4/23/2026

Minnie Riperton- Adventures In Paradise (1975)- ****
(I found an old hard drive with about 60 soul, funk and R&B records. I'm guessing this was from my days playing in The Cool Jerks, the band that played old soul, funk and R&B covers. There are some amazing titles here, many rare, and many I have no recollection of hearing before, like this Minnie Riperton record, which is absolutely fantastic. Great arrangements that feel like their own genre. Highly recommended. More to come over the next few days. Might fall into a rabbit hole with this stuff.)

The Exciters- Caviar And Chitlins (1969)- ***1/2
(Only a few years from "Doo Wah Diddy" and "Tell Him" but the Exciters sound like a different band. Good pop/R&B. Solid record.)

Julius Brockington- Sophisticated Funk (1972)- **1/2
(Brockington's an organ player and both he and this record are new to me. It isn't very good. It's subpar R&B and groove music with extended jams by a band that is really sloppy. I gave up about four songs in.)

The Beatles- Magical Mystery Tour (MONO, 1967/2025)-****
(Palate cleanser.)

Coke- S/T (1972)-**
(Another one that is new to me, amateurish Latin funk and soul out of Miami. It's a bit third rate. Made it through three tracks. Originals get good money, and it was reissued in 2025 on the Mr. Bongo label, so they must have a cult following.)

Joe Tex- The Love You Save (1966)- ***
Dave Mason- Let It Flow (1977)- ***

Stanley Clarke- S/T (1974)- ***1/2
(Love Bill Connors guitar playing on "Power" and "Life Suite," as well as Tony Williams' drum solo on "Life Suite!" Great record after the weak opening track.)

Ringo Starr- Long, Long Road (2026)- ***1/2
(He's 86. And a Beatle. And this ain't bad.)

Damn Sam The Miracle Man & The Soul Congregation- S/T (1970)- ***
(Another obscurity that is new to me, with original vinyl copies selling for as much as $1000.  It's pretty rollicking funk and R&B, though nothing particularly amazing. Every song has the same tempo and rhythm, like a Fela album, and Damn Sam's vocals are mostly a growl. I listened to al of it, so I suppose that says something. Glad I didn't pay $1000 for it, but I dug these two below.)

Radio Stars- Holiday Album (1978)- ***1/2
The Jam- All Mod Cons (1978)- ****

4/22/2026

Budgie- In For The Kill (1974)- ****
Eric Dolphy- Out To Lunch! (1964)- ***
Neil Young- Oceanside Countryside (1977/2025)- ****
The American Dream- S/T (1970)- ***1/2
Todd Rundgren & Utopia- Counterpart Studios, 11/11/73 (2016)- ***
v/a- That Feel: A New Orleans Souvenir (2026)- ****
Little Queenie & The Mixed Knots- Q Ball (1996)- ****
Daryl Hall & John Oates- S/T (1975)- ****
Al Hirt- Soul In The Horn (1967)- ***1/2
The Rolling Stones- Goat's Head Soup (1974)- ****

4/21/2026

Scott Ligon & Casey McDonough- Chicago, 9/8/14 (2014)- ****
(Great, close harmony set of covers from The Everlys & The Byrds to NRBQ and Roy Orbison, played to about 8 people at Schuba's in Chicago.)

The Kinks- Percy (1971)- ***1/2

The Tony Williams Lifetime- (Turn It Over): 1999 Bill Laswell Mix Translation (1970/1999)- ****
(Expanded and restored Laswell mix of the hard fusion classic that was delivered to Verve and then shelved once Universal's new regime took over. John McLaughlin, Jack Bruce, Larry Young & Williams go completely off the rails. It's HERE, if you dare!)

Joe Jackson- Fool (2019)- ****

Helene Smith- Sings Sweet Soul (1967)- ****
(If you hurry, you can snag an original vinyl copy of this super rare Miami soul gem for $6000.)

The Stranglers- La Folie (1981)- ***
Radio Stars- Songs For Swinging Lovers (1977)- ****

The Pretty Flowers- Never Felt Bitter (2026)- **1/2
(Power pop bands are the reason I no longer enjoy power pop. Maybe a future Burning Wood post. This record could be a hundred other records. I listened to five songs and had enough.)

Dr. John- Remedies (1970)- ****
(Underrated. Neglected. "Angola Anthem" is a trip!)

4/20/2026

The Beach Boys- Pet Sounds: Brother MONO (1966/1972)- ****
(This particular MONO pressing has been touted for years as the definitive MONO pressing, and it's getting an audiophile repress this spring. I hadn't heard this Brother master until today and it truly is a fantastic MONO press.)

The Beach Boys- Love You (1977)- ****
Guy Clark- Dublin Blues (1995)- ***

Godley & Creme- L (1978)- ***1/2
(I always enjoy this record when I play it. It's like 10cc playing Zappa, or maybe Zappa playing 10cc.)

Bill Bruford- Feels Good To Me (1978)- ****
Bill Nelson's Red Noise- Sound On Sound: 2022 Stereo Remix (1979/2022)- ***1/2

Motorhead- Lemmy's 50th Live At The Whisky A Go Go, 12/28/95 (2025)- ****

(Every live record should sound like this one. Recorded at the Whisky-A-Go-Go for Lemmy's 50th birthday, this live set perfectly captures that chest-pounding feeling of being up close in a small room. If you have ever experienced Motorhead in a small room---The Ritz, L'Amour or the Whisky---this will jog your memories, your heart and your nerves. My favorite Record Store Day piece.)

Elf- S/T (1972)- ****
(Ronnie James Dio and a terrible cover photo equals a big time misunderstanding. If you don't know Elf, you'd think heavy metal and you'd be wrong. This record owes more to the Faces than it does to anything Dio has been associated with. Listen to it.)

4/19/2026

Miles Davis- Dig (1951/1956)- ***1/2
Miles Davis- Miles Smiles (1967)- ***1/2

David Torkanowksy's Fleur Debris- Live At Jazz Fest, 5/6/11 (2011)- ****
(Here's a project that unfortunately ended before it truly started. David Torkanowsky on piano, Aaron Fletcher on sax with The Meters' rhythm section George Porter Jr. on bass and Joseph "Zigaboo" Modeliste on drums and special guest Nicholas Payton on trumpet. As Tork mentions, it's the first time George and Zig played the jazz tent and this set is a far cry from The Meters funk. I'll leave it here for a week, so you can dig it like I dig it. Don't sleep on this one. You're welcome.)

Todd Rundgren & The Hello People- Sigma Sound, 6/30/71- ***1/2

Joe Jackson- Night & Day II (2000)- ****
(I don't remember enjoying this record as much as I did today. Loving "Hope & Fury, so that could be why I was open to revisiting this. Great record. The musical quotes from "Night & Day" are a really nice touch throughout.)

The Meters- Cabbage Alley (1972)- ***1/2
Todd Rundgren- Irving Plaza, 11/26/97 (1997)- ***1/2
Freddie King- Taking Care Of Business: Disc One (2009)- ****
Humble Pie- As Safe As Yesterday Is (1969)- ***1/2
The Strokes- Is This It? (2001)- ****
T. Rex- Bolan's Zip Gun (1975)- ***1/2

4/18/2026

Hot Knives- S/T (1976/2011)- ****
Electric Light Orchestra- A New World Record (1976)- ****
Joe Bataan- Subway Joe (1968)- ****

Aerosmith- Detroit, 4/7/74 (1974)- ****
(Really fantastic early show. They were something else before the descent into hell.)

David Bowie- Low: Side One (1977)- ****
World Party- Arkeology Highlights- (2012/2026)- ***1/2
Todd Rundgren- Todd: Personal Edit (1974/2024)- ****
King's X- Personal Playlist (2024)- ****
Thundercat- Distracted (2026)- ***1/2
The Dukes Of Stratosphear- Psonic Psunspot (1987)- ****
Sally Baby's Silver Dollars- The OffBeat Session, 9/18/24 (20204)- ****

4/17/2026

The Chantells & Friends- Children Of Jah (1999)-***
The Police- Nunziatta Mondatta: Personal Playlist (2026)- ****

The Termites- Searching So Long: The Olympic Singles, '67-'69 (2018)- ****
(Killer, vinyl only boxed set of their late 60's singles. It's HERE, if you want it.)

Sally Baby's Silver Dollars- Live On WWOZ, 4/8/2026 (2026)- ****
Sun Ra- Aurora Borealis (1981)- **1/2
Hot Tuna- Burgers (1972)- ****

Hot Knives- S/T (1976/2011)- ****
(If it wasn't for The Flat Five covering "Sooner Or Later," which I loved, I would not have known about these guys. Interesting story, which you can read on All Music. Great, lost 70's folk/power pop from the Bay Area, featuring members of the Flamin' Groovies. They sound like Peter, Paul & Mary fronting Moby Grape or The Byrds.)

The Walker Brothers- Nite Flights (1978)- ***1/2
(Finally, a proper, inexpensive reissue courtsy of Record Store Day. I really abhor RSD, but there are always three or four records I need to have and this is one of them. Strange album, in all the best ways. This isn't 60's Walker Brothers. It's more like Berlin Bowie. Worth the price of admission for "The Electrician," an absolute stunner, that was released as a single!! Those were the days.)
 

 

The Who- A Quick One: Record Two (1966/2026)- ****
(Smart Record Store Day piece with the original album in MONO and a second LP of all related B-sides, U.K. & U.S. single mixes, the full "Ready, Steady, Who" E.P. AND the acoustic "Happy Jack" with Pete on cello.)

Small Faces- S/T: Immediate, MONO (1967/2023) - ****
(Nick Robbins' MONO master is a monster!)