By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor When Van Halen first exploded, back in 1978, with their self-titled debut LP, they took the rock world hostage, in a manner of speaking. Though it was incorrect, heavy metal had long been associated with doom and gloom, downers and volume, lengthy guitar solos, drum solos, witches, dragons, […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor By the end of 1983, The Police were, quite simply, the biggest band in the world. Their fifth album, 'Synchronicity,' was a huge hit, spawning a handful of massive hit singles, and ultimately selling multi-platinum. After being active non-stop since forming in 1977, they decided that, following a […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor What does one get when you take one of England's finest singer/songwriters, pair him up with one of America's most respected and heralded combos, and unleash them on a songbook of unknown lyrics from one of the most important figures in the history of American music? You get […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor When it comes to contemporary Christmas albums, it's hard to outdo JD McPherson's 'Socks.' On his 2018 release, the retro rocker channels all his vintage rock and roll influences, and molds them into something contemporary and revivalist at the same time, but most importantly, it's a hell of […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor Since its release in November of 1963, 'A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector' has long been championed as the ultimate rock and roll Christmas album, and a celebrated annual spin on turntables, CD players, and now streaming, every year thereafter. It's easy to figure out why […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor As the 1970's were giving way to the 1980's, there was a lot going on in the world of music. The punk rock hangover had crashed and burned, in the best way possible, splintering off into a hundred different directions, encompassing a wide variety of sounds and styles […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor The term 'super group' probably traces back to Cream, the power trio comprised of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. As they made their entrance onto the music scene of 1966, all heads and ears turned their way, at first, simply because their reputations […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor For this week's Summit Essential, we bring you the latest release from AARP upstarts and arguably, the greatest rock and roll band that ever walked the earth. Yes kids, it's The Rolling Stones, and unless you've been in hiding, you are probably aware they have released their first […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor After parting ways with Art Garfunkel in 1970, Paul Simon felt free to wander musically. The pressures of the huge success the duo had maintained had only gotten larger and Simon wanted to break free of formula. His first solo album, 1972's self-titled release, The two singles from that […]
Read MoreBy Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor Since bursting on the UK music scene in 1981 with the landmark singles ;New Life,' 'Just Can't Get Enough' and 'Dreaming Of Me,' Depeche Mode had been laying the groundwork for a massive career. Beyond just making great, catchy pop singles, they were pioneering a new way forward […]
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