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Don Waller

Don Waller

A second-generation native of Los Angeles, Don Waller was the author of The Motown Story (Scribner's, 1985). Unlike 99% of music books, it sold so many copies they had to pay him royalties. Like 99% of music books, it's now out-of-print. Waller also contributed a chapter to the L.A. punk-rock history Make The Music Go Bang! and wrote about Lenny Bruce and Lord Buckley for The Rolling Stone Book Of The Beats.

A founding member of the semi-legendary Back Door Man fanzine/indie record label, Don wrote extensively for Mojo, USA Today, Billboard, Variety, Radio & Records, L.A. Weekly, L.A. CityBeat and – more than 370 stories – for the Los Angeles Times. His byline also graced the The Guardian, New York Rocker, Creem, Spin, Musician, Pulse, Request, Option, Raygun, ICE, Harp, Guitar World, Star Hits, Network, BAM, the L.A. Reader, the (Detroit) Metro Times, and California as well as Amazon, iTunes, Launch, eMusic, Playboy.com, Rollingstone.com, Sonicboomers, Napster, Addicted To Noise, Microsoft Music Central, Entertainment Asylum's Music Axis (AOL), Allstarmag, and Feed The Monster. Some of these are even still in business.

Waller also wrote more than 40 sets of liner notes, including such various artist packages as Beg, Scream & Shout! The Big Ol' Box Of '60s Soul, multiple volumes of garage-rock Nuggets, New Orleans R&B, and Soul Shots, a compilation of the original versions of songs covered by the Beatles, and a '70s Party Killers collection that defied rational analysis. He also provided liners for reissues ranging from Little Richard to Los Lobos to SCTV Network90 Vol. 1, a multi-DVD collection of seminal shows from the Canadian comedy troupe. Some of these are even still in print.

Along with serving as a music consultant for several cable-TV shows, Waller contributed bonus material to the U.S. DVD edition of Don Letts’s documentary Punk: Attitude, and created a 90-page catalog detailing all the video properties owned by Dick Clark Productions.

Long before he became a not-so-humble scrivener, Waller was a member of proto-punk outfit the Imperial Dogs – who wrote and recorded the original version of 'This Ain't The Summer Of Love', later reworked /re-recorded by the Blue Oyster Cult. The band recently unearthed an hour-long video performance, The Imperial Dogs: Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974), that's currently available from theimperialdogs.com
 
Don passed away in November 2016.

L.A. Times tribute to Don

118 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

The Knack: Starwood, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, New York Rocker, April 1979

ONCE UPON a time, The Knack was a movie starring (I believe) Michael Caine and Rita Tushingham. Set in swinging London, the plot revolved around ...

14 Karat Soul: Sister Suzie Cinema Strikes 14 Karat Soul

Report by Don Waller, New York Rocker, 14 January 1980

The whole world is a stage And everybody's playing a part The stage is set, the curtain goes up The scene is a broken ...

The Plimsouls: Plimsouls: Culver City Arena, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, New York Rocker, March 1980

IT'S FRIDAY night in L.A. and it's been raining for a week. But (prophetically) it's the Midnight Hour, and tonight, the Culver City Arena (in ...

The Specials: The Specials (Chrysalis)

Review by Don Waller, New York Rocker, March 1980

BY THE END of side one, I found myself plastered spread-eagled to the ceiling, tongue and eyes bulging, my face frozen in a delirious grin. ...

The Falcons: Starwood, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, New York Rocker, June 1980

I dig rock 'n' roll music I can do the Twine and the Jerk I wear strictly Continental suits and high collared shirts I got ...

Fabulous Thunderbirds: Blue(S) Metal Flake on a Big White Fab T-Bird

Report and Interview by Don Waller, New York Rocker, November 1980

(Cue music: Juke Boy Bonner's 'Runnin' Shoes') ...

John Cooper Clarke, Linton Kwesi Johnson: Linton Kwesi Johnson: Bass Culture (Island import); John Cooper Clarke: Snap, Crackle & Bop (Epic import)

Review by Don Waller, New York Rocker, November 1980

THIS IS The Rap on The Rap, Part I: On the day you're born the doctor smacks your butt, then you start to rappin' and ...

Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Germs, X: The Decline of Western Civilization (Dir. Penelope Spheeris)

Film/DVD/TV Review by Don Waller, New York Rocker, September 1981

THE DECLINE of Western Civilization, Penelope Spheeris's documentary of the L.A. punk scene circa late '79/early '80, is by turns funny, provocative, pretentious, inspiring, boring, ...

Ritchie Valens Lives!

Retrospective by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 29 October 1981

RITCHIE VALENS, born Richard Valenzuela in Pacoima, California, on May 13, 1941, cut three hit records before he finished high school: 'Come On Let's Go', ...

AC/DC: For Those About To Rock We Salute You (Atlantic SD 11111)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 6 December 1981

ROCK'S A-B-C'S FROM AC/DC ...

Chic: Take It Off (Atlantic SD 19323)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 20 December 1981

CHIC ON A COLD STREAK ...

Mötley Crüe: Country Club, Reseda CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 December 1981

CATCHING MÖTLEY CRÜE IN A FLASH ...

Foreigner, Junior Walker & the All Stars: Junior Walker — A Soul Man

Report and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 4 January 1982

BY 10:30 SATURDAY night, the line in front of the Club Lingerie, a trendy Hollywood rock spot catering to in-crowd tastes, stretched around the corner. ...

James Cotton: Hop Singh's, Marina Del Rey CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 26 January 1982

COTTON'S BLUES AT HOP SINGH'S ...

Van Halen: Diver Down (Warner Bros. BSK 3677)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 1982

'DIVER DOWN' IS UP WITH THE BEST ...

The Plugz, War: War, the Plugz: Country Club, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 1982

GOING TO WAR FOR AN L.A. SOUND ...

Talking Heads: The Name of This Band is Talking Heads (Sire)

Review by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 3 June 1982

Talking Heads: Form Meets Funk(tion) ...

Bobby "Blue" Bland, Millie Jackson: Millie Jackson, Bobby Bland: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 1982

THE WAY Millie Jackson carries on in concert would make Bette Midler blush. Jackson, who sprang to prominence in the early '70s with a batch ...

The Flesh Eaters: Chris D. On The Ways Of Flesh (And Spirit)

Interview by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 22 July 1982

"THE FLESH Eaters?... It's not some gory, horror-movie-title thing. The spirit is what's eating the flesh." ...

Defunkt, Talking Heads: Talking Heads, Defunkt: Greek Theater, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 August 1982

TALKING HEADS: WHOLE LOTTA RHYTHM ...

Rick James, Ray Parker Jr.: Forum, Inglewood CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 August 1982

RICK JAMES AND THE FUNK CAPADES ...

Ashford & Simpson: Hope Is Where You Find It

Interview by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 9 September 1982

AFTER 18 YEARS, seven hit singles and three gold albums, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson are probably best known for starring in a Coca-Cola commercial. ...

Frank Sinatra: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 30 September 1982

Sinatra at the Amphitheatre: The Voice of America ...

ABC: The Lexicon Of Love (Mercury SRM-1-4509)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 24 October 1982

POTENT LOVE SONGS ...

The Time, Vanity 6: The Time: What Time Is It? (Warner Bros. 1-23701); Vanity 6: Vanity 6 (Warner Bros. 1-23716)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 24 October 1982

HOT FUNK IN DOUBLE TIME ...

Oingo Boingo, Suburban Lawns: Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 November 1982

HALLOWEEN HOP WITH OINGO BOINGO ...

Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music: Bryan Ferry Leaves His Heart In Avalon

Interview by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 4 November 1982

"I'M BASICALLY very shy," Bryan Ferry tells me with a mock chuckle — or is it a nervous laugh? Welcome to Roxy Music-land, where intergalactic ...

ABC: The Next Big Thing Redisappears

Profile by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 30 December 1982

ABC Easy as 1-2-3 As simple as do-re-mi ABC 1-2-3 Baby, you and me, girl... —The Jackson Five, 1970 ...

