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Neil Rajala

Sep 4, 20235 min read

POST #100: Milestone & Coincidence

• 100 is a notable milestone number for lot of things in life, right? If you live long enough, it’s a birthday that astonishes your...

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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...

19 views1 comment

SHORT TAKES #9: Random thoughts on the current state of fandom.

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...

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CELLULOID HEROES - 10 Favorite Concert Films

Neil Rajala

Jul 11, 20229 min read

CELLULOID HEROES - 10 Favorite Concert Films

This list’s pretty self-explanatory, just a couple of quick things to mention. I included films that are pretty much all live performance...

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SHORT TAKES: More random thoughts on the current state of fandom.

Neil Rajala

Jun 27, 20224 min read

SHORT TAKES: More random thoughts on the current state of fandom.

• You know something makes me feel old these days? Commercials make me feel old. Especially commercials for tampons and toilet paper, two...

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TAMING THE BEAST: A Walk on the Wild Side.

Neil Rajala

May 31, 202219 min read

TAMING THE BEAST: A Walk on the Wild Side.

Lou is in an elite category of musical heroes for me. Like the Stones, Miles, the Beatles, a few others, I lost all ability to be...

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SHORT TAKES: Random thoughts on the current state of music fandom

Neil Rajala

May 23, 20225 min read

SHORT TAKES: Random thoughts on the current state of music fandom

• Do you feel frisson?: There’s a recent article on the website Big Think that put a name to a physical experience I’ve enjoyed my whole...

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WHAT'S THAT SOUND?: A Music Genre Guessing Game.

Neil Rajala

May 16, 20228 min read

WHAT'S THAT SOUND?: A Music Genre Guessing Game.

I was taking a leisurely weekend stroll through my local library and came across this book - Appetite for Definition: An A-Z Guide to...

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JOURNEY THROUGH THE PAST - Pre-stardom Faces

Neil Rajala

May 5, 20224 min read

JOURNEY THROUGH THE PAST - Pre-stardom Faces

Gotta love the magic of the internet. With a little excavation, you can go back in time to see your favorite artists long before the...

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RECORD STORE DAY 2022 - A Tale of Three Stores

Neil Rajala

Apr 26, 20226 min read

RECORD STORE DAY 2022 - A Tale of Three Stores

Stop One (Saturday): Saturday was beautiful, sunny and 70s, always appreciated when you know in this state there was every possibility it...

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What Happened Next? – The Cars (and the New Cars)

Neil Rajala

Apr 19, 20227 min read

What Happened Next? – The Cars (and the New Cars)

I totally loved these guys when they first arrived in the late 70s. Their first few albums were like a breath of fresh air in the time of...

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DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE: (aka) Writing About Music

Neil Rajala

Apr 6, 202214 min read

DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE: (aka) Writing About Music

From what I’ve been able to dig up, the quote “writing about music is like dancing about architecture” likely originated with either...

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Neil Rajala

Mar 22, 20229 min read

Wherefore art thou, rock music?

Last Friday saw some decent new album releases and I enjoyed giving several of them a listen, as always. So far, I’m not sure if any of...

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Thinking Out Loud: Short Takes on Recent Stuff.

Neil Rajala

Mar 17, 20226 min read

Thinking Out Loud: Short Takes on Recent Stuff.

Not everything that springs to mind about the current music scene, or this blog, needs a full post on its own. Every once in a while,...

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Record Store Day releases for 2022 - The Good, the Bad and the WTF?

Neil Rajala

Feb 23, 202210 min read

Record Store Day releases for 2022 - The Good, the Bad and the WTF?

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Record Store Day, a joint promotion between record labels and independent record stores around...

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My Vinyl Collection Index (with apologies to Harper’s)

Neil Rajala

Jan 8, 20223 min read

My Vinyl Collection Index (with apologies to Harper’s)

"Mathematics is the music of reason."...James Joseph Sylvester I do love to play around with numbers, almost as much as I enjoy playing...

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Vinyl records – it’s all about the art, man.

Neil Rajala

Nov 30, 20215 min read

Vinyl records – it’s all about the art, man.

I’m back after a fine Thanksgiving weekend. Lots of good food and football and family time. I didn’t make it to my local shop for Record...

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What Happened Next? – The Steve Miller Band

Neil Rajala

Nov 12, 20215 min read

What Happened Next? – The Steve Miller Band

Back in the prehistoric pre-internet days, when my mother used to hang wet clothes on a line using bird beaks and Dad powered the family...

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John Coltrane and Karrin Allyson: A tale of two Ballads.

Neil Rajala

Nov 9, 20215 min read

John Coltrane and Karrin Allyson: A tale of two Ballads.

Cover songs are, of course, everywhere, you hear them all the time in every form of popular music. Not at all uncommon for a semi-popular...

44 views0 comments

Neil Rajala

Nov 4, 20216 min read

Mephistopheles made them do it.

“Rock and roll is the devil’s music!” That was the dire warning from preachers, school boards, and parents back in the 1950s. Elvis was...

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