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Contributing Author Music Historian returns with the surprisingly dramatic tale of a chart system that once tried to out-Billboard Billboard. It’s a story featuring jukebox math, disputed No. 1s, and an extremely determined crooner who broke the algorithm – before algorithms existed.
Today is gonna be the day that Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan unpacks the moment Oasis tried to manifest legend status by opening an album with “Wonderwall” before anyone knew what a “Wonderwall” was – a power move surpassed only by Tupac strolling out of jail and immediately leveling California. What follows is a guided tour through Britpop beefs, West Coast mythmaking, and at least one chart upset so bewildering it nearly makes Robson & Jerome sound like a threat.
In this week’s dispatch, Contributing Author and historian Bill Bois introduces us to a man who heard a weird noise on Radio Moscow and thought, quite reasonably, that his radio had finally given up. Instead, it turns out Paul Pena was just warming up for his eventual career as Tuva’s most improbable “Earthquake,” proving once again that the universe rewards curiosity—and occasionally, bathroom acoustics.
It’s The Hits Of October-ish 2005!
A scant twenty years ago, pop got weird, wonderful, and sometimes downright ridiculous, from will.i.am’s odd lyricism, to the brashness of The Sugababes, to the Arctic Monkeys’ debut roar. Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan cuts through the pop smog with wit and knowledge – and somehow still manages to look good on the dance floor.
Not traditionally handsome. Not polished. And at first glance, entirely unforgettable: But Joey Ramone proved that charm isn’t a face, it’s a presence. Contributing Author Bill Bois dives into classic duets from Punk’s dorkiest hero, who still had everyone swooning from the hey, ho get-go..
The Artists Who Shaped My Sound
Every musician eventually traces their musical DNA, note by note, back to the ones who lit the spark. In a wide-ranging and personal reflection, Contributing Author Rollerboogie revisits the pianists who shaped his sound—from Jerry Lee’s chaos to Guaraldi’s calm—and finds that influence, like melody, is a living thing.
Northern Soul thrived on rare US soul records, all-nighter dance floors, and a working-class dedication to the subculture. From The Twisted Wheel to the Wigan Casino, Contributing Author JJ Live At Leeds traces the DJs, venue rivalries, and athletic stompers that made Northern England a haven for obscure soul music.
Turns out not every “Cruisin’” collection album takes you down memory lane -some just drop you off at the corner of Cheap and Confusing.
In a cautionary joyride, Contributing Author Chuck Small discovers that when nostalgia gets re-recorded, it occasionally forgets the lyrics.
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan takes us back to October, 1995, when the most ridiculous named bands ruled the charts. It was a month of beer‑clinking energy and side-eye feminism – and one very awkward love song that probably should’ve come with a trigger warning.
A Perfect Playlist for An Autumnal Mood
It’s that peculiar time between summer nostalgia and winter dread: ideal for songs where heartbreak meets meteorology.
In this leaf-strewn roundup, Contributing Author JJ Live At Leeds unpacks the peculiar charm of tunes best heard with a cup of something warm, and your expectations gently lowered.
Life Lessons From Behind The Mic
From dive-bar beginnings to an unexpected epiphany, this piece reminds us how music, memory, and middle age harmonize in strange and beautiful ways.
Contributing Author Rollerboogie turns a Thursday night pastime into something closer to grace.
In this deliriously detailed dispatch from the fall of ’85, we meet a-ha’s earnest dreamers, Kate Bush’s theatrical mysticism, and a Scottish feedback storm called The Jesus and Mary Chain.
It’s a pop history of sweat, synths, and sweet delusion from Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan.
Contributing Author and Music Historian Bill Bois is back with Part Two of stories of extraordinary musical reemergence..
Five more artists who vanished for decades, then reemerged as if no time had passed. Bill reminds us that in music, the long way back can be the most interesting road of all.