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You can just imagine the meeting: A Canadian producer looks at the US version of K-tel’s “Music Express,” and politely and quietly built a better (and occasionally cheesier) pop time capsule. Contributing Author Chuck Small rides the rails of 1975 chart logic, regional pride, and the fine art of calling a Top 10 hit what it very clearly was not.
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan steps away from his usual chart archaeology to take aim at the Internet’s favorite pastime: blaming Spotify for everything but the weather. It’s surgical dissection of the booming cottage industry of gloomy headlines, playlist paranoia, and contradictory claims about “passive listening”—all somehow proven by the same songs, including the ever-abused “Sound & Vision.”
Join DJPD as he checks in on “ghost artists,” the moral panic over background music, and the heroic labor of critics determined to turn algorithmic recommendations into a cultural crisis.
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.
It’s The Hits Of August-ish 1965!
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan delves into the strange, the psychedelic, and quirky origins of three of the biggest songs of the August, 1965.
From Bob Dylan’s “vomit” to a whole lot of LSD, it’s a wild trip that will make you listen to these legendary tracks in a whole new way.
Great Songs… Ruined by Radio Overplay
Ever loved a song so much… until radio loved it way, way more? In this sharp and relatable list, one listener revisits a dozen great tunes that were overplayed into oblivion.
Contributing Author Chuck Small …delivers pinpoint pop analysis – with a sigh of overexposure.
It’s The Hits Of August-ish 1955!
It starts with a flopped B-side, detours through a record store riot, and ends somewhere near a teenage beautician outrunning a Cadillac in the rain.
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan rewinds the Summer of ’55 with side-eyed reverence, jukebox theology, and exactly the right amount of references to Alan Freed.
Lux, Ivy, And The Cramps
There are your typical band bios, and then there’s this.
Contributing Author and Music Historian Bill Bois delivers a masterful, loving tribute to The Cramps: equal parts subcultural scholarship, musical nerdery, and heartstring pluck. You’ll laugh, nod, and probably Google “Psychobilly” halfway through.
OutKast with a mandolin or Iron Maiden with a fiddle? Why not?
Contributing Author Rollerboogie uncovers a foot-stomping universe of bluegrass covers that brilliantly reimagine the familiar – and will leave even the purists on both sides of the covers grinning.
Status Quo
There’s no law that says you have to evolve musically, and Status Quo made a career out of proving it.
Contributing Author JJ Live From Leeds brings his sharp wit and encyclopedic recall to a tale of psychedelic flukes, cardboard bassists, and a three-chord formula that refused to quit.
Finding An Audio Treasure at a Mall in Western Canada?
Some people go on vacation to Canada and come back with duty-free maple syrup.
Contributing Author Rollerboogie came back with a copy of the seminal Zombies album and a reminder that the best finds aren’t searched for – they find you.
You Gotta Have Friends
With inspiration from a prior comment section entry, Contributing Author Chuck Small delivers another nostalgic spin through vinyl history with Record Relays, Volume 9: You Gotta Have Friends.
It’s a heartfelt, high-wattage tribute to musical allies of the LGBTQ+ community. From Dolly and Bette to Ricky and Regina, it’s a dueted journey where friendship hits all the right notes.
It’s The Hits Of July-ish 2005!
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan digs through the rhinestoned wreckage of July-ish 2005, when pop was sparkly, indie was sweaty, and emo had a guitar and feelings.
From the rise of “Don’t Cha” to the chaos of CSS’s Lovefoxxx, it’s a McBlingingly delightful pop culture joyride, with a perfect mix of insight and side-eye.
Madness
“Our House” might’ve been your first stop, but it was far from the end of the line on the Madness nutty train. Contributing Author JJ Live At Leeds takes us through all the hits, hijinks, history, and the glorious mayhem America mostly missed.