8/10/2026

Bryan Ferry- Bete Noire (1987) ***1/2

Paul McCartney & Wings- Red Rose Speedway (1973) **** 

Cheap Trick- All Washed Up (2025) ****

The Beatles- Meet The Beatles: 2024 MONO RM (1964/2024) ****

The Kinks- Soap Opera: Kevin Gray Master (1975/2023) ****

iPod on Shuffle:
Meanwhile Back At The Ranch...Should I Smoke -Badfinger
Only- Nine Inch Nails
Who's That Man- Todd Rundgren
Get Up, Get Into It, & Get Involved- James Brown
Day Tripper- The Beatles
Border Song- Aretha Franklin
Julian The Hooligan- Rockin' Horse
Know Your Rights- The Clash
Thoughs To Send- Juliana Hatfield & Eric Payne
Rudy, A Message To You- Dandy
Do Right Woman-Do Right Man- Aretha Franklin
Road To Ruin- Mr. Big
If She Knew What She Wants (Live)- Jules Shear, Marshall Crenshaw & Graham Maby
Nightmare- The Whyte Boots
Wild Mountain Thyme- The Byrds
Terrapin- Rockfour
Had To Phone Ya- The Beach Boys
Champs- Wire
Everything- Adrian Belew
First Came The Thunder- Chuck Prophet w/Qiensave
How Can That Be- Lou Rawls
Love To Love You Baby- Donna Summer

8/9/2026

The Agrovators Meets The Revolutioners At Channel One Studios (1977) ****

Linton Kwesi Johnson- Bass Culture (1980) ***1/2  

Gal E Caetano Veloso- Domingo (1967) ***1/2

Harry Nilsson- Harry (1969) ***1/2

Otis Redding- Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965) ****

Small Faces- The Autumn Stone: Expanded Remaster,  Sides 1-4 (1969/2025) ****

Robyn Hitchcock- The Confuser (2026) ****

The Psychedelic Furs- Forever Now (1982) ***1/2

The Ventures- In Space: MONO (1964) ****

Charli XCX- Music, Fashion, Film (2026) ****

Grace Jones- Nightclubbing (1981) ****

Paul Weller- Wake Up The Nation: Anniversary Remix (2010/2020) ****

Specimen- Wet Warm Cling Film Red Velvet (1997) ***

The Pretty Things- Get The Picture? (1965) ***1/2

8/8/2026

Mississippi John Hurt- Today! (1966) ***1/2

Dennis Bovell & The 4th Street Orchestra- Ah Who Seh? Go Deh! (1976) ****

The Pretty Things- Emotions (1967) **1/2

Love- S/T: Kevin Gray Stereo Master (1966/2018) ****

Jules Shear- Allow Me (2000) ****

Lou Reed- Street Hassle (1978) ***1/2

Albert King- Born Under A Bad Sign (1967) ****

The Beatles- Beatles For Sale: Stereo (1964) ****

Jr. Walker And The All Stars- Home Cookin' (1969) ****

Little Feat- Sailin' Shoes (1972) ****

Charlie Hunter- Space Bomb (2026) ****

Elvis Costello & The Attractions- Blood & Chocolate (1986) ****

Bad Brains- Rock For Light (1983) ****

Television- Adventure (1978)

• The 4th Street Orchestra will be this week's Reggae Record Of The Week. Get a jump on it.

• "Emotions" is a pretty lousy Pretty Things record. They really couldn't decide just what kind of band they wanted to be for the first 10 years of their career, at least to my ears.

• Kevin Gray strikes again. Love's debut never sounded better. It's as if you're in the studio hearing playback.

• "Space Bomb" is Charlie Hunter's best in years. Check it out here.

• "WE WILL NOT DO WHAT THEY WANT OR DO WHAT THEY SAY! OH NO!"

 

• I've tried, twice a year, maybe three or four, since 1978, to appreciate "Adventure." And if "Marquee Moon" never existed, I'd have more love for it. But it is really a terrible follow-up. 

 

8/7/2026

John Lee Hooker- The Real Folk Blues (1966) ***

Allen Toussaint- Life, Love And Faith (1972) ****

Donna Summer- The Wanderer (1980) **1/2

The Rails-  Fair Warning (2014) ****

The Beatles- Help!: Stereo (1965) ****

Utopia- Deface The Music (1980) ****

The Beatles- Magical Mystery Tour: Stereo (1967) ****

Wet Leg- moisturizer (2025) ****

Faces- Long Player (1971) ***1/2

8/6/2026

Jimmy Witherspoon- Classics: 1950-1951 (2005) ***1/2

Del Shannon- Move It On Over (2011) ****

T. Rex- The Slider: Tony Visconti Remaster (1972/2020) ****

The Everly Brothers- Sing (1967) ****

Graham Parker & The Rumour- Squeezing Out Sparks (1979) ****

Ian Hunter- You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic (1979) ***1/2

Stardust Five- S/T (2006) ****

Yes- S/T (1969) ****

Lou Reed- New Sensations (1984) ****

The Sorrows- You've Got What I Want: The Essential Sorrows, 1965-1967 (2010) ***

 

 

• There is a song on the Jimmy Witherspoon collection called "Once There Lived A Fool" that knocked me out. I was ready to make it a Song Of The Day, but YouTube only has a version from years later. It's a solid version, but if you could track down the version from 1951, it'd be worth your time.

• "New Sensations" is def top 5 Lou.

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8/5/2026

Linton Kwesi Johnson- Dread Beat And Blood (1978) ***1/2

Pete Townshend- Empty Glass (1980) ****

Stardust Five- S/T (2006) ****

Gang Of Four- Entertainment! (1979) ****

The Beatles- Revolver: 2022 Stereo Remix (1966/2022) ****

XTC - Go 2 (1978) ***1/2

XTC- White Music (1978) ***

The Keys- The Keys Album (1981) ***1/2

 

 

 

• The Stardust Five found me earlier this week. I knew nothing about this record, and I've been listening to Paul Kelly for a long time. This record is incredible. It's strange and beautiful, raucous at times, even soothing occasionally. Hard to describe. Listen to it, if you don't know it.

• "Revolver" is 60 years old today. SIXTY!

• For years I've avoided XTC's "Go 2" like the plague. I hated it the first time I heard it and would only occasionally throw "Meccanik Dancing" on a mixed tape. But a friend gave it some love on social media and I thought I'd go in for the first time in years. It's way better than I remembered. It's very herky-jerky, but enough of it is solid, making it official that there are NO bad XTC records.

• "Go 2" surprised me so much that "White Music," a record I always thought was better, didn't quite cut it tonight. That feeling may change down the line. But I do think it's time for an XTC revision on Popsurfing. 

 

8/4/2026

Olu Dara- In The World From Natchez To New York (1998)  **** 

The Rails- Australia (2015) ****

Burning Spear- Hail H.I.M. (1980) ***

Elvis Costello- My Aim Is True: Kevin Gray Master (1977/2001) ****

Free- Heartbreaker (1973) ****

iPod on Shuffle:

We All Fall In Love Sometimes- Elton John
It's For The Love The Petals Fall- Georgie Fame
Liquidize- Wet Leg
One Hundred Years From Now- The Byrds
East Of Asteroid- 801
To Love Somebody- James Carr
Baby What You Want Me To Do- John Cale
Something In 4/4 Time- Daryl Hall
Get That Gasoline Blues- NRBQ
Frank's Theme- Tom Waits
I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You)- The Temptations
Man Overboard- Ian Hunter
Stop Messin' Round- Fleetwood Mac
Water Song- Hot Tuna
Exposure- Peter Gabriel
Wasting My Time- Jimmy Page
Moving Up- Jason Falkner
Radio, Radio- Elvis Costello & The Attractions
I Have Decided To Join The Airforce- Bee Gees

• Elvis Costello just announced an October deluxe release of "My Aim Is True," featuring a newly remastered LP and CD, as well as a 5 CD set with demos, early takes, outtakes and live material. I'll go on record right now, that upcoming remaster will NOT come close to this Kevin Gray master. This record never sounded better.