Jerry Garcia- Reflections (1976)- **** (A Grateful Dead record in all but name. And a damn good one, too.)
Frank Sinatra- A Swingin' Affair! (1957)- ***1/2 Todd Rundgren- Nearly Human (1989)- **** David Bowie- Reality (2003)- ****
Tin Machine- S/T (1989)- **** (I will never not defend this record.)
Harry Connick Jr.- She (1995)- **** (The inside of the CD book says "Harry Connick Jr. & His Funk Band" and that band includes George Porter Jr., Russell Batiste, Zig Modeliste and the Bonerama horns for starters. Not before or since has Harry sounded like this. I played this to death in 1995 and saw the tour, which was one of the most entertaining live shows I have ever seen.)
Soundgarden- Superunknown: Sal's Edit (1994/2025)- **** Hole- Celebrity Skin: Sal's Edit (1998/2020)- **** Aerosmith- Rocks (1976)-**** (The greatest rock album of all time. Really.) Swag- Catch-All (2000)- **** (The greatest power pop album of all time. Really.)
The Runaways- Waitin' For The Night (1977)- *** (Cherie Currie is gone. Joan Jett takes over. An uncredited Sal Maida plays bass for the Stu Sutcliffe of the band, Vicki Blue. Fun record.)
John Hammond- So Many Roads (1965)- ***1/2 (I'm reading Robbie Robertson's memoir "Testimony" and didn't realize all of the times I've had this record in my hands that his backing band was HUGE! Mike Bloomfield, Charlie Musselwhite, and Mark Helm, Eric Hudson and Jaime Robertson, aka, Levon, Garth and Robbie.)
The Meters- Trick Bag (1976)- ***1/2
I-Roy- Ten Commandments (1978)- **** (I-Roy's masterpiece, versioning Marley's "Exodus" album in its entirety, with each song based on a commandment.)
Raw Spitt- S/T (1970)- ** (Charlie Whitehead aka Raw Spitt produced and arranged by Jerry Williams aka Swamp Dogg. I gave it four songs. It's just a whole lotta bland, conisdering those involved.)
Sister Nancy- One, Two (1982)- *** (A reggae classic and a rare one at that, that finally got a reissue after years of original copies going for $500-$1000. I never warmed to her voice.)
Ringo Starr- Long Long Road (2026)- ***1/2 Los Hombres Calientes- Vol. 3 New Congo Square (2001)- **** (Starting with their 1998 debut, right through their final release in 2005, this New Orleans collective featuring Jason Marsalis, Irvin Mayfield, Headhunter Bill Summers and Victor Atkins, along with numerous special guests including Burning Spear, John Boutte, Cyril Neville and Shannon Powell, put out some of my favorite music. They were always a go to while in New Orleans, and the rare occasions tghey played New York City. I haven't listened to these records in some time, but it's Jazz Fest and so they came to mind. I strongly suggest starting at the beginning.)
The Claypool-Lennon Delirium- The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy (2026)- **** (This is a great record. It would be even greater if the unfunny Claypool crap was edited out. It would also make the album a more user friendly 45 minutes.)
Percy "Thrills" Thrillington- Thrillington (1971/1977)- ***1/2 (I found this unlistenable 50 years ago. It's actually quite good. If you don't know it, it's an instrumental version of McCartney's "Ram," recorded around the same time, but shelved until 1977. The styles range from big band, easy listening, dancehall, and maybe even jazz, if you use your imagination. Really smart.)
10cc- Sheet Music (1974)-**** The La's- S/T (1990)- **** Graham Parker- The Real Macaw (1983)- **** (What a trifecta!)
Catalyst-S/T (1972)- *** (Funk and fusion out of Philly, with Odeon Pope and Alphonso Johnson. Not bad. Ended stronger than it began. I thought the tune below was groovy.)
Merry Clayton- Gimme Shelter (1970)- ***1/2 (This is a really good record!)
Neil Young- Tonight's The Night 50 (2025)- ***1/2 Dave Mason- Alone Together (1970)- *** Cheap Trick- All Washed Up (2025)- **** Tears For Fears- Personal Playlist (2023)- **** (This band has fans, of course. They're popular, of course. Yet, it still feels like not enough people know anything beyond "Shout." Playlist below. And it's a damn good one, if I do say so myself.)
