Welcome to my blog. In 2016 I wrote my first stories on my favorite albums. Due to the many, nice and positive feedback and comments I started this blog, A Pop Life subtitled My life with music.
What can you expect? Stories about music which I think is nice, beautiful of moving, reviews, concert reports and much more. I get very happy whenever I receive comments, whether through one of the social media channels or by using the comment form on this site. I love to hear from my readers!
For now, have very much (reading) fun!
Erwin Barendregt
Articles
Hole – Live Through This
In 1994 Hole released their second album. Was Live Through This overshadowed by Courtney Love's private troubles?
1-2-3-4! The Ramones and the It’s Alive story
1-2-3-4! The Ramones and the It's Alive story, one of the best live albums ever. The ultimate Ramones album?
Frank Zappa, Apostrophe (‘) and the Yellow Snow suite
In 1974 Frank Zappa released his most commercially successful album ever, Apostrophe ('). Songs about yellow snow, an Eskimo and racism.
The 15 best Japan songs
As a tribute to my favorite band when I turned 18, A Pop Life presents a compilation of the best Japan songs.
Sing It Back, the story of Moloko
Moloko, the group that introduced Róisín Murphy to the world of music. A look back at the career of one of the (dance) pop sensations of the 1990s/2000s.
Reviews
Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Research Arkestra – Paradiso Amsterdam 1970
In November 1970 Sun Ra And His Intergalactic Research Arkestra landed at the Amsterdams Paradiso for one unforgettable night. The recordings have been found and now we can all (finally) hear what we missed!
André 3000 – New Blue Sun
André 3000, the hip-hop genius, finally returns. With experimental jazzy ambient flute music? Oh, yes! A review.
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert
Cat Power impresses again, this time with her interpretation of the famous Bob Dylan 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert. Stunning!
Prince & The New Power Generation – Diamonds And Pearls Super Deluxe Edition
The rerelease of Diamonds And Pearls is finally here. A great box-set dedicated to one of the lesser Prince albums.
Concerts
Nits, 04/13/2024
4/5: Nits at Carré Amsterdam. Great start, but after the break it wasn't the climax I was hoping for. Still had a great night!
Pixies, 03/21/2024
3/5: Pixies in Paradiso, Amsterdam. The show lacked dynamics, some great moments, but too little to make the concert really work.
Underworld, 03/15/2024
4½/5: Underworld in Amsterdam: the average age of the men on stage is almost 66 and they play like they're 18 years old. Stunning!
News items
News: Waterloo 50 years, a letter by ABBA
50 years ago ABBA won the Eurovision songfestival with Waterloo, the real start of a dizzyingly successfuyl career.
News: Punks for Gaza
By now multiple punk compilations have been released in order to provide help to Palestinian victims of the hopeless spiral of violence. An overview.
