Greg Kot
@gregkot.bsky.social
Co-host "Sound Opinions." Former music critic at Chicago Tribune. Author of 7 books, including "I'll Take You There," “Learning How to Die," "Ripped."
Joe Ely was such a robust presence, his death still doesn't seem real. A few words about a life well lived on Sound Opinions: shorturl.at/egDkk
December 26, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Joe Ely was such a robust presence, his death still doesn't seem real. A few words about a life well lived on Sound Opinions: shorturl.at/egDkk
The Roches in flight on SNL 1979. They made a lot of new fans that night. Whenever I put together an Xmas mix, this has to be the leadoff track, every time.
www.facebook.com/reel/1010033...
www.facebook.com/reel/1010033...
38 shares · 6 comments | Something a little bit different for the holidays: The Roches perform an a cappella rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" on SNL, 1979. | Kevin Daly
Something a little bit different for the holidays: The Roches perform an a cappella rendition of the "Hallelujah Chorus" on SNL, 1979.
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December 24, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The Roches in flight on SNL 1979. They made a lot of new fans that night. Whenever I put together an Xmas mix, this has to be the leadoff track, every time.
www.facebook.com/reel/1010033...
www.facebook.com/reel/1010033...
Best I can do this holiday season to spread some good cheer is this pix I took a few weeks ago: Dusk at Ayers Rock/Uluru in Australia after a rare rainfall. A sacred space in a special part of the world.
December 23, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Best I can do this holiday season to spread some good cheer is this pix I took a few weeks ago: Dusk at Ayers Rock/Uluru in Australia after a rare rainfall. A sacred space in a special part of the world.
Jeff Tweedy just released a helluva album (actually, three albums) and we had a conversation about it and the times we live in on @soundopinions.bsky.social . As the man said, "Creativity eats darkness." bit.ly/44D0qDK
December 21, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Jeff Tweedy just released a helluva album (actually, three albums) and we had a conversation about it and the times we live in on @soundopinions.bsky.social . As the man said, "Creativity eats darkness." bit.ly/44D0qDK
Reposted by Greg Kot
The Vanity Fair photographer from the Susie Wiles story.
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
December 17, 2025 at 8:34 PM
The Vanity Fair photographer from the Susie Wiles story.
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Holy. Shit.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/power/...
Joe Ely, RIP. His records as a solo artist or as a member of the Flatlanders tower above. I once asked him about where all that wild wanderlust in his music began, and he had a ready if unexpected answer:
www.facebook.com/share/p/1Knp...
www.facebook.com/share/p/1Knp...
December 16, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Joe Ely, RIP. His records as a solo artist or as a member of the Flatlanders tower above. I once asked him about where all that wild wanderlust in his music began, and he had a ready if unexpected answer:
www.facebook.com/share/p/1Knp...
www.facebook.com/share/p/1Knp...
My 25 favorite albums of 2025 as well as Dero’s on @soundopinions.bsky.social :
www.facebook.com/share/1DNp4x...
www.facebook.com/share/1DNp4x...
December 7, 2025 at 12:51 AM
My 25 favorite albums of 2025 as well as Dero’s on @soundopinions.bsky.social :
www.facebook.com/share/1DNp4x...
www.facebook.com/share/1DNp4x...
Steve Cropper (RIP) had few equals as a minimalist guitar master, an artist who put a premium on space, concision and groove. He was the perfect combo musician in Booker T and the MG’s— no wonder everybody from Neil Young to Bob Dylan wanted to work with him. Link in comments.
December 4, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Steve Cropper (RIP) had few equals as a minimalist guitar master, an artist who put a premium on space, concision and groove. He was the perfect combo musician in Booker T and the MG’s— no wonder everybody from Neil Young to Bob Dylan wanted to work with him. Link in comments.
Alan Light makes the case that "Rumours" is the rare classic-rock record that still sounds modern, hooky and painfully honest about relationships unraveling. We break down the music, the history, and why young listeners continue to claim it as their own. Listen here: bit.ly/4pOXj3R
November 30, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Alan Light makes the case that "Rumours" is the rare classic-rock record that still sounds modern, hooky and painfully honest about relationships unraveling. We break down the music, the history, and why young listeners continue to claim it as their own. Listen here: bit.ly/4pOXj3R
Neil’s 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of “Zuma” arrived only a few days apart this month. Monumental moments both. As I rhapsodize:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
November 25, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Neil’s 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of “Zuma” arrived only a few days apart this month. Monumental moments both. As I rhapsodize:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...
