5/30/24

Dr. John- Gris Gris
James Carr- At The Dark End Of The Street
Elvis Costello- King Of America
Spirit- Twelve Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus
Fine Young Cannibals- The Raw & The Cooked

5/29/24

Wings- London Town

Keith Hudson-Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood
(Forgot just how brilliant this record is. Wow.)

Paul Weller- 66
The Jam- This Is The Modern World

The I Don't Cares- Wild Stab
(Paul Westerberg and Juliana Hatfield? How did I miss this? Thank you, random guy on Threads.)

Jethro Tull- This Was (Steven Wilson Stereo Remix)
The Heptones- Freedom Line
The Ramones- Mania! (Sides Three & Four)

5/28/24

Isaac Hayes- Truck Turner
Freddie McGregor- Bobby Bobylon
The Black Crowes- Amorica
Jackie Mittoo & The Soul Vendors- Evening Time
The Young Rascals- S/T
The Slits- Cut
Electric Light Orchestra- On The Third Day
Ruby Johnson- S/T

5/27/24

Jennifer Lara- Studio One Presents...
(Very happy to have this in my collection after years of trying to find an affordable copy. When I write up my Top Ten Reggae Albums post this will be on it.)

 

Richard Hawley- Now Then: The Very Best Of... (Sides One & Two)
Rush- Moving Pictures (Side One)
Yes- The Yes Album (Steven Wilson Remix)
Pete Townshend- All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes

Queen- Hot Space
(I had hoped time would have softened me up about this one. But, nope. It's mostly horrible. Though I do love Freddie's line during this tour. "Oh just relax. It's a fucking album, for godsakes!)

Gene Clark- White Light (Kevin Gray Remaster)

Ron Wood- I've Got My Own Album To Do
(Lost classic, like the son of "Ooh La La" and "Goats Head Soup.")

Pops Staples- Father Father
(Been a long time since I heard this one. Great! All vibe!)

 

 

The Iguanas- Nuevo Boogaloo

5/26/24

v/a- Looking Back: The SAR Records Story
(Excellent single LP overview of the 4 CD box)

XTC- Apple Venus Volume One
Donna Summer- Bad Girls (Sides One & Four)
Steely Dan- Gaucho
Jennifer Lara- Studio One Presents...

Paul Weller- 66
(I can't get enough of this record. Some of these melodies are epic. Really a gorgeous album.)

The Hollies- Evolution (U.K. MONO)
Joe Jackson- Presents Max Champion In "What A Racket"
The Beatles- Help (U.K. MONO)
Wilco- Summerteeth

The Flying Burrito Brothers- The Gilded Palace of Sin (Kevin Gray Remaster)
(First, if you love this record, you really need this version. Second, Todd Rundgren totally ripped off the intro of "Hot Burrito #2" for "Hello It's Me.")

Otis Redding- Dictionary Of Soul

 

 

iPod on Shuffle:
Something's Going On- Ducks Deluxe
Ska Jerk- Bob Marley & The Wailers
Play That Song Again- Chuck Prophet
She's Leaving Home (Stereo Remix)- The Beatles
Mule Train- Count Prince Miller
Nine To Five- The Kinks
Without You Without Them- boygenius
The Mirror- Montage
Shanghai Sky- Joe Jackson
Nothing Rhymed- Gilbert O'Sullivan
Repetition- David Bowie
Abracadabra- Blue Ash
The First Time I Met You- The Splendors
Razor Boy- Steely Dan
Whenever You're On My Mind (demo)- Marshall Crenshaw
Call Me- Southern Culture On The Skids

5/25/24

Paul Weller- 66
(This is an amazing record. Even better second time around.)

Nico- Chelsea Girl
(Not sure what compelled me to play this on such a beautiful spring day, but it's working somehow.)

Dillard & Clark- The Fantastic Expedition Of...(Kevin Gray Remaster)
Lenny Kravitz- Blue Electric Light

Daniel Romano's Outfit- Do (What Could Have Been "Infidels) By Bob Dylan The Plugz
(If you know, you know. Genius.)

Led Zeppelin- I
(Someone posted this on Threads, "Can we please go one year without mentioning Led Zeppelin?," and I immediately felt like hearing the first album. So, no.)

