Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Doobie Brothers’ “What a Fool Believes”
No one was more surprised than Michael McDonald when the song he wrote for the Doobie Brothers, “What a Fool Believes,” earned Grammys for...
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Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The 5th Dimension’s “Aquariaus/Let the Sunshine In”
The 5th Dimension's smash hit that ended up being the best-selling single of 1969 was taken from two songs at opposite ends of the...
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Classic Tracks: Bruce Springsteen’s “The River”
Take a deep dive into The River, and how 16 months of sessions resulted in Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's classic.
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Classic Tracks: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes”
Well-respected as a songwriter for hire, Kim Carnes hit it big with someone else's song...which originally sounded like a beer-barrel polka until Val Garay...
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Classic Tracks: The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”
Stewart Copeland and Hugh Padgham recall the turmoil and frustration that led to capturing the Police's classic.
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Classic Tracks: Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer”
While it started as a songwriting exercise inspired by Alice Cooper, "Psycho Killer" became the New Wave standard-bearers' calling card.
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Classic Tracks: The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up”
Engineer Chris Kimsey salvaged “Start Me Up" from the Some Girls sessions, and this time, everything clicked.
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Classic Tracks: Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”
Between that brooding, melancholy, impossibly romantic voice and languorous guitar, how could "Wicked Game" not become a hit?
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Classic Tracks: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ “A Taste Of Honey”
Legendary engineer Larry Levine was so crucial to Herb Alpert's era-defining "A Taste of Honey" that it literally wouldn't have been recorded if not...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Staples’ “Respect Yourself”
“Respect Yourself” was released as a single in the fall of 1971, reaching #2 on the R&B charts and #12 on the pop charts.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”
Tom Dowd recalls recording "Sunshine Of Your Love" as an exercise in "protecting" Ginger Baker's drums from Eric Clapton's Marshall stacks.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Bob Seger’s “Night Moves”
'Night Moves' was a good move for Bob Seger—both the Number One single and the title track of his album released in 1976.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration”
When's the last time you heard Kool & The Gang's triumphal, anthemic, R&B smash "Celebration"? At your cousin's wedding last summer?
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Clash’s “London Calling”
For the mix of the track "London Calling," Strummer described an image of the London fog swirling off the river Thames...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”
Written while on vacation in Bermuda and recorded on a terrible console, the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" became a disco classic.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science”
The creator of this month's quirky Classic Track was born Thomas Morgan Robertson on October 14, 1958, in Cairo, Egypt.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong (Get It On)”
Though many American rock fans are familiar with T. Rex's "Bang A Gong (Get It On)," which made it to Number Ten in the...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things”
Legendary producer Tom Dowd sheds light on the recording of John Coltrane's classic rendition of "My Favorite Things."
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Heart’s “Barracuda”
The first time I saw Heart perform, in 1975, they were second or third on the bill at a show headlined by the recently...
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Classic Tracks: KC & The Sunshine Band’s “That’s the Way (I Like It)”
When George McCrae's smash hit "Rock Your Baby" hit Number One in mid-1974, few could have predicted that it would usher in the Age...
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Classic Tracks: Genesis’ “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”
It's not surprising that decades down the line many people don't realize that Peter Gabriel was once a driving member of Genesis.
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Classic Tracks: The O’Jays’ “For the Love of Money”
"For the Love of Money" made it to the Top 10 in the spring of 1974 (Number 9 pop, Number 3 R&B) and catapulted...
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Classic Tracks: Blondie’s “The Tide Is High”
"The Tide Is High" may be a cover of The Paragons, but the song is now firmly Blondie's own; here's how it came to...
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Classic Tracks: Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing”
A stinging critique of the 1980s even as they happened, Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" had a lengthy genesis, as related here by engineer...
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Classic Tracks: Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid”
In the fall of 1970, Black Sabbath mounted an aural assault on the music world with the release of their second album, Paranoid. Creating...
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