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)- ***
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)- ****
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)- ****
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)- ****
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)- ****
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)- ****
Karl Richter- Johann Sebastian Bach (1964)- ***
Howlin' Wolf- The Howlin' Wolf Album (1969)- ***1/2
Nick Lowe- At My Age (2007)- ***1/2
John Lennon & Yoko One- The One To One Concert: Hybrid Best Of Show (2025)- ***1/2
(I highly recommend the documentary. A big takeaway for me--Lennon was a pretty great live guitar player.)
Lou Rawls- Natural Man (1971)- ***
Graham Nash- Songs For Beginners (1971)- ****
Kraftwerk- 2 (1972)- ***
Joe Jackson- Fast Forward: New York Side & New Orleans Side (2015) - ****
(That New Orleans side kills me. Stanton Moore playing for J.J.!)
The Beatles- Anthology 4: Personal Highlights (2025)- ****
v/a–Nuggets II: Orig. Artyfacts From The British Empire & Beyond 1964-1969, Disc One (2001)-****
Jimmy Page- Outrider (1988)- ***1/2
(It's easy to hate on this record, especially if you're a born Zep hater. Actually, I'm a Zep lover and I find it very easy to hate this record. Chris Farlowe, a legend it says, sabotages the songs he sings. He is unforgivable. How anyone signed off on this, including Page, is a mystery. The Robert Plant guest spot/reunion is a nothing song. The writing is average at best. But, it's Jimmy's record, and his playing on ALL of it is incredible. Listen to the solo on "Hummingbird," if you can stand Chris Farlowe's vocals, which are intolerable. Just listen for Page. This is a Jimmy Page showcase.)
