Nick DeRiso is UCR's assistant managing editor. He was named columnist of the year five times by the Associated Press, Louisiana Press Association and Louisiana Sports Writers Association during a lengthy career in the newspaper industry, and previously oversaw a daily section that was named Top 10 in the nation by the AP.
Nick DeRiso
40 Years Ago: Foreigner Change Gears With ‘Waiting for a Girl Like You’
No. 2 smash ballad altered their career trajectory forever.
October 2021 New Music Releases
The month boasts five Fridays, making for an overstuffed slate of notable rock releases.
Beatles’ Dashed-Off ‘She Loves You’ Was Actually Carefully Made
They took weeks constructing the song, between stops as Roy Orbison's opening act, then hours recording it.
Doobie Brothers Albums Ranked Worst to Best
They remain an intriguing dichotomy of a band.
40 Years Ago: Allman Brothers Implode, Again, With ‘Brothers of the Road’
They were missing the camaraderie of the band's past incarnations and certainly a vision for the future.
40 Years Ago: ‘Heavy Metal’ Subverts Every Animated Movie Rule
There were obvious plot holes, poor juxtapositions and clumsy horniness, but you couldn't take your eyes off of it.
50 Years Ago: Paul McCartney Breaks Every Rule on ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’
His first solo No. 1 single actually hearkened back to the way he worked toward the end of his time with the Beatles.
ZZ Top Cancel Tonight’s Show in Wake of Dusty Hill’s Death
Longtime guitar tech has been filling in on tour with Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard.
Why the Beatles Haven’t Remixed ‘Rubber Soul’ or ‘Revolver’ Yet
Producer Giles Martin discusses the challenges of updating their four track-era gems.
August 2021 New Music Releases
The month is capped by a pair of key 50th-anniversary reissues, but there's new stuff to get excited about, too.