Notes

In Search of the Green Man

Craven Lovelace — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:23:41 +0000

Green Men past and present.

He lit up May Day parades and peered from church facades. He is still with us today, distributing Christmas gifts and hawking canned vegetables. And he lives on in pop music as well. Learn more about the mysterious Green Man in this episode of NOTES.

The graphic above incorporates a photo by Br. Lawrence Lew, O.P. and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

Caveman Bop

Craven Lovelace — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:18:43 +0000

Make the Music With Your Mouth, Y’All, Pt. 2: Hoodlin’ and Eefin’

Sat, 02 May 2009 06:41:38 +0000

The 1980s saw the rise of a brand new form of vocal music... but one with deep roots in surprising places.

Make the Music With Your Mouth, Y’All, Pt. 1: Beatboxing

Sat, 02 May 2009 06:25:21 +0000

The 1980s saw the rise of a brand new form of vocal music... but one with deep roots in surprising places.

The Most Depressing Album Ever

Sat, 02 May 2009 06:23:41 +0000

Tracking the Spoor of the Signifying Monkey

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:40:20 +0000

How did the sound of a 1937 car crash become an unlikely pop craze?

Dolemite and the Signifying Monkey

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:24:30 +0000

How did the sound of a 1937 car crash become an unlikely pop craze?

Andy Razaf’s Black and Blue Life

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:23:11 +0000

The Musical Heroes of HEE HAW, Pt. 3: Grandpa Jones

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:01:40 +0000

How did the sound of a 1937 car crash become an unlikely pop craze?

The Musical Heroes of HEE HAW, Pt. 2: Roy Clark

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:54:54 +0000

How did the sound of a 1937 car crash become an unlikely pop craze?

The Musical Heroes of HEE HAW, Pt. 1: Buck Owens

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:41:37 +0000

How did the sound of a 1937 car crash become an unlikely pop craze?

Oi! Oi! Oi!

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:29:17 +0000

"Wade in the Water" has effortlessly crossed genre boundaries throughout nearly a century and a half of popular music.

Apologies and Update

Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:52:38 +0000

Rock n’ Roll’s Favorite Sound Effect

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:03:16 +0000

How did the sound of a 1937 car crash become an unlikely pop craze?

Bebop’s Babs Gonzales

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:34:20 +0000

Babs Gonzales was crazy, man, crazy.

The Tragic Story of Joe Meek, Pt. 3

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:57:56 +0000

Joe Meek's story ended with a bang.

The Tragic Story of Joe Meek, Pt. 2

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:48:20 +0000

"Telstar" pushed Joe Meek into the pop stratosphere.

The Tragic Story of Joe Meek, Pt. 1

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:38:58 +0000

Was he genius... nuts... or both?

The Soundtrack Magic of Ennio Morricone

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:37:48 +0000

His music has enhanced films of every genre... and even video games!

Wading Across Genres

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:26:58 +0000

"Wade in the Water" has effortlessly crossed genre boundaries throughout nearly a century and a half of popular music.

Commie Crazy

Craven Lovelace — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:26:01 +0000

Just like the rest of the U.S. in the 1950s, pop music went commie crazy.

Songs of the Fallout Shelter

Craven Lovelace — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:12:42 +0000

Atomic Pop

Craven Lovelace — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:59:44 +0000

In the 1950s, America burned with atomic fever.

16 Tons of Talent

Craven Lovelace — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:21:49 +0000

Tennessee Ernie Ford never lugged coal or picked peas, but his voice resonated with America's working class.

The Eccentric Genius of Vivian Stanshall

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 19:40:04 +0000

He died in flames -- but for decades, Vivian Stanshall burned with the incandescent glow of his own off-kilter brilliance.

There’s Always Room For Giallo

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:49:24 +0000

A glimpse at the ghastly world of the giallo, and the musicians most closely associated with it.

A Few (Belated) Words From Craven

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 01:30:55 +0000

An apology from Craven.

