Articles written by authors, guests and the 33 1/3 team.
Faith Pennick, author of D’Angelo’s Voodoo, on seeing D’Angelo perform for the first time. Live performances are like power outlets to me. I can plug in and share that surge of electricity the band or singer brings song after song. I had never seen D’Angelo on stage prior to the Voodoo tour. A good friend in […]
Voodoo: Live from New York Read More »
Faith Pennick, author of D’Angelo’s Voodoo, on how gospel music inspired D’Angelo’s critical acclaim. Like many African American singers who hail from the South, D’Angelo’s foundation is laid in gospel music. Much has been said and written about his R&B influences: artists like Marvin Gaye, Sly and the Family Stone, and his North Star: Prince. But
Catching the Spirit Read More »
Can Refazenda help us rethink how we approach the world? Can the album inspire radical action in fighting climate change? In 2020, it’s hard to think about Brazil without also thinking about the Amazon, deforestation, and the sad state of our environment. Though produced nearly a half century ago, Gilberto Gil’s Refazenda (1975) is timely
Refazenda in a World on Fire Read More »
About twenty years ago, during a trip home to New Mexico I ran into an old friend from high school. When we got around to talking about work, she told me that she was at a non-profit in Washington D.C., advocating for the legalization of marijuana. I had never really heard anyone talk seriously about
Refazenda and Drug Policy in the Americas Read More »
Marc Hertzman on his his new addition to 33 1/3 Brazil. During the 1970s, Gilberto Gil produced a remarkable musical trilogy: Refazenda (1975), Refavela (1977), and Realce (1979). Of the three, Refavela is probably the most popular and widely discussed, and Realce includes, among other hits, a beautiful cover of “No Woman, No Cry,” with
So, why Gilberto Gil’s Refazenda? Read More »
This January 28th marks the 35th anniversary of We Are the World’s initial recording. Originally recorded by the super-group USA for Africa in 1985, this song raised over $63 million in humanitarian aid in Africa and the US, as well as becoming one of the fastest-selling American pop singles in history. Bringing together some of
35th anniversary of We Are the World Read More »
Tomorrow will be the 20th anniversary of D’Angelo’s powerful, timeless album, Voodoo. A defining anthem of the neo-soul movement, Voodoo is a powerful declaration of D’Angelo’s musical talent. Yet following its 2000 release, its critical and commercial success, and then the feverish and overwhelming response to the “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” music video, D’Angelo
D’Angelo’s Voodoo at 20 Read More »
Ian Bourland just wrote published his new 33 1/3, Massive Attack’s Blue Lines, and now he’s back to tell us about the process of how it came to be. Is it all about the finished product, or the journey it takes to get there? Writing Massive Attack: Blue Lines is the most fun writing assignment
The Journey of Writing a 33 1/3 on Massive Attack Read More »
Roshanak Kheshti, author of Wendy Carlos’s Switched -On Bach, on how she discovered a Moog synthesizer in a record store back in the 90s. Wendy Carlos’s Switched-On Bach is currently 30% off during our Holiday Sale, so make sure to grab yourself a copy before the sale ends December 15th! The year was 1996. It
How Roshanak Kheshti became the “Moogstress” Read More »
Today is the last day of our B-sides author takeover, and we’re ending with a short and sweet essay by Evie Nagy, author of Devo’s Freedom of Choice. Her chapter in The 33 1/3 B-sides is all about Music from the Motion Picture Pulp Fiction. Below, she talks about why the soundtrack has stuck with
The 33 1/3 B-sides Week, Day 4: Royale with Cheese Read More »
