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Two-disc set chronicles power popster's productive latter years

You could say it’s been one hell of a ride for Dwight Twilley.  Emerging from Tulsa, Oklahoma in the mid Seventies, he scored a big hit right out of the gate with “I’m On Fire” - establishing right away Twilley’s keen way with a melody, something he’s been doing for over 40 years.  After souring on the bright lights of the big city, he returned home to Tulsa near the close of the last millennium and began making records on his own terms.

The Best of Twilley: The Tulsa Years sums up one of the most fruitful chapters of his career.  The two disc set also contains several bonus tracks as well. Twilley also gives his memories of the late Leon Russell.

Big Star’s first two LPs were full of chiming guitars, heavy drums and melodic hooks, yet somehow both albums failed to meet the high expectations. Those failures loomed large as Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens went to work on their next project.

Eventually called Third or Sister Lovers, the songs recorded for these sessions seemed at times to be the polar opposite of their first two records - alternating between haunting moments of despair, and fragile beauty. The album, never officially completed, has been issued over the years in many forms and track listings. But, Omnivore Recordings has assembled quite possibly the final word on the legendary project.

Complete Third is s three-disc set, bringing together virtually every note recorded for these sessions. Through acoustic demos, rough mixes, and about as final version of the album as we’ll ever hear, we get a peek behind the scenes of this fractured masterpiece.

We talk to Big Star drummer Jody Stephens about recording the album, what producer Jim Dickinson brought to the project, and how a song he wrote, “For You,” helped shape the rest of the record.

We talk to the man behind one of the best albums of the year

Remember when an album was a collection of great songs that you wanted to play over and over?  Seth Walker does, and he's recently issued Gotta Get Back, his ninth album, full of his signature soul-blues hybrid.

The new record finds him returning to his roots, enlisting family members to play on the album, and embracing the music that set him down his life's journey.  It's easily one of the finest albums of the year.

We talk to him about some of the unique stories behind these great new songs, and how Stevie Ray Vaughan changed his life as a young college student.

John Hall has been able to live two distinctly different lives. In one, he led the Seventies soft-rock outfit Orleans, co-writing their two big hits “Dance With Me” and “Still the One.” In the other, he was a US Representative for New York’s 19th District from 2007 to 2011. John’s just put out his memoir, Still the One: A Rock n’ Roll Journey To Congress and Back.

In it, we find several times where his two worlds intersect. We also find out how he struck up a friendship with Janis Joplin, and also had a large hand in the No Nukes concerts that featured heavyweights like Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.

Well, they say that everything old is new again - that holds true for Banjo Nickaru & the Western Scooches, who have combined elements of country, bluegrass, western swing, rockabilly, and Dixieland jazz.  The result is an infectious blend of styles that will get you dancing.  They’ve just issued a new EP called The Very Next Thing, and from the band we talk with both Nick Russo, who plays guitar and banjo, and Betina Hershey, one of the singers.

Both Russo & Hershey are also in the Hot Jazz Jumpers, so we talk the differences in both bands.  Plus, Hershey tells the story about how the two met, and eventually got married (also turning out the ironically titled “I Don’t Believe in Love”).

Singer Tiffany had phenomenal success at an unbelievably young age.  Her debut album went quadruple platinum when she was only 15 years old.  That record yielded back to back number one hits with the Tommy James’ cover “I Think We’re Alone Now,” and “Could’ve Been.”  Other hits followed, including the Beatles reworking “I Saw Him Standing There” and “All This Time.” But, the shelf life of a teen idol is usually short-lived.  As she became an adult, she ventured into different territory - dance and country music.

Now, she’s back with A Million Miles, her first new album in five years.  She talks about learning the art of songwriting in Nashville, co-producing an album for the first time, and she reminisces about her early days in the music business.

Singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop scored several hit songs in the 70’s & 80’s like “Save it For a Rainy Day,” “On & On,” and “It Might Be You.”  He wrote songs for many other artists, including “Separate Lives,” a #1 hit for Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin.  He’s part of one of the most iconic scenes of the classic Animal House movie, where John Belushi smashes his guitar.

Stephen has a brand new album called Blueprint, which features many songs that were originally cut as demos.  He tells us the origins behind many of the songs, plus how he became friends with Eric Clapton, and how got involved in the Animal House movie.  And, he tells us a very funny story of touring with Linda Ronstadt.

The Connells came out of the same Southern Pop scene that birthed R.E.M. and Let’s Active in the early Eighties.  They scored multiple hits on US college radio with songs like “Something to Say,” “Stone Cold Yesterday,” and “Fun & Games.”  The band was even bigger overseas, turning in the surprise European smash “’74, ’75” in 1993 (the song still makes “best of Nineties’ lists overseas).

The band’s 30-plus year career finally gets distilled on Stone Cold Yesterday: The Best of the Connells from the Bicycle Music Company.

From the band, we talk with singer Doug Macmillan, who talks about why their classic music was unavailable for so many years. Plus he tells us stories about working with producer Mitch Easter, meeting the Pogues, and playing in Italy for a crowd of over 100,000 people.

The Beach Boys are the greatest American Rock n’ Roll Band. Their music is ever-present in our culture. Kids of today are as likely to know the words to “Surfin’ USA,” and “Fun Fun Fun,” as “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” A new collection released by Omnivore Recordings, Becoming the Beach Boys, the Complete Hite and Dorinda Morgan Sessions, gives us the clearest view into the group’s origins. Through demos, rehearsals, multiple takes and studio chatter, you can hear the Beach Boys gelling as a band, both vocally and musically.

We talk with the man that helped put this fantastic package together, the owner of Omnivore Recordings, Brad Rosenberger. We discuss how he acquired these vintage tapes, the cool memorabilia in the accompanying booklet, and some of the oddest tracks in the set.

Lesley Gore had a series of million-selling singles in the mid 1960’s, including “It’s My Party,” “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” and “You Don’t Own Me.” At the same time, she blazed a trail for the current crop of female artists that are dominating the pop music of today. Unbelievably, there has never been a biography written about this influential artist – until now.

Trevor Tolliver, a life-long fan, has just issued You Don’t Own Me: the Life and Times of Lesley Gore from Backbeat Books. We talk about how Tolliver gathered his extensive information, including becoming friends with the singer near the end of her life. We also chronicle Gore’s rise to fame and how she struggled when public taste shifted.