RIP Davy Jones of The Monkees

Davy Jones, one of the distinctive voices of the group The Monkees, has passed away at the age of 66.

News outlets are reporting that he died after suffering a heart attack.

It's not astrology, it's The Monkees

Believe it or not, there are a lot of great Monkees albums out there. The group didn't just do great singles.

Ignore the foolish controversy of being a fabricated group. Especially in this modern age, far worse corporate musical atrocities have taken the spotlight. Focus instead on the great music, and accept The Monkees as the musical powerhouses that they were.

"Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd." is the fourth album released by the group, and it is a close second in terms of being my favorite Monkees album ("Headquarters" claims the top spot for me). The quality of the songs, the experimentation and the camaraderie of the group are all at their peaks with this release.

Upcoming reviews? Could be

Greetings and howdy, friends.

It's 2012. So far, it's not too radically different from 2011. The Republican candidates for the presidential election are still weeding themselves out. The economy still isn't awesome. It's still winter. You know, that kind of thing. But let's not jump the gun. It's only early January ... there's time yet. And there's definitely good music coming. Remain hopeful!

So, let's talk about music.

For my first album review of the new year, I've got a handful of contenders. One of the albums (PJ Harvey's "Let England Shake") is totally new for me - I haven't listened to it yet. I've heard a couple of tracks and they sound fantastic. One of the forums I visit often has gotten me into it, and both "Mojo" and "Uncut" gave her album their top album honor for 2011. The other albums are either favorites or classics that I haven't really paid much attention to (like Sonic Youth's "Dirty" album).

I'll be doing reviews for each of these in the coming days/weeks/months. If you have preferences on which ones get reviewed first (or you have suggestions / recommendations), please leave me a note in my comments. I welcome your vote!

Here are the albums I've got on the docket:

PJ Harvey "Let England Shake"  (getting critical acclaim from just about everyone)
The Beatles "Live at the BBC"  (one of my absolute favorites, loaded with classic songs by other artists)
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers "Echo"  (an underappreciated album ... even the group ignores it)
The Monkees "Headquarters"  (my personal favorite of their albums, though "PAC&J Ltd." is close)
Sonic Youth "Dirty"  (an album I haven't paid much attention to, though Sonic Youth are pretty cool)
Creedence Clearwater Revival "Willy and the Poor Boys"  (a few hits, but a lot of great songs)

All are very solid entries and should make for exciting listens. I might try to live blog one or more of them, too, because I enjoyed that experiment with The Black Keys' "El Camino" album. Again, if you have preferences on which (if any) of these albums should get the live-blog treatment, please leave a comment! Or ... give me some other recommendations. I'll do my best to be receptive.

Okey doke, folks. Hope you're all doing well. Chat with you later.

Favorites? Favorites, more favorites ... Hmm.

What's your favorite band? Who is your favorite singer? What is your favorite song?

Common questions. Sucky questions. For the music addict, those questions can be nearly impossible to answer.

But we're all friends here, and we can take the time to discuss the most mundane things and the most challenging things alike. After all, you're reading a blog ... you don't have anything better to do! :)

Power of music: So many reasons to love it

I have an addiction, and it's music.

I love to listen to it. I love to think about it. I love to talk about it. I love to challenge myself with it. I love to look at it. I love to look for it.

Music borders on obsession for me, and in some cases it does more than border obsession. If it involves my favorite groups, I am admittedly obsessed with the music. The Beatles? The Beach Boys? Queen? Pink Floyd? Weezer? You can name dozens of groups and individual artists ... I dig their stuff, and I jump in head first.

Monkees "Instant Replay"

A sneak peak at the Monkees' "Instant Replay" box that I just received today! I'm really looking forward to listening to it later tonight.

Working on new reviews

Howdy, all.

Illness, work and a whole lot of music ... I've been hit by all three lately.

I've got new reviews / discussions in the works. Got something going for the Beach Boys and "The Smile Sessions" (addressing the big box version and the 2 CD version). Also have some stuff in the works for a few of the Pink Floyd remastered reissues (especially "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here"). I've also started something on Brian Wilson's new Disney covers album ("Brian Wilson in the Key of Disney"). Oh, and there's some Radiohead ("Kid A" vs. "King of Limbs") and Monkees stuff (Rhino reissues, the box sets in general and the upcoming "Instant Replay" deluxe set in particular) in the pipeline, too.

Heck, I'm even working on a Beatles entry (in the past couple months, I've purchased the Capitol albums sets). There's plenty of stuff coming!

Rest assured, I have not lost interest or started ignoring the place. I apologize that new activity has been so scarce. But I have a few items that are several paragraphs long each, and I'll start wrapping them up and sharing them ASAP.

How're you all doing? Please feel free to drop a line. Comments are always welcome!