My brother's 30th birthday

My brother turned the magic age of 30 today.

My only sibling, he's younger than me by about a year and a half. So, for as far back as I can really remember, he's always been there. He's been my most trusted and faithful companion, as a boy and as a man. We were Boy Scouts together, and we both attended the same college (for different degrees ... he always was the smart one, and he found his calling in engineering). He's a hard worker, a hilarious guy, and one of the most trustworthy and reliable gentlemen you will ever meet.

Billy Joel: Far from innocent, still awesome

An album homage to the music of the Fifties and Sixties that Joel so loved, "An Innocent Man" at times emulates the structures or sounds of these songs, or dips into lyrical stylings from this era, or is focused on elements of the time (when the youth culture was starting to separate from the Eisenhower-personified adult structure).

Dylan slows things down with "Harding"

Following three electric, eccentric, frantic and essential albums comes this record, which makes almost as much impact by making LESS noise.

With "Bringing It All Back Home," "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde" in succession, Dylan was on top of the rock world. His arrangements were electric, and he'd attained that "thin, wild mercury sound" that he'd been seeking.

After touring constantly, pushing his muse to the brink and taking more drugs than most people could stand, Dylan was frazzled (and rightfully so). Then there came the motorcycle accident (or, at least a story of a motorcycle accident) that brought the whole frenzy to an end.

"All Things Must Pass," but album still strong

The greatest Beatles solo album to date?

That might be overstating it, or maybe not.

For as powerful as John Lennon's "Plastic Ono Band" surely is, or as masterful as Paul McCartney's "Band on the Run" undeniably is, or as beloved as "Imagine," "Ram," "Double Fantasy," "Tug of War," etc. all are ... "All Things Must Pass" is a masterpiece.

Missed? Syd is/was/will be

As talented as Syd Barrett undeniably was, his solo output highlights the issues that surrounded his departure from Pink Floyd.

What were those issues? Scattered performances, uncommercial lyrics/topics, an aversion to honing the material in the attempt to preserve the spontaneity of first performance (or whatever). Uneven temperament, increasingly weird behavior ... All of that and more.

A great voice, silenced: RIP Carl Wilson

Carl Wilson, the youngest brother of the Wilson family in The Beach Boys, died on Feb. 6, 1998.

Many members of the group don't have name or face recognition to the general masses. But believe me, you would recognize his voice.