I have a confession to make: Not unlike some KCMU DJs circa 1986, I am woefully ignorant of the career and voluminous musical output of Wanda Jackson, also known as the Queen of Rockabilly - or just the Queen of Rock. (Obviously I haven't been reading the KEXP blog enough, or this DJ El Toro review of her 2011 Jack White-produced album would have steered me right a few years ago.) I won't even attempt to sum up the woman's long career and voluminous achievements - someone who knows what they're talking about could write a book on her (and, now that I think about it, probably has) - but suffice it to say she's been kicking ass for more than 50 years over 45 or so albums, and if you have anything mean to say about her you should probably just keep it to yourself. Not that that's ever stopped a college radio DJ...
"Rockabilly for your local Holiday Inn cocktail lounge.""Library!"
"If you can't see or understand the influence of Wanda Jackson, you are a moron - as vital as Hasil Adkins. And if you can't see his worth you might as well go back to your Elvis disco slop!"
"This is a wonderful addition to our library, let's get some Collins Kids!"
"I don't mean to downplay Wanda's influence, but this is 30 years later and merely a parody of anything substantial she ever did."
If you're anything like me (and who isn't?), the first Icelandic band you ever heard of was The Sugarcubes. If you were a college radio DJ in the early '80s, though, you might have gotten wind of Þeyr (pronounced "Theyr," more or less) before the rest of the U.S. got wind to the crazy stuff going d…
Matt Johnson's The The is yet another band (or musical project, if you prefer, since it seems to have been Johnson and whatever troupe of brilliant musicians he could round up when it came time to make a record) that I never listened to in their heyday/my youth, and I can't quite figure out why. Ma…
