Review Music Reviews Rock historian Ed Ward revisits the Beatles' puzzling Christmas records Fresh Air December 24, 2021 Ward, who died May 3, 2021, spoke in 1992 about a series of Christmas singles the Beatles made in the '60s. If you were a member of their fan club, you got one each year. Rock historian Ed Ward revisits the Beatles' puzzling Christmas records Listen · 8:16 8:16 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1066323744/1067694898" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Rock historian Ed Ward revisits the Beatles' puzzling Christmas records Listen · 8:16 8:16 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1066323744/1067694898" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Obituaries Remembering Rock N' Roll Pioneer Chuck Berry Fresh Air March 20, 2017 The legendary guitarist, songwriter and singer died Saturday at the age of 90. Rock historian Ed Ward looks back on Berry's music and career. Originally broadcast in May 2008. Remembering Rock N' Roll Pioneer Chuck Berry Listen · 8:41 8:41 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/520830040/520842212" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Remembering Rock N' Roll Pioneer Chuck Berry Listen · 8:41 8:41 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/520830040/520842212" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Review Music Reviews Listening To The Monkees With Fresh Ears, 50 Years Later Fresh Air January 27, 2017 Rock historian missed the "Prefab Four" the first time they came along. Listening now, he finds that the Monkees' best songs have held up, mostly because they used top-notch songwriting talent. Listening To The Monkees With Fresh Ears, 50 Years Later Listen · 9:18 9:18 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/511910986/512016444" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Listening To The Monkees With Fresh Ears, 50 Years Later Listen · 9:18 9:18 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/511910986/512016444" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music Looking Back At The Ramones' Debut: They Were A 'Bunch Of Weirdos From New York' Fresh Air December 28, 2016 It's been 40 years since The Ramones released their self-titled first album. Rock historian Ed Ward remembers the debut as a confrontational and divisive record with a "cartoonish overlay." Looking Back At The Ramones' Debut: They Were A 'Bunch Of Weirdos From New York' Listen · 7:15 7:15 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/507244768/507279401" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Looking Back At The Ramones' Debut: They Were A 'Bunch Of Weirdos From New York' Listen · 7:15 7:15 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/507244768/507279401" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Review Music Reviews Revisiting The Off-Center, Oddly Eccentric Pop Music Of The Chills Fresh Air October 13, 2016 The New Zealand band began releasing records on the Flying Nun label in the 1980s. Four decades later, they are still at it. Rock historian Ed Ward tells story of The Chills. Revisiting The Off-Center, Oddly Eccentric Pop Music Of The Chills Listen · 8:01 8:01 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/497807893/497828911" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Revisiting The Off-Center, Oddly Eccentric Pop Music Of The Chills Listen · 8:01 8:01 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/497807893/497828911" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music The 1961 Fishing Trip That Launched The Beach Boys Fresh Air September 27, 2016 Rock historian Ed Ward takes us back to California's Redondo Pier, where Dennis Wilson and his cousin Mike Love first decided to write a song about surfing. The Beach Boys were formed soon afterwards. The 1961 Fishing Trip That Launched The Beach Boys Listen · 9:02 9:02 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/495638858/495651420" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
The 1961 Fishing Trip That Launched The Beach Boys Listen · 9:02 9:02 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/495638858/495651420" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Review Music Reviews Beyond 'Endless Sleep': The Life And Music Of One-Hit Wonder Jody Reynolds Fresh Air September 2, 2016 After his 1958 hit "Endless Sleep," Reynolds continued to record interesting music — though he never connected with the public in the same way again. Rock historian tells his story. Beyond 'Endless Sleep': The Life And Music Of One-Hit Wonder Jody Reynolds Listen · 7:56 7:56 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/492255781/492419694" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Beyond 'Endless Sleep': The Life And Music Of One-Hit Wonder Jody Reynolds Listen · 7:56 7:56 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/492255781/492419694" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music The 'Colorless City' And Odd Characters Behind The New German Wave Of The 70s Fresh Air August 1, 2016 Rock historian Ed Ward says that musicians in Düsseldorf, Germany, including Klaus Dinger of the band Neu!, helped start a new German pop movement in the 1970s and '80s. The 'Colorless City' And Odd Characters Behind The New German Wave Of The 70s Listen · 7:22 7:22 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/488227517/488251354" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
