In the consumerist, money-obsessed recording industry, artists have had to fight hard to record the music they love. Tori Amos detoured through the failure of the pop/big hair rock band Y Kant Tour Read because countless labels told her “that girl with the piano thing is dead.” Her successful solo debut,
Little Earthquakes, was initially rejected by Atlantic Records (she was told she needed to replace all the pianos with guitars for it to be a viable record). She made some compromises on the final line-up of tracks, but held firm to her artistic vision for the music.
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Tags: The state of music by Jon O
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Face it: we’re fascinated by ghosts. Especially this time of year, during the season of Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Whether as metaphors or as intimations of our mortality, you don’t need to necessarily believe in ghosts to appreciate them. These ten songs and CDs represent a variety of styles, from somber to playful, from traditional to experimental. But they all share a sure sense of artistry that deals with the dead, the dying, or things departed. 
“The 80s: Were They Really That Bad?” That’s the subject of National Public Radio’s September 2 broadcast of 
Sheila Weller has written a fascinating book about Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon and the journey of a generation. The book is filled with insights about what influenced their artistic temperaments and helped establish them as three of the most successful and respected female songwriters of the 1960s and 70s. 
