For those unaware, A Complete Unknown is a 2024 film based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric by Elijah Wald. They both focus on the events leading up to the evening of July 25, 1965, when Bob Dylan took the stage at the Newport Folk Festival backed by an electric band. If you don’t know why that seems worthy of an entire movie or book, then it’s likely you are under the age of 50. The good news is…
Declassify >The A to Z Files
Looking Through the Digital Library: A to Z Bands
In case it isn’t obvious or if you’re a new reader, I listen to a lot of music.
The list below is based solely on what I’ve curated on one of the music streaming services I have access to. If it weren’t for that limitation, this list might never be completed. Guidelines are helpful, and for something like this having a limiting factor is almost a necessity.
Declassify >A positive light has gone out: On the death of Andrew Belling
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 6:18pm the world lost legendary musicmaker Andrew Belling.
Belling was a stranger to me until I was first introduced to Ralph Bakshi’s seminal work Wizards, for which he composed the entire electronic score. From then on, I was a fan of his work.
Declassify >The Weekend (Days of the Week) Shuffle Playlist

Every week, we get up and live through the same seven days of the week.
Sure, the days themselves are never quite the same, but the names never change.
It’s no wonder, then, that those days of the week are often the basis for popular music.
Declassify >The Tragically Hip needs No Dress Rehearsal to gain new fans

Are you Canadian? Do you know The Tragically Hip? Odds are the answer to both of those questions is probably the same, but there are some of us from south of the border and from other parts of the globe who know Canadians and have been introduced secondhand to this wonderful Canadian music treasure. Now, a four-part documentary on Amazon Prime tells the story and importance of The Tragically Hip.
My friend Chris Maier, host of the Our Liner Notes podcast, invited me on the podcast to both introduce me to The Tragically Hip and as a tribute to Gord Downie…
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