Anyone who knows me beyond general acquaintance knows my favorite band is R.E.M. While it’s certainly a bit childish to carry “favorites” well into adulthood, there was always much more beyond the music that fascinated me where this band was concerned. They activated an obsessive compulsion in me that I’d never experienced before. Essentially, R.E. ( Read more... )

From Stephen Holden’s sublime liner notes for Reprise’s The Very Best of Frank Sinatra:

The arc of his career, with its swift rise, slow descent, and meteoric comeback also made him a role model for survivors of every stripe.  What other entertainment figure had fallen so far, then re-ascended to new undreamed-of heights?

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His metamorphosis from ( Read more... )