3/26/2026

John Coltrane- Coltrane's Sound: Kevin Gray MONO Master (1964/2025)- ****

McGuinness Flint- S/T (1970)- *** 
(I've always enjoyed this record, though nothing on it is as strong as the single.)

Genesis- Rock Roots (1976)- ***1/2
(Essentially "From Genesis To Revelation" enhanced with a few singles and b-sides. If you aren't a fan of the band, or prog rock, or long songs, I think you should listen to this record. It's none of those things.)

Robyn- Sexistential (2026)- **
(Okay. Whatever.)

Queen- II: 2026 Remix (1974/2026)- ****
(One of my favorite Side Twos in all of rock, this new remix really shines. It's always been a very hot, muddy and metallic recording, but not anymore. It breathes. You hear Freddie's miraculous vocals with more clarity. Guitar parts, percussion, things that have been buried for 50 years, suddenly stand out. Great, great spin!)

Flea- Honora (2026)- ***
(This record is all over the place. Some nice musical moments here and there, like his takes on "Maggot Brain" and "Willow Weep For Me." But there's a lot of pretentious crap here, too.)

The New Pornographers- The Former Site Of... (2026)- **1/2
(Not sure what happened here. It's been some time since I've listened to these guys, but I loved everything through "Brill Bruisers." This record never got started. It played as one long mid-tempo song without a melody. Is it me, or is this a whole lotta nothing?)

The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds: Kevin Gray Stereo Cut (1966/2015)- ****

Blur- Parklife (1994)- ****
(Forgot how good this record is. Thanks to a friend on Facebook, I revisited. Their most consistent, I think.)

Lou Reed- S/T (1972)-****
(This record deserves more love. It's Lou and some of YES! Come on! Lou, Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman demands your time!)

 

3/25/2026

Quarteto Novo- S/T (1967)- ****
Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers- Like Someone In Love (1967)- ****
Utopia- Kansas City, 10/14/78- ***1/2
The Ronettes- Presenting The Ronettes: Stereo (1964)- ***1/2
Randy Newman- My 12 Songs (2026)- ****
Paul McCartney- McCartney (1970)- ****
Echo & The Bunnymen- Crocodiles (1980)- ***1/2
v/a- Ska Authentic Vol. 1 (1964)- ****
Rockfour- Octopus Ride: Rockfour Playing Syd Barrett (2026)- ****
Radio Birdman- Living Eyes (1981)- ***

 

3/24/2026

Joao Gilberto- S/T (1973)- ****
(A lovely record. The track below absolutely mesmerizes me.)

Elvis Costello & The Imposters- Look Now (2018)- ***1/2
The Move- Looking On (1970)- ***1/2
Rush- Fly By Night (1974)- ***1/2
David Bowie- Heathen (2002)-****
The Meters- Rejuvenation (1974)- ****
Kraftwerk- Ralf & Florian (1973)- ***1/2
Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs- Pigus Drunkus Maximus (1987)- ****

The Blasters- Mandatory: The Best Of (2023)- ***1/2
(Normally, The Blasters would get an easy four stars. But Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs kicked some ass right before and these songs felt tame.)

Neurotic Outsiders- S/T (1996)- ****

3/23/2026

John Coltrane- Coltrane Jazz: Kevin Gray MONO Master (***1/2)
(Again, the sound is stunning, but this is my least favorite of the six records in the box.

v/a- Cool Jerks Originals (2026) ****
Funkadelic- Maggot Brain (1971- ***
Deep Purple- Fireball (1971)- ****

v/a- Hot Vinyl: Rare Classic Oldies, Vol. 4- A Rockin' Bandit Compilation (2017)- ****
(25 rare 45's, almost all new to me. Some really amazing girl group and dance sides here.)

Juicy Lucy- S/T (1969)- **1/2

Gravy Train- (A Ballad Of) A Peaceful Man (1971)- *
(All Music gave this a glowing review. I thought it was awful in so many ways, first and foremost, the horrible vocalist. Musically, it sounded like Uriah Heep trying to be sensitive. Awful.  If you want an original copy in solid condition, it'll set you back $1200, by the way.)

Bob Dylan- Down In The Groove (1988)-***1/2
(This sounded like "Blonde On Blonde" after that Gravy Train record.)

Jason Falkner- Genius: Personal Playlist (2025)- ****

3/22/2026

John Coltrane- Ole: Kevin Gray MONO Master (1961/2025)- ****
(In a word, stunning! "John Coltrane and two bassists walk into a studio..." My fave J.C. record.)

Elton John- S/T (1970)- ***1/2

Marianne Faithfull- Before The Poison (2004)- ****
(This record is intense, and at times, incredibly beautiful.)

Lou Reed- Transformer (1972)- ****
Willy DeVille- Backstreets Of Desire (1992- ***1/2
Buffalo Springfield- S/T: MONO (1966- ****

Jr. Walker And The All Stars- Home Cookin' (1969)- ****
(One of my favorite non-comp Motown albums. We, The Cool Jerks, used to cover "The Things I Do For You. I created a mix you might dig. This is a typical Cool Jerks set. The originals, of course.  It's HERE.)

Bonerama- So Much Love (2026)- **** 

 

3/21/2026

John Coltrane- My Favorite Things: Kevin Gray MONO Master (1961/2025)-  ****
(In a word, stunning!)

Dave & Ansel Collins- Double Barrel (1971)-***1/2
Prince- Dream Factory (1986)- ****
The Detroit Cobras- Baby (2004)- ***1/2
The Rascals- The Complete Singles A's & B's: Record One (2018)- ****

Dennis Alcapone- Ba-Ba-Ri-Ba Skank (1992)- ****
(This will be Monday's "Reggae Record Of The Week," but loyal readers of the Now Playing blog can listen to it today. It's here.)

The Clash- Combat Rock (1982)- ***1/2
Arthur Alexander- A Shot Of Rhythm And Soul (1983)- ****
The Slits- Cut (1979)- ****

World Party- Arkeology: Random Picks (2012)- ****
(So many gems, but I do love his "Dear Prudence" cover.)

Cheap Trick- In Color (1977)- ****

3/20/2026

John Coltrane- Plays The Blues: Kevin Gray MONO Master (1962/2025)- ****
(In a word, stunning.)

Bobby Darin- From Hello Dolly To Goodbye Charlie (1964)- ****
(Half ballads and half swingers, and the stuff that swings is killer! Probably the definitive version of "More.")

Olive Jones- For Mary (2026)- ****
(Holding strong on second pass. This one below was the stand out on this spin.)

George Harrison- All Things Must Pass: Sides 1-3 (1970)- ****
Marshall Crenshaw- S/T (1982)- ****
Keith Richards- Main Offender (1992)-***

Aerosmith- S/T: 2024 Mix (1973/2026)-****
(My second favorite Aerosmith record gets the deluxe treatment and it's a doozy. Worth the price of admission for the first official release of the Paul's Mall show from Boston, 1973, one of my favorite live sets ever. The new mix of the album is pretty great, too. More space, and somehow a little glammy like "Rocks." A much needed boost to this legendarily lifeless recording. Great stuff.)

Aerosmith- Paul's Mall, Boston: 3/20/73 (2026)- ****

Iggy Pop- Lust For Life (1977)- ****
("Here comes my Chinese rug.")

Michael Monroe- Outerstellar (2026)- ****