The Ladies of Rockabilly, Pt. 4: The Lesser-Known Ladies

Craven Lovelace — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:33:12 +0000

Learn about the lesser-known lasses of rockabilly.

The Ladies of Rockabilly, Pt. 3: The Collins Kids

Craven Lovelace — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:24:34 +0000

He was a guitar whiz at 10. She was a star at 16. Learn about the Collins Kids.

The Ladies of Rockabilly, Pt. 2: Janis Martin

Craven Lovelace — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:14:00 +0000

Learn about "the female Elvis."

Ladies of Rockabilly, Pt. 1: Wanda Jackson

Craven Lovelace — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:02:06 +0000

Learn about the original "Fujiyama Mama."

Tin Pan Alley’s First Pop Hit

Craven Lovelace — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:22:56 +0000

What was America's first pop hit?

The Music of STAR TREK, Pt. 3: Federation Pop

Craven Lovelace — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 20:57:27 +0000

How STAR TREK became a common musical metaphor.

The Music of STAR TREK, Pt. 2: Kirk Croons! Spock Sings!

Craven Lovelace — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 01:39:10 +0000

Many of STAR TREK's stars have enjoyed double lives... as pop music singers.

The Music of STAR TREK, Pt. 1: The Composers

Craven Lovelace — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 01:26:33 +0000

Science fiction television music, the final frontier.

Revenge Among the Tikis

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 23:29:02 +0000

Bad blood can flow like lava in an island paradise.

Growing “Strange Fruit”

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 21:41:43 +0000

Some songs entertain... others change the world.

Of Gremmies, Dunes and Shootin’ Beavers

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 21:17:58 +0000

Learn how rock n' roll found its muse on the beach in the early 1960s.

The Secret Musical Lives of TV Game Show Hosts

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 17:04:48 +0000

Come on down -- and learn more about the recording histories of TV game show hosts on this episode of NOTES.

Girdling the Globe with Manu Chao

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 16:32:01 +0000

Manu Chao has expanded the world of pop music by helping shrink the globe.

The Funk and Faith of the Staple Singers

Craven Lovelace — Mon, 28 May 2007 04:42:23 +0000

The Staple Singers transcended generic boundaries with their groundbreaking, funky grooves and relentlessly positive message.

X and the Punk Rock Daikaiju

Craven Lovelace — Sun, 27 May 2007 22:54:47 +0000

X stood out amidst the west coast punk rockers of the late 1970s.

The Offers the Rat Pack Couldn’t Refuse

Craven Lovelace — Sat, 19 May 2007 21:11:31 +0000

Why did Dean, Sammy and Frank attended the wedding of Angelo Bruno's daughter? Because they had to.

The Chairman and the Boss

Craven Lovelace — Sat, 19 May 2007 20:56:51 +0000

When Sam Giancana called, the Rat Pack came a-runnin'.

The Musical World of Lt. Europe

Craven Lovelace — Sat, 19 May 2007 20:49:43 +0000

Lt. James Reese Europe helped invent jazz, developed the fox trot and fought for his country in the trenches of France.

In the Wake of Theremin

Craven Lovelace — Sat, 12 May 2007 21:09:52 +0000

Could Klaatu have barada niktoed Gort without Dr. Samuel Hoffman?

The Amazing Theremin, Pt. 2

Craven Lovelace — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:39:35 +0000

Leon Theremin toiled in the horrible gulag of Kolyma.

The Amazing Theremin, Pt. 1

Craven Lovelace — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:29:31 +0000

Leon Theremin invented the world's first electronic musical instrument.

The Sons of Jocko Homo

Craven Lovelace — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:15:18 +0000

"De-evolution" was a notion that germinated at the site of a shameful American tragedy, then was kindled by an obscure Christian pamphlet, forged in the crazed writings of a racist German monk and that gave its name to Devo.

Psycho Rocker Hasil Adkins

Craven Lovelace — Fri, 04 May 2007 17:19:40 +0000

Hasil Adkins wrote the best songs about decapitation ever.