Classic Tracks: Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild”
The road to becoming a rock 'n' roll icon is stranger for some than others. Take John Kay the voice and face of the...
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The road to becoming a rock 'n' roll icon is stranger for some than others. Take John Kay the voice and face of the...
"Remember the old Roland CompuRhythm box? I turned to the Rock and Roll 1 preset, sat down at a Korg organ that happened...
Engineer Russ Gary talks about the recording of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” in 1969.
Eddie Money burst onto the scene at an interesting time, with New Wave, Blue Collar Rock, Country Rock and more all in full-flower. Money...
Formed in 1974 by four musicians from Rockford, Ill., Cheap Trick possessed experience, musical chops and most of all, songs.
1974 found Joni Mitchell in complete control of her music and sound
Was Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” really an example of 1980s audio excess? Here's how the #1 hit was built.
A look back at the first charting single from Love.
Frontman Gavin Rossdale and the production team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley weigh in on the creation of a grunge-era classic.
A simple, four-chord tune laid to tape with no overdubs, "Time Is TIght" is a consummate work of soul minimalism.
There have been dance fads as long as people have danced to novelty records -- but few have had the enduring appeal of Chubby...
It was the last track of the last session of the album...and it was the perfect way to end it.
Ray Charles' best-known hit was first improvised on-stage to fill time at the end of a gig...and became legendary.
"Let's Get It On" embraces love and lust, the spiritual and the carnal fused together in an uplifting union. Recording it was not as...
The Ziggy Stardust album kicked off with a bang while also cementing David Bowie's career thanks to its tryptich of classic tracks.
By the time Neil Young rolled into Nashville to begin recording his Harvest album, he had already enjoyed several different careers as a musician.
“When we first recorded ‘Riders on the Storm,’ it was a nice, light song—but when we got into mixing it is when it all...
Cyndi Lauper didn't want to record "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," but producer Rick Chertoff was sure it was a hit.
A look at the writing and recording of Del Shannon’s Number One hit from 1961, “Runaway”
The third time was the charm when Culture Club hit the studio with producer Steve Levine in the summer of 1982; the result was...
While it wasn't a hit when first released, Randy Newman's sardonic "I Love L.A." has become an unofficial theme song for the City of...
If Michael Jackson's "Beat It" is a classic, it stands to reason that Weird Al's parody, "Eat It" is one too—though it is entirely...
Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark is exceptional among her greatest records as it has her one Top-10 pop hit, “Help Me.”
War’s “Low Rider” is a song about a car—one of the coolest, most groove-y, sultry car songs ever, in fact.
You can thank Disco for bringing Frank Zappa to the singles chart in the late 1970s with his first hit, “Dancin’ Fool.”
John Cougar Mellencamp’s 1987 hit came from the classic album that reinvented his sound, 'The Lonesome Jubilee.'
In April 2009, at a party inside Capitol Studios in Hollywood honoring his late friend George Harrison, Gary Wright found himself chatting at a...
Few songs have defined an artist, an era and an attitude quite like Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," released in January 1977.
Decades later, it's difficult to put into words just how bold and fresh and affecting those opening lines were in 1969.
How Martina McBride recorded her passionate, powerful, CMA-winning anthem.
Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes and legendary producer David Kershenbaum share how they hot-rodded "Hungry Like The Wolf"—and half the 'Rio' album—to appeal to American...
Folk singer Al Stewart reinvented his sound when he met producer Alan Parsons, resulting in the classic "Year of the Cat."
Steve Earle’s ode to the city of New Orleans had a surprising start, as engineer Jason Wormer shares.
“You know, Eddie, there’s never been a blues song written about the summertime. Let’s write a song called ‘Summertime Blues.’"
Legendary producer Glyn Johns shares how The Who’s “Baba O’Riley" came together and became a classic rock staple.
A Classic Among Classics: “Blue Suede Shoes”
Oingo Boingo's new wave classic “Just Another Day” turns out to be more timeless than one might have imagined in 1985.
Observations From Early ‘80s Sound Eerily Relevant Today
Whitney Houston’s First Platinum Single, Produced by Narada Michael Walden
Stan Ridgway’s Noir-Style, Lo-Fi, High-End Sound
Musing on life and the afterlife, Iris Dement arrives
Paul Davis’ Unexpected Hit Turns Into One for the Record Books