Larry Willis- Inner Crisis (1974)- **** (Fantastic jazz funk session produced by Sonny Lester.)
Moses Dillard & The Tex-Town Display- Now! (1969)- **1/2 (Average southern soul out of Muscle Shoals on Side One, lifeless muzak-y jazz on Side Two, never to be played a second time, and still vinyl copies sell for between $500 and $1000!)
The Rolling Stones- Now (1965)- **** Marcia Ball- Roadside Attractions (2011)- ***1/2 Minor Threat-S/T (1981)- *** (Another from Jesse Malin's hardcore Top Ten, aka as the "Bottled Violence" E.P., this races through eight songs in nine minutes, and original copies sell for $2500!)
Brian D'Addario- Till The Morning (2025)- ***1/2 Todd Rundgren- Tokyo, 3/23/2026 (2026)- *** Rush- Permanent Waves (1980)- **** Adrian Belew- Pop Sided (2019)- ****
The Lemon Twigs- What We Know (2015)- ***1/2 (Their very first cassette! I dig it. I liked it the first time I heard it and I still like it. Very psychedelic. Some of it sounds like they were listenting to The Monkees' "Porpoise Song.")
Marcia Ball- Gatorhythms (1989)- ***1/2 Ian Hunter- You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic (1979)- ****
Ray Charles- The Genius Sings The Blues (1961)- **** Rotary Connection- S/T (1968)- *** v/a- The Complete U.K. Upsetter Singles Collection, Vol. 1: Disc Two (1998)- ***1/2
Chocolate Milk- Action Speaks Louder Than Words (1975)- ***1/2 (Solid 70's funk and soul, produced by Allen Toussaint.)
The Beatles- Please Please Me: Stereo RM (1963/2012)- ****
Joe Jackson- Big World (1986)- **** (Great record. Still holds up, though I created a 10 track edit that plays better.) Joe Jackson- Night & Day (1982)- **** (I could write a chapter about this record, this tour and the days after its release.)
Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye- Diana & Marvin (1973)- ***1/2 (Pretty good record with one of my all time favorite 45s.)
Kool & The Gang- Wild And Peaceful (1973)- **** Traffic- Heaven Is In Your Mind: U.S. MONO, Kevin Gray Cut (1967/2021)- **** (Definitive edition!) 10cc- How Dare You (1976)- **** (I love this band. I love this album. I love their first four albums and I really like albums five and six. Gouldman/Stewart. Godley/Creme. Too much genius for one band. A split was inevitable. Here's a playlist for you.)
Harlem River Drive- S/T (1971)- **** (Legendary for a reason!)
Letta Mbulu- Letta (1970)- *** (South African singer with an amazing set of pipes, backed by Wilton Felder, Joe Sample and Hugh Masakela, who also produced. When she keeps to her native tongue and sounds, she is really effective. But the few songs in English lose their bite and she sounds like a Vegas pop singer.)
Irma Thomas- Love Is The Foundation (2020)- **** (Arguably her best, 60 years after the fact, and still not streaming or on CD. But you can grab it HERE for the next 7 days. You're welcome.) Spanky Wilson- Doin' It (1969)-**** (Oh yeah!)
Claudia Lennear- Phew (1973)- ***1/2 (Side Two saves this record with five Allen Toussaint songs, which he sings backing vocals on, as well as having a rhythm section of Chuck Rainey and Jim Keltner and Spooner Oldham on keys. Though Jim Dickinson and Ry Cooder are all over Side One, it just doesn't cut it.) The Bluerunners- Honey Slides (2005)- **** (One of my favorite albums out of New Orleans just got a 20th anniversary vinyl release, though a few songs were cut from the CD for space and fidelity. Record sounds pretty great. Here are two.)
Bobby Boyd Congress- S/T (1971)- ***1/2 (Another obscurity, an American band who had a following in France. This record is all over the place and that's not a bad thing. Sly & The Family Stone, Chicago when they veered off into free jazz territory, Sun Ra, Mothers' Finest. Lotsa fun. And if you act now, you can get an original vinyl copy for $1500!)
The Junipers- The Solid & The Hollow (2026)- ***
Mott The Hoople- The Hoople (Sal's Version, 1974/2024)- **** (Removed
both "Trudi's Song"- yes, I know it's about Ian's wife, but it's not
very good- and "Through The Looking Glass," because the b-side "Rest In
Peace" is a better ballad than both. And I added the two last singles
"Foxy Foxy" and "Saturday Gigs," because they belong!)
Marva Whitney- It's My Thing (1969)- ***1/2 Cheap Trick- All Shook Up (1980)- ***1/2 Scream- Still Screaming (1983)- *** (One more from Jesse Malin's Top Ten hardcore list, I was unaware of this band but they were produced by Ian MacKaye of Fugazi. Not as fast or hard as I expected, but I dug it...once.)
David Bowie- Aladdin Sane (1973)- **** Cro-Mags- The Age Of Quarrel (1986)- **** (Jesse Malin doesn't mention this record until midway, but we did both agree on #1, which I'll get to. "The Age Of Quarrel" is my #2.)
Barbara Lynn- Here Is... (1968)- *** (Half of this is new material and half is remakes of Lynn's Jamie singles, the latter of which lack the life and cool of the originals. I remember not loving this record, but I love Barbara Lynn, so I tried again. Stick with the Jamie recordings.)
Swamp Dogg- Total Destruction To Your Mind (1970)- **** (Totally mad and sick and badass.)
Ohio Players- Pain (1972)-***1/2 (I forgot how groovy the Westbound stuff was. They hit the big time once they signed with Mercury, but the early records are solid.)
Julia Cumming- Julia (2026)- **
Don Julian & The Larks- Super Slick (1974)- *** (Sometimes sounding like Curtis Mayfield, other times like late 60's/early 70's Temptations. Some very cool stuff, though their covers are weak. The originals work better.)
Edwin Starr- War & Peace (1970)- ***1/2 (Really enjoying this until the really stupid cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" came on.)
Agnostic Front- Victim In Pain (1984)- ***1/2 (One of Jesse Malin's ten favorite hardcore records. Going to hit all ten this weekend.) Circle Jerks- Group Sex (1980)- **** (Another from Malin's list. Agnostic Front would not be on my list, but "Group Sex" would.)
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)- ****
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)- ****
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!)
