Back in the sixties, we’d buy greatest hits albums.  But only sporadically, when a band we hadn’t thought was a stayer turned out to be, or one we didn’t think we liked that much ultimately churned out so many hits we didn’t even know where to start, there were too many albums to buy, so […]

If it’s all about money, then how come Universal can’t come to an agreement to participate in Pepsi’s Amazon music giveaway?  Could it be that the Universal brass are just too prickly (or just plain pricks) and that they’re the ones holding back the future, they’re the ones who are mercurial, not Steve Jobs? Did […]

Fierce and independent.  That not only describes Jon Stoll, but Arny and Jerry over at JAM, all the cats who said no to Bob Sillerman. Can you imagine turning down millions?  Double digit millions?  That’s what these guys did.  They all loved cash, but it wasn’t the most important thing.  They loved music.  And they […]

I got into underground FM radio via Keith Batchelder. He started talking about the songs he heard on WBAI, most specifically Phil Ochs’ "Outside A Small Circle Of Friends". When I went to his house, he presented me with a typed-out page of lyrics, under the heading "Phil Oakes". I remember reading them as I […]