The final phase of Elemental’s 2024 schedule includes the first entry in the Motown Sound series by Gladys Knight & the Pips, the debut album by producer Norman Whitfield’s protégés The Undisputed Truth, and a pivotal album for The Temptations.

Zebra gave Chicago-area hard rock and progressive rock fans something to obsess over besides the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul on Friday night.

After November 5, roughly half the country can console themselves with the soothing sounds of this accessible jazz soundtrack from the 1972 Peanuts cartoon.

Viewers get a sense of Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett’s peculiar genius and the tragedy of seeing his bright spark extinguished.

Elemental Music continues its Motown Sound series of vinyl LP reissues, offering an education in essential ‘60s and ‘70s pop.

The San Francisco-based metal quartet recently released their 11th studio album 72 Seasons and hit the road to promote the new material.

The Portland, Oregon alt-rock heroes return with an adventurous new studio album and a live album including old favorites.

Mitski performed the second in a series of four sold-out concerts at Chicago’s storied Auditorium Theatre. The run of shows launched a new leg of touring in support of the celebrated songwriter’s seventh album, 2023’s The Land is Inhospitable and So are We.

Collaborator Jackson Browne referred to Zevon’s music as “song noir.” 1978’s Excitable Boy is reissued as an audiophile’s dream by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.

Should all bands that manage to survive four decades together make albums this good?

Favorably compared to essential 1978 live album Waiting for Columbus, this set highlighting the post-*Lowell George* Little Feat arrive on Blu-ray for the first time.

Reissued for its 50th anniversary, this album of instrumental tracks finds “cool jazz” drummer Chico Hamilton supported for a feast of swampy soul-rock and southern boogie by the members of Little Feat.

Jazz Dispensary: At the Movies is a spirited collection of familiar and obscure soul, funk, and R&B tracks used in urban cinema, blaxploitation films, and cult-classic movies released between 1969 to 1975.

Prog-fusion fixtures Simon Phillips and Derek Sherinian partner with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Ric Fierabracci to form a prog-rock dream team of virtuosic player’s players for this instrumental outing.

This set attests to the supergroup trio’s power and truncated potential even better than its gold-selling studio 1973 album.

The Claudettes returned to their suburban Chicago haunt at The Venue in Aurora, Illinois for a wide-ranging set drawn from all points of the band’s 13-year career – including songs from an upcoming EP.

The 25th anniversary of indie folk-rocker Ani DiFranco’s top-charting album Little Plastic Castle is celebrated with its first-ever vinyl release.

Progressive rock fans in Denver ventured through a cool and drizzling Thursday night to see genre pioneers and frontrunners Yes perform during the band’s The Classic Tales of Yes tour.

Wilco made a strong case for the fresh songs from Cousin and Cruel Country, interspersed with fan favorites.

This limited 2xLP Record Store Day release captures a hometown performance of Travis’ 2001 album The Invisible Band.

Legendary Police guitarist Andy Summers delighted enthusiastic superfans during an intimate evening of music, imagery and stories.

ABBA’s 1973 debut album Ring Ring was the first of the Swedish pop phenomenon’s “golden eight.” For those with a sweet tooth, it’s a crafty pop confection.

Yusuf / Cat Stevens shares his wishes and advice with England’s new monarch. “The major message of the song is, don’t forget that there’s One above you, and be careful to look out for those who are below you,” says Yusuf.

The Foreign Films’ sixth release guides the crafty Bill Majoros’ love of classic ‘60s/‘70s pop-rock toward the retro-futuristic ‘80s.

Paul McCartney’s second album under the Wings banner arrives this week as a limited-edition vinyl LP reissue for Record Store Day, just in time to celebrate its 50th anniversary on April 30.

While performing their 1983 debut album for its 40th anniversary, New Orleans’ heavy rockers Zebra created a special one-off event for returning fans at the Arcada Theatre.

The Arcada Theatre was rocking with Angel classics and songs from forthcoming album Once Upon A Time.

The box set is a treasure for Zappaphiles, and the LPs are recommended for newer disciples who want to bridge the gap between the well-known Hot Rats and Apostrophe (‘) albums.

This live set captures a summit meeting of iconoclastic musicians as it happened nearly 30 years ago at the famed and influential Montreaux Jazz Festival. The concert predates and foreshadows a classic album for fans of ’90s fusion.

Spanish native and Austin, Texas transplant Diego “Bull” Avello and band offer riff-driven blues-based rock and positivity.

“We never really went away, but it really feels like the Wayside is back,” says singer John J. Thompson. The Wayside brings its blend of roots-rock, alt-country and Americana to two new singles.

