Killer beats, huge hype, and failure to follow through.
Tom Maxwell
Shelved: Yoko Ono
On Yoko Ono’s 1974 album “A Story,” and stepping out from behind the ever-present shadow of John Lennon.
Shelved: Pink Floyd’s Household Objects
On Syd Barrett’s time with Pink Floyd and making an album with household objects and found sounds.
Shelved: The Misfits’ 12 Hits From Hell
For a bunch of rock ‘n’ rollers creating the horror punk genre, the Misfits sure were sensitive.
Shelved: Jeff Buckley’s Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
The posthumous Buckley industry began with this problematic album, proof that the people who control a musician’s estate don’t always have his music in mind.
Longreads Best of 2019: Music Writing
We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in music writing.
Shelved: The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band’s “Brain Opera”
What happens when you’re not different just for the sake of being different.
Remembering Daniel Johnston
This outsider musician made music sound new again to everyone who listened.
Shelved: Van Morrison’s Contractual Obligation Album
This is the sound of not really trying.
Images Present Themselves: A Conversation With Photographer Burk Uzzle
Some of the most iconic images get captured when you’re just out for a stroll. What you do with these images is a political act.