Perfect Sound Forever (magazine)
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Perfect Sound Forever (est. 1995) is one of the longest-running online-only music magazines. Along with Michael Goldberg's Addicted to Noise (est. 1994), it is one of the very first publications to post recurring, feature-length music journalism online.
PSF's origins trace back to New York freelance writer Jason Gross, who began a now-defunct website called Furious Green Thoughts (from the famous Noam Chomsky quote). The site was first hosted by the pre-Earthlink ISP Pipeline, and included articles covering politics, music and fiction. In 1995, Furious Green Thoughts was splintered into three sections, with the main title covering political (usually far-left) stories, "Assorted Realities" covering fiction and "Perfect Sound Forever" covering music. Laboring as a staff of one, Gross eventually folded Furious Green Thoughts and Assorted Realities, simplifying the zine's name to Perfect Sound Forever by the mid-1990s. PSF also moved from monthly to bi-monthly publication, with approximately 14 articles in each issue.
Apart from occasional review columns (notably Outsight, written by Tom Shulte, and Digitaljukejointbox), the 'zine concentrates on in-depth op-ed pieces and interviews, usually of obscure, often reclusive artists. Its design is a dark background with white lettering, which some readers have complained is difficult to wade through. However, a 2004 redesign prompted many calls for reversion to the original code.
Other than Outsight, PSF's longest running column is Marc Phillips' "The Vinyl Anachronist" (which began in 1998). The site's most popular article remains The Bad Songs of the '70's, which was written in 1995 and still generates hate-mail.
Several of PSF's articles have led to reissues of the artists involved, including:
Former Pitchfork editor Chris Ott briefly worked as co-editor, and put together a redesign of Perfect Sound Forever that ran in late 2004 and early 2005. Current editors include founder Jason Gross, Robin Cook, Ken Cox, Al Spicer and Kurt Wildermuth. Gross also contributes an annual report on the state of music criticism to RockCritics.com.
The name "Perfect Sound Forever" originated in an early 1980s Sony ad campaign about the first generation of CDs, promising the highest fidelity possible, and that the discs would outlive their owners. The same term would be later used as the title of a Pavement EP.
Bad songs of the 1970s
10CC “I'm Not In Love” | Abba “Dancing Queen” | Abba “Knowing Me, Knowing You” | Abba “Take A Chance On Me” | Abba “Waterloo” | Ace “How Long” | Al Stewart “Time Passages” | Al Stewart “Year of the Cat” | Alan O'Day “Undercover Angel” | Albert Hammond “It Never Rains In Southern California” | Ambrosia “How Much I Feel” | America “Horse With No Name” | America “I Need You” | America “Lonely People” | America “Sister Golden Hair” | America “Tin Man” | America “Ventura Highway” | Andrea True Connection “More More More” | Andrew Gold “Lonely Boy” | Andy Gibb “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” | Andy Gibb “Love Is Thicker Than Water” | Andy Gibb “Shadow Dancing” | Andy Kim “Rock Me Gently” | Andy Williams “Where Do I Begin (Theme From Love Story)” | Anne Murray “Snowbird” | Anne Murray “You Needed Me” | Atlanta Rhythm Section “Imaginary Lover” | Atlanta Rhythm Section “So Into You” | B.J. Thomas “Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” | B.J. Thomas “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” | Bad Company “Feel Like Makin' Love” | Bad Company “Rock and Roll Fantasy” | Barbara Streisand “The Way We Were” | Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond “You Don't Bring Me Flowers” | Barbra Streisand “Evergreen (Theme From Star Is Born)” | Barry Manilow “Can't Smile Without You” | Barry Manilow “Copacabana” | Barry Manilow “I Write The Songs” | Barry Manilow “It's A Miracle” | Barry Manilow “Looks Like Me Made It” | Barry Manilow “Mandy” | Bee Gees “How Deep Is Your Love?” | Bee Gees “Love You Inside Out” | Bee Gees “Stayin' Alive” | Bee Gees “Too Much Heaven” | Bee Gees “Tragedy” | Bee Gees “You Should Be Dancing” | Bellamy Brothers “Let