Shara Nova performed new My Brightest Diamond material during an opening set for the fifth of seven seasonal Gezelligheid concerts by Andrew Bird. Photos by Alec Basse.

Spooky metal for Halloween! Iron Maiden brought its Legacy of the Beast tour to United Center in Chicago, IL.

Students of the American Civil Rights movement will find this album, widely considered to be the Staples’ best fusion of Gospel fervor and pop appeal, to be a joyous component of the syllabus.

Thanks to Schoolkids Records for bringing this underrated gem from the days of college rock and jangle-pop into the light.

Live at the Roxy documents early days when the Hip leaned heavily upon its blues-rock roots. The heady and visceral material is played with fierce commitment.

The Band’s fourth album Cahoots is celebrated with a deep dive into the quintet’s career circa 1971.

These reissues present the Who’s revered mod-era material in the best possible light within the constraints of the vinyl format.

The Police made a high-octane run between 1978 and 1983, showing rapid development from admitted origins as calculated punk scene posers to ultimate status as world-dominating pop-rock chart-toppers.

This album’s charm hinges upon Jonathan Richman’s knack for writing songs that radiate innocence and simple fun.

This compelling record from Meters guitarist Leo Nocentelli is out of character in a very special way, and it also comes with an astonishing origin story.

Dissolution Wave is the aural equivalent of a weighted blanket. If you’re pining for the melodic and heavy space-rock from the late 90s, Cloakroom has returned with its third album to provide the sublime but downcast shoegaze sound your spirit craves.

24 years later, Another World still charts a path of imagination toward a better place.

As the Rolling Stones tour in support of the band’s 60th anniversary, this concert film is being re-released from the days when the band had merely 40 years, or “licks,” to their credit. This 2003 show was captured at Madison Square Garden.

This 7” vinyl disc features a hot CCR performance drawn from the Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall live album and documentary concert film.

Marvin Gaye’s catalog overflows with gems, but What’s Going On is the crown jewel.

Songs spanning 1962 debut album Surfin’ Safari through 1989’s Still Cruisin’ capture the pure escapism of classic surf-rock sides and expand toward Brian Wilson’s pursuit of pop perfection characterized as “teenage symphonies to God.”

After the homespun McCartney and domestic collaboration of Ram, Paul McCartney stepped back toward band work with his third post-*Beatles* album.

Despite forecasts of an inbound storm that threatened to disrupt Nine Inch Nails’ headlining set, Chicago received sunny end-of-summer weather during most of the final day at Riot Fest. Jeff Elbel’s coverage includes The Linda Lindas, Jawbox, Lunachicks, Jimmy Eat World, and Sleater-Kinney.

This 7” platter features live performances from 1970 of two songs that would soon appear in studio versions on CCR’s Cosmo’s Factory album.

The Eargoggle Regales, the Eargoggle Revels is a captivating, imaginative, and immersive experience. Is it an expansive double-vinyl set with a comic book that illustrates each of its 17 songs, or is it a comic book rendered by top talent that has a soundtrack song for each of its vignette-sized stories?

Fans of the Genius may wish for deeper cuts or signature songs like “One Mint Julep” of “Hit the Road Jack,” but the band follows Charles through every playful twist and dynamic shift.

EXTC featuring original XTC drummer Terry Chambers concluded a sixteen-date North American club tour April 9th in Toronto. The band will resume live shows in the UK in July. It has been forty years since XTC toured the United States, and hardcore fans were keen to attend. Philamonjaro interviews the band.

The energy and revelatory portraits captured in New Adventures in Hi-Fi are often considered to be the culmination of R.E.M.’s aim for Monster and the band’s last truly great work.

Frontman Papa Emeritus IV (Tobias Forge) delivered a high-caliber set of gothic evil with a wink and a tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Dissolution Wave is the aural equivalent of a weighted blanket. If you’re pining for the melodic and heavy space-rock from the late 90s, Cloakroom has returned with its third album to provide the sublime but downcast shoegaze sound your spirit craves.

“What is this drummer guy doing with an orchestra?” said former Police percussionist Stewart Copeland.

This is a fun memento for Peanuts and Vince Guaraldi vinyl collectors, or anyone waiting at the pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin to finally make his grand entrance.

The music and sights did the talking during the tightly paced, theatrically produced show. As a parting blessing, Cooper exclaimed, “It’s very close to Halloween, so may all your nightmares come true.” Photos by Philamonjaro.

Despite controversial opinions and provocative statements offstage, Morrissey needn’t have questioned his fans’ ardor for his music.

Review and photos by Philamonjaro. After closing Lollapalooza, Foo Fighters played an indisputably uplifting event at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO.

At the 20th anniversary of Elbow’s debut album, this vinyl reissue campaign treats the band’s early material with the loving touch its legacy warrants.

