Cream
"Toad" is Cream's showcase for drummer Ginger Baker, an instrumental built around a lengthy drum solo bookended by a terse…
virtuosity showmanship rhythm as narrative
Rush
YYZ is an instrumental showcase built around the Morse-code rhythm for Toronto's Pearson International Airport identifier, which…
homecoming and travel technical virtuosity Canadian identity
Madvillain
A pure showcase of technical rap virtuosity built almost entirely on internal rhyme chains and boastful non-sequiturs, "All…
braggadocio persona/mythmaking criminal alter-ego
Chet Baker
This is an instrumental reading of a standard, so the analysis works from title, genre convention, and Chet Baker's established…
seasonal change loss and impermanence romantic nostalgia