Willie Dixon: Hop Singh's, Marina del Rey CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 8 February 1983

DIXON HOLDS COURT AT HOP SINGH'S ...

George Clinton: The Gangster Of Funk

Interview by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 3 March 1983

IF THE name George Clinton means anything to you, then you probably know him as Uncle Jam, the man with the plan, the songwriter-producer-vocalist-conceptualist for ...

The Cramps: the Country Club, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 1983

STIMULATING BREW FROM THE DREGS ...

Jackie Wilson: The Jackie Wilson Story (Epic EG 38623)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 1983

JACKIE WILSON: FADE TO BLACK ...

The Fleshtones: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 1983

THE SPONTANEOUS FLESHTONES ...

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble: Texas Flood (Epic BFE 3S734)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 1983

ELECTRIC STORM ...

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 24 August 1983

A TOWERING DISPLAY OF BLUESICIANSHIP ...

Girlschool: Country Club, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 December 1983

GIRLSCHOOL'S BRITISH CLASS ...

Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Life For Jay Hawkins Is Still A Scream

Profile and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 25 December 1983

"MAN, I WAS 20 years ahead of my time," says rocker Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose early '50s recording of 'I Put a Spell on You' ...

Lee Dorsey: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 January 1984

DORSEY'S NEW ORLEANS R&B SOUL ...

Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops For A "Footnote"

Obituary by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 1984

LIKE MANY A true fan, I always thought that one day Jackie Wilson would suddenly leap out of the hospital bed where he lay semi-comatose ...

Johnny Adams: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 30 January 1984

JOHNNY ADAMS IN LOCAL DEBUT ...

Van Halen: Life With The Top Down

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1984

"A LOTTA PEOPLE figure, 'Oh, Diamond Dave, he gets all the women he wants,'" says David Lee Roth with a cat-that-ate-the-canary gleam in his eye. ...

Shredder: Teen Scene from Belly of the Beast

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 1984

Now flip that teen coin and meet a breed of kiddies who are not going to dance clubs, who are not listening to floaty romantic ...

Roy Head: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 1984

YEAAHHH, MAH man. As a semi-legend, Joan Rivers has nothing on Roy Head, whose '65 smash 'Treat Her Right' remains one of the toughest, most ...

Tina Turner: Onstage A Blaze In Total Control

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 1984

"I'M NOT A mystery," says Tina Turner. "Look what's in now — body building, aerobics, exercise — I've been yelling and running for 20 years! ...

The Time: Ice Cream Castle (Warner Bros.)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1984

THE TIME FLIES IN ICE CREAM CASTLE ...

Morris Day, The Time: The Time: Day's New Dawning

Interview by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 13 September 1984

"THE BAND used to always try to smell the clothes before I put them on," says Time leader Morris Day, talking about how he first ...

Los Lobos: How Will The Wolf Survive? (Slash/Warner Bros.)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 25 November 1984

HOWLIN' WOLVES ...

Mamie Van Doren: Palomino, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 1 February 1985

RETURN OF '50s BIMBO ROYALTY ...

Mick Jagger: She's The Boss (Columbia)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 March 1985

GETTIN' NO SATISFACTION ...

The Power Station: The Power Station (Capitol)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 April 1985

SCHIZO SUPERGROUP ...

The Blasters: Blasters Blather: The Book of David

Interview by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 2 May 1985

"MUSIC LIKE this is not dependent on age or looks or a trend," says Blasters guitarist-songwriter Dave Alvin, taking a hard line on rock & ...

Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 (RCA)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 1985

SAM COOKE — ALIVE AGAIN ...

Nile Rodgers: B-Movie Matinee (Warner Bros.)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 1985

RODGERS: SLY, SLICK AND WICKED ...

Lonnie Mack: Guitarist Mack Brings Varied Life To L.A. Concert

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 August 1985

"FIRST TIME I met Jeff Beck was when they were doin' that benefit for Ronnie Lane down in Dallas. Ah came in the door and ...

