Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs 390-381

390. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” – Elton John One of Elton John’s most prolific songs, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was actually more inspired by The Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup than Abbey Road. It’s definitely a great song, but it’s also one of those that we’ve already heard so many times, it’s hard to actively…

Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs: 400-391

400. “Baby I Need Your Loving” – Four Tops The Four Tops are consistently one of those bands that are right on my fence between good but forgettable and excellent and this song is no exception. It’s certainly catchy and soulful, and I can certainly understand the appeal, but is it really one of the…

Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs: 410-401

410. “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” – Sly and The Family Stone One thing I’m discovering as I listen through this list: Funk just isn’t my thing. I like a lot of the R&B stuff that the rhythm section lays down in this track, but as is the case with a lot of…

Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs 420-411

420. “The Girl Can’t Help it” – Little Richard I can’t hear this song without thinking about Fergie, but it was actually originally written about the big-breasted Jayne Mansfield. It wasn’t that big of a hit in ’57 when it was released (it peaked at the No. 49 position), so it really makes me wonder…

Burnes’ Turns Nov. 3-25, 2016

With the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon still on my mind, the series once again creeps into a playlist ripe with the rediscovery and newfound appreciation of familiar tunes. But it’s a new track from a band that I’d never listened to before that takes top honors as we head into the Christmas season. “Drunk…

Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs 430-421

430. “Blue Suede Shoes” – Elvis Presley Apparently this cover was never as successful as Carl Perkins’ original, but as a kid this is the version I always heard years before I even discovered who Carl Perkins is. I”m not sure which version is superior; they both sound nearly identical. But one thing’s for sure:…

Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs: 440-431

After a couple of months spent “working” on other things, I return to my countdown of Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs as I continue curating my own list of comparable girth (though also of much less weight in the music community). There’s nothing like cold weather to make an overly thoughtful music critic want to…

Pokemon Sun and Moon (2016)

9.75 Jay-Z once famously wrote that you often remember where you were when you first heard your favorite songs. The same is also true for video games. I’ll never forget the first time my dad ever let me play one. I was three years old, and it was the first level of Star Wars Shadows…

Burnes’ Turns: Oct. 29-Nov. 2

Burnes’ Turns is often an all-inclusive affair, but this may be the most varied edition yet. From Heavy Metal anthems to greedy, lusty Punk feasts, to a Japanese-tinged suite of four tracks composed by three different men that clocks in at only around 4 minutes, there’s something here for everyone. A reminder that you never…

The Freewheelin Bob Dylan – 1963

***** Pure poetry. That’s what Bob Dylan offered with his monumental release at the beginning of his career in 1963 with The Freewheelin Bob Dylan. About half of it was not only significantly important social commentary for all time (“Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Masters of War,” “Oxford Town”). Another solid portion was made up of…