A string of words you can sing along to is one thing, but a melody that melts itself into your mind, the kind of tune that commands you to hum, whistle, grunt, howl along - whatever means of expression …

Now that you've covered the classics, it's time to turn an ear to the - literally - jammin' instrumentals lurking just behind the hits on your favorite albums. The J. Geils Band's Full House is one of  …

Frank. Dino. Tony. Vic. Louis. Man, oh, man, those Italian crooners could bring it in a big way. What better than a plate of pasta fagioli (or, as we like to call it, pasta fazool) with enough g …

One of the very first rock records (some say the first, but let's not open that worm-filled can) was Jackie Brenston's "Rocket 88," and it sounds as good today as it did half a century ago. They …

Two Strausses, Richard and Johann, are featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's Richard's composition (aka "Also Sprach Zarathustra") that begins this collection. Johann's "By the Beautiful B …

Legendary lovers may not always end well, but they sure burn hot while the going is good - their passions have inspired many an equally fiery Classical work. French composer Gabriel FaurT underscores t …

There's a little kid-rocker in all of us, just waiting to jump up and spin around like a wild whirling dervish. Those merry melodies that made us move when we were music-loving moppets can still work t …

Ready for some kid-rockin' cuts from back in the day? These are the tracks that electrified after-school soda shops with a happy hum, turning every jukebox spin into a finger-poppin', three-minute vaca …

The table is set, the Champagne is chilling, and the veal piccata is quietly bubbling in the saucepan. But your dinner party is still missing one key ingredient: the ideal music. If, as Shakespeare sug …