3/22/2026

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)- **** 

 

3/21/2026

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)- ****

3/20/2026

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)- ****

3/19/2026

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.)

3/18/2026

Stanton Moore, John Medeski, Nels Cline & Skerik- Garcia's Chicago, 3/14/26, Late Show- ***
(Two hour show with about an hour of noodling. Good, not great.)
(https://archive.org/details/SMoore2026-03-14.late)

New Age Doom feat. H.R.- Angels Against Angels (2026)- ****
The Black Crowes- A Pound Of Feathers (2026)- ***1/2
Fire Town- The Good Life (1988)- **1/2
Kelly Groucutt- Kelly (1982)-***1/2

Roy Wood- The Singles (1982)- ****
(This is a sketchy release. It's on the Speed (?) label. The Move stuff sounds like it was recorded off of an A.M. radio. But all else sounds great and it's truly a great representation of this madman genius.)

Rush- Grace Under Pressure: Terry Brown Mix (1984/2026)- ***1/2
Traffic- Mr. Fantasy: U.S. Stereo (1967)- ****
v/a-The Harder They Come, O.S.T. (1972)- ****

3/17/2026

Edward Bear- Close Your Eyes (1973)- **1/2

John Lennon- Plastic Ono Band: Ultimate Mix, Side One (1970/2021)- ***
(This "ultimate" mix is pretty terrible. It's a muddy mess and completely ruins the original, raw feel of the recording.)

Beady Eye- Complete 7" Singles: A White Trash Soul Compilation (2025)- ****
Utopia- Ra: Side One (1977)- ****
Juliana Hatfield & Eric Payne- Bets (2026)- ****
Kid Creole & The Coconuts- Wise Guy (1982)- ****
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Green River: Abbey Road HSM (1969/2018)- ***12

Outfit- Preservers Of The Pearl (2026 )- ****
(Excellent new record from Daniel Romano.)

v.a- Phil Spector's 20 Greatest Hits (1976)- ****
("Walking In The Rain!" That is all.)

The Motors- Approved By (1978)- ****
(Been years since I played this one. So many gems!)

Montrose- S/T (1973)-
(Took in about 600 records this weekend. Been listing for sale on Discogs and listening as I go along. I am in the "M" box.)

The Monkees- Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. (1967)- ****

3/16/2026

Kraftwerk- Radio-Activity (1975)-***1/2

Juliana Hatfield & Erik Payne- Bets (2026)- ****
(Second spin even better. Love this record.)

Robert Palmer- Double Fun (1978)- ****

Olive Jones- For Mary (2026)- ***1/2
(A rec from Paul In DK. Good stuff! Like Norah Jones but meatier. Thanks Paul.)

Nicky Hopkins- The Tin Man Was A Dreamer (1973)- ****

Heaven 17- S/T: Side One (1982)- **1/2
(This did not hold up, though I still love the 12" version of "Let Me Go.")

Halfnelson- S/T (1972)- ***1/2
Lene Lovich- Stateless (1978)- ***1/2