150 favorite albums of 1969.
03.03.2026 17:14
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Pazz & Jop Product Reports, 2026
This post is a tool; it’s how I keep track of new music I hear — thus enabling me, for one thing, to put together long lists of albums I like when the year comes to an end.
PAZZ & JOP PRODUCT REPORT—early March 2026
YEAH: Whodamanny: Onda Biloba (Periodica Italy) 7; Mo’ong & Bilawa: Mo’ong & Bilawa (Bloxham Tapes UK) 7; Mandy, Indiana: Urgh (Sacred Bones UK) 7; Joshua Chuquimia Crampton: Anata (Puro Fantasía EP) 5...
[continued]:
02.03.2026 22:30
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Power Ballots and Second Thoughts
Nobody agrees with my 2026 R&R Hall of Fame votes -- including me!
To meet reader demand, here’s who I voted for on my 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ballot last week, and related thoughts on the subject (including on everybody nominated, whether I voted for them or not. Do I have opinions, or what??) If I don’t agree with my votes, why should you?
02.03.2026 22:40
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Power Ballots and Second Thoughts
Nobody agrees with my 2026 R&R Hall of Fame votes -- including me!
To meet reader demand, here’s who I voted for on my 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Ballot last week, and related thoughts on the subject (including on everybody nominated, whether I voted for them or not. Do I have opinions, or what??) If I don’t agree with my votes, why should you?
02.03.2026 22:40
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Pazz & Jop Product Reports, 2026
This post is a tool; it’s how I keep track of new music I hear — thus enabling me, for one thing, to put together long lists of albums I like when the year comes to an end.
PAZZ & JOP PRODUCT REPORT—early March 2026
YEAH: Whodamanny: Onda Biloba (Periodica Italy) 7; Mo’ong & Bilawa: Mo’ong & Bilawa (Bloxham Tapes UK) 7; Mandy, Indiana: Urgh (Sacred Bones UK) 7; Joshua Chuquimia Crampton: Anata (Puro Fantasía EP) 5...
[continued]:
02.03.2026 22:30
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Half-Heartedly Defending Mariah Carey
Sometimes I vote for her and sometimes I don't
I wrote this screed 2 years ago; not sure why I didn’t mention the Hole/L7-inspired grunge CD Mariah covertly helped record and release in 1995. Reviving the post now because just this week I submitted another R&R Hall of Fame ballot, and this time I *didn’t vote for her. Though maybe should have.
27.02.2026 13:20
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Let Kama Sutra Guide You
Blindfold Test #24
25 songs 1961-1997: Abwärts, Airplay, A.R. & Machines, Autosalvage, George Benson, Cymande, Al Downing, Gaza Sisters, Heavy Metal Kids, Jack Off Jill, Manfred Mann, Barbara Mason (twice), Maximum Joy, McCoys, Mr. President, Negative Trend, Asha Puthli, Pyrolator, Jesse Rae, Tams, Twilight 22, more.
28.02.2026 18:46
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Rock & Roll Hall of Facebook
In which people tried to guess who I voted for
I have never cared who gets into the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame. But they started sending me ballots several years back, and voting’s kinda fun. As is letting people try to guess who I’m voting for. Which is exactly what I did on facebook from 2018 through 2021. You can follow the play-by-play here.
01.03.2026 14:46
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Rock & Roll Hall of Facebook
In which people tried to guess who I voted for
I have never cared who gets into the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame. But they started sending me ballots several years back, and voting’s kinda fun. As is letting people try to guess who I’m voting for. Which is exactly what I did on facebook from 2018 through 2021. You can follow the play-by-play here.
01.03.2026 14:46
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Let Kama Sutra Guide You
Blindfold Test #24
25 songs 1961-1997: Abwärts, Airplay, A.R. & Machines, Autosalvage, George Benson, Cymande, Al Downing, Gaza Sisters, Heavy Metal Kids, Jack Off Jill, Manfred Mann, Barbara Mason (twice), Maximum Joy, McCoys, Mr. President, Negative Trend, Asha Puthli, Pyrolator, Jesse Rae, Tams, Twilight 22, more.
28.02.2026 18:46
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And now the line is much longer than when I got there.
28.02.2026 00:02
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Probably took me two hours total at my polling place in South Austin, including the vote itself.
28.02.2026 00:01
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I will reveal next week whether I did, or didn't. Stay tuned....
27.02.2026 16:15
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150 Best Albums of 1988
“Possibly the most revered year in hip-hop,” the sticker on my copy of Ohio backpack rapper and producer Blueprint’s 2005 CD 1988 calls the year it’s named after, and “widely regarded as the greatest ...
Almost 1800 words on hip-hop's supposed greatest year ever, what genre had an even better year, dance music by other names, Spin magazine's 100 Greatest Singles of All Time list, the relationship between Arto Lindsay and Ava Max, pre-Radiohead post-rock, and above all my 150 favorite 1988 albums.
26.02.2026 12:12
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Half-Heartedly Defending Mariah Carey
Sometimes I vote for her and sometimes I don't
I wrote this screed 2 years ago; not sure why I didn’t mention the Hole/L7-inspired grunge CD Mariah covertly helped record and release in 1995. Reviving the post now because just this week I submitted another R&R Hall of Fame ballot, and this time I *didn’t vote for her. Though maybe should have.
27.02.2026 13:20
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Exactly. I just wanted to get it over with, too much on my plate already.
26.02.2026 22:48
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I'll put them in a Substack post (which I'll link to here) next week. (Of course, I'm already second-guessing who I voted for.)
26.02.2026 22:14
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150 Best Albums of 1988
“Possibly the most revered year in hip-hop,” the sticker on my copy of Ohio backpack rapper and producer Blueprint’s 2005 CD 1988 calls the year it’s named after, and “widely regarded as the greatest ...
Almost 1800 words on hip-hop's supposed greatest year ever, what genre had an even better year, dance music by other names, Spin magazine's 100 Greatest Singles of All Time list, the relationship between Arto Lindsay and Ava Max, pre-Radiohead post-rock, and above all my 150 favorite 1988 albums.
26.02.2026 12:12
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Okay! I'd forgotten Luther was in there. (Not sure I've ever really written about him otherwise. But I do like the guy.)
25.02.2026 19:05
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...but wait, Luther Vandross in my profile?? I'm confused.
25.02.2026 18:33
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It'd sure make voting a lot easier!
25.02.2026 18:32
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4 out of 7, not bad!
25.02.2026 18:31
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