Alice Clark- S/T (1972)- ***1/2 St. Vincent- Actor (2009)- **** Greazy Alice- As Time Goes By (2026)- **1/2 The Aerovons- Resurrection (1969)- ***1/2 The Stranglers- Black & White (1978)- ***1/2 Nine Inch Nails & Boys Noize- Nine Inch Noize (2026)- **** The Scruffs- Wanna Meet The Scruffs? (1977)- ***1/2 Black Flag- The First Four Years (1988)- *** Aerosmith- Draw The Line (1977)-**** Bonerama- So Much Love (2026)- ****
Jorge Ben- A Tabua De Esmeralda (1974)- **** (#6 on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Tropicalia albums list.)
Midnight Movers- Do It In The Road (1969)- ** (Third rate R&B. Album is named after The Beatles' track, which they cover, but sing "Why CAN'T we do it in the road." Bad Traffic cover, too.)
R.E.M.- Fables Of The Reconstruction (1985)- *** Squeeze- Trixies (2026)- *** Rickie Lee Jones- The Other Side Of Desire (2015)- **** Gloria Jones- Come Go With Me (1966)-**** (Surprise hit of the day from Mrs. Marc Bolan!)
Li'l Queenie & The Percolators- Home (2007)- **** The Left Banke- The History Of...(1985)- ***1/2 Joe Jackson- Hope & Fury (2026)- **** The Slits- Cut (1979)- ****
Larry Willis- Inner Crisis (1974)- **** (Fantastic jazz funk session produced by Sonny Lester.)
Moses Dillard & The Tex-Town Display- Now! (1969)- **1/2 (Average southern soul out of Muscle Shoals on Side One, lifeless muzak-y jazz on Side Two, never to be played a second time, and still vinyl copies sell for between $500 and $1000!)
The Rolling Stones- Now (1965)- **** Marcia Ball- Roadside Attractions (2011)- ***1/2 Minor Threat-S/T (1981)- *** (Another from Jesse Malin's hardcore Top Ten, aka as the "Bottled Violence" E.P., this races through eight songs in nine minutes, and original copies sell for $2500!)
Brian D'Addario- Till The Morning (2025)- ***1/2 Todd Rundgren- Tokyo, 3/23/2026 (2026)- *** Rush- Permanent Waves (1980)- **** Adrian Belew- Pop Sided (2019)- ****
The Lemon Twigs- What We Know (2015)- ***1/2 (Their very first cassette! I dig it. I liked it the first time I heard it and I still like it. Very psychedelic. Some of it sounds like they were listenting to The Monkees' "Porpoise Song.")
Marcia Ball- Gatorhythms (1989)- ***1/2 Ian Hunter- You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic (1979)- ****
Ray Charles- The Genius Sings The Blues (1961)- **** Rotary Connection- S/T (1968)- *** v/a- The Complete U.K. Upsetter Singles Collection, Vol. 1: Disc Two (1998)- ***1/2
Chocolate Milk- Action Speaks Louder Than Words (1975)- ***1/2 (Solid 70's funk and soul, produced by Allen Toussaint.)
The Beatles- Please Please Me: Stereo RM (1963/2012)- ****
Joe Jackson- Big World (1986)- **** (Great record. Still holds up, though I created a 10 track edit that plays better.) Joe Jackson- Night & Day (1982)- **** (I could write a chapter about this record, this tour and the days after its release.)
Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye- Diana & Marvin (1973)- ***1/2 (Pretty good record with one of my all time favorite 45s.)
Kool & The Gang- Wild And Peaceful (1973)- **** Traffic- Heaven Is In Your Mind: U.S. MONO, Kevin Gray Cut (1967/2021)- **** (Definitive edition!) 10cc- How Dare You (1976)- **** (I love this band. I love this album. I love their first four albums and I really like albums five and six. Gouldman/Stewart. Godley/Creme. Too much genius for one band. A split was inevitable. Here's a playlist for you.)