Wings- At The Speed Of Sound
(Two friends texting about McCartney and this happened. No complaints.)

5/24/24

Wingless Angels- Volume II
Professor Longhair- Mardi Gras In New Orleans (1949-1957)
Nilsson- Pussy Cats (New 2024 RM)
Rockpile- Seconds Of Pleasure (New Kevin Gray Remaster)
Isaac Hayes- Shaft (Sides 1 & 4)
The Rascals- Time Peace: Greatest Hits (Kevin Gray Master)
Elvis Costello- This Year's Model
Iggy Pop- Every Loser
T. Rex- Electric Warrior

45s
The Orlons- Envy (In My Eyes)
Brenton Wood- The Oogum Boogum Song
Foster Sylvers- Misdemeanor
Buster Brown- I Love You For Sentimental Reasons
The Bo-Keys- Congratulations
Shadows Of Knight- Shake

5/23/24

La Luz- New Of The Universe
(Press release made this sound great. Mission accomplished, I guess. It's fucking horrible. Four songs in and the lead singer still hasn't sung one note in key.)

Messer Chups- Dark Side Of Paradise (five songs)
(Surf music by the book. Meh. Maybe they're better live.)

Talking Heads- Live At WCOZ 77 (about half)
(I knew I wasn't going to like this before I even put it on. I prefer "Fear Of Music" and "Remain In Light." Wow, I am 0-3 to start the day.)

Paul Weller- 66
(We've got a winner! What a lovely album. Only one pass but I already like it more than "Fat Pop.")

Otis Redding- Pain In My Heart (MONO)
(Going to be in and out of the Stax catalogue for a few days. Watching the excellent HBO doc has really put me in the mood.)

Pretenders- Viva El Amor
(Definitely underrated, and the rare occasion when the cover "Human" is better than the Divinyls original.)

Ruby Johnson- S/T
(Ruby Johnson has recorded 47 songs, many written by Isaac Hayes & David Porter and recorded for the Stax label, but only one vinyl compilation exists, a 2022 12 tracker on the Velvet Ramp (?) label and it's a killa! All meat and no filla!)

Otis Redding- Sings Soul Ballads (MONO)
(Really no bad Otis records, but a few of the songs here are better by others.)

The Wild Tchoupitoulas- S/T
(Never fails! A guaranteed 40 minutes of happy.)

Angelique Kidjo- Remain In Light
(My favorite Talking Heads record covered to perfection.)

5/22/24

Motley Crue- S/T
(This one record with John Corabi on lead vocals instead of Vince Neil came up twice with two different people on two different days this week and all three of us agreed, it is not only the best thing the band has ever done, but one of the best heavy metal albums of the last 40 years. Had to listen to it.)

 

Jennifer Lara- Studio One Presents...
(Classic early 80's rock steady record. Always a $200 record, but it just got a new repress.)

Fountains Of Wayne- Sky Full of Holes
(My least favorite FOW record which means I never play it, which means little sounded familiar to me except the things I didn't like about it in the first place--- the pop culture references, the in-jokes, three of the first four songs, and then another two later, have the same goofy backing vocals, "A-wow-ooh-wo-oh-oh." By this record, it felt like they had run out of ideas. Still, these guys were so good together, I ended up enjoying a lot of it.)

Lee Perry & The Upsetters w/Vin Gordon- Musical Bones
(This record makes me very happy. It first appeared as a limited edition of 300 white-label-only copies, so trying to buy one was impossible, as you'd need to drop between $800-$1500. But it finally got a repress in 2020. Recorded and mixed by Lee 'Scratch' Perry at the Black Ark Studio in Jamaica, in 1975, listen to this one when you have nothing else in the on deck circle.)

The Boys- Alternative Chartbusters
("Brickfield Nights," baby!)

 

Dr. Alimantado- Best Dressed Chicken In Town
(Legendary.)

Thin Lizzy- Bad Reputation
(Occasionally my favorite Lizzy LP.)

Ian Hunter- You're Never Alone With A Schizophrenic
(This one goes out to all my Sheepshead Bay pals, almost all of whom have ever bothered to read anything I've written.)

 

5/21/24

Trumpet Mafia- Plays The Music Of Ellis Marsalis, Live From Jazz Fest: 4/28/24
(Live preview of forthcoming album. Cannot wait for this one.)

