7/22/2026

Byron Lee & The Dragonaires- Tighten Up (1969) ***1/2

Paul Weller- 66 (2024) ****

Byron Lee & The Dragonaires- Reggay Blast off ! (1969) ***

v/a- Zulu Stomp!!- South Africa Garage Beats!! (2010) ***

Wanda Jackson- Queen Of Rockabilly (2000) ***

Yard Act- You're Gonna Need A Little Music (2026) ***1/2

L7- Smell The Magic (1991) ***1/2

Devo- Q:Are We Not Men A: We Are Devo!- Kevin Gray Master (1978/2026) ***1/2

The Beatles- A Hard Day's Night: MONO RM (1963/2009) ****

The Neville Brothers- Neville-ization: Live At Tipitina's (1984) ***1/2

The Neville Brothers- Fiyo On The Bayou (1981) ***1/2

 

 

• "Tighten Up" is a classic. It also has one of the best appropriations. The song "Chin To Chin," written by The Kingstonians, is pretty much "Cheek To Cheek" by Irving Berlin. 

• "Zulu Stomp!!" is a very typical collection of garage rock featuring winners and losers. The most interesting thing is the only single by The Upsetters, a 1965 cover of "Daddy Rolling Stone." The Upsetters are Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar & his brothers, who then became The Flame, and then of course Blondie and Ricky were Beach Boys.

• The Beatles are underrated.

• My feelings about the Nevilles remain the same after listening to two "classic" records. They are a live band and need to be seen live. Their records just don't do the talent justice. It's good stuff...the records, I mean. But live, it's a different story. It's magical. The records are too slick. Charlie's a great player, but when he takes his turn, like on "Saxafunk" on "Neville-ization," it's a speed bump. Aaron singing "Mona Lisa" with a string section? Not essential New Orleans.

 

7/21/2026

v/a-Calypso, Musical Poetry In The Caribbean: 1955-1969 (2014) ***1/2

Elvis Presley- From Elvis In Memphis: Sessions (1969/2015) ***

Joe Jackson- Hope & Fury (2026) ****

Grey De Lisle & Les Greene- Grey & Greene (2026) ****

Robert Palmer -Collected: 2 LP Edition (2016) ****

The Who- Who's Power Poppin': Personal Playlist (2026) ****

Stories- S/T (1972) ***1/2

Dusty Springfield- Dusty In Memphis: Kevin Gray Master (1969/2026) ****

The Maytals- Monkey Man (1970) ****

The Meters- Fire On The Bayou (1975) ****

Utopia- Adventures In Utopia (1979)- **** 

7/20/2026

Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington- The Complete Sessions (1990) ***1/2

Charlie Hunter- Space Bomb (2026) ****

Sly & The Family Stone- Stand! (1969) ****

L7- S/T (1988) **1/2

Roxy Music- For Your Pleasure (1973) ****

Grey De Lisle & Les Greene- Grey & Greene (2026) ****

Roxy Music- Manifesto (1979) ***1/2

The Roches- Live At The Bottom Line, 10/23/85 (2026) ***1/2

Grey De Lisle & Les Greene- Grey & Greene (2026) ****

7/19/2026

Mavis Staples- Sad And Beautiful World (2025) ****

Michael Kiwanuka- Home Again (2012) ***1/2

Charlie Hunter- Space Bomb (2026) ****

McGough & McGear- S/T (1968) **

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers- Long After Dark (1982) ****

The Who- My Generation: Japanese True Stereo (1965/2023) ****

The Beatles- With The Beatles: MONO RM (1963/2009) ****

Led Zeppelin- I (1968) ****

The Meters- S/T: Kevin Gray Master (1969/2023)- ****

Jon Cleary- So Swell (2020) ****

The Dukes Of Stratosphear- 25 O'Clock (1985) ****

Big Star- Radio City (1974) ****



• This new Charlie Hunter record dropped out of nowhere, at least in my world. It's a quartet improvising over 15 tracks which could be a recipe for disaster. But not on "Space Bomb." Rather than extend each idea longer than it needs to be, we get 15 two, three and four minute tracks that give you just the right amount of time to get groovy without overstaying the welcome. Good stuff.

• Just added my 40 essential New Orleans records to the Popsurfing site.  Jon Cleary made the list. Twice.

 

 

7/18/2026

Irish Baroque Orchestra And Choir & Peter Whelan- Handel: Messiah (2026) ****

Karl Bohm, Winer Philharmoniker- Beethoven Symphonie Nr. 6>>Pastorale (1971) ***

Allen Toussaint- The Bright Mississippi (2009) **** 

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers- Hard Promises (1981) ****

Chris Squire- Fish Out Of Water: 50th Anniversary Remix (1975/2025) ***12

Bee Gees- 1st: MONO (1967) ****

Ronnie Wood- Slide On This (1992) ***

V/A- Licensed To SKA: Studio One 007 (2023) ****

Dio- Holy Diver (1983) ***1/2

The Zombies- Greatest Hits In MONO (2017) ***1/2

The Slits- Cut (1979) ****

Motorhead- Overkill (1979) ****

7/17/2026

U Roy- Version Galore (1971) ****

Leon Redbone- Champagne Charlie (1978) ****

Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle- One From The Heart (1982) ****

Lenny Kaye- Goin' Local (2026)**

Clint Eastwood- Step It In A Zion (1978) ***1/2

Yes- Roosevelt Stadium, Jersey City: 6/17/76 (2026) ***

The Rolling Stones- Foreign Diamonds (2026) ****

Mississippi Rail Company- Coal Black Train (2012) ****

Bob Seger System- Mongrel (1970) ****

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- Damn The Torpedos (1979) ****

Utopia- Oops! Wrong Planet (1977) ****

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- You're Gonna Get It (1978) ****



• I love Lenny Kaye as a guitar player, as a human, as a customer and as a writer. But this record just ain't happening. I can't see this record getting past the gatekeepers 50 years ago. 

• Been wanting a clean sounding version of that Yes show for a long time. Great set list and performance, but the sound quality on this official release is just slightly better than a third generation cassette.

• I tried a third Stones mix, this time creating an album of tracks from both "Hackney Diamonds" and "Foreign Tongues," and sequenced it differently. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Though I like both albums enough, I just might stop experimenting and listen to them as they were released.

FOREIGN DIAMONDS
Angry
Jealous Lover
Get Close
Ringing Hollow
Depending On You
Bite My Head Off
Some Of Us
Living In A Ghost Town
Beautiful Delilah
Driving Me Too Hard
Bad Luck Hideaway
Dreamy Skies
Back In Your Life
Rolling Stone Blues

• I haven't heard Bob Seger's "Mongrel" in years. Holy Crap! This is some badass rock and roll. Even All Music mentions the MC5 in their review. Heavy duty shit. 

7/16/2026

Charlie Rich- That's Rich (1965) ****

Eddy Arnold- Best of (1967) ****

Tom Petty- Wildflowers (1994) ***

Ricky Grant- Poverty People (1980-81?) ***1/2

Descendents- Milo Goes To College (1982) ****

Motorhead- Kiss Of Death (2006) ***1/2

The Specials- More Specials (1980) ***1/2

New Radicals- Maybe, You've Been Brainwashed, Too (1998) ****

Ray Barretto- Senor 007 (1965) ****

Baby Rose- Yearnalism (2026) ***1/2

Mavis Staples- You Are Not Alone (2010) ***1/2

 

 

 

• I promise I'm not starting trouble, but I think "Wildflowers" is just a tad overrrated. Really good record, but not sure it's deserving of its "best TP record" status.