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Neil Rajala
Jan 14, 20232 min read
Jeff Beck, 1944 - 2023
It was all in his hands. I don't need to do a recap or explanation of Jeff Beck's career as a legendary guitar innovator, an anti-rock...
20 views1 comment
Neil Rajala
Jan 6, 20233 min read
1ST ANNUAL EC AWARDS!
Okay gang, this is my last look back at the year that was. I had a few different ideas about how to put the final pin in 2022 but,...
24 views2 comments
Neil Rajala
Jan 1, 20232 min read
BEST OF 2022: Reissues, Box Sets, Etc.
This best-of-2022 batch includes the stuff record companies dug out of their vaults and released, often for the first time; remasters...
22 views2 comments
Neil Rajala
Dec 19, 20223 min read
BEST OF 2022: New Releases
These are the 2022 releases that couldn’t be moved. They stuck like glue to my personal playlist when they first dropped, and stayed...
42 views2 comments
Neil Rajala
Dec 6, 20226 min read
SHORT TAKES #9: Random thoughts on the current state of fandom.
I decided on one last post before I start the deep dive into my “Best of 2022” lists. First, I wanted to offer my appreciation for a...
24 views3 comments
Neil Rajala
Dec 2, 20226 min read
ALBUMS WORTH A SPIN: November Leftovers!
November is the month for indulgence, right? If we do it correctly, we have too much food, football, and if it’s an even-numbered year,...
25 views2 comments
Neil Rajala
Nov 15, 20226 min read
DIRTY DOZEN: 12 Bad Records by Great Bands
I don’t typically dabble in negative reviews – life’s too short and there’s too much great music out there to talk about - but I was...
20 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Nov 7, 20224 min read
ALBUMS WORTH A SPIN: Leonard x 3
I’ve been on a serious Leonard Cohen binge lately, revisiting favorites and catching up on the records I missed the first time around....
11 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Oct 17, 20223 min read
DIAMOND IN THE MINE: Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet
“Jesus' blood never failed me yet, never failed me yet, Jesus' blood never failed me yet, there's one thing I know, for he loves me so…"...
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Neil Rajala
Oct 14, 202213 min read
TAMING THE BEAST: Rocks Off
Anyone who knows me knows this is a big one, probably THE big one. I’ve been an obsessed fan and unashamed apologist for the Stones since...
33 views4 comments
Neil Rajala
Oct 5, 20224 min read
SHORT TAKES #8: Random thoughts on the current state of fandom.
• Ronnie’s Setlists – In addition to being the luckiest sideman in rock history, Ron Wood’s got a decent side hustle going as an artist....
8 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Sep 27, 20226 min read
LOST & FOUND: Shoulda Been Hits from 1984
This series takes a look at a year at a time and gives a quick shout-out to a half dozen records that, to me, didn’t crack the public...
7 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Sep 20, 20225 min read
RECORD STORE DAY BLACK FRIDAY: THE WTF? LIST
The national holiday for vinyl collectors, part two. RSD is back on its pre-pandemic schedule – the big day in April and a slightly...
5 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Sep 14, 20226 min read
LOST & FOUND: Shoulda Been Hits from 1975
How many really great albums are out there? Too many to count, too many for any one person to hear. For every album that becomes a big...
18 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Sep 7, 20229 min read
WITH A LITTLE LUCK: Unexpected Vinyl Finds
Any personal collection of music in a physical format is a quirky microcosm, both of the collector’s tastes and of the music world as a...
13 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Aug 28, 20224 min read
ALBUMS WORTH A SPIN: August's Rotation Hogs.
August was a pretty fine month overall, both for new music and old faves. In real life, I landed a new freelance music writing gig that...
7 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Aug 15, 20226 min read
ECity BUYER’S GUIDE: Bruce Springsteen
Yeah, I get it, who buys music anymore? I thought about calling this series a Listener’s Guide instead. But I grew up accumulating music...
24 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Aug 10, 20224 min read
SHORT TAKE: Feel free not to care.
• The Curious Case of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - I know from a couple previous drafts of this post that it’s damn hard not to go into...
11 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Aug 3, 202210 min read
LIVE SHOTS: A Dozen Favorite Live Albums
This list started out as five albums, then ten. Finally, after some agonizing, I settled on a dozen. It’s killin’ me to leave off some...
18 views0 comments
Neil Rajala
Jul 26, 20225 min read
ALBUMS WORTH A SPIN: A Couple Old Friends, a Couple New Crushes.
I've been spending July listening to new releases and digging through the crates about equally. These four have been in the spotlight in...
9 views0 comments
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