Sheila E.: Romance 1600 (Warner Bros.)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 1 September 1985

SHEILA E.: GENDER IN A BLENDER ...

The Blasters: Just An American Band

Interview by Don Waller, Spin, October 1985

The Blasters could play any bar in the U.S.A.: these roots were made for rockin'. ...

Etta James: Her Voice Can Get A Hold On You

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 26 October 1985

"WHAT'S HAPPENING now is that all the kids who grew up listening to me on their transistor radios in the '50s and '60s are now ...

The Long Ryders: Roxy, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 21 December 1985

LONG RYDERS: WHO WERE THOSE COUNTRY-ROCKERS? ...

Allen Toussaint: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 30 December 1985

A NEW ORLEANS KING ...

The Red Hot Chili Peppers: Red Hot Chili Peppers: Palace Theatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 7 February 1986

PEPPERS' HIGH JINKS ...

Johnny Adams, Earl King: Earl King, Johnny Adams: Nugget Club, Long Beach CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 March 1986

KING: ORIGINAL LICKS ...

Merry Clayton: Gardenia Room, Los Angeles

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 17 March 1986

WITHOUT A SONG... ...

Charles Brown: Music Machine, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 1986

BROWN: SMOKY BLUES ...

The Cramps: Palladium, Hollywood CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 1986

A DATE WITH CRAMPS ...

Chaka Khan: Destiny (Warner Bros.)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 1986

CHAKA STRUTS STUFF ...

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Greek Theater, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 1986

YA-HOO! STEVIE VAUGHAN AT GREEK ...

The SOS Band: The S.O.S. Band: Sands Of Time (Tabu)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 August 1986

S.O.S.' NOUVEAU FUNK ...

Sky Saxon: The View From The Haze

Profile and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 12 October 1986

BEHIND THE door of the aging, cracker-box Hollywood apartment sits a velvet-covered table strewn with rose petals. Two white candles cast flickering shadows over plates ...

Oran "Juice" Jones: Juice (Def Jam)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 19 October 1986

'RAIN' GEAR ...

Peter Guralnick's Soul Hits Sweet Spot

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 November 1986

DO YA LIKE good music? (Yeah, yeah.) Then Peter Guralnick's new book Sweet Soul Music (Harper & Row) is right down your alley, two steps ...

Black Flag, Gone, SWA: Ex-Black Flag Rockers Battle The Mainstream

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 November 1986

"WE WEREN'T a band that came out and played a lot of our old songs," reflects Black Flag founder/guitarist Greg Ginn in the wake of ...

Peter Wolf: Come As You Are (EMI-America)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 April 1987

LUPINE, SUPINE ...

Meat Puppets: Mirage (SST)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 19 April 1987

AIRY 'N' EERIE ...

Green on Red: The Killer Inside Me (Mercury) **

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 1987

AMERICANA NOIR ...

Faster Pussycat, Guns N' Roses: Guns N' Roses: Appetite For Destruction (Geffen) **; Faster Pussycat: Faster Pussycat (Elektra) **

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 August 1987

WHAM, GLAM, NO THANK YOU, MA'AM ...

Simply Red: Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 22 October 1987

OPENING YOUR show with a nearly a cappella version of Ray Charles' 'Drown in My Own Tears' takes a lotta nerve. It also takes industrial-strength ...

Rosie Flores, George Jones, Ricky Van Shelton: George Jones, Ricky Van Shelton, Rosie Flores: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 November 1987

George Jones' Myth Persists at the Greek ...

Tom Waits: Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 November 1987

Tom Waits Shines His Lamp on Sleazy Underside of Life Quirky Sounds, Offbeat Lighting, Wiggy Jigs Make for a Highly Stylized, Intimate Concert ...

Warren Zevon: Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 November 1987

Zevon: Mean and Black ...

The Replacements: Palladium, Hollywood CA

Live Review by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 17 December 1987

MAYBE IT was Paul Westerberg's case of the flu. Maybe it was the Hollywood Palladium, up to its usual acousticks. But if this was the ...

