7/4/2026

Ray Barretto- Hard Hands (1968) ****

Ray Barretto- The Message (1971) ***1/2

Eddie Harris- Silver Cycles (1969) ****

Traffic- The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (1971) ***1/2

Bob Marley & The Wailers- Natty Dread (1974) ****

Ike & Tina Turner- Story: Disc One (2007) ***1/2

Rush- Caress Of Steel (1975) ***1/2

The Clash- Super Black Market Clash (1993) ****

Banda AL9- Hey! Hey! We're Banda AL9 (2026) ***1/2 

Galactic- Ruckus (2003) ****

The Rolling Stones- Their Satanic Majesties Request: Personal Edit (1967/2025)- ****

Donna Summer- Gold: 14 Song Edit (2005/2026) ****

 

 

Somewhere between five and ten years ago, my friend Tim B., a fellow record dealer, was just a table away from mine while we worked a show. I took a walk around the room while he watched my records and I bought a few things, including four Eddie Harris records. When Tim saw my little haul, he said, "Don't sleep on those Eddie Harris records!" I knew exactly what he meant. The worst record dealers won't bother with Eddie Harris records because they don't sell for much. A jazz record to these clowns, needs to be on Blue Note or on some indie boutique label, and has to sell for $100-$500 before it is worthy to sit in one of their boxes. But Tim and I knew just how great these Eddie records were, so we'd snatch them up for $5 or $8 whenever we saw them, and then resell them for $15-$20, with little stickers that showed our reviews. We never failed to sell every one. So, don't sleep on "The In Sound," "Mean Greens," "Electrifying," and "Silver Cycles" if you see them.

"Super Black Market Clash" and The Jam "Extras" are so good, they often play better than either band's regular releases.

Here is that "Satanic Majesties" edit, if you're interested.
https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/510bf61e7f0643f9a10f071506025f77sune?ref=dm_sh_reJ7d1aWH0tHKOTcuO5ljNRdF

 

 

 

 

7/3/2026

The Grateful Dead- Fillmore, July 3rd, 1966 (2026) **1/2

Marie Queenie Lyons- Soul Fever (1970) ***1/2

Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen- S/T (2002) ****

The Rolling Stones- Hackney Diamonds (2023) ****

Lester Winchester McKendree- They Got It All (2026) **1/2

Banda AL9- Hey! Hey! We're Banda AL9 (2026) ***1/2

The Pursuit of Happiness- Love Junk (1988) ****

Led Zeppelin- Physical Graffiti (1975) ****

Motorhead- Ace Of Spades (1980) ****

 

Prompted by a Facebook thread posted by a musician who is not a fan of Andrew Watt or what Watt has done to the Stones, Iggy, or Macca, I decided to listen to "Hackney Diamonds." I still love it. And I love Iggy's "Every Loser," which I will get to this weekend. 

Lester Winchester McKendree released a debut and the press release was intriguing, far more than the actual music on the record.

And I already planned on resisting Banda AL9, feeling completely satisfied with The Lemon Twigs and completely put off by the Uni Boys. But, the Banda AL9 record is hard to resist. Yes, it's more Merseybeat/British Invasion, but it's too much fun to ignore. I didn't feel that way about Uni Boys. Banda AL 9 is a grower...I think.

I've all but given up the Motorhead fight. I guess you either get it or you don't, and actually, while I get it completely, I still get why others don't. That said, if you are ever in the mood to go in, either again or for the first time, listen to "Ace Of Spades" and "Overkill." Those two are the real deal.

 

 

 

7/2/2026

Lee Perry- Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Corn Bread (1978) ****
Stranger Cole-  "Forward" In The Land Of Sunshine (1976) ***1/2
The Grateful Dead- Workingman's Dead (1970) ***1/2
Preservation Brass- For Fat Man (2025) ****
The Plastic Ono Band- Live Peace In Toronto 1969: Side One (1969) **1/2
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- Echo (1999) ***
Deep Purple- SPLAT! (2026) ***
Rush- Presto (1989) ****
Corey Harris & Henry Butler- Vu-Du Menz (2000) ****
Bad Brains- I Against I (1986) ****
Thin Lizzy- Black Rose (1979) ****

 

Preservation Brass received a Grammy nomination for this album. If traditional New Orleans jazz isn't your thing, but you maybe want to try again. Listen to "For Fat Man." It's the best of its kind. 

I was really looking forward to loving the new Deep Purple after reading a number of positive reviews, a few using words like "heyday" and "the seventies."  And while the band sounds great, especially Ian Gillan who will be 81 years old next month, the songs go nowhere. They all have a sameness to them that could not keep me interested. Not a bad record, but not nearly the great record I've been reading about.

And Petty's "Echo" needs a major edit.

As for "Presto," I've played this at least three times in the last year, which is two more times than I had since 1989. Whatever I wasn't hearing, or not getting, I am getting now. This one is solid. Check out "War Paint."

 

7/1/2026

Elvis Costello- This Year's Model (1978) ****

v/a- All Stars Jamaican Blues (1961) ****

Nicky Hopkins- The Revolutionary Piano Of...(1966) **

Billy Ward & His Dominoes- Sixty Minute Men: The Best Of...(1993) ***1/2

The Holmes Brothers- Simple Truths (2004) ****

Living Colour- Vivid (1988) ****

Fela & The Africa-70- Shakara (1973) ***

The Rolling Stones- Emotional Rescue (1980) ****

Dwight Twilley Band- Sincerely (1976) ****

The Heartbreakers- L.A.M.F.: The Found '77 Masters (1977/2021)- ****

 

I saw a clip of my old friend Spike, who now resides upstate and owns Spike's Record Rack in Catskill, answering the question, "What is your perfect record?" I already knew his answer- Dwight Twilley's "Sincerely." I had to listen, of course. And I do love it. Though, I think I like "Scuba Divers" more. It depends on the day.

And that Nicky Hopkins record! I had no idea it existed before this week, thinking "The Tin Man Was A Dreamer" was his first solo record in 1973. "Revolutionary Piano..." is a strange mix of Liberace, classical, and 60's easy listening with a chorus of singers ruining things further.

We all knew Bill Wyman was a great bass player, but after last night's visit with "Undercover" and tonight's visit with "Emotional Rescue," I think more props need to be given for his ability to funk it up.

And as the Holmes Brothers mini binge continues, today's spin "Simple Truths" really hit the spot. This in particular, killed me.
 

6/30/2026

Todd Rundgren's Utopia- S/T (1974) ***1/2

Bruford- Feels Good To Me (1978)  ****

Pink Floyd- The Early Years, 1965-1967 Cambridge St/ation: Single Disc Edit (2017/2026) ****

Paul McCartney- The Boys Of Dungeon Lane (2026) ****

Peter Gabriel- Geneva, 9/21/80 (1980) ****
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9UyPYpVYIc)

Muse- The Wow! Signal (2026) **12

King Stitt- Reggae Fire Beat (1996) ***

The Rolling Stones- Undercover (1983) ****

Leon Russell- S/T: Kevin Gray Master (1970/2017) ****

NRBQ-Tiddlywinks (1980) **** 

It was a few songs into the live Peter Gabriel set where I felt inspired to jot down a few notes. 

First, finding this was a real surprise. I saw Gabriel on his first, second and fourth album tours, the fourth being a surprise, last minute announcement on Thanksgiving night at The Ritz, in NYC, serving as an intimate kickoff to the 1982 tour. Somehow, I missed the tour for his third "Peter Gabriel," the one referred to as "Melt," which at that point was my favorite solo Peter so far. And after years and years of collecting live music, owning hundreds of tapes and CDs of live recordings by everyone, I don't recall ever seeing a set list of the 1980 "Melt" tour. It's a good one!

The other interesting thing about this record and tour is, it is widely known that the "Melt" album features NO cymbals, as per Gabriel's request. Not one cymbal or hi-hat can be heard on the entire album. It was so unique, that a few years later at a Pep In The Cat rehearsal, I was instructed by our leader to stop hitting my cymbals for this one song we had just started to learn; an exercise that after 15 years of playing drums, was not as easy as it sounded.

All that said, this Geneva recording is a really solid audience capture, made all the more special because drummer Jerry Marotta is hitting cymbals on a few of the "Melt" songs, changing the sound and dynamic of songs I have only heard one way for 46 years. This live set was great fun. 

And then on Facebook...

I posited that the Stones' "Undercover" is a lot better now than it was then. I think this record gets better with each spin. "Too Much Blood" is amazing record-making. I don't care if it doesn't sound like "Mona."
"Pretty Beat Up" is a killer groove, too. Good record, and a whole lot more interesting and fun than "Voodoo Lounge."

When you listen to both "Leon Russell" and NRBQ on the same day, it's a good day.  

6/29/2026

The Holmes Brothers- Speaking In Tongues (2001) ****

Bruford/Borstlap- Every Step A Dance, Every Word A Song (2004) **1/2

Traffic- Far From Home (1994) **

The Holmes Brothers- Where It's At (1991) ****

Elvis Presley- Spinout (1966) ***

Roy Harper- Valentine (1974) **1/2

Rush- Roll The Bones (1991) ***1/2

Yes- Steven Wilson Remixes: A Personal Compilation (2018/2026) ***1/2

Shaun Cassidy- Wasp (1980) ****

 

 

A few records caught my eye as I scrolled through various websites, blogs and social media accounts this weekend, and I included them on my daily playlists.

I was a bit of a Holmes Brothers fanatic for a while, and their records from 1991 through 2007 got tons of play at NYCD and at home. But it's been years since I thought about them, so going to fix that this week.

I had totally forgotten about the Traffic reunion record and four songs in, I realized why. It's a Traffic record in name only. What it sounds like is a mediocre Winwood solo record. Traffic would never have used that awful 80's synthesizer sound and Steve shouldn't have been using well into the 90's. This record is a bore and sounds more dated than Traffic's classics sound now. I shut it off after four songs.

Also still in a Rush phase thanks to this tour. Nothing will beat the run from "Fly By Night" to "Moving Pictures," but the records I've dismissed for years are sounding much better these days, including "Roll The Bones." Those later records aren't bad, they are just different. 

There was a Shaun Cassidy post on Power Pop today, so of course I had to listen to the "Wasp" record. A few of the covers on this record teeter on the unlistenable, though the cover of The Who's "So Sad About Us" is sublime, regardless of what a few Power Pop readers had to say. The Todd originals written for this project are actually terrific, and if you are a Todd diehard, you will recognize riffs and melodies on these songs that became other songs on follow-up Utopia records. This is a fun record...if you're a Todd fan. And I actually love this record now. I didn't for a long time.

6/28/2026

Cimafunk & La Tribu- Te Toca (2026) ****

Fela Ransome-Kuti & His Africa 70- Fela Fela Fela (1970) **1/2

Nigel Hall, Ari Teitel & Terrence Higgins- Maple Leaf Bar, New Orleans: 3/17/2026 (2026) **

Neil Finn- One Nil (2001) ****

Sly & The Family Stone- Woodstock (1969/2019) ***1/2

David Bowie- Lodger (1979) ****

Spirit- Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus (1970) ****

Nick Curran & The Lowlifes- Reform School Girl (2010) ****

AC/DC- High Voltage: U.S. (1976) ***1/2

Cheap Trick- Special One (2003) ***1/2


 

I caught a little bit of Cimafunk live in New Orleans back in 2018 or 2019. There was a lot going on on stage and he was clearly playing to the crowd as bands do in New Orleans. Lots of audience participation. "Let me hear you scream!" That kinda shit. So it didn't leave a good impression. But I keep hearing good things so I went in on the new one and I am sure glad I did. I think this record sounds like what I had hoped Bad Bunny would sound like. It's more musical. It's played well. It's sung beautifully. It's organic, which I don't feel with Bad Bunny. Some of it rocks and some of it is just truly wonderful music.

And speaking of New Orleans, this Nigel Hall & Friends jam from the Maple Leaf didn't translate well to just audio at home. A cocktail and a crowd at the club, and this stuff works wonders.

Between the Fela, the live Maple Leaf jam and Sly at Woodstock, I needed to get back to basics. Both "Lodger" and "Dr. Sardonicus" were as a good as ever. And as much as I enjoyed the Neil Finn, that record could use an edit.

Nick Curran! Gone way too soon. This record kicks ass! And it ends with an AC/DC cover, which took me to "High Voltage."