The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s score for the animated TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas continues to serve as a point of entry for new generations of fans to discover jazz music at any age.

MWP’s best solo work sees its vinyl debut. Don’t expect to be pinned to the wall by a pyrotechnic flash of frenetic guitars; this beautifully crafted album has a different and dreamier aim.

Given Slettedahl’s tenure as a songwriter and bandleader with The 88, it’s hard to think of You Know You Know as the debut of a fresh-faced solo act. Consider him instead as a fresh-faced veteran, deploying his refined gifts for cartwheeling pop melodies and relatable characterizations.

Despite the classic standing of the original work, Alone Together Again is essential listening for Mason’s audience. Fans will enjoy having this creatively reimagined album as a bookend to a catalog spanning five decades.

With varying levels of savvy interplay, plenty of evocative melodies, and styles drawn from around the globe, Camper Van Beethoven guitarist Greg Lisher’s imaginative writing and playing tell a range of stories without the need for words.

Seasoned bandleader and saxophonist Maceo Parker pays tribute to a couple of his titanic funk bosses alongside songs by favorite collaborators and original material on Soul Food: Cooking with Maceo. The album is infused with the sound of New Orleans.

“Sometimes, band reunions remind you of what initially went wrong,” writes drummer Jim Bonfanti. “In this case, I am reminded of what went right!” This live set caps the career of Cleveland garage-pop heroes the Choir.

Ocean Moon’s crafty retro-pop confections are intended as companions for the summer season, and the Foreign Films shine much-needed light in dark times.

Featuring former Church guitarist Marty Willson-Piper and his Noctorum partner Dare Mason, One Day will find fans among those who appreciated Pink Floyd’s instrumental send-off The Endless River or Mike Oldfield’s classic Tubular Bells.

Billed as EOB, the group introduced material from the founding Radiohead member’s debut solo album Earth and added a couple of revealing covers.

Vinyl fans without a need for a boxed set of the full Police catalog can now choose from four individual remastered LPs.

To mark four decades as a live band, Robert Smith and the Cure staged two ambitious concerts during the summer of 2018. Of the 57 songs split across the shows, only seven are repeated. One performance offers a deep dive into the Cure’s evolution, and the other is a career-defining celebration.

Craft celebrates the 50th birthdays of CCR’s classic third and fourth albums with heavyweight LP reissue.

This live set of hits and fan favorites finds founding Toto members including guitarist Steve Lukather, keyboardist Steve Porcaro, and keyboardist/singer David Paich celebrating the band’s 40-plus year legacy of blending slick pop-soul, technical chops, and hard rock.

Instead of stockpiling songs for album number 18, veteran alternative rock act the Choir has released a string of singles – including a pair of covers rooted in the band’s past and present.

The rivalry between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles may have been almost entirely fictional (Paul McCartney has called it “fake news” at concerts since the 2016 presidential election), but that doesn’t mean the World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band would allow the Beatles 50th anniversary celebration of Abbey Road to go unanswered.

Rack Bridges to Buenos Aires alongside Bridges to Bremen, No Security and concert film Bridges to Babylon Tour ’97–98 for a broad overview of a year when the Rolling Stones circled the globe and played to well over four million fans. This set’s highlights set Bridges to Buenos Aires apart.

The former Duane Allman and Stevie Ray Vaughan sideman celebrates his 50+ year career in rock, soul, and country music with the release of his own first album.

The torch of great Midwestern power-pop passed from bands like Shoes and Cheap Trick is carried another mile by the Injured Parties on songs including the acerbic “Murder the Truth” and idealistic call to action “Obama’s Girl.”

The controversial ex-Smiths singer’s stellar showmanship won the day again.

Anticipation for Vampire Weekend’s sold-out San Francisco concert was sky-high after the band’s six-year absence.

Scone corrals a new cast of players for a different approach to a soulful party album that’s both rowdy and tender.

For many fans aboard during U2’s development, the band’s triumph isn’t The Joshua Tree or Achtung Baby. It’s 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire, which is released on colored vinyl alongside the Grammy-hoarding How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Avant-rock trailblazer Adrian Belew brought his quartet to the Arcada Theatre with material from 2019’s Pop-Sided album. Songs representing stints with psychedelic pop heroes the Bears, prog-rock titans King Crimson, and uncategorizable legend Frank Zappa rubbed shoulders with Belew’s solo favorites.

Premier punk rock festival Riot Fest returned to Chicago for its 15th anniversary. Coverage of Day 3 includes Guided By Voices, the B-52s, Patti Smith, Nick Lowe, the Raconteurs, unlikely mosh pit instigators the Village People, and more.

