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Andy Partridge Geniuses Music music videos performers photography Singers videos vocalists XTC

XTC, featuring Andy Partridge.

Few bands can match XTC’s accomplishments as far as writing/performing memorably quirky, intellectual, and, yes, catchy songs. Lead vocalist Andy Partridge provides the oddball genius charisma to generate a potent cocktail of aural nirvana.

Most of these are live performances, with the Rockpalast “Senses” being fairly rare.

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Allan Clarke Music music videos performers Singers The Hollies videos vocalists

The Hollies.

The Hollies, a superb three-part harmony group {primarily}, fronted by the amazing Allan Clarke, had many a monster hit, including the Albert Hammond-penned The Air That I Breathe; these are four of their finest.

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Actors Actors of Greatness Brad Dourif epoch-defining Film Geniuses performers Photo-Editing photography Police Procedurals Predators Psychopaths Sci-Fi serial killers TV X-Files

The X-Files: Beyond the Sea.

The brilliant actor Brad Dourif gives a mind-boggling portrayal of convicted—and soon to be executed—serial killer Luther Lee Boggs. In this story, there’s a catch—a quite big one—in that the murderer claims to have acquired psychic powers, and might be able to help capture a predator who has abducted two people, and has killed ritualistically in the past. Mulder (David Duchovny), for one, is less than convinced.

In these two subsequent scenes, firstly… although Agent Scully would dearly love to converse with her recently deceased father, it’s quite possible that Luther Lee Boggs’ (Brad Dourif loses his mind, in the best possible way) intense aversion to the electric chair has even greater motivational potency. Lastly, in the poignant, haunting final scene (the final scene *we’re* going to present…), the correct warning Boggs had given to Scully ended up saving her life, and convinces her that he’s been telling the truth. He’s only willing to convey her father’s message if she is his witness when he’s strapped to the chair in a few hours. Is this one last trick, one potential last act of cruelty? Or does he truly value the agent whose life he saved? This ambiguity is part of what makes him such an intriguing character…and Dourif’s masterful performance makes Boggs truly indelible.

Amen. Simply one of the greatest performances I’ve seen, ever.

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Audio Geniuses Lene Lovich Music music videos performers photography Singers videos vocalists

The Lene Lovich.

Lili-Marlene Premilovich, later known as Lene Lovich, preternaturally idiosyncratic—and gifted—songstress, happens to play saxophone, is an animal rights activist, and initially wore her hair in braids to keep the locks from the clay, when in art school, studying sculpture. And, damn, she can deliver a tune. With octaves to spare {hear: Momentary Breakdown}.

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Country Music Dwight Yoakam Geniuses Music music videos performers Singers Townes Van Zandt vocalists Willie Nelson

The Country Musics.

Shade Tree Fix-It Man
High On A Hilltop

Titans of music abound in this post. From the preternatural pipes of Mr. Yoakam, to the not-in-need-of-rocking-chairs legend George Jones, to guitar legend Junior Brown, to the inimitable Hoyt Axton, to the Lanois-ing Willie Nelson…then the hugely underappreciated Dick Curless, the mighty Johnny Paycheck, the irresistible Lucinda Williams, to Dan Auerbach and his mesmerizing ways, Buck Owens in his prime with Don Rich, the great Merle Haggard, the Silver FoxB.J. Thomas…and we conclude with Dwight once more, with Eddy Shaver. Damn Right. And Townes Van Zandt.

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Actors Actors of Greatness Andrew Scott Criminal Masterminds Film Geniuses Moriarty performers Police Procedurals Psychopaths Sherlock TV videos

The Moriarty {Andrew Scott}.

Actor Andrew Scott turns in a bravura performance as criminal mastermind James Moriarty in the BBC series Sherlock. Truly mesmerizing.

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Audio Glenn Tilbrook Music music videos performers photography pure pop wonderment Singers Squeeze videos vocalists

Squeeze, and The Glenn Tilbrook.

Mr. Glenn Tilbrook, longtime lead vocalist for Squeeze, is without doubt one of the foremost practitioners of his craft. There is little he can’t do, and beautifully. Then-member Paul Carrack, primarily a keyboardist, sang lead on the iconic Tempted, for some reason. He certainly did a creditable job, but it sure is a fine thing to hear Glenn take his rightful place at the microphone, for the two live versions presented above. Pulling Mussels, In Quintessance, and Is That Love all illustrate the band’s talents for creating clever, catchier-than-thou pop classics, and Tilbrook is precisely the man you’d want to sing them. Black Coffee in Bed stands as a mighty exemplar of Blue-Eyed soul, with Elvis Costello and Paul Young performing backup vocal duties. Good ol’ Jools Holland makes an appearance or two, here, to boot. A marvelous {and vastly underrated} band.

{Note: this post thoroughly revised, 8/10/2019}

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Audio Elvis Costello hit singles Music music videos performers photography Singers videos vocalists

The Elvis Costello.

Elvis Costello III

{Revised: 7/6/2019}

“Bowing, and squawking, Running after tidbits; Bopping and squinting, Just like a nitwit…”

Mr. Elvis Costello: One of the very greatest, most idiosyncratic performers and composers. Of this, or any, century/epoch. We will not see his likes again.

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Audio Girl Groups Music music videos performers photography Singers vocalists

The “Girl Groups” and Individuals

Ronnie Spector II

A selection of some of the most wondrous moments in re: “Girl Group”-dom. We have: The Ronettes, Martha and the Vandellas, The Shirelles, The Royalettes, Betty Everett, Doris Troy, The Shangri-Las, Lesley Gore, and Ruby and the Romantics.

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Audio Elton John Music music videos performers photography Singers videos vocalists

The Sir Elton John

Your Sister Can’t Twist.
Between 17 and 20.
Elton John I

The great man, pictured also with lyricist and co-composer Bernie Taupin. Elton John has amassed 27+ Top 10 U.S. singles, and achieved total world domination throughout The 70’s. As dynamic a performer as they come, Elton is simply an indelible presence on the world stage. “The spotlight’s hitting something that’s been known to change the weather”.