5/26/2026

Sonny Rollins- Sonny Meets Hawk! (1963)- ****1/2
(I know most people reach for the obvious Sonny classics- "Saxophone Colossus," "Way Out West," "Volume 2," "Freedom Suite"- but I love his RCA years best, especially this, "The Bridge" and "Our Man In Jazz.")

Sonny Rollins- Our Man In Jazz (1963)- ****

Taj Mahal- Phantom Blues (1996)- ****
(A great, great record. The one below features Eric Clapton.)

 


Tom Newman-Fine Old Tom (1975)- ***
(Wacky, yet strangely appealing record from the leader of 60's psych band July, featuring Mike Oldfield, Fred Frith, Hughie Flint and Neil Innes. I wouldn't know where or how to begin describing what I just listened to, but I dug it.)

David Bowie- Space Oddity: Visconti 2019 Mix (1969/2019)- ***1/2
(Basically any "Visconti Mix" really just means more Visconti.)

The Beach Boys- Party! (1965)- ***
The Rolling Stones- Flowers: MONO (1967)- ****

Cheap Trick- Busted (1990)- ****
(An underrated classic, a few power ballads notwithstanding. But "Back N Blue" makes it all okay.)

Dead Boys- From the Sleaziest Catacombs: Live At CBGBs, 1977 (2026)- ***1/2
(Wish I could have been there. Great performance, but a mediocre capture.)

Sonny Rollins- Sonny Meets Hawk! (1963)- ****1/2

5/25/2026

Linton Kwesi Johnson- Bass Culture (1980)- ***1/2 
Jah Ruby- Dread Affairs (1977)- ****
Stevie Wonder- Fulfillingness' First Finale (1974)- ****
Bobby Womack- The Poet (1981)- ***1/2
King Crimson- Beat (1982)- ****
Genesis- Rock Theatre (1975)- ****
Jeff Lynne's ELO- Alone In The Universe (2015)- ****
Todd Rundgren- The Hermit Of Mink Hollow (1978)- ****
Paul McCartney- Tug Of War: 2015 Remix (1982/2015)- ****
Rancid-...And Out Come The Wolves (1995)- ****

5/24/2026

Grachan Moncur III- Some Other Stuff (1965)- ***
Lonnie Johnson- The Original Guitar Wizard, Disc Two: Hot Fingers (2006)- ***
Bob Marley & The Wailers- Exodus (1977)- ****

Bob Dylan- Another Self Portrait: Disc Two (2013)- ****
(This alternate version of "If Not For You" is gorgeous.)

 

 

Robert Palmer- Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley (1974)- ****

Bryan Ferry- The Bride Stripped Bare (1978)- ***1/2
(I am wiiiith you Dr. Wuuuu. "When She Walks In The Room" is a great song, though I still don't think it fits with my post-"Siren"/"Manifesto" mix. This record played better than I remembered, and it does have more good than bad. So I take that comment back. But, I stll wince during "Sign Of The Times" and "Hold On, I'm Coming.")

Thin Lizzy- Jailbreak (1976)- ****
Iggy & The Stooges- Raw Power: 1997 Iggy Mix (1973/1997/2012)- ****
13th Floor Elevators- Easter Everywhere (1967)- ****

5/23/2026

Cal Everett- The Weight Of Early Promise (2026)- ****
(Just wow. Even better second time around.)

George Harrison- Brainwashed (2002)- ****

Ray Barretto- Acid (1968)- ****
(A "veritable masterpiece" it says on the hype sticker, and I agree. If you had to pick one Latin boogaloo record for your collection, this is it.)

v/a-African Twist-Early Rock 'N' Roll From The Motherland: A Rockin' Bandit Compilation (2026)- ***
(This was a mixed bag, but some of it was a blast.)

 

Kid Creole & The Coconuts- Tropical Gangsters (1982)- ***1/2
The Who- Quadrophenia: Personal Edit (1973/2022)- ****

King Crimson- Red (1974)- ****
(Epic!)

Class Three Overbite- Horses For Courses (2008)- ****
The Cult- Pure Cult (1993)- ****
The Young Rascals- S/T: MONO (1966)- ****
The Heartbreakers- L.A.M.F.: The Found '77 Masters (1977/2021)- ****


  

5/22/2026

Johnny Clarke- King In The Arena (1978)-***
Teddy Thompson- Never Be The Same (2026)- ***1/2
St. Vincent- S/T (2014)- ***1/2
The Beatles- Hey Jude (1970)- ****
XTC- The Big Express: Steven Wilson Remix (1984/2023)- ***1/2
Trouble- Manic Frustration (1992)- ****
Tin Machine- S/T (1989)- ****
The Who- Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy: Alternative White Trash Soul Version (1971/2025)- ****

5/21/2026

David Sanchez- Tambo (2026)-  ***1/2

Bengali Bauls- At Big Pink (1969)- **
(I read about this is Robbie Robertson's memoir, "Testimony," and he said something like trad Indian music crossed with Muddy Waters. I found it on the Internet Archive, and it's just poorly recorded trad Indian music. Maybe you had to be there.)

Maria McKee- You Gotta Sin To Get Saved (1993)- ****
Nine Inch Nails- With Teeth (2005)- ****
Romeo Void- Benefactor (1982)-***
The Band- Music From Big Pink (1968)- ****

Roxy Music- Manifesto (1979)- ****
(This record gets little respect and that's just wrong. To my ears, Ferry's "In Your Mind" felt like a perfect transition after "Siren," my favorite Roxy record, and "Manifesto" followed suit. "Let's Stick Together" isn't a real record, so I don't count it, and "The Bride Stripped Bare" had more bad than good. Anyway, here's a mix with my fave tracks from all of these records because why not.)

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/72ac85ffffc34849b7faa89ab6ea6717sune?ref=dm_sh_iTUZpPy8fUFTjRnzkiB2kr8mE

5/20/2026

Todd Rundgren- Initiation: Side One (1975)- ****
Nick Drake- Five Leaves Left (1969)- ***1/2
John Hammond- Mirrors (1967)- ***
Black Uhuru- Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1983)- ***1/2
Bob Dylan & The Band- The Basement Tapes (1975)- ****
Rainbow- Rising (1976)- ****
Trouble- S/T (1990)- ****