Jason Schneider
I enjoyed reading this article from The New York Times:
Is this 2010 — or 1970? The answer, strangely enough, is: both. James Taylor wraps up a tour with Carole King. A new Jimi Hendrix album makes its debut in the Top 5. Elton John has joined forces with one of his heroes, the extremely hirsute singer-pianist Leon Russell. Fans think music should be free for the taking.
From Michael Jackson’s bank account to robust ticket sales for Roger Waters’s “Wall” tour, pop has witnessed its share of unlikely comebacks this year. Perhaps the least expected, though, is that of the year 1970, just in time for its 40th anniversary. (Pop-culture nostalgia tends to run in 20-year cycles, making this revival even more surprising.)
Mr. Taylor and Ms. King’ s “Troubadour Reunion” shows — the second-highest-grossing tour of the year after Bon Jovi’s, according to Pollstar, which tracks tour grosses and ticket sales — recreate the period four decades ago when Mr. Taylor’s career was kicking in (with his “Sweet Baby James” album) and Ms. King, a veteran Brill Building songwriter not yet known for her own records, was simply the pianist in his band. On Oct. 19 Mr. Russell and Mr. John will release their first-ever collaboration, “The Union,” which recalls the months in 1970 when Mr. John opened for Mr. Russell at halls like the legendary Fillmore East. “Valleys of Neptune,” an album of exhumed recordings by Hendrix, entered the charts earlier this year at No. 4, just like his “Band of Gypsys” did, at No. 5, in 1970.
Even a relatively youngish act is paying homage. Marc Cohn, the piano-playing balladeer best known for the adult-contemporary standard “Walking in Memphis,” has just released “Listening Booth: 1970.” On it this gravel-road-voiced singer remakes and rearranges songs familiar to anyone who was glued to AM or FM radio that year: “Wild World,” “The Tears of a Clown,” “New Speedway Boogie,” “Into the Mystic,” “The Letter” and “Maybe I’m Amazed” among them.
Read the full article here.
