Rarebird's Rock and Roll Nest

Joey Molland died on March 1, 2025. The English guitarist and songwriter was the last surviving member of the classic lineup of Badfinger, the '70's power pop band who were the one of the first acts signed to the Beatles' Apple Records label. Molland died at age 77 from complications of diabetes. Molland's very first recording was made with a band called Gary Walker & The Rain, whose one and only album, titled Album No. 1 , was released only in Japan in 1968, and was unavailable elsewhere for decades. Album No. 1 was eventually released on CD in the U.S. (on Distortions Records, cat. no. DR 1011) in 1993, 25 years after it was recorded. Band leader Gary Walker was also known as Gary Leeds, who had previously been the drummer for the Standells (before their "Dirty Water" days) and the Walker Brothers (a trio of unrelated Americans who were popular in the U.K.). The Rain was rounded out by British musicians Paul Crane (rhythm guitar) and John Lawson (bass...

David Johansen died on February 28, 2025 after a long battle with cancer and other health troubles. Johansen was the last surviving original member of the New York Dolls, the early-'70's glam rock quintet who came to be recognized as one of the earliest punk rock bands. After that band called it quits in 1976, lead singer Johansen began a solo career that aimed closer to rock's mainstream, but with little success. Johansen finally hit it big in the late-'80's under the name Buster Poindexter, his kitschy pompadour-topped lounge-singer alter ego, who became famous for the party song "Hot Hot Hot". Johansen's fifth solo album, Sweet Revenge from 1984, is currently unavailable. This was the last album he released before he adopted the Buster Poindexter persona. (One of the songs, "Big Trouble", is about a womanizing bad guy named Buster, but it's hard to say if it refers to Johansen's soon-to-be-alter-ego). This album is heavy on synt...