Your Love Flow” | Bill Conti “Gonna Fly Now (Theme From Rocky)” | Billy Joel “Just The Way You Are” | Blue Magic “Side Show” | Blue Swede “Hooked On A Feeling” | Bo Donaldson and the Haywoods “Billy Don't Be A Hero” | Bob Seger “We've Got Tonight” | Bob Welch “Ebony Eyes” | Bob Welch “Sentimental Lady” | Bobby Vinton “My Melody Of Love” | Boney M “Brown Girl in the Ring” | Bonnie Tyler “It's A Heartache” | Bread “If” | Bread “Make It With You” | Burton Cummings “Stand Tall” | C.W. McCall “Convoy” | Captain and Tennille “Do That To Me One More Time” | Captain and Tennille “Love Will Keep Us Together” | Captain and Tennille “Muskrat Love” | Captain and Tennille “Shop Around” | Captain and Tennille “The Way I Want To Touch You” | Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting” | Carly Simon “Anticipation” | Carly Simon “Haven't Got The Time For The Pain” | Carly Simon “Nobody Does It Better” | Carly Simon “That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be” | Carly Simon/James Taylor “Mockingbird” | Carole King “It's Too Late” | Carole King “So Far Away” | Carpenters “Close To You” | Carpenters “For All We Know” | Carpenters “Please Mr. Postman” | Carpenters “Rainy Days And Mondays” | Carpenters “Sing” | Carpenters “Top Of The World” | Carpenters “We've Only Just Begun” | Cat Stevens “Another Saturday Night” | Cat Stevens “It's A Wild World” | Cat Stevens “Morning Has Broken” | Charlie Daniels “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” | Charlie Rich “The Most Beautiful Girl In the World” | Cher “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves” | Cher “Half-Breed” | Chicago “25 Or 6 to 4” | Chicago “Baby What A Big Surprise” | Chicago “Color My World” | Chicago “Does Anybody Know What Time It Is” | Chicago “If You Leave Me Now” | Chicago “Make Me Smile” | Chicago “Saturday In the Park” | Chris Rea “Fool If You Think It's Over” | Chuck Berry “My Ding A Ling” | Chuck Mangioine “Feels So Good” | Cliff Richard “Devil Woman” | Cliff Richard “We Don't Talk Anymore” | Climax “Precious and Few” | Climax Blues Band “Couldn't Get It Right” | Clint Holmes “Playground In My Mind” | Commodores “Easy” | Commodores “Lady” | Commodores “Sail On” | Commodores “Three Times A Lady” | Coven “One Tin Soldier” | Crosby, Stills and Nash “Just A Song Before I Go” | Crystal Gale “Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” | Daddy Dewdrop “Chick A Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)” | Dan Fogelberg “Longer” | Dan Hill “Sometimes When We Touch” | Dave Loggins “Please Come To Boston” | David Cassidy “Cherish” | David Gates “Goodbye Girl” | David Geddes “Run Joey Run” | David Naughton “Makin' It” | David Soul “Don't Give Up On Us Baby” | Dawn “Knock Three Times” | Dawn “Sweet Gypsy Rose” | Dawn “Tie A Yellow Ribbon” | Debby Boone “You Light Up My Life” | Diana Ross “Theme From Mahagony (Do You Know Where You're Going To)” | Diana Ross “Touch Me In The Morning” | Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes “Get Dancin” | Dolly Parton “Here You Come Again” | Don McLean “American Pie” | Donna Summer “MacArthur's Park” | Donny Osmond “Go Away Little Girl” | Donny Osmond “Puppy Love” | Donny Osmond “The 12th of Never” | Doobie Brothers “What A Fool Believes” | Dr. Hook “Only 16” | Dr. Hook “Sharing The Night Together” | Dr. Hook “When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman” | Eagles “Best of My Love” | Eagles “Hotel California” | Eagles “I Can't Tell You Why” | Eagles “Lying Eyes” | Eagles “New Kid In Town” | Eagles “Take It Easy” | Eagles “Take It To The Limit” | Eagles “Witchy Woman” | Eddie Holman “Hey There Lonely Girl” | Eddie Money “Baby Hold On” | Edison Lighthouse “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” | Electric Light Orchestra “Can't Get It Out Of My Head” | Electric Light Orchestra “Shine A Little Love” | Elton John “Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me” | Elton John “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” | Elton John “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” | Elton John and Kiki Dee “Don't Go Breaking My Heart” | Emotions “Best of My Love” | Engelbert Humperdinck “After The Loving” | England