British New Wave icon Adam Ant took fans at the Vic Theatre on a time warp 37 years backward to 1982, performing his top-selling solo album Friend or Foe. [Updated 9/9/2019 with approved photos.]

With standouts including “Selling the Drama,” “I Alone,” and circle-of-life ode “Lightning Crashes,” Throwing Copper struck platinum in the space between alternative rock and grunge. This anniversary reissue includes includes Live’s landmark set before 200,000 people at Woodstock ’94.

Mark Knopfler has consistently defied the conventional definitions of guitar hero and rock star – while earning his reputation at the top of the heap. Knopfler brought worthy new songs from Down the Road Wherever to Chicago.

The Squeeze Songbook Tour date celebrated the band’s 45th anniversary and a rich back catalog that long ago earned appellations naming the songwriting engine of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook as the Lennon and McCartney of their generation. It’s a heavy crown for any songwriters to bear, but Difford and Tilbrook have done their best to keep it gleaming.

One of the world’s premiere heavy metal bands of the 20th century, British powerhouse Iron Maiden continue to be a force in the new millennium. The sextet returned to the Chicago area on Thursday, bringing its “Legacy of the Beast” tour with dazzling spectacle, virtuoso playing, and relentless energy.

Mike Peters has written anthems to match the best of them, and the Alarm’s recent output and performances suggest more rousing sessions to come.

Kids from ages one to at least 53 will welcome these utterly charming companion albums featuring Fred Rogers’ gentle truths and Johnny Costa’s sometimes-mellow, sometimes-stunning jazz piano.

The Stray Cats revived rockabilly for generations of music fans in the ’80s, and the trio’s own songs continue to resonate. The band has returned with worthy new material from its 40th anniversary album.

George Clinton’s farewell One Nation Under A Groove tour featured Parliament-Funkadelic, Fishbone, Dumpstaphunk, and Miss Velvet & the Blue Wolf. For all of current society’s decisiveness, there was nothing but unity and diversity in the house as everyone was “getting down for the funk of it.”

Rock and Roll Circus may have been initially shelved, but today it stands as a colorful time capsule of the Rolling Stones’ youthful days and vibrant reminder of popular music’s cultural power in the late ‘60s.

Universal celebrates the Seattle heavyweight’s 35th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of its Superunknown LP with 180-gram, colored double-vinyl reissues of band’s three most influential albums.

A clutch of then-fresh songs are testament to the notion that the Glimmer Twins had gas in the tank as a songwriting team during the ‘90s. After 21 years in the vault, Bridges to Babylon is a worthy addition for those who love the Rolling Stones’ eternal road show.

With her third solo album, Janet Jackson declared fierce independence from her famous brothers and launched true control of her own musical identity.

Roger Daltrey has sung enduring classics like “Pinball Wizard” and “See Me, Feel Me” from the 1969 rock opera Tommy too many times to count. However, he has never performed the material in quite the way that Who fans can hear on for The Who’s Tommy Orchestral.

Starr’s good-spirited message of peace and love remains well worth sharing, and the evening proved to be a great escape from the news cycle as well as a joyous musical celebration for generations of Beatles and Beach Boys fans.

Music fans up the road at Lollapalooza may have had their pick of more than 40 bands, but the Night Running tour packed adventurous musical variety onto one stage. Fans left Northerly Island confident that they had just seen the most spectacular rock show in Chicago.

Peter Frampton performed his final Chicago concert on Sunday, July 28, 2019. The set included hits like “Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way,” and “Do You Feel Like We Do” alongside Humble Pie favorites and new songs from #1 Billboard Blues album All Blues.

After 46 years in the vault, Eagle Vision is releasing Carole King’s landmark 1973 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival for the first time.

Andrew Bird played a hometown show that made a strong case for the accurate naming of his new album My Finest Work Yet.

The show encapsulated Alvin’s breakthrough as a songwriter and solo voice, and served as a calling card to draw people back for the new songs and stories he continues to tell.

Thirty miles from downtown Chicago in Naperville, Ribfest continues to be a summertime destination event for music fans in Illinois. This year, the crowd of thousands enjoyed Living Colour, Billy Idol, ZZ Ward, Grand Funk, Bad Company and more.

A multi-generational crowd assembled at Moline, Illinois’ TaxSlayer Center to hear the most celebrated catalog in popular music, delivered by the living legend responsible for it.

Get Pocket Full of Fire as a primer of band’s prowess through a collection of its best songs recorded live, but don’t miss a chance to see this compelling culture clash in person.

This live set will be warmly received by Deadheads and fans of intuitive and skillful jam band playing. Not many songs are duplicated among these three shows spanning five years, but there are a handful of opportunities to hear how the band flexes and twist songs in different moments.

