Rarebird's Rock and Roll Nest

Before Billy Joel was signed to Columbia Records and recorded his well-known 1973 Piano Man album, he issued his debut solo recording titled Cold Spring Harbor on the Family Productions label in late 1971. This album did not sell well, falling just short of making it to the Billboard Top 200 album chart. The album's failure was blamed on the Family label owner Artie Ripp, who produced the album and mixed it at the wrong speed, giving Joel's now-famous voice an unnaturally high-pitched effect. Joel disowned the album, and tried (for a long time unsuccessfully) to get out of his recording contract with Ripp. Ten years later, Joel recorded live versions of two of the album's songs for his 1981 live release Songs In The Attic , namely "She's Got A Way" and "Everybody Loves You Now", and the former became a Top 40 hit. The Cold Spring Harbor album was then remixed by Ripp and Larry Elliot, and the remixed version of the album was issued by Columbia in...

Terry Reid passed away earlier this month at the age of 75, after being treated for cancer. Ironically, the late British singer and guitarist was best known for what he did not do: he turned down an invitation by Jimmy Page to be the lead singer for Led Zeppelin -- and, in fact, Reid was the one who recommended Robert Plant for the job. Reid also was invited by Ritchie Blackmore to front Deep Purple in 1969, but also turned that offer down, before Ian Gillan got the job as that band's second -- and most famous -- frontman. Reid began his career as a late-period member of Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers. The Yardbirds were one of several high-profile British bands whom the Jaywalkers toured with. If you listen to the 2-CD U.K. Reid compilation Super Lungs from 2004 (not to be confused with the less satisfying 1-CD U.S. compilation Superlungs from 2005), you will understand why Page wanted Reid to join the New Yardbirds. On those early recordings, Reid's high tenor vocals show...

The recent passing of Mick Ralphs, the founding guitarist of Bad Company and Mott The Hoople, has brought my attention to a 1972 single by a band called Hackensack. This band was from England, not from New Jersey, and their sound was an early form of heavy metal. Their '72 single was "Moving On", the Ralphs composition which would later be recorded by Bad Company as "Movin' On". The lead guitarist for Hackensack was Ray Smith, later known as Ray Major, who would later become a member of a post-Ralphs, post-Ian Hunter lineup of Mott. Hackensack's lead vocalist was Nicky Moore, who would go on to replace Bruce Dickinson in Samson a decade later. Hackensack had toured with Mott The Hoople during that band's 1972 Rock 'n' Roll Circus tour, which is presumably how they came to record "Moving On" before Bad Company was formed. Ralphs had written the song -- about the pressures of touring -- for Mott, and that band did record the song in...

At long last! On September 19, 2025, the Buckingham Nicks album is finally being reissued by Rhino, in CD and digital formats. Also, a limited edition vinyl issue will be sold through the Rhino website, limited to 5,000 copies. In addition, a special vinyl edition , limited to 2,000 copies, will contain two replica 7-inch singles with original mixes of four songs. You may be understandably asking: "What album are you talking about?" Buckingham Nicks was the self-titled 1973 album recorded by the duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, a few short years before they attained mega-stardom as members of Fleetwood Mac. In fact, this album is what led to the two performers being asked to join Fleetwood Mac, after Mick Fleetwood heard a recording of the album's closing track "Frozen Love". This album ought to be legendary, right? In a way, it has become that. But, oddly enough, the album has not been commercially available for decades. It was never officially r...

Brian Wilson, the brilliant but troubled co-founder of the Beach Boys, passed away on June 11, 2025, at the age of 82. During the 1960's heyday of the Beach Boys, Brian was the main creative force behind the legendary California rock band, which he co-founded with his brothers Dennis and Carl, his cousin Mike Love, and his high school friend Alan Jardine. The 1966 Beach Boys album Pet Sounds , a baroque pop masterpiece which was masterminded by Brian, is now widely considered to be one of the greatest albums ever recorded. Unfortunately, Brian was also known for his struggles with mental illness and other personal troubles ever since the 1960's. Another legend associated with Brian's name is the unfinished Beach Boys album Smile , which was intended to be the 1967 magnum opus follow-up to Pet Sounds , but was scrapped long before completion. Decades later, Wilson would eventually "finish" Smile as a solo album in 2004. Another unreleased Brian Wilson album whic...

The 63rd set of exclusive vinyl items offered to members of Third Man Records’ Vault service was mailed out to the members in the spring of 2025. For those who are unaware, Third Man Records is the label owned by Jack White, who was the leader of the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, and the Dead Weather, and is now a solo artist. The Vault service promises to deliver exclusive vinyl-only records (usually one full-length album and one 7” single) to its members every three months. The 63rd Vault package featured a 20th-anniversary companion set to the White Stripes' 2005 studio album Get Behind Me Satan , made up of two vinyl LP's and one 7-inch single, containing demos, alternate studio takes, and live recordings from the era of the album's release. One of the LP's was pressed in red vinyl, the other was pressed in white, and the 7-inch was pressed in black. The package also contained a Blu-ray disc, and a 24-page booklet with related photos and other visual content fro...

Robert Hunter, who died in 2019 at the age of 78, was best known as the lyricist for the Grateful Dead, though he was never a member of that band. Hunter -- not to be confused with a recent contestant on The Voice with the same name -- recorded several of his own albums between 1974 and 1993. Tiger Rose was his second, released in 1975. Tiger Rose was produced by Jerry Garcia, and is the most noticeably Grateful Dead-like of Hunter's albums. Garcia also played guitar and synthesizers, and two other members of the Dead also participated: percussionist Mickey Hart, and background singer Donna Godchaux. (The drums were credited to "B.D. Shot", a pseudonym for Hart). Other supporting players included two members of Jefferson Starship (David Freiberg and Pete Sears), as well as bassist David Torbert from New Riders of the Purple Sage, and mandolinist David "Dawg" Grisman. In March 2025, Rhino Records issued a 2-CD Deluxe Edition of Tiger Rose , marking the 50th ...