Bad Brains- Rock For Light
v/a- Studio One Oldies But Goodies Vol. 1
The Beach Boys- Surf's Up
The Kinks- Lola Versus Powerman & The Moneygoround, Part One
The Bobby Fuller Four- S/T (MONO)
Chris Bell- I Am The Cosmos

Spin Doctors- Pocket Full Of Kryptonite
(Me and the late, great Tim Vega used to run copies of the Spin Doctors concert flyers when we worked together at Village Copier. This was three years before they signed to Sony. We were part of their "crew." Over the course of three years, Tim and I must have seen these guys 100 times at Nightingales, Dan Lynch, Wetlands...you name it, we were there. Great memories. This debut blew our minds and it still holds up, shitty MTV videos be damned. Also, the band never could follow-up with anything as strong. Amazing how just a few songs could stir up a ton of memories.)

David Bowie- Let's Dance
(I thought this record was the greatest thing since sliced bread in 1983. Now? Not so much. I enjoyed it. But, man some of it tanks, especially his cover "China Girl.")

5/20/24

Glad- A New Tomorrow: The Glad & New Breed Recordings
(The complete early recordings of Timothy B. Schmit's pre-Poco band, with future Poco members, too. Never heard it before. Good sunshine pop, though each song sounds like a different 60's band--Bee Gees, Mamas & Papas, The Turtles, Beach Boys. One and done, which makes sense, but still a solid listen.)

 

McChurch Soundroom- Delusion
(Found this on a blog I check out occasionally. 

"An eclectic psych free blues rock ensemble that has closed relationships with krautrock, in particular with the heavy, stoned jazzy sound of Nosferatu, but also with folkish bands from England--Jethro Tull first era. Their original LP "Delusison" was released in 1971 on the legendary Pilz label--Popol Vuh, Wallenstein, Witthuser & Westrupp. This psych folk underground act is now cult."  

I lasted two songs. Horrible.)

Genesis- The Lamb Lies Down Broadway (2008 Nick Davis Remix)
(I know this is considered a prog classic, but if you boil it down to a single LP and use the most accessible songs, it might as well be a psych pop album.)

Elvis Costello & The Imposters- Momofuku
(The great lost E.C. album)

The Black Crowes- Happiness Bastards
(Still not sick of this record. As a matter of fact, it gets better and better.)

King Hannibal- Truth
(Another brilliant record lost in the weeds.)

Traffic- Mr. Fantasy (Original U.K. MONO)
(I have a number of versions of this--U.S. Stereo, U.S MONO with a Kevin Gray master, U.K Stereo, and this one. I love them all. One of my fave records of all time.)

5/19/24

Ronnie Lane & The Band "Slim Chance"- Anymore For Anymore
(A great Sunday morning record.)

 

John Oates- Reunion (about half)
(Meh. A little too precious.)

Phyllis Dillon- Rocksteady
(Excellent collection of her late 60's and early 70's sides for Trojan and Treasure Isle)

Valley Lodge- Shadows In Paradise
(Good power pop record. More consistent than the last, but I think there were songs I loved more on the last.)

 

 

Utopia- S/T (1982)
X- Los Angeles

Queen- Made In Heaven
(I know it's a fake Queen record, but it's a great fake Queen record. Or even better, it's Freddie's best solo album because he had his bandmates helping him out. Liked this from day one.)

Queen- Greatest Hits In Japan (As Selected By Japanese Fans)
(I can't believe I dropped the ball on that Kinks' Curated Hits post over at the other place and failed to mention THIS, an actual hard copy of the example. 12 Hits chosen by Japanese fans strictly for the Japanese market! It can be done.)

Buzzcocks- Singles Going Steady

Faces- Ooh La La (Kevin Gray Remaster)
(This record was in the cut-out bins three months after its release. Why?? For the record, I think the Faces four records rank from the last to the first, making "Ooh La La" my favorite. You know, for the record.)

5/18/24

St. Vincent- All Born Screaming

Joe Higgs- Life Of Contradiction
(An amazing record. Truly beautiful, and one that I always think would appeal to those who don't like reggae. But what do I know? The guitar line in "Song My Enemy Sings" is mesmerizing.)

The Drifters- Golden Hits (Kevin Gray MONO Remaster)
Alