XTC- Apple Venus Volume 1 (1999)- **** The Soft Boys- A Can Of Bees (1979)- **** David Byrne & Brian Eno- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008)- ***1/2 John Cale- Slow Dazzle (1975)- **** Allen Toussaint- Toussaint (1970)-****
Wings- At The Speed Of Sound (1976)- **** (50 years in---that's NUTS---and I just realized, "Must Do Something About It," a track I never liked, sung by drummer Joe English, might as well be a Billy Joel song. The chord changes and phrasing, especially on the bridge, is right off of "Turnstiles.")
Chris Stamey- Anything Is Possible (2025)-*** (The Lemon Twigs
sing on 5 songs, including a "Pet Sounds" cover. Marshall Crenshaw is
singing on a track, as well. The problem is, Stamey can't sing.)
Be-Bop Deluxe- Futurama: 2019 Stereo Remix (1975/2019)- ****| Cheap Trick- S/T (1977)- **** Cheap Trick- In Color (1977)- **** (How's this for a one-two punch out of the box? Same year!!)
The Lemon Twigs- Go To School (2018)- ***1/2 Raspberries- Personal Playlist (2024)- **** Genesis- Duke (1980)- **** U.K.- Danger Money (1979)- **** Led Zeppelin- Hampton, 9/9/71 (1971)- **** The Lemon Twigs- Look For Your Mind! (2026)- ****1/2 The Lemon Twigs- Songs For The General Public (2020)- *** R.E.M.- Dead Letter Office. (1987)- ****
Melvin Jackson- Funky Skull (1969) - ***1/2 (One of the wackiest records I have ever heard and I mean that in a good way.)
v/a- Black Rockabilly Vol. 1: A Rockin' Bandit Compilation (2026)- **** Neil Diamond- Wild At Heart (2026)- *** (Better than I expected. Some winners. A few losers. Def worth a second visit.)
The Lemon Twigs- Look For Your Mind! (2026)- ****1/2 Clive Hunt- Orthodox Dub (1978)- ***1/2 v/a- Soul Deep: A Burning Wood Weekend Mix (2026)- **** The Rolling Stones- Between The Buttons: U.K. MONO (1967)- **** The Lemon Twigs- Look For Your Mind! (2026)- ****1/2
The Allman Brothers Band- A Decade Of Hits: 1969-1979 (1991)- ***1/2
The Lightmen Plus One- Energy Control Center (1973)- **** (Modal, spiritual, free. Take your pick. Highly recommended if you dig this sort of jazz.)
Jim Jones All Starts- Cat Fight (2026)- *** (This is a lot of fun from the get go, but not much changes by the end. Lots of groovin' and howlin' but not a lot of actual songs.)
Kool & The Gang- Light Of Worlds (1974)- ***1/2 Elvis Costello- Live At The El Mocambo (1978)- ***1/2 Foxtide- Entropy (2026)- **1/2 (Press release said, "California sounds revival? Not called as such yet, but that line leading
from The Beach Boys and Buffalo Springfield through the ‘70s scene
seems to be being revived and modernized by the likes of The Lemon Twigs
and a number of other artists. Judging by Entropy, its new album, San Diego trio Foxtide should definitely be included in any such revival list." WRONG! This record is slightly more interesting than a Coldplay record and sounds NOTHING like the aforementioned trio of bands.)
Bash & Pop- Friday Night Is Killing Me (1993)- **** Joe Jackson- Hope & Fury (2026)- **** Traffic- Mr. Fantasy: Mobile Fidelity Remaster (1967/1993)- **** (First time I heard this. It's pretty damn great! I'll take as many mixes of this as I can.)
The Lemon Twigs- Do Hollywood (2016)- ***1/2 (This record blew my mind in 2016. It's fair to say, this record started the love affair with The Lemon Twigs. But ten years later, and two brilliant records in the last three years with a new one due this week, have to say this record plays like a hot mess. The kids have come a long way and there are plenty of fun moments to be had on "Do Hollywood." But...wow. This is a nutty record.) Utopia- Live From Levon Helm's Studio, 7/3/81 (1981)-**** (One of the very best Todd/Utopia live shows. Top Three. The memories add to it, of course. It was a live simulcast on WNEW-FM. I had my cassette player armed and ready. My girlfriend was over, a new Todd fan, or actually, more of a Kasim Sulton crush. And the band played more than half of the yet to be released new album. Still, the band was on fire. And it still sounds great.)
Joe Thomas- Is The Ebony Godfather (1971)- *** Leon Russell- S/T (1970)- **** Julian Cope- E-Man Groovin' (2026)- **1/2 Ronnie Foster- Two Headed Freap (1972)- ***1/2 Jocelyn Brown- Somebody Else's Guy (1984) ***1/2) Brian Eno- Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) (1974)- **** Montage-S/T (1969)- **** Buzzcocks- Singles Going Steady (1979)- **** Labi Siffre- Crying Laughing Loving Lying (1972)- *** v/a- The Lemon Twigs: Mood Swings (2026)- **1/2 Small Faces- S/T: Decca, MONO (1966)- ****
Sugar- Copper Blue (1992)- **** (Today wasn't a great day for writing notes. But this record inspired me to at least say this. "Copper Blue" is relentless! Hook after hook after hook. Loud and hard and in your face and never skimping on melody. Like Motorhead playing power pop. That is all.)
Del Jones' Postive Vibes - Court Is Closed (1973)- ** (Not a typo, the album cover says "postive." This is the first line of a user review on Discogs- "STONE CLASSIC early 70's black, aural-Counter-Cult-statement using the form of dynamic Jammer FUNK... 'n I mean FUNK!" Well, I found nothing funky about it. Trippy and amateurish.)
Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band- Time (2010/2026)- **** Etta James- Tell Mama (1968)- **** Jimmy Lewis- Totally Involved (1974)- **** (Great southern soul. Jimmy is a screamer! And he's got some great raps, too.)
v/a-The Lemon Twigs: Inspiration (2026)- ***1/2 Graham Parker 12 Haunted Episodes (1995)- *** Abba- Gold (1992)- **** Clarence Reid- Running Water (1973)- *** Gary Klebe- Out Loud (2026)- **1/2 (I like about a dozen songs by the Shoes. I never quite understood their cult status as legendary power poppers. The breathy vocals and sameness did little for me, though I do love the handful of songs I love. This solo outing from Klebe doesn't venture from the Shoes formula, which I guess might be a good thing for Shoes followers. But for me, it was a poppy blur for 40 minutes. And I really don't like how he sings. He's kinda clunky.)
The Who- A Quick One: True Stereo, Abbey Road HSM (1966/2022)- **** The Skeletons- Waiting (1992)- ****
Matteo Monico- Alfred Hitchcock: A Portrait In Piano (2025)- **** Ian Carr-Belladonna (1972)- ***1/2
Rhetta Hughes- Re-Light My Fire (1969)-***1/2 (Didn't know Rhetta or this record, but it was a great spin. A real soulful beauty. Check it out, when you can.)
Steely Dan- Gaucho (1980)- **** Graham Parker- Another Grey Area (1982)- ***1/2
Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band- Time (2010/2026)- **** Robert Walter, Eddie Roberts, Stanton Moore- The Breaks (2026)- **** (Loved both of these. Burning Wood reviews on tap.)
Paul Weller- 22 Dreams: Demos & The Like (2008)- **** New York Dolls- S/T (1973)- **** The Jam- The Gift (1982)- **** Gloria Jones- Come Go With Me (1966)- ****
