Tag Archives: Rich Horton

JESUS IS JUST ALL RIGHT: Unjustly Obscure God-Rock in the Early Seventies, by Rich Horton

JESUS IS JUST ALL RIGHT:Unjustly Obscure God-Rock in the Early Seventies by Rich Horton Overland Stage(EPIC Records, 1972) Starting in the late Sixties and into the early Seventies, Jesus was all over the airwaves. The Byrds had recorded the infectious “Jesus Is Just Alright” for their “Ballad of Easy Rider” album, “Spirit in the Sky” …

Behold the World Premiere of Rich Arithmetic’s Double-A Sided Single: “YOU ARE ALWAYS RIGHT” and “UP TO YOU” by Steve Stav

In the Golden Age of 45’s, we would’ve called Rich Arithmetic’s latest single a Double-A side.  On YOU ARE ALWAYS RIGHT, Rich opens one of his most vital arteries, and with his longtime singing partner Lance Morgan, they spill sweet harmonies on to a canvas of late ‘60s folk rock (by way of mid-’80s Athens jangle). Kansas guitar …

WHEN HORN ROCK RULED THE CHARTS (BRIEFLY): An Ongoing Series – This Episode: “GET IT ON” by CHASE (1971), by Rich Horton

INTRO In the artistic aftermath of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” pop and rock critics were speculating about what would be the Next Big Thing in Rock. Some bands spun off into art and prog rock, others went back to the rootsy basics, and still others were helping along the evolution of folk-rock as …

First Loved, Then Shunned: The Zombies and Others Belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, by Rich Horton

After Sgt. Pepper, many of us Baby Boomers became so, uhhh, “sophisticated,” that we began sneering at many of the early British Invasion bands who served as our first introductions to rock ‘n’ roll. So many superb bands, including The Hollies and The Zombies and The Searchers, got shuffed off by us in our unwashed …

The Pallid Pilgrim Recommends: FOUR FAB FILMS FROM THE 1980’s GOLDEN ERA OF BASEBALL MOVIES, by Rich Horton

The start of baseball season is still several weeks away. But in the meantime, your own Spring Training should include watching four particular fabulous baseball films from the 1980’s. Frankly, it’s hard to go wrong with a baseball film; every decade has had great ones. But for some reason, the ’80s were a particularly golden …

Speaking of Nick Lowe Production Masterpieces, By Rich Horton and Eduard P. Gomez

[Your comments are appreciated, what are some other great moments from Nick Lowe’s career? Please join in below.] For my money, “Bring the Family” by John Hiatt (1987) is Nick Lowe’s production highlight. Lowe’s production of this record (like most of his productions) perfectly suits Hiatt’s songs and arrangements. Only the barest production tricks and …

RICHIE’S REPRISAL: IN PRAISE OF THE 3-MINUTE SINGLE DURING AM RADIO’S PSYCHEDELIC ERA: Notes from the Pallid Pilgrim, Rich Horton

Up until the late 1960’s it was rare that a Top 40 hit single broke the three-minute mark. Sure, there were exceptions, such as Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” both of which ran well over three minutes. But so much was exceeding the three-minute barrier …

CNBLUE – LOVE GIRL, By Rich Horton

Just when you didn’t think it was possible to do an even more wholesome version of the 1980’s A-Ha “Take on Me” bubblegum video from the early days of MTV, here comes C.N. Blue’s impossibly catchy and wholesome-to-a-fault “Love Girl.” Now, as a somewhat cynical guy who’s been around the block a few times, I …

“So here we are pouring shiploads of cash into yet another war, this time in Libya, while simultaneously demolishing school budgets, closing libraries, laying off teachers and police officers, and generally letting the bottom fall out of the quality of life here at home,” says Bob Herbert in NYT

This is a moral issue. The fact that nearly 64% of the nation’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of 5% of the population is a scandal, while 80% of the population holds only 13% of the country’s wealth. Yet, the Right, particularly those with a “moral” agenda, concentrates its outrage on people’s sex lives …

OUT-SPECTORING SPECTOR – Richie’s Reprisal: Thoughts from the Pallid Pilgrim, by Rich Horton

Richie’s Reprisal: Thoughts from the Pallid Pilgrim OUT-SPECTORING SPECTOR by Rich Horton In the days before multi-tracking, producers of rock-influenced pop records were stuck with the thorny problem of how to translate rock’s bombast over the tinny car radio speakers by which most American teenagers heard the music. Phil Spector’s solution to the problem was …

Garage Rock vs. Quirky Indie Pop: Weren’t Young Fresh Fellows more important in the grand scheme of things than Nirvana? And wasn’t Popllama more significant than SubPop?, Critic’s Roundtable, Part 1

“Weren’t Young Fresh Fellows more important in the grand scheme of things than Nirvana? And wasn’t Popllama more significant than SubPop? – East Portland Blog Critic’s Roundtable, Part 1 (This conversation has four parts.) Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 Through the 1980s a couple of different strains ran through …