Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Herb Alpert’s “Rise”
This is the story of a song that grew from the notion of Herb Alpert cutting his own disco record, but ended up being...
Classic-Tracks
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Classic Tracks: Mary Hopkin’s “Those Were the Days”
Who could possibly predict that a five-minute recording of a Russian romance song composed in the early 1900s with English lyrics written in the...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy”
By the time 1974 rolled around, it had been five years since Glen Campbell had had a hit....
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Paul McCartney and Wings’ “Junior’s Farm”
Mix’s May 2015 issue included a feature story on the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit titled “Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Faith No More’s “Epic”
In early 1989, Matt Wallace almost quit being an engineer/producer. Nearly in tears, he called his mom to ask how to get into real...
Classic-Tracks
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...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Young Rascals’ “Groovin’”
“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...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Dave Clark Five’s “Glad All Over”
"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...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Smokey Robinson’s “Being With You”
“It was probably around 4 o’clock in the afternoon on a Friday when George talked Smokey into recording the song.”
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Tom Waits’ “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”
“That’s a song that you can sing in the car. Those are the best ones. They come fast."
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: LeAnn Rimes’ “Blue”
The story of the recording of “Blue” by LeAnn Rimes is one with many twists and turns, and has now become part of country...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good”
Linda Ronstadt, producer Peter Asher, engineer Val Garay, session player Paul Stallworth and more recall the rollercoaster process of recording her trademark hit.
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks’ “I Scare Myself”
One of the most interesting and engaging groups to burst onto the pop music scene in the early 1970s was a San Francisco Bay...
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Classic Tracks: Atlanta Rhythm Section’s “So Into You”
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;...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Big Star’s “September Gurls”
Big Star never had anything close to a hit record, yet here we are writing about them in Classic Tracks. Why?
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Asleep at the Wheel’s “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read”
Asleep at the Wheel co-founder and leader Ray Benson estimates that around 100 musicians have cycled in and out of his group over the...
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Classic Track: New Riders of the Purple Sage’s “Dirty Business”
After psychedelic music had its heyday in the late 1960s, many musicians decided to take a trip sideways down country roads. The Flying Burrito...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Track: Lou Reed’s “Dirty Boulevard”
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...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Track: Aretha Franklin’s “Don’t Play That Song (You Lied)”
“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...
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Classic Tracks: Billy Joel’s “My Life”
'The Stranger' was Billy Joel's breakthrough, but it was the follow-up, '52nd Street'—which kicks off with "My Life"—that cemented his success.
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Classic Track: Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow”
"Grunge" was still just a noun meaning “dirt” when the newly formed band Pearl Jam made their smash debut, Ten. But the vibrant Seattle...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Roger Miller’s “King of the Road”
Roger Miller’s “King of the Road,” takes us back to the fall of 1964, an era when the top dog on the Row, studio-wise,...
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Classic Tracks: INXS’s “Need You Tonight”
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...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”
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...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The B-52s’ “Love Shack”
“Love Shack,” The B-52s’ campy, happy dance song from their 1989 album Cosmic Thing has become the alternative, tongue-in-cheek equivalent of Kool & The...
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Classic Tracks: George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set on You”
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...
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Classic Tracks: Country Joe & The Fish’s “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag”
In the public mind, the most famous version of Country Joe McDonald’s Vietnam War protest song, “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin-to-Die Rag,” is the one in the film...
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Classic Tracks: The Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed”
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
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Classic Tracks: The Spinners’ “Mighty Love”
Philadelphia was certainly hoppin’ in the early ’70s, thanks in large part to the music scene that revolved around owner/engineer Joe Tarsia’s Sigma Sound...
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Classic Tracks: Bonnie Raitt’s “Thing Called Love”
The late, great engineer Ed Cherney discusses the recording of Bonnie Raitt’s rambunctious, John Hiatt-penned commercial breakthrough, “Thing Called Love.”
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Classic Tracks: Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World”
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...
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Classic Tracks: Buddy Holly’s “That’ll Be the Day”
There are two lessons to be learned from this month’s “Classic Track”: First, persistence pays off; and second, sometimes the master is the demo...
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Classic Tracks: Bruddah Iz’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World”
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...
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Classic Tracks: Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”
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...
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Classic Tracks: The Smiths’ “What Difference Does It Make?”
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.
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Classic Tracks: Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens’ “Streets of Bakersfield”
It’s still pretty surprising that Dwight Yoakam became a country music star. He was playing working-class bars and punk clubs in L.A., performing his...
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Classic Tracks: Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”
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...
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Classic Tracks: Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”
One of the most enduring songs to come out of the late-’70s disco scene, “I Will Survive” actually began its life as a B-side...
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Classic Tracks: Stephen Bishop’s “On and On”
If you happened to take a course on the art of songwriting given recently at the Songwriting Institute of Los Angeles and were not...
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Classic Tracks: The Pretenders’ “Don’t Get Me Wrong”
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...
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Classic Tracks: Patti Smith’s “Gloria”
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...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Bangles’ “Walk Like an Egyptian”
The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" is a fun, frothy track, but its journey to the top of the charts was not, according to...