We used to call the debut LP "Cars greatest hits." Somehow the 2nd LP, "Candy O," topped it, at least in my world. Can a band that sold 43 million albums still be underappreciated? Buffalo Tom's Bill Janovitz, the band's biographer, makes the case on @soundopinions.bsky.social: shorturl.at/hvsrQ
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
We used to call the debut LP "Cars greatest hits." Somehow the 2nd LP, "Candy O," topped it, at least in my world. Can a band that sold 43 million albums still be underappreciated? Buffalo Tom's Bill Janovitz, the band's biographer, makes the case on @soundopinions.bsky.social: shorturl.at/hvsrQ
Come for the movie (which I loved) and stay for the soundtrack. A few words about Jonny Greenwood's thrilling score for "One Battle After Another." shorturl.at/s0Mro
November 15, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Come for the movie (which I loved) and stay for the soundtrack. A few words about Jonny Greenwood's thrilling score for "One Battle After Another." shorturl.at/s0Mro
A playlist for Neil's 80th. Could've been easily twice as long, but these 40 songs ring true.
open.spotify.com/playlist/0kU...
open.spotify.com/playlist/0kU...
Neil turns 80
open.spotify.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:48 AM
A playlist for Neil's 80th. Could've been easily twice as long, but these 40 songs ring true.
open.spotify.com/playlist/0kU...
open.spotify.com/playlist/0kU...
Neil Young is 80. Somehow he's made it this far without turning into a greatest-hits jukebox. When he tours, he plays whatever the hell he wants. In one of our interviews, I asked Young about how he managed to avoid turning into a "heritage act" unlike so many of his peers:
shorturl.at/T1GOC
shorturl.at/T1GOC
November 12, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Neil Young is 80. Somehow he's made it this far without turning into a greatest-hits jukebox. When he tours, he plays whatever the hell he wants. In one of our interviews, I asked Young about how he managed to avoid turning into a "heritage act" unlike so many of his peers:
shorturl.at/T1GOC
shorturl.at/T1GOC
50th anniversary today of an album that I picked up the same week it was released, when I was a college freshman. I've got a longer chapter on Patti Smith and "Horses" in a forthcoming project, and here's a slice:
www.facebook.com/share/p/1BU6...
www.facebook.com/share/p/1BU6...
November 10, 2025 at 7:15 PM
50th anniversary today of an album that I picked up the same week it was released, when I was a college freshman. I've got a longer chapter on Patti Smith and "Horses" in a forthcoming project, and here's a slice:
www.facebook.com/share/p/1BU6...
www.facebook.com/share/p/1BU6...
Still can't believe D'Angelo's gone, but then again, those three studio albums are for now, then & always. We run it all down, including our memories of one of the greatest concerts we'd ever seen: @soundopinions.bsky.social and the D'Angelo experience:
bit.ly/4oiILZA
bit.ly/4oiILZA
Sound Opinions #1039: RIP D’Angelo
On October 14th, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist D’Angelo died at the age of 51. Throughout his too short life, he made three unforgettable albums and cemented his legacy as one of the gr...
bit.ly
November 3, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Still can't believe D'Angelo's gone, but then again, those three studio albums are for now, then & always. We run it all down, including our memories of one of the greatest concerts we'd ever seen: @soundopinions.bsky.social and the D'Angelo experience:
bit.ly/4oiILZA
bit.ly/4oiILZA
From 11 years ago today, at the LBJ library in Austin, Texas -- a fitting home for Mavis and the story of her family's civil-rights activism. Plus this gives me an opportunity to mention that there will be new, updated edition of "I'll Take You There" coming soon.
November 2, 2025 at 11:09 PM
From 11 years ago today, at the LBJ library in Austin, Texas -- a fitting home for Mavis and the story of her family's civil-rights activism. Plus this gives me an opportunity to mention that there will be new, updated edition of "I'll Take You There" coming soon.
Best review I've read in this season of renewed appreciation for "Nebraska" isn't a review of the so-so Hollywood biopic, but an essay by Bill Janovitz, an author & songwriter (Buffalo Tom). There's a "meanness in this world," as Springsteen sang, and now we're living in it too.
shorturl.at/EhpHk
shorturl.at/EhpHk
I Guess There’s Just a Meanness in This World
Nebraska, Highway Patrolman, and the Tenor of the Times
shorturl.at
October 30, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Best review I've read in this season of renewed appreciation for "Nebraska" isn't a review of the so-so Hollywood biopic, but an essay by Bill Janovitz, an author & songwriter (Buffalo Tom). There's a "meanness in this world," as Springsteen sang, and now we're living in it too.
shorturl.at/EhpHk
shorturl.at/EhpHk
The great drummer & band leader Jack DeJohnette (RIP) played on some of my favorite recordings across several decades, including the Charles Lloyd Quartet's "Sombrero Sam" (from the "Dream Weaver" LP 1966), Miles Davis' "Live Evil" (1971) & "Special Edition" (1980).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4m9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4m9...
Jack DeJohnette - India
YouTube video by gnomen omen
www.youtube.com
October 28, 2025 at 9:52 PM
The great drummer & band leader Jack DeJohnette (RIP) played on some of my favorite recordings across several decades, including the Charles Lloyd Quartet's "Sombrero Sam" (from the "Dream Weaver" LP 1966), Miles Davis' "Live Evil" (1971) & "Special Edition" (1980).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4m9...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4m9...
A few words about Tony Fitzpatrick -- an artist, poet, instigator, activist, story-teller and hard-core Chicagoan whose contributions were often beyond words. @soundopinions.bsky.social bonus podcast: tinyurl.com/yewyaybb
October 24, 2025 at 9:23 PM
A few words about Tony Fitzpatrick -- an artist, poet, instigator, activist, story-teller and hard-core Chicagoan whose contributions were often beyond words. @soundopinions.bsky.social bonus podcast: tinyurl.com/yewyaybb
Rough Trade Records founder Geoff Travis and his partner Jeannette Lee give us the lowdown on their partnership with River Lea Records and a new wave of rough-hewn folk on @soundopinions.bsky.social. It got me thinking about some of my favorite Rough Trade records, which I list here:
bit.ly/3WeT98C
bit.ly/3WeT98C
October 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Rough Trade Records founder Geoff Travis and his partner Jeannette Lee give us the lowdown on their partnership with River Lea Records and a new wave of rough-hewn folk on @soundopinions.bsky.social. It got me thinking about some of my favorite Rough Trade records, which I list here:
bit.ly/3WeT98C
bit.ly/3WeT98C
Chicago was getting after it today. Proud of my city. Miles and miles of citizen activists. Boisterous but peaceful protest. But kings? No thanks.
October 19, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Chicago was getting after it today. Proud of my city. Miles and miles of citizen activists. Boisterous but peaceful protest. But kings? No thanks.
D'Angelo, the son of a preacher man, connecting the dots between generations. In the lineage of the greats, an incalculable loss.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMb8...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMb8...
D'Angelo w/ David Sanborn & Friends - Use Me
YouTube video by Funkonaut
www.youtube.com
October 15, 2025 at 4:08 PM
D'Angelo, the son of a preacher man, connecting the dots between generations. In the lineage of the greats, an incalculable loss.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMb8...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMb8...
Stunned by the death of D'Angelo at age 51. He left behind a small but powerful legacy: Three vital LPs and a series of concerts that I'll never forget. In 2000, "Voodoo" was my album of the year, and here's a little bit of what I wrote about it back then: shorturl.at/JxNvB
October 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Stunned by the death of D'Angelo at age 51. He left behind a small but powerful legacy: Three vital LPs and a series of concerts that I'll never forget. In 2000, "Voodoo" was my album of the year, and here's a little bit of what I wrote about it back then: shorturl.at/JxNvB
Arthur Baker has been crafting perfect beats since the '70s for myriad artists across multiple genres: New Order, Afrika Bambaataa, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Neneh Cherry, Al Green + many more. The @soundopinions.bsky.social interview: bit.ly/4q741mz
October 13, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Arthur Baker has been crafting perfect beats since the '70s for myriad artists across multiple genres: New Order, Afrika Bambaataa, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Neneh Cherry, Al Green + many more. The @soundopinions.bsky.social interview: bit.ly/4q741mz