Former Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner remembers the favourite music of his youth, calling the 60s and 70s “a period of intense cultural creativity broadly equivalent to the Renaissance.”
Music
The music Nova listeners Wanted? Program boss defends conflict charge
A senior executive at the Lachlan Murdoch-controlled Nova FM group has dismissed conflict of interest concerns after he shoehorned a UK boy band managed by his father onto high rotation.
infographic 
Animated: 30 years of the music industry
Back in 1980, when Blondie and Pink Floyd were rocking the charts, 59% of music sales were for LPs or EPs. Back just last year that figure was down to 1%, with 49% CD sales. Check out this glorious GIF of graphs from 30 years of music industry info.
Happy 30th birthday, MTV
It made Beck want to smoke crack. Gave its name to a generation. And, yes, tried to kill the radio star. MTV turns 30 years old this week, join Neil Walker as he celebrates the music channel.
How to interview a celebrity
Music journalist Jessica Misener tells a hilarious story in GIFs about what it’s really like to interview famous bands and pop stars.
Which song has been soundtracking your life this week?
It’s the weekend! This is your moment! Which song has been soundtracking your life this week/weekend? Leave the YouTube link for the song in the comments section
No.1 Superhits! This week’s chart toppers
Remember when you used to care about what song was number 1? Relive those glory days each week on earworm where the Australian and one other random country’s best-selling song (this week: Japan!) is aired.
Is Neil Young’s Harvest a classic album?
This month’s instalment of earworm’s Classic Album? series analyses Neil Young’s Harvest, a strange beast that fluctuates from the sublime to the ridiculous, writes Neil Walker.
Out of time? The Strokes vs R.E.M.
There are bands and artists that have seen better times. In the first of an occasional series, Crikey’s music blog earworm listens to the latest releases of two such survivors (so you don’t have to?) — The Strokes and R.E.M.
Weekly chart toppers on earworm
Every week Crikey’s music blog earworm presents the best-selling song for Australia and one other country. Brace yourself for France’s A Nos Actes Manqués.
earworm weekend open thread
Which song has lodged itself in your mind this week? Share your tracks on Crikey’s music blog earworm.
Is House’s house of blues a blue?
Dr Gregory House from the TV show House has released an album of blues songs. Yep. Blues. This white Englishman can sing the blues, sure, but does he sing them well? asks Neil Walker.
Classic album #1: Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys
Crikey’s new music blog Earworm today launches a book club style initiative in which readers share and discuss their favourite albums. First cab off the rank: the Beach Boys’ 1966 ripper Pet Sounds.
1001 Australian Nights: an interview with Dave Graney
Rocker Dave Graney sits down with Gerard Elson to chat about his new memoir on life on the road as a dirty muso, 1001 Australian Nights, as well as living in London and his favourite works of art.
Everett True: finally, some recognition for white indie male acts
Notice anything familiar about any of the acts? Yes, they’re all from that broad church… white indie music, writes music critic Everett True.
Concert sales hit a low note
The one saving grace for the embattled music industry in recent years has been concert and festival tickets. But 2010 has seen global ticket sales fall by 12%.
Sonic Mulchings 2010
From the godfather of rap to sonic poetry and classical tunes, W H Chong offers his best musical encounters of 2010. It’s an eclectic mix of videos, podcasts, albums and live performances.
Bach’s last will and testament
W H Chong heads down to church to hear Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Four soloists and a small orchestra perform the big work, which has been called Bach’s “last will and testament.” It wasn’t performed complete until 1859, over a century after his death.
album reviews The Smoke Fairies (and goodbye)
The Smoke Fairies album Through Low Light and Trees is a beautiful dream in which so much of the music I love magically combined somewhere deep in my unconscious and came out just the way I wanted it, says Tim Dunlop, in his final album review for Johnny’s in the Basement.
album reviews Gareth Liddiard, Strange Tourist — dark and grinding
Strange Tourist consists of Gareth Liddiard accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, singing long songs with clever lyrics documenting the political and the personal. It’s not an album that you necessarily enjoy but it is nevertheless rewarding, writes Tim Dunlop.
The relationship between pop culture and the atomic bomb
The Beatle’s hit single Love Me Do was released four days before the Cuban missile crisis began. The band’s subsequent success can be linked to the atomic bomb - along with plenty of other “living for the moment” pop culture, writes Jon Savage.
3,600 reasons why the Oz music industry is in trouble
How many records do you need to sell to get to No 1 on The ARIA? Well this week metal band Bring Me the Horizon managed it after selling only 3,600 albums. What a sad state the music industry is stuck in, explains Tim Dunlop.
Obama’s iPod choices a bit off-key
In an interview with Rolling Stone, President Obama mentioned that hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Lil Wayne were on his iPod. Obama needs to realise that his listening choices are sending a dangerous message, writes Stanley Crouch.
Genius radio, what a Nerve
Why was Paul McCartney’s Yesterday special? Why do mothers sing to their babies? In a higher voice? Do babies make us sing to them? One simple ABC podcast teaches W H Chong so much.
World Cup: 
How do vuvuzelas make their sound?
Vuvuzelas have become the hot World Cup topic with their loud, distinctive insect droning sound. An acoustic engineer explains how the noise is created and why it’s so annoying to hear.