This third and final set in Omnivore Records’ series of Buck Owens’ Capitol Records singles is a treasure for fans of the Bakersfield sound, and a testament to the power of Owens’ friendship and collaboration with guitarist/fiddler Don Rich.

The Frank Zappa reissue campaign hits a high-water mark with this lavish 40th anniversary presentation of the bandleader’s 1978 live album recorded over seven concerts between Christmas and New Year’s Eve in 1976 at New York City’s Felt Forum and the Palladium.

Scissor Sisters was the best-selling album of 2004 and a dance-pop smash in the UK, but failed to reach gold-record status in the band’s native USA. This high-quality LP reissue provides fresh opportunity for reevaluation.

Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and his sharp three-piece band returned to Chicago’s Vic Theatre to play material from 2018’s Call the Comet, other solo gems, breakout side project Electronica, and heavyweight hits from the Smiths. The seamless blend of old and new songs was a potent reminder of Marr’s role as the principal architect of the Smiths’ sound.

It’s difficult to understate the influence that Ray Charles’ Modern Sounds in Country and Western had upon its initial release during the Civil Rights Movement. This reissue welcomes fresh listening to an acknowledged treasure of American music.

It was a rare opportunity to see Ian Hunter flanked by pianist Morgan Fisher and guitarist Ariel Bender, the players who stood together during the heyday of Mott the Hoople leading to 1974 albums The Hoople and Live.

The UK Singles Volume One puts a twist on what could have otherwise simply been another greatest hits collection.

Fresh reissues allow listeners to appreciate these overlooked Badfinger albums from 1974 for them for the gems they are.

In contrast with his music’s meticulous prog-rock precision, real-world paranoia, isolation, and gothic gloom, Steven Wilson fills the venerable Royal Albert Hall with thrills, abandon, camaraderie and euphoric spirit.

“It’s already been seven years since R.E.M. called it a day,” says BBC producer Mark Cooper. “It’s lonely without them.” This pile of well-preserved pop may not stop everybody from hurting as R.E.M.‘s retirement enters its eighth year, but it can coax smiles to temper the loss.

The Stones’ 1968 release Beggars Banquet is a rarely-disputed classic and the final complete album from the quintet’s original lineup including Brian Jones. The LP’s two sides are led by the group’s sharpest forays into social protest, “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Street Fighting Man.”

Radiohead fans enamored of Thom Yorke’s experimental excursions into electronic music sold out the ornate and stately Chicago Theatre. The set list was built around Yorke’s solo material, primarily focused upon 2014’s Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes. The singer was clearly in his element while pursuing a musical vision purely his own.

This newly restored Rolling Stones concert film recorded in 1994 includes 10 songs and 5 bonus cuts not included on the original 1995 Voodoo Lounge Live release.

Coverage of Chicago’s Riot Fest includes text and photos of Johnny Marr, Elvis Costello, Gary Numan and more.

Radiohead in 2018 continues its decades-long campaign of confounding expectations and challenging the norms of conventional rock bands. An adventurous crowd in Detroit offered strong support on Sunday. Photos by Andrew Potter.

Review and photos by Philamonjaro. The Pretenders’ playing is as vibrant and visceral as ever. The catalog of songs by Chrissie Hynde, Martin Chambers and company reveals rock and roll with substance, savvy arrangements and a mountain of melodic hooks. No pretending here; this band is the real deal.

Irish rockers U2 performed two dates at the United Center in Chicago, IL for its eXPERIENCE + iNNOCENCE tour. The set list leaned heavily upon U2’s recent bookend albums Songs of Innocence (2014) and Songs of Experience (2017). Photographer Philomonjaro was on hand to capture the action on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.

You may never hear the last part of this record of charming lullabies, because you will be asleep before you get there.

The five guitar-laden pop-rockers on Gulfstream are emotionally potent while still connecting at the gut level, offering a promising start for a series of releases that extends into 2018.

With the extensive The Great Circle Tour 2017 barreling toward its final date in Sydney, the reactivated Midnight Oil showed no sign that it ought to return to retirement. The band’s activist posture and reinvigorated music are more potent and relevant than ever.

Australian activist rockers Midnight Oil stormed the stage at Cleveland, Ohio’s House of Blues for a night of political agitation and feral rock and roll. Cover photo by John Welk.

Paul McCartney brought his One on One tour to Chicago on Tuesday. Here’s an unconventional review of the former Beatle’s unconventional connection to some of his ardent fans – through the eyes of 11-year-old Melody Elbel. Photos by Curt Baran.

Gorillaz launched their North American tour supporting Humanz under a full moon at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island.

