95 North. . . The Newspaper

In the beginning, the Beatles perfected the art of the bar band- peppy tunes that played off Chuck Berry, doo-wop groups, and rock n' roll blues in equal parts. These were the four young lads that got the youth clapping their hands, screaming at the Ed Sullivan show, and packing out Shea Stadium. The thing is, these boys grew. Aided by Dylan, dreams, and the social upheaval of the 1960's, the Beatles dipped deeper into musical experimentation- dropping albums that possessed a moody spirit like Revolver , simulated a wild, carnivalesque rock show like Sgt. Pepper , and wandering full-on studio experiments like the Magical Mystery Tour . Sure, the band rewrote what pop music could be. Their decade (almost) long transition from self-assured bar band to folk rock tune-smiths, to sitar-spinning psychedelic masters and beyond led them to a familiar resting spot: back to where they started. The Beatles final album was 1970's underrated classic Let it Be , which featured, ju...

By Abe Orabi As the story goes, Eric Clapton was once asked, “What is it like to be the greatest guitar player who ever lived?” His response, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Prince.” It’s a great one-liner. It’s also completely made up. Another urban legend spawned from the information cesspool now known as the internet. Yet, while the anecdote may be false the overarching premise is spot-on. Prince most definitely was (and is) one of the greatest guitar players to ever strike a chord.   Price: Rockin' in the free world For most of us, Prince’s musical persona was shrouded in extravagance and mystery. His fashion trends, music, and death all shared a common thread—unpredictability. Prince routinely abandoned convention in favor of the egregiously unconventional.   His birth-name (Prince Rogers Nelson) was truncated and changed, then changed back, then truncated once more until all that remained was a symbol, difficult to draw and impossible to pronounce. Ultimat...