The Gun Club: Reloaded Gun Club Takes Aim Again

Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 3 April 1988

SITTING AT the coffee table at his mother's West Hollywood apartment, Jeffrey Lee Pierce keeps jumping up to change records. Sly & the Family Stone's ...

Morris Day: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 1988

Sellout Time for Day but the Routine's Dated ...

Tony Joe White: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 1988

Swamp-Rocker White: Sandpaper 'n' Molasses ...

Buster Poindexter: Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 1988

Pop Cultures Collide in Buster's Eclectic Mix ...

Exene Cervenka, Johnette Napolitano, Victoria Williams: Victoria Williams, Exene Cervenka, Johnette Napolitano: McCabe's, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 1988

Three Women, One Fine Show ...

Keith Richards: Talk Is Cheap (Virgin Records) ***½

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 2 October 1988

Keef Rolls Alone ...

Rudy Ray Moore, Clarence Reid (aka Blowfly): Blowfly, Rudy Ray Moore: Club Lingerie, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 12 December 1988

Blowfly Captures Crowd ...

Was (Not Was): What Up, Dog? (Chrysalis)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 18 December 1988

AS CONCEPTUALISM goes, this mutant brainchild of Dee-troit unbrothers David and Don Was is semibrilliant, taking something from everybody who ever contributed anything to the ...

Charlie Sexton: Charlie Sexton (MCA) **½

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 29 January 1989

SAL, BABES, have you heard this kid, here, Charlie Sexton? That's right, kid. Yeah, he's all of 20 years old now and this is his ...

Experience Unlimited (EU): E.U.: Livin' Large (Virgin) ***

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 March 1989

YOWL, Y'AWL. Let's git LARGE. Big Time big time. For their major-label debut, the D.C.-based veteran "go-go" outfit not only reprises last year's booty-bustin' dance ...

Public Enemy: Ackerman Ballroom, UCLA, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 March 1989

Public Enemy Raps the System ...

Bananarama: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 10 April 1989

Bananarama Half-Packs Universal Amphitheatre ...

Tin Machine: Tin Machine (EMI)

Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, May 1989

Bowie's Machine: The Return of the Chameleon ...

Curtis Mayfield: The Palomino, Los Angeles

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 23 October 1989

Mayfield Performs Cream of His Crop of Hits ...

Experience Unlimited (EU), Skyy (US): Skyy, E.U.: Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 5 February 1990

Skyy Pales Before the E.U. Groove Machine ...

Fishbone: Roxy, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 7 March 1990

Fishbone Hooks Fans at the Roxy ...

The Smithereens: Palladium, Hollywood CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 1990

Smithereens Deliver Right-Left Combination ...

24-7 Spyz, Primus: Hollywood Live, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 1990

24-7 Spyz: A Blend of Idealism, Stage-Diving ...

Robert Cray: Blues Pour L'Homme

Interview by Don Waller, MOJO, July 1995

MOJO catches up with handsome devil Robert Cray in that traditional milieu of the blues hero: on the road in Anchorage, Alaska… ...

The Electric Prunes: 'I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)'

Retrospective and Interview by Don Waller, MOJO, January 1997

From the "mind-expanding" opening to the screaming-droning guitars to the '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'-derived drums, The Electric Prunes' 'I Had Too Much To Dream ...

Guided By Voices: Mag Earwhig! (Matador)

Review by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 19 June 1997

GUIDED BY Voices leader Bob Pollard is either an authentic American eccentric genius or the toppermost underachiever in pop music. Married, with two kids and ...

The Box Tops: House Of Blues, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Don Waller, MOJO, August 1997

ADDING YET another layer of cracked lustre to lead singer Alex Chilton's legendary cult-star, The Box Tops popped on-stage, pumping out a pluperfect-for-frat-parties version of ...

Green Day: Nimrod (Reprise)

Review by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 4 December 1997

Green Day is maturing, like cheese ...