Dan and John Ford Coley “I'd Really Love To See You Tonight” | Eric Burdon “Spill The Wine” | Eric Carmen “All By Myself” | Eric Clapton “Lay Down Sally” | Eric Clapton “Promises” | Eric Clapton “Wonderful Tonight” | Exile “Kiss You All Over” | Firefall “Just Remember I Love You” | Firefall “Strange Way” | First Class “Beach Baby” | Fleetwood Mac “Dreams” | Floaters “Float On” | Foreigner “Cold As Ice” | Foreigner “Double Vision” | Foreigner “Feels Like The First Time” | Fortunes “Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” | Four Seasons “December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)” | Four Seasons “Who Loves You” | Frankie Valli “Grease” | Frankie Valli “My Eyes Adored You” | Frankie Valli “Swearin' To God” | Freddy Fender “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” | Gallery “(It's so) Nice To Be With You” | Gary Wright “Dream Weaver” | George Benson “This Masquerade” | George Harrison “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” | Gerry Rafferty “Baker Street” | Gilbert O'Sullivan “Alone Again Naturally” | Gilbert O'Sullivan “Claire” | Gino Vannelli “I Just Want To Stop” | Glen Campbell “Rhinestone Cowboy” | Glen Campbell “Southern Nights” | Gloria Gaynor “I Will Survive” | Gloria Gaynor “Never Can Say Goodbye” | Gordon Lightfoot “If You Could Read My Mind” | Gordon Lightfoot “Sundown” | Gordon Lightfoot “Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald” | Grand Funk Railroad “Closer To Home” | Guess Who “No Time” | Guess Who “Share The Land” | Guess Who “These eyes” | Guess Who “Undun” | Hall & Oates “Rich Girl” | Hall & Oates “Sara Smile” | Hall & Oates “She's Gone” | Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds “Don't Pull Your Love Out” | Harry Chapin “Cat's In The Craddle” | Harry Chapin “Taxi” | Heatwave “Always and Forever” | Heatwave “Boogie Nights” | Helen Reddy “Ain't No Way To Treat A Lady” | Helen Reddy “Angie Baby” | Helen Reddy “I Am Woman” | Helen Reddy “I Don't Know How To Love Him” | Helen Reddy “Ruby Red Dress (Leave Me Alone)” | Helen Reddy “You and Me Against The World” | Henry Gross “Shannon” | Hollies “He Ain't Heavy” | Hollies “The Air That I Breathe” | Jackson Browne “Doctor, My Eyes” | James Taylor “Fire and Rain” | James Taylor “How Sweet It Is” | James Taylor “You've Got A Friend” | Janis Ian “At Seventeen” | Jay Ferguson “Thunder Island” | Jefferson Starship “Count On Me” | Jefferson Starship “Miracles” | Jennifer Warnes “Right Time Of The Night” | Jigsaw “Sky High” | Jim Croce “I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” | Jim Croce “Time In A Bottle” | Joe Cocker “You Are So Beautiful” | John Denver “Rocky Mountain High” | John Denver “Take Me Home Country Roads” | John Denver “Thank God I'm A Country Boy” | John Denver “Sunshine On My Shoulder” | John Paul Young “Love Is In The Air” | John Stewart “Gold” | John Travolta “Let Her In” | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John “Summer Nights” | John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John “You're The One That I Want” | Johnnie Taylor “Disco Lady” | Johnny Mathis/Deneice Williams “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” | Kansas “Carry On My Wayward Son” | Kansas “Dust In The Wind” | Kenny Loggins “Whenever I Call You Friend” | Kenny Nolan “I Like Dreaming” | Kenny Rogers “Lady” | Kenny Rogers “She Believes In Me” | Kiss “I Was Made For Loving You” | Kool and the Gang “Too Hot” | Leif Garrett “I Was Made For Dancin'” | Leo Sayer “When I Need You” | Leo Sayer “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing” | Linda Ronstadt “Blue Bayou” | Little River Band “Lonesome Loser” | Little River Band “Reminiscing” | Lobo “I'd Love You To Want Me” | Lobo “Me And You And Dog Named Boo” | Loggins and Messina “Your Mama Don't Dance” | Looking Glass “Brandy” | Lou Rawls “You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” | Mac Davis “Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me” | Maria Muldaur “Midnight At the Oasis” | Marie Osmond “Paper Roses” | Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. “You Don't Have To Be A Star Baby” | Mary McGregor “Torn Between Two Lovers” | Maureen McGovern “Morning After” | Maxine Nightingale “Right Back To Where We Started From” | Meatloaf “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” | Meatloaf “Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad” | Meatloaf “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth” | Melanie “Brand New Key” | Melissa Manchester “Don't Cry Out Loud” | Michael Jackson “Ben” | Michael Murphy “Wildfire” | Minnie Riperton “Loving You” | Mocedades “Eres Tu” | Moody Blues “Nights In White Satin” | Morris Albert “Feelings” | Natalie Cole “I Got Love On My Mind” | Neil Diamond “I Am I Said” | Neil Diamond “Song Sung Blue” | Neil Sedaka “Bad Blood” | Neil Sedaka “Laughter In The Rain” | New Seekers “I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing” | New Seekers “Look What They've Done To My Song” | Nick Gilder “Hot Child In The City” | Nicolette Larson “Lotta Love” | Nigel Olsson “Dancin' Shoes” | Nilsson “Without You” | Ocean “Put Your Hand In The Hand” | Odyssey “Native New Yorker” | Olivia Newton-John “Have You Ever Been Mellow” | Olivia Newton-John “Hopelessly Devoted To You” | Olivia Newton-John “I Honestly Love You” | Olivia Newton-John “Let Me Be There” | Orleans “Dance With Me” | Orleans “Love Takes Time” | Ozark Mountain Daredevils “Jackie Blue” | Pablo Cruise “Love Will Find A Way” | Paper Lace “The Night Chicago Died” | Partridge Family “I Think I Love You” | Paul Anka “Having My Baby” | Paul Davis “I Go Crazy” | Paul McCartney/Wings “My Love” | Paul Revere “Indian Reservation” | Peaches and Herb “Reunited” | Peter Frampton “I'm In You” | Peter Frampton “Show Me The Way” | Peter Paul and Mary “Leaving On A Jet Plane” | Pilot “Magic” | Player “Baby Come Back” | Pure Prairie League “Amie” | Python Lee Jackson “In A Broken Dream” | Queen “We Are The Champions” | R. Dean Taylor “Indiana Wants Me” | Randy Vanwarmer “Just When I Needed You The Most” | Ray Stevens “Everything Is Beautiful” | Raydio “Jack and Jill” | Rex Smith “You Take My Breath Away” | Rick Dees and His Cast of Idiots “Disco Duck” | Rickie Lee Jones “Chuck E's In Love” | Righteous Brothers “Rock and Roll Heaven” | Ringo Starr “Only You” | Rita Coolidge “Higher and Higher” | Rita Coolidge “We're All Alone” | Robert John “Sad Eyes” | Roberta Flack “Feel Like Making Love” | Roberta Flack “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” | Roberta Flack “Killing Me Softly” | Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway “The Closer I Get To You” | Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway “Where Is the Love” | Rod Stewart “D'Ya Think I'm Sexy” | Rod Stewart “You're In My Heart” | Rolling Stones “Angie” | Rupert Holmes “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” | Samantha Sang “Emotion” | Sammy Davis Jr. “The Candy Man” | Shaun Cassidy “Da Doo Ron Ron” | Silver Convention “Fly Robin Fly” | Silver Convention “Get Up and Boogie” | Simon and Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” | Sniff and the Tears “Driver's Seat” | Starbuck “Moonlight Feels Right” | Starland Vocal Band “Afternoon Delight” | Stealers Wheel “Stuck In The Middle With You” | Stephen Bishop “On And On” | Stephen Stills “Love The One You're With” | Styx “Babe” | Styx “Come Sail Away” | Styx “Lady” | Supertramp “Goodbye Stranger” | Supertramp “Logical Song” | Suzi Quatro “Stumblin' In” | Sweet “Love Is Like Oxygen” | Tavares “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” | Terry Jacks “Seasons In The Sun” | The Osmonds “Down By The Lazy River” | The Osmonds “One Bad Apple” | Thelma Houston “Don't Leave Me This Way” | Three Degrees “When Will I See You Again” | Three Dog Night “Black and White” | Three Dog Night “Old Fashioned Love Song” | Three Dog Night “The Show Must Go On” | Todd Rundgren “Hello It's Me” | Toto “Hold The Line” | Van McCoy “The Hustle” | Vanity Fair “Hitchin' A Ride” | Vicki Lawrence “The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia” | Village People “In The Navy” | Village People “Macho Man” | Village People “YMCA” | Wayne Newton “Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast” | Wings “Goodnight Tonight” | Wings “Let 'Em In” | Wings “Silly Love Songs” | Yvonne Elliman “If I Can't Have You” |
See also
