In the 1960s record production and popular singer’s vocal style were as over-the-top as women’s hair pieces. I was listening to a Jackie Wilson record a few weeks ago and it really hit me…
Tag: Clive Davis
Blog posts
20 Essential Aretha Franklin Cover Songs
Soul music is about feeling, not perfection. Though I do listen to younger R&B singers, they generally don’t excite me like Aretha Franklin has during her long, lauded career. Though I love Mary J. Blige,…
Songs That Should Have Been Top-Ten Hits, Volume 3: The Clive Davis Edition
For many years, it was customary for those seeking to curry favor with Clive Davis, the legendary hit maker and founder of Arista Records, to be given the “Clive Davis Challenge”: make two CDs (or,…
Stargayzing Mix Tape: The Most Unbelievable Cover Songs of All-Time! #8: Barry Manilow’s Cover of Journey’s Open Arms
8. Barry Manilow, Open Arms Readers of Stargayzing know that I am an unabashed “Fanilow”, but for every musical gem Barry has recorded, for instance Mandy or When October Goes, is something regrettable like—well—like anything recorded…
10 Songs Aretha Franklin Wrote That You’ve (Probably) Never Heard
When most people think about the great Aretha Franklin, they don’t realize that in addition to being one of the greatest vocalists of all-time, she is also an accomplished writer, having written or co-written…
Songs That Should Have Been Top-Ten Pop Hits, Volume 2
1. Anastacia, “Left Outside Alone” (2004): In 1999, Anastacia’s debut single, “I’m Outta Love,” and album, Not That Kind, were a spectacular success all over the world except in her native country, America, where the single did…
Songs That Should Have Been Top-Ten Hits, Vol. 1: or, Has the Beat Killed Melody on American Radio?
Pop music has become as disposable as an mp3 file. There are many terrific things about the Internet, but one of the negative consequences of so much information is that our connection to even…
Cassingle White Female: The Stargayzing Mix Tape Explosion!
Cassette tapes: they broke, they melted, they got dirty, they unspooled and they they sounded terrible. Other than that they were awesome! It’s hard to imagine anyone could feel nostalgic for an audio format…
What Really Killed Whitney Houston? On the Mainstream Media’s Cover-up of the Star’s Sexuality: “The Greatest Love of All”
Was Whitney Houston killed by homophobia? In the weeks since Whitney Houston’s tragic death which, given the circumstances of her very public struggles, seemed at once shocking and inevitable, I’ve been a bit surprised…
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