The 'Colorless City' And Odd Characters Behind The New German Wave Of The 70s Listen · 7:22 7:22 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/488227517/488251354" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music How The Band Eggs Over Easy Kicked Off London's Pub-Rock Movement Fresh Air June 21, 2016 In the mid-1970s, a hard-luck band from California was in the right place at the right time and changed London's rock-and-roll scene. Their album Good 'N' Cheap has just been reissued. How The Band Eggs Over Easy Kicked Off London's Pub-Rock Movement Listen · 7:24 7:24 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/482873738/482956402" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
How The Band Eggs Over Easy Kicked Off London's Pub-Rock Movement Listen · 7:24 7:24 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/482873738/482956402" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Review Music Herman's Hermits, A Band That Was In It For The Hits And The Kicks Fresh Air June 3, 2016 Herman's Hermits hit the American pop charts 22 times in the 1960s and early '70s. Now, a new anthology compiles 66 of the Hermits' tracks. Rock historian Ed Ward considers how the music has held up. Herman's Hermits, A Band That Was In It For The Hits And The Kicks Listen · 9:20 9:20 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/480597139/480633148" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Herman's Hermits, A Band That Was In It For The Hits And The Kicks Listen · 9:20 9:20 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/480597139/480633148" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music How Soul Great Clarence Carter Put Fame Records On The Map Fresh Air May 10, 2016 Carter's influence on pop and soul predates his best-known hit, "Patches," and is still felt today. Rock historian Ed Ward revisits the early career and the lasting impact of the expert songwriter. How Soul Great Clarence Carter Put Fame Records On The Map Listen · 7:41 7:41 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/477490697/477507677" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
How Soul Great Clarence Carter Put Fame Records On The Map Listen · 7:41 7:41 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/477490697/477507677" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music 'The Complete Them' Showcases Van Morrison Before He Went Solo Fresh Air March 17, 2016 A new release by Legacy revisits the hits of Them, the band George Ivan Morrison played in before he became Van Morrison. Ed Ward remembers the band's brief existence. 'The Complete Them' Showcases Van Morrison Before He Went Solo Listen · 9:35 9:35 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/470809293/470835497" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
'The Complete Them' Showcases Van Morrison Before He Went Solo Listen · 9:35 9:35 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/470809293/470835497" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music The Rocking, Rollicking R&B Of Billy Ward And His Dominoes Fresh Air March 11, 2016 The vocal group Billy Ward and his Dominoes covered white hits for the black market, and along the way discovered two of the greatest voices of the era. Rock historian Ed Ward tells the story. The Rocking, Rollicking R&B Of Billy Ward And His Dominoes Listen · 9:04 9:04 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/470007011/470097957" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
The Rocking, Rollicking R&B Of Billy Ward And His Dominoes Listen · 9:04 9:04 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/470007011/470097957" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Music Remembering Folk Singer/Songwriter Dan Hicks Fresh Air February 8, 2016 Hicks, who died on Saturday, began performing with his band Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks in the late '60s. Rock historian Ed Ward has an appreciation. Originally broadcast Jan 10, 2002. Remembering Folk Singer/Songwriter Dan Hicks Listen · 9:25 9:25 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/466017837/466030467" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Remembering Folk Singer/Songwriter Dan Hicks Listen · 9:25 9:25 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/466017837/466030467" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
Review Music Reviews New Release By Numero Revisits Ork Records' Complete Catalog Fresh Air January 27, 2016 Terry Ork was a mystery man who crashed the Warhol scene and founded his own record label. Rock historian Ed Ward traces the brief, tumultuous existence of Ork Records. New Release By Numero Revisits Ork Records' Complete Catalog Listen · 9:16 9:16 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/464561029/464585787" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript
New Release By Numero Revisits Ork Records' Complete Catalog Listen · 9:16 9:16 Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/464561029/464585787" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript