2/2/2026

Jaume Vilaseca Trio-Jazznesis II: The Music Of Genesis 1970-1974 (2015)- ***1/2
(This was really good! Vocals were a bit offputting, but thankfully it was only two songs. Thanks Paul In DK, for the rec.)

Bonerama- So Much Love (2026)- ****
(Excellent return to form from one of my favorite brass bands out of New Orleans, though I'd be hard-pressed to name favorite brass bands from anywhere else.)

Frank Zappa- Essentials: Personal Edit (2022/2026)- ****

Tyler Ballgame- For The First Time, Again (2026)- ****
(Second time around was very rewarding. I think I paid more attention to it. Some great stuff here.)

Todd Rundgren- With A Twist (1997)- ****
New Radicals- Maybe You've Been Brainwashed, Too (1998)- ****

Nico- The End (1974)- ***
(I bought this a year after it came out, as I was into all things Roxy, Eno & Cale. I was mortified! I stopped listening at Track Three. My friend and cousin were laughing at me. Now, 50 years later, I really don't mind it. It's a tough spin, but like a trainwreck that you can't look away from, I keep listening. The YouTube description of the song below says "avant-folk!")

 

Willy DeVille- Victory Mixture (1990)- ***
(The roster of New Orleans legends on this record should have made it a much better session than it is. It's not terrible, just a bit lifeless for a New Orleans record.)

NRBQ- Workshop (1973)- ****
(The Q to the rescue...every time!)

(Q4U)

Ultravox!- S/T (1977)- **** 
(Another record that always comes through.)

Kula Shaker-Kollected: The Best Of (2002)- ***1/2
(Hayley Mills kid doing a more interesting version of Oasis. Loved the debut, then it became a blur. There's a new one out so I decided to prep with a "best of." Good stuff.)

2/1/2026

Sam Rivers- Fuchsia Swing Song (1965)- ***

Sly & Robbie, Nils Petter Molvaer- Nordub (2018)- ***1/2
(I enjoyed a lot of this. Thanks Randy!)

Roger Nichols & the Small Circle Of Friends- S/T (1968)- **1/2
(Sunshine pop, cult classic that I've tried to get into a number of times over the years, but it just never takes. Not even this time.)

Willy DeVille- Loup Garou (1995)- ***
(First time hearing this and it is not what I was expecting at all. Stylistically all over the place, and Willy doesn't always sound like Willy. Not terrible, but still weak, though it got better as it played. The Brenda Lee duet is pretty nice, but "White Trash Girl" sounds a little too much like C.C. Adcock.)

Led Zeppelin- Houses Of The Holy (1973)- ****
Small Faces- S/T: Immediate, MONO (1967/2023) - ****
Steely Dan- Countdown To Ecstasy (1973)- ****

Pink Floyd- The Wall: Personal Edit (1979/2026)- ***1/2
(Imperfect. Tried to tighten it up and make it lighter and more song oriented, but some of the transitions are abrupt. Back to the drawing board.)

Aerosmith- Permanent Vacation (1987)- ****
Ronnie Spector- The Very Best Of... (2015)- ****

 

1/31/2026

Sam Rivers- Dimensions & Extensions (1967/1986)- ****
(1967 session that remained on the shelf until 1986. This is an excellent hard bop showcase for both Rivers and Donald Byrd. It occasionally wanders off into free jazz territory, which makes it all the more exciting for me.)

v/a- Ultra-Lounge One The Rocks, Part One (1997)-***
(I know many find muzak and swingin' pop versions of rock and soul classics sacrilege, but for reasons I can't fully explain, I find some of the arrangements really appealing. I don't recommend a regular diet of this, but once in a while, it's fun.)

Willy DeVille- Backstreets Of Desire (1992)- ****
(One song, "Chemical Warfare," is a major speed bump on an otherwise brilliant record. Unquestionably, Willy's best.)

R.E.M.- Collapse Into Now (2011)- ***1/2

Mink DeVille- Coup De Ville (1981)- ****
(Really enjoying Willy today.)

(Willy Lagniappe) 

 
Mississippi River Revival- Live At NOLA Funk Fest, October 2025 (2026)- ***
(Supergroup featuring Stanton Moore & Rob Mercurio from Galactic, Roger Lewis & Gregory Davis from the DDBB, Big Sam, Luther Dickinson and Jennifer Hartswick. I bet this was fun in person. On tape, it seems very bland, with the usual NOLA covers and extended jams.)

R.E.M.- Reckoning (1984)- ***1/2
The Replacements- Live At City Gardens, 1984 (2025)-***1/2

Mink DeVille- Cabretta (1977)- ****
Johnny Thunders- So Alone (1978)- ****
Mink DeVille- Le Chat Bleu (1979)- ****
(An inadvertent chronological trifecta of brilliant junkie music!)

1/30/2026

Cast- All Change (1995)- ***
(I remembered why I didn't remember this record. It's kinda flat. Nothing terrible, but no great songs either.)

Teenage Fanclub- Bandwagonesque (1991)- ***

The Millennium- Begin (1968)- ****
(This record is nothing but hooks and heavenly harmonies. I always want to hear it again the minute it ends.)
 

The Mexicano- Goddess Of Love (1978)- ****
(AKA, Rudolph Grant, brother of Eddy. Fun record with Grant toasting over hooky vocals and solid rock steady rhythms.)

Tyler Ballgame- For The First Time, Again (2026)- ***1/2
(This will get another play soon. Some gorgeous stuff here, occasionally channeling Jeff Buckley, sometimes Roy Orbison, even The Lemon Twigs. Unfortunately, he sabotages a number of songs with over-affected vocalizing. Still, this is worth the time, at least after one pass. Thanks for the tip, Dr. Wu.)

Pablo Gad- Trafalgar Square (1979)- **1/2
(This one's new to me. Gad is a British roots reggae artist and this record is a little heavier on dub than expected. Eh. Okay once.)

Lovin' Spoonful- Personal Playlist (2026)- ****
C.C. Adcock- S/T (1994)- ****

Tony Hazzard- Loudwater House (1971)- ***1/2
(Much different than the British pop he was writing for others to have hits, this record would be a nice double feature with Elton's "Tumbleweed Connection." Plus, you get to hear Chris Spedding, which is always a plus. Good, solid record.)

 

 

Fats Domino- Fats Is Back (1968)- ****
(It is what it is and I really dig it. James Booker, Chuck Rainey, Earl Palmer, King Curtis and Darlene Love all show up for the party and it works. "SEEEE how they ROAAN!")

Pretenders- II (1981)- ***1/2

The Runaways- S/T (1976)- ****
(For about two weeks in 1976, I thought this was the greatest record I had ever heard. I came out of it. But I still like it.)

Wilko Johnson/Roger Daltrey- Going Back Home (2014)- ****

1/29/2026

Burning Spear- Hail H.I.M. (1980)- ***1/2

Elvis Costello & The Attractions- Punch The Clock (1983)- ****
(This needs a trim, but it still holds up, I think.)

The Pleasure Fair- S/T (1967)- **1/2
Appaloosa-S/T (1969)- **
(Carrying over yesterday's chamber pop mini binge, these two were disappointments. Pleasure Fair had its moments, but Appaloosa was horrible. Four songs in and I had enough.)

The Bunch- Rock On (1972)- ***1/2

Key- Fit Me In (1978)- ****
(I don't play this enough. Forgotten pop gem so obviously inspired by Paul McCartney, Emitt Rhodes.) 

Paul McCartney- Driving Rain (2001)- ****
(Two days in a row! I am loving this album.)

Difford & Tilbrook- Friars Club, Aylesbury: 9/22/84- ***1/2

1/28/2026

iPod on Shuffle:
Pandora's Box (Quad Mix)- Aerosmith
Try- Marshall Crenshaw
I Need A Roof- The Mighty Diamonds
Rip This Joint- The Rolling Stones
Farmer's Daughter- The Beach Boys
It Ain't Easy When You Fall/Shades Off- Ian Hunter
Renee- Talk Talk
Things Are Gonna Change (The Morning After)- Ray Davies
Money & Corruption- The Kinks
Something Has Hit Me- The Action
Got To Be Sure- Horace Andy
It's Up To You- The Specials
Don't Listen To Linda- The Monkees
Mouth Almighty- Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Red Brick Dream- XTC
Dusk Til Dawn- Paul Weller
Once You Love- Steve Earle
The 6th Of January (Yasgur's Farm)- Amy Grant
I Wish, I Wish- The Rails
Wheels- The Flying Burrito Brothers

Skin, Flesh & Bones- Dub In Blood, Vol. 1 (1976)- ***1/2
(Good one. Thanks Dr. Wu.)

Sly & Robbie- Rhythm Killers (1987)- ****
(Loved this the first time I heard it 40 years ago. Not a traditional reggae record, but the rhythms do indeed kill.)

 

Paul Weller- Saturns Pattern (2015)- ****

Paul McCartney- Driving Rain (2001)- ****
(Another Paul record that put me off upon release, but over the years has become a favorite. The stretch of seven songs from "I Do" to "Heather" plays as well as anything in his solo catalogue. "Your Way" could have been on "Ram.")



v/a- American Baroque: Chamber Pop And Beyond 1967-1971 (2025)- ****
(Excellent collection of faves and many never-heard-befores. Highly recommended, if you dig this type of stuff.)

Eternity's Children- S/T (1968)-***1/2
(The collection above sent me right to this. A Curt Boettcher classic, though as good as it is, it can't hold a candle to The Millennium's "Begin.")

Chris & Peter Allen- Album #1 (1968)- ***1/2
(Working on a post for Burning Wood.)

Marshall Crenshaw- Field Day (1983)- ****

1/27/2026

Wailing Souls- S/T: Studio One (1975)- ***1/2

Tom Waits- Bad As Me (2011)- ****
(Surprised I hadn't rated the Waits catalogue for Popsurfing. Just submitted it.

Closing Time- ****1/2

The Heart Of Saturday Night- ****

Nighthawks At The Diner- ***1/2

Small Change- ***1/2

Foreign Affairs- ****

Blue Valentine- ****

Heartattack & Vine- ****

One From The Heart w/Crystal Gayle- *****

Swordfishtrombones- ****

Rain Dogs- *****

Frank's Wild Years- ****

Big Time- ***

Night On Earth- **1/2

Bone Machine- *****

The Black Rider- ***1/2

Mule Variations- *****

Blood Money- ***1/2

Alice- ***

Real Gone- ***1/2

Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards- ****

Glitter & Doom- ***

Bad As Me- ****1/2)

Dennis Linde- S/T (1973)- ***
(Not bad record from the man who wrote Elvis' "Burning' Love." Hard to categorize as it seems to jump from pop & country to R&B. A few songs sound like Leon Russell. I didn't take it off, so that's a good sign.)

Depeche Mode- Essentials: Edit (2025)- ***
Billy Bremner- Bash (1984)- ****

Joe Bataan- Singin' Some Soul (1969)- ****
(An amazing soundtrack to the dog days of summer im NYC, 1969.)

The Kinks- Something Else By...MONO (1967)- ****
The Rolling Stones- Now!: MONO (1965)- ****
Paul Collins' Beat- The Kids Are The Same (1982)- ***
The Lemon Twigs & Friends- Written By Ronnie D'Addario (2025)- ****
Ratt- S/T (1983)- ***1/2
Foxy Shazam- Introducing (2008)- **1/2

Bee Gees- Life In A Tin Can (1973)- ***1/2
(Titus-Oaks, the greatest record store that ever lived on Flatbush and Church Avenue in Brooklyn, had a second floor where they stocked their used records, and off to the right, in the back, were the 99 cent bins. It might have even been 69 cents. It's been a while. I grabbed a lot of stinkers from those bins, including three Bee Gees records--"Mr. Natural," "To Whom It May Concern," and "Life In A Tin Can." All were disappointments...then. Now? All worth your time. Great stuff on all three.)