Perfecta was the fifth album and unintentional swan-song by soulful alt-rock band Adam Again. The 1995 release has been long out of print, but is being prepared for high-end vinyl reissue by Lo-Fidelity Records. Guitarist Greg Lawless talks about why he believes Perfecta is even more essential than the Orange County, CA band’s avowed masterpiece Dig.

U2’s first of two nights at Chicago’s Soldier Field transcended mere nostalgia. The veteran Irish rockers shared the “desert songs” of 1987’s landmark The Joshua Tree album with a multi-generational assemblage of devoted fans as an act of spiritual communion.

This is a fun release for Record Store Day that mimics the cornerstone of countless mixtapes made by teenaged prog-rock nerds of decades past, self included. For the first time, “Cygnus X-1, Book I: The Voyage” and “Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres” are officially bundled together into one complete story.

Calling It’s Hard a covers album is a feint, even if it harkens back to the Bad Plus’ landmark early recordings and bracing interpretations of material by artists as disparate as Abba, Rodgers & Hart, and Nirvana. These songs find the band in full creative and cerebral flight.

Highlights from the final day of Lollapalooza’s 25th anniversary touched all extremes of the eclectic lineup. The mix included hip-hop, psychedelic folk, alternative rock, EDM and more. Read here for coverage of Sir the Baptist and Local Natives.

Saturday’s sunshine was a welcome transformation in Grant Park, and it made for a perfect music-watching. Most of the musicians also mentioned their gratitude for this particular form of climate change from the stage. Read here for reports on the Joy Formidable, Leon Bridges, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, and Dua Lipa.

Read here for Lollapalooza 2016 Day 2 coverage including Radiohead, M83, Foals, Frightened Rabbit, and more rain.

Lollapalooza’s 25th anniversary got off to a soggy start, but day one included many highlights including Yeasayer, The 1975, Kurt Vile & the Violators, and Lana Del Ray. Read the article for the rundown on Yeasayer’s set.

Chicago’s premiere punk-blues piano-and-drums outfit are back with a modern spin on Serge Gainsbourg’s 1963 single “Chez Les Yé-Yé.”

Many have crowned Riot Fest as Chicago’s best-curated music festival of the year. The opportunity to see back-to-back sets by Echo & the Bunnymen, funk maestro Bootsy Collins’ Rubber Band and country music legend Merle Haggard was too wonderfully eclectic to miss, crowned shortly afterward by a stage-shredding performance from Iggy Pop.

Paul McCartney closed the first day of Lollapalooza 2015 with nearly 130 minutes of beloved Beatles, Wings and solo material. He also sprung a few surprises.

Poi Dog Pondering recently wrapped a four-night stand at City Winery Chicago in support of new project Everybody’s Got a Star. Rock photographer Philamonjaro was on hand to document night three.

Following welcome releases by Jellyfish, Lone Justice, Camper Van Beethoven and Dream Syndicate, the music fans at Omnivore Records now fill a longstanding void by launching its series of reissues by Scott Miller’s late, great psych-pop band Game Theory. First up is an expanded edition of the band’s 1982 debut album.

The crown jewel of Legacy’s 2014 Record Store Day offerings is a 50th anniversary edition of “The Pink Panther – Music from the Film Score Composed and Conducted by Henry Mancini.” A better marriage of quirky-yet-stylish music and popular film is hard to imagine.

Paisley Underground favorites The Bangles, The Three O’Clock, Dream Syndicate and Rain Parade reunited in December for a show benefitting Education Through Music – Los Angeles. Chicago-based rock photographer Philamonjaro was at L.A.‘s Henry Fonda Theatre to document the evening in this photo essay.

Daniel Lanois will release “Papineau” on Valentine’s Day 2014. The new single captures a disagreement between a father and daughter over matters of the heart.

Omnivore has been good to fans of 90s alternative pop princes Jellyfish. While last year’s Stack-a-Tracks explored the band’s instinct for lush and psychedelic pop arrangements, Radio Jellyfish presents the essence of the band.

Dave Davies’ lofty position in the pantheon of popular music would be secure even without the existence of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or the Kinks’ extensive body of work. His upcoming tour will feature songs from new album “I Will Be Me” alongside Kinks favorites. Davies discusses family foundations, sibling rivalry, and inspiration drawn from good times and hard times.

Both of these potent slices of instrumental soul are available on Menahan Street Band’s full-length LP The Crossing, but there’s something so right about playing them as a well-matched pair on a 45 r.p.m. single.

Famous production clients aside, Daniel Lanois’ haunting musical textures have earned him a devoted following. The Canadian artist is currently focused upon his solo material and traveling to support it.

