Vinyl Me Please

Afrobeat — a hypnotic synthesis of funk, jazz and traditional West African rhythms — began life in the mid-’60s as an offshoot of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian juju. It became a regional sensation with [...] read more

In the 1960s and ’70s, if you were a free-thinking hippie backpacking through the Middle East en route to India or Afghanistan, you stopped, inevitably, in Tehran, the Iranian capital. And during your stay [...] read more

In the 1970s and ‘80s, corporate rock was a ubiquitous cultural force. Major labels decided which artists got signed, what got recorded, and what got released. They controlled distribution. They controlled access to radio, [...] read more

Heavy metal, like most styles of music, didn’t pop out of nowhere. It went through a lengthy gestation before emerging in the ’80s as a commercial force with a distinct style with set rules [...] read more

It’s something you don’t notice, until you do, and then can’t not notice. Call it, “Now Abuse”—the habit many singers have of ending random phrases with “now.” Saying “now” might not make sense in [...] read more