The Electric Prunes: Too Much To Dream

Retrospective by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 15 June 2001

FROM THE "mind-expanding" flight of the 2,000-pound bumblebee opening to the liquid, screaming, droning guitars to the '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'-derived drums, the Electric ...

The Dirtbombs, Bob Dylan, Garbage, Gorillaz, Joe Strummer, Steve Wynn: Don Waller's top albums of 2001

Review by Don Waller, Rolling Stone, 26 December 2001

1. Bob Dylan, Love and Theft (Columbia): To paraphrase what the man himself said, "Don't compare this with my old records — compare this with ...

Solomon Burke: Go On Back To Him

Report by Don Waller, MOJO, June 2002

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "What's that noise in my earphones?" soul giant Solomon Burke calls into the studio control roost from the vocal isolation booth. "That's ...

Jon Brion

Profile and Interview by Don Waller, MOJO, April 2003

Jon Brion, America's most in-demand singer-songwriter and producer, has his own L.A. residency. Don Waller went to check it out. ...

Bill Withers: Who Is He… (And What Is He To You)?

Profile and Interview by Don Waller, MOJO, August 2003

Remembered as a smooth '70s balladeer and a raw soul pioneer, Bill Withers is the music legend who opted out. Don Waller tracked him down ...

Lester Bangs: My Black Pages: Lester Bangs' Mainlines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste

Book Review by Don Waller, LA CityBeat, 21 August 2003

BACK FROM THE dead and bigger than ever! As a writer – hell, more importantly, as a reader – the Editorial We wuz turnin' cataleptic ...

The Rationals: Detroit blue-eyed soulsters go psychedelic but end up playing shopping malls

Retrospective and Interview by Don Waller, MOJO, November 2003

"SOME FOLKS talkin' 'bout burnin' down/I ain't talkin' 'bout burnin' down/Said I'm just talkin' 'bout gettin' down/Come on!" screams the Rationals' frontman Scott Morgan, pushing ...

The Byrds: Hello Goodbye: Gene Parsons and the Byrds

Retrospective and Interview by Don Waller, MOJO, March 2004

Hello AUGUST 1968 My passport into the Byrds was [late guitarist ] Clarence White. I'd met him a couple of years earlier at a recording session. ...

The Alley Cats, The Bags, Black Flag, The Dickies, The Germs, The Go-Go's, The Nerves, The Plugz, The Screamers, The Weirdos, X: L.A. Punk: California Screamin'

Retrospective by Don Waller, MOJO, July 2004

Ignored by the major labels, hounded by cops, fuelled by booze and drugs, L.A. punk was born in a concrete basement in Hollywood known as ...

Howlin Rain: Magnificent Fiend

Press Release by Don Waller, Birdman Records, Spring 2008

MAGNIFICENT FIEND is the second album from Howlin' Rain and the first to be issued under a joint agreement between multi-platinum record producer Rick Rubin's ...

Chris Clark - US: Motown's Great White Hope: Chris Clark

Retrospective and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, 21 August 2009

CHRIS CLARK was a 17-year-old, 6-foot platinum blond when she arrived at Motown's Detroit headquarters in 1963 -- demo in hand -- to audition for ...

Chris Clark - US: Chris Clark

Retrospective and Interview by Don Waller, MOJO, October 2009

Motown's square-peg bombshell on cultdom, comebacks and Jimi Hendrix ...

The Stooges: Gimme Danger …

Retrospective by Don Waller, Detroit Metro Times, 7 April 2010

Raw Power finally gets its due ...

The Runaways: Neon Angels

Retrospective by Don Waller, Detroit Metro Times, 7 April 2010

ON AUGUST 12th, 1975, the Runaways played their first gig — at Back Door Man fanzine founder Phast Phreddie Patterson's parents' house in north Torrance, ...

Joe Henry: Historical Home Studio: Joe Henry Records Himself in South Pasadena

Report and Interview by Don Waller, Glendale News-Press, 2 December 2011

ROCK MUSICIAN and producer Joe Henry in his home and studio in South Pasadena on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. His home, a Greene & Greene ...

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