By 1988, much of the raw energy and menace had been airbrushed away from American hard rock, as slick production and a preponderance of power ballads had made hair metal ... Read More

Recently a reader asked me for a detailed description of my methods and criteria for compiling my Top 10 Songs lists, to which my answer was complicated even when edited ... Read More

That a song as brilliantly crafted as this one could stall at No. 29 on the pop charts is a thorough but unsurprising travesty of pop music. After all, the ... Read More

I don't know about you, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about Boston's Brad Delp over the past week and the many reasons - senseless, mysterious and justified ... Read More

As far as practitioners of post-punk go, Britain's the Stranglers have the distinction of being veterans of both the proto-punk era of the early '70s and the full-tilt first wave ... Read More

Well, I already regret using the word "joke" to describe the situation Monday night when Van Halen was so unceremoniously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After ... Read More

I realized recently that the last time I wore a headband was in college during a pickup basketball game, when I had allowed my hair to grow so long in ... Read More

Tough news broke tonight for rock music fans across the globe when word came down that Brad Delp, longtime lead singer of arena rock giants Boston, has died from unknown ... Read More

Though there may not be that many hard rock fans on this same wavelength, I boldly propose that "Screaming in the Night," this sparkling 1983 Euro-metal track from rock's pride ... Read More

I've always been a little behind the times. Though a long-time music fanatic, I didn't purchase my first CD player until 1996, always thinking the next technology was just around ... Read More

As much as the '80s immediately calls to mind new wave, hair metal or synth pop as its signature pop music styles, the wide appeal of heartland rock also played ... Read More