John Mellencamp's "Scarecrow" album released in August 1985 was loaded with hits, including "Small Town","Lonely Ol' Night", and "R.O.C.K. in the USA".  But it was the album tracks starting with Scarecrow's "Minutes to Memories", worthy of inclusion in the great Paul Simon songbook, which to me revealed his evolving songcraft.

Ozzy Osbourne is dead, aged 76.

Ten years prior to the release of "No More Tears" in September 1991, Ozzy Osbourne couldn't get arrested outside England. Particularly in America, the former singer for heavy metal godfathers Black Sabbath was perceived by US record label execs as damaged goods...Then for the whole of the Eighties, Ozzy was constantly in the press, but rarely was it for his music. Ozzy admits here In the Studio that "No More Tears" was the first album he ever recorded sober, and the results were spectacular.