Classic Tracks: The Zombies’ “She’s Not There”
If one of the defining characteristics of a Classic Track is its immediate recognition, then The Zombies’ “She’s Not There” is as classic as...
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If one of the defining characteristics of a Classic Track is its immediate recognition, then The Zombies’ “She’s Not There” is as classic as...
“You’re creating a place for that song to exist,” Cavaliere says. “I mentioned that to Paul McCartney when I saw him after that and...
"If we went through three takes and didn’t get it, we would just stop and go down to the pub for a beer, and...
“It was probably around 4 o’clock in the afternoon on a Friday when George talked Smokey into recording the song.”
“That’s a song that you can sing in the car. Those are the best ones. They come fast."
The story of the recording of “Blue” by LeAnn Rimes is one with many twists and turns, and has now become part of country...
Linda Ronstadt, producer Peter Asher, engineer Val Garay, session player Paul Stallworth and more recall the rollercoaster process of recording her trademark hit.
One of the most interesting and engaging groups to burst onto the pop music scene in the early 1970s was a San Francisco Bay...
Every once in a while a song comes totally out of left field, far away from the mainstream, and for some inexplicable reason becomes...
Success is measured in all kinds of ways, but it’s probably fair to say that when “sidemen” take the spotlight, the results are mixed;...
Big Star never had anything close to a hit record, yet here we are writing about them in Classic Tracks. Why?
After psychedelic music had its heyday in the late 1960s, many musicians decided to take a trip sideways down country roads. The Flying Burrito...
Few songwriters have captured the spirit of New York City better than the late, truly great Lou Reed. Okay, it wasn’t always the most...
“It was all because of fishing,” says engineer/producer Howard Albert about the genesis of the legendary alliance between Atlantic Records and Criteria Studios. It...
'The Stranger' was Billy Joel's breakthrough album, but it was the follow-up, '52nd Street,' which kicks off with "My Life" that cemented his...
"Grunge" was still just a noun meaning “dirt” when the newly formed band Pearl Jam made their smash debut, Ten. But the vibrant Seattle...
Whether you label it power-pop, rock or AOR, Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" is a classic mix of a memorable hook, taut storytelling and producer...
It’s hard to remember back to a time when Nashville’s vaunted Music Row was really just a couple of studios and music publishing houses...
Not too many people these days know about the Chamber Brothers, but when their first Columbia album, The Time Has Come, was released in...
With "Need You Tonight," INXS wrote a hit, and had the help of an all-star production team with Chris Thomas and Bob Clearmountain to...
Bill Withers said that “Ain’t No Sunshine,” was inspired the toxic relationship of an alcoholic couple—an unlikely source for such a loving song, but...
The last solo single by a Beatle to top the charts, George Harrison's "Got My Mind Set On You" was an anomaly in that...
Nothing says 1980s L.A. like The Go-Go’s on the radio. Those sweet, bright, infectious songs were the perfect soundtrack for a sunny day
Edgar Winter bought a new ARP 2600 at Manny's Music in New York City so he could be more mobile onstage; what happened next...
The late, great engineer Ed Cherney discusses the recording of Bonnie Raitt’s rambunctious, John Hiatt-penned commercial breakthrough, “Thing Called Love.”
A staple of Neil Young's live sets since 1989, "Rockin' in the Free World" remains as relevant as ever, simultaneously doling out catharsis and...
His full name was Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, but almost everyone called him “Iz” or “Bruddah Iz” (“Bruddah” being pidgin for “Brother”). A gentle giant who...
Today, San Francisco Bay Area–based band Metallica are aptly called “The Monsters of Metal.” But that wasn’t always the case. After finding their hometown...
The Smiths made quite an impression when their first album was released in 1984, bringing great guitars back to the synth-drenched New Wave era.
While largely seen as a novelty hit, "Don't Worry Be Happy" was an undeniable smash, eventually winning Grammys for Song of the Year, Record...
Recording The Pretenders' second post-classic-lineup album took multiple studios in multiple countries, but Bob Clearmountain and Bruce Lampcov captured the collection's biggest hit in...
It's one of the most haunting openings of any debut album. Soft, almost mournful piano and bass set up a slow rhythmic foundation. Then...
The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" is a fun, frothy track, but its journey to the top of the charts was not, according to...
Written in the same creative cycle as songs for 'True Stories,' "Road To Nowhere" marked a return to Americana for the group
Blue Oyster Cult talks about recording "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," keeping the vibe of the original demo...and that SNL "More Cowbell" skit.
Engineer Ken Scott talks in detail about the recording of Lou Reed’s 1973 hit “Walk on the Wild Side”
Cover-band mates cum pop stars: As old as rock itself, this dream, born from endless hours spent woodshedding hits of the day, can come...
The tale of Lola the showgirl may be tragic, but it's also a disco classic; here's how the dark and the light were mixed...
Bow Wow Wow's cover of "I Want Candy" centers around the Burundi Beat and explosive bass, but the secret ingredient behind its guitar...
"Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ was so simple and went down so quickly, it was effortless," says producer Chris Hughes.
Sinéad O’Connor took a forgotten album track by The Family—that just happened to be written by Prince—and turned it into one of the biggest...
Early one summer morning in 1983, a 32-year-old John Mellencamp, dba John Cougar, drove himself home to Bloomington, Ind., from the Indianapolis airport.