The Who performed its landmark concept album Quadrophenia on two nights in Chicago, IL. The set list may have been known in advance, but the veteran British rockers played with conviction and fire.

This two-disc set collects thirty-three Queen videos, featuring the British rockers’ best-loved songs. Having guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor on hand via commentary is worth the price of admission.

With an appealing blend of classic and alternative styles, Eclectric earns comparisons to crafty pop provocateurs like Tears for Fears, Eurythmics, and Level 42.

Seventeen studio albums into its career, this is clearly a band that is not bored or running a treadmill. Some of the usual comparisons tangentially apply, including Genesis, Radiohead, and Pink Floyd. With “Sounds,” Marillion both challenges and entertains.

Although Queen are constantly on the periphery, this film explores Freddie Mercury individually. His ambitions as a solo artist extended beyond “Mr. Bad Guy” or even rock and roll. This tribute connects most deeply at a personal level, rather than relying solely upon Mercury’s stadium-sized fame.

Former Dropsonic frontman Dan Dixon is taking his audience somewhere new with PLS PLS. He’s primed to pick up a different style of listener that favors genre-tweaking indie rock and tuneful experimentation over Dropsonic’s fearsome old-school rock chops.

The improved picture quality, fresh remaster and new surround sound mixes are worth hearing, even if you played the live album as much as I did eighteen years ago. The extras are icing on the cake. For the newly curious, Secret World Live provides a compelling overview from Peter Gabriel’s heyday.

If I have to choose sides in the Zombie apocalypse, I’m throwing in with these guys. This set captures an intimate show from the band’s astonishing 50th anniversary year at Metropolis Studios in London.

Wish You Were Here represents many things in the Pink Floyd canon. Ultimately, it emerges as the band’s most focused artistic statement, even while examining the separate themes of Roger Waters’ struggle against the machinery of the music industry and the still-open wound of the absence of band founder Syd Barrett.

The Seventy Sevens’ early records garnered comparisons ranging from Echo and the Bunnymen to The Rolling Stones. That may have hampered their marketable identity, but it made them a beloved one-band jukebox to fans. Sticks and Stones captures the band’s schizophrenia at its best.

Chronology provides a compelling and worthwhile overview of Talking Heads’ career. Rather than trying to manufacture a narrative, the band’s history is told primarily through a series of musical nuggets – allowing the band to speak for itself.

In a field perhaps over-filled with unauthorized biographies, Days of Our Lives is a refreshing and illuminating look into the arc of Queen’s stadium-sized career. Benefiting from full band involvement, the documentary makes for great drama. Above all, it’s filled with ambitious and extravagant rock and roll.

Those expecting the high-octane hard rock of Deep Purple from Roger Glover’s fifth solo album will be surprised, but not disappointed.

McGraw has described the process of making this album of covers as “the art of selling out,” and he makes admirable work of it. The song selection for Popular Music runs the gamut from guilty pleasure to hidden treasure, with surprising depth and personality.

This lighthearted collection of fresh material from the “living” King of Rock and Roll plays it mostly straight, but it’s not hard to tell that those involved have their tongues planted firmly in cheek.

Condron notches at least one should-be classic with “Blurred,” which pulls an equal measure of Dream Police-era Cheap Trick glam and classic Dave Edmunds melodic roots-rock.

Much of Wright’s material surveys wounds and casualties on the battlefield of love. Judging by this album, Wright has both loved and lost, and If We Never … is his way to mourn and celebrate all of it.

Of this concert film’s seventeen tracks, seven are drawn from 1978’s worthy Some Girls. Live in Texas is a time capsule from when the Stones’ flame last burned its brightest.

Like Squeeze’s recent Spot the Difference CD, Regeneration faithfully recreates Styx’s classic-rock singles with the band’s current touring lineup. This is both a treat for current fans and a means for fans to thank their heroes for soldiering on.

For conceptual depth, musical ambition and instrumental command, Quadrophenia remains unmatched among the Who’s canon. This set gives Who fans unprecedented insight into a justifiably beloved album.

This 45rpm single demonstrates afresh that the leftovers from soul providers Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings top many artists’ prime cuts. “He Said I Can” is a funky strut, while B-side “It Hurts to be Alone” reinterprets a Wailers classic recorded in 1963.

New Blood seems best suited as a gift to Peter Gabriel’s most committed fans – the devotees who are interested to see Gabriel unmake and recreate a favorite song like “Solsbury Hill,” and the ones who want to focus upon the power of his singular voice.

Greg Boerner is a natural troubadour with acoustic folk/blues chops and personality to spare. Of his four releases, his newest album Prophetstown comes closest to witnessing the artist in the wild.

This independent project shows a maturity of craft and is worth a listen for fans of female singer-songwriters ranging from Carole King to Alison Krauss. The talent on display here is worth sharing beyond its hometown roots.

Motown giants The Temptations celebrate an astonishing fifty years of pop music history with The Singles Collection. This set is a treasure trove for fans unfamiliar with the Temptations’ early work and the many quality singles that dotted the group’s trajectory from hit to hit.

The appeal of Hollywood’s second Queen box is hearing the band’s familiar singles lifted from the homogenized presentation of greatest-hits packages. Taken together, these albums present a formidable band with rare songwriting and performing depth, and one which was both willing to take risks and able to get away with them.

After departing the best lineup of Deep Purple, guitar hero Ritchie Blackmore launched the heavy-hitting and mystical Rainbow with vocalist Ronnie James Dio. The band’s most potent lineup would create only one studio album, but is featured on this live set. The centerpiece is the self-contained hard rock opera “Stargazer,” which must have blown stoned minds in 1976.

Guitarist and songwriter Joey Molland of ‘70s power-pop giants Badfinger was special guest at the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago. In addition to an interview with local Breakfast with the Beatles DJ Terri Hemmert, Molland joined the festival’s house band Liverpool for a concert. The set included Badfinger classics “Baby Blue,” “Day After Day,” and “No Matter What.”

The same words are often used, but they’ve never been more true. The title track to Marvin Gaye’s masterful protest album is as relevant today as it was when it was written. This set treats the landmark album with the respect it warrants.

This Midwest pop-rock staple, which introduced the power ballads “Keep On Lovin’ You” and “Take it on the Run,” is 30 years old.

These thoughts are presented as a companion to the recent review by Michael Toland.

Clouds Echo in Blue from Choir guitarist Derri Daugherty is an elegant collection of evocative, heavenly tones, tailor made for admirers of ambient instrumental projects such as those by ex-Cocteau Twins guitarist Robin Guthrie, Hammock and Riceboy Sleeps.

With musical touchstones both to its own origins and its continuing evolution, the relatively compact Memories in My Head by Polish progressive metal veterans Riverside provides a tasty morsel for fans awaiting the band’s next full-length, and a good starting point for the newly curious.

Kinda Kinks‘ secret weapon was revealed when Wes Anderson included “Nothin’ in the World Can Stop Me Worryin’ ‘Bout that Girl” in the soundtrack to his 1998 film Rushmore. Forty-six years following its original release, the tense and paranoid song is still capable of raising the hair on the back of your neck.

This live set documents a fan favorite album from 1983, and fine work by Rob Moratti during his relatively short time as Saga frontman.

Imagine hearing “You Really Got Me” fresh for the first time in 1964. It’s still subversive and dangerous, almost fifty years later.

Just days before the release of their sophomore album Nothing is Wrong, rising Americana heroes Dawes loped onto the Vic Theatre stage in Chicago to play a set full of Taylor Goldsmith‘s new “heartbreak songs.”

Steve Howe’s career has ranged far and wide since recording a Chuck Berry cover in 1964, produced by legendary recording pioneer Joe Meek. Howe is best known as guitarist for progressive rock veterans Yes. Find out how The Libertines and Babyshambles may help to inform what is no longer just your dad’s “dinosaur rock,” and why there is fresh appreciation for the passion and meticulous craft that Howe and his bandmates deliver after four decades together.

Legacy’s two-disc set spotlights two sides of Carole King’s career: solo artist and songwriter.

This Rare and Unseen entry on David Bowie isn’t essential, but Bowie die-hards will enjoy newly-surfaced interview clips featuring their hero.

The mild shock of this song’s titillating title, sung by the smooth voice of Gnarls Barkley’s worldwide smash “Crazy,” is probably its first hook. There’s a different reason for endless repeat plays, however. Naughty or not, you’d have to spin the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” to hear a catchier pop-soul single.

Yankovic wisely made a point of keeping things current with a fresh batch of funny material. “Skipper Dan” described a failed thespian, doomed to a soul-destroying life of corny jokes as a riverboat guide on Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise attraction. Recent parody “You’re Pitiful” gave a more memorable upgrade to James Blunt’s maudlin “You’re Beautiful.”

Chris Arduser’s songwriting is strewn with knowing winks and personal pratfalls, for which the best consolation would probably be “at least you got a song out of it.” “Bad Decisions” is classic Arduser, a summery pop-waltz full of recrimination, wherein the protagonist is thwarted by his own worst intentions.

As comfortably dressed as songs like “Tomorrow We’ll See” and even “Roxanne” seemed to be, the true pleasure for Sting’s pop fans wasn’t necessarily hearing popular songs about prostitutes swathed in sweeping orchestral splendor.