In my most recent prior post, in which I nebulously reflect on what it means to see The Rolling Stones in concert, I mention that their longevity as a functioning band has seemed to actually hurt their image in the eyes of young modern music fans. Since their sound and image has been so incorporated into the broader definition of rock, it’s difficult to appreciate their contributions without prior context.
Continue reading No Stone Unturned: Excavating The Rolling Stones’ Early CatalogueAll posts by Rob Kimbrough
New Infrastructure!
I’ve just finished rejigging my blogsite. I added a menu on the sidebar, with different categories that can help narrow your search. It’s nothing fancy but I think it’s relatively intuitive. I hope it helps readers navigate around and explore some past entries a bit.
Beyond that, I’ve slightly changed fonts a bit. I’m not positive about this one, just gonna see how I feel about the change after a bit. I’ve kind of become a fan of the minimalist look I have on here, so don’t want to muck it up too much. Anyway – thanks for reading, and play on!
No Filter In Jacksonville
In July 2019, I had the privilege of seeing The Rolling Stones in concert as part of their No Filter tour. Now in 2021, concerts seem to be a distant memory, so I dusted off my write-up of the experience and am presenting it here in full. Hopefully it captures a bit of the live music experience that is so lacking from our current situation. Moreso, however, it provided me the oppurtunity to reflect on the meaning of going to a concert at all. I also wrote it as an homage to Hunter S. Thompson, the doctor of gonzo journalism. The piece’s writing, like the events that inspired it, were quite fun.
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Biggest Disappointments of 2020
Sometimes life gives you lemons. Life gave us orchards worth in 2020, but as I detailed earlier this week, we also got lots of great music. Inevitably, we also got a few musical lemons.
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Best of 2020
What a year was 2020. Suffice it to say, it sucked. Between environmental disasters, political and civil unrest, celebrity deaths….and oh yes, a global pandemic that has kept us fearful for our health in quarantined lockdown and caused a massive economic downturn….there was a lot to handle. Things did not go the way I envisioned them to at the start, and I join most everyone across the world in celebrating its end.
At the same time, 2020 was an A+ year for new music. Musicians are people too, and as they reacted to the same issues that we all faced, they responded as only artists can – by making art. Music seemed more vital this year than in the past several; I think that we needed it more. Isolated from our loved ones, stressed, and fearful, we turned to media for entertainment and consolation. It both took our mind off of the darkness and gave us an outlet to consider and vent our frustrations. Through lyrics and sounds, music performed its most ancient and sacred magic to bring us together and help us transcend this year of disappointments. For that, I’m ever grateful.
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Wilco Will Love You, Baby: Ranking Their Discography
Wilco’s November deluxe reissue of their seminal album Summerteeth was my favorite rerelease of 2020. Besides a remastered version of the actual album, it contained a disc of demos and alternate takes, and an entire live performance from 2000. Beyond being chock full with great music, the boxset reminded me of just how good Wilco is. It inspired me to take a deep dive through their discography.
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Kid Cudi Brings It All Home On ‘Man On the Moon III: The Chosen’
It’s been a long trip through the woods for hip-hop artist Kid Cudi. Or, rather, a long trip to the outer reaches of space and back. Hitting the scene with this 2008 mixtape A Kid Named Cudi, he staked out his place as a new kind of rapper – one less concerned about braggadocio and materialism and more into exploring the inner spaces of his mind. On new record Man On the Moon III: The Chosen, Cudi comes back in a big way, reminding us all why we value his voice so much in the first place.
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Why I’ll Never Do A “Best Guitarists” List
The guitar. What’s in a guitar? It’s an instrument. It’s a symbol. The guitar is the symbol of rock, to be sure, but beyond that it’s essentially emblematic of popular music in general (at least in the past century). It means youth and sound and excitement and rebellion. It symbolizes sonic possibilities and is a shorthand for “cool.” Weilding a six-string transcends music and becomes emblematic of an entire worldview.
That’s the reason why rock fans love to talk about guitarists. Besides being the primary musical driver in most bands, a guitarist’s style and sound also helps define the musical and aesthetic values of the listener. Whom do you like, and why do you like it?
Last month we lost one of the true titans of rock n’ roll, Eddie Van Halen. He was the embodiment of the guitar shredder archetype, who’s flash, technique, and energetic performance fundamentally reshaped how people conceived of the guitar as an instrument and as an icon. Along with the rest of his namesake band, Van Halen almost single-handedly defined the sound of hard rock for the entirety of the 1980s, and in doing so altered the path of popular music. Not bad for a career retrospective, right?
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The Act You’ve Known For All These Years: Ranking The Beatles’ Albums
This weekend was my thirtieth birthday. Before looking forward at what is to come, I took a moment to look back at what has come before. It’s fitting that I return to that which got me started. The Beatles and Beethoven were the bedrock of my exposure to music, so it’s fitting that I go back to them and get into doing what I’ve most enjoyed about this blog: making lists. Here’s my ranking of Beatles albums.
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Sonorous Skies and Endless Isles: Exploring Britain Through Soundtrack Music
For this edition of Then Play On, I’m fulfilling a request from avid reader and friend Ryan. One evening, as I sat in repost amidst the ever darkening night, I received the text question: which obscure British documentary soundtrack did I feel was better, From the Sea to the Land Beyond, or From Scotland With Love. I had to admit my ignorance on the subject, but as Ryan is a Consummate gentleman, scholar, and citizen, I vowed to investigate and render judgement. Continue reading Sonorous Skies and Endless Isles: Exploring Britain Through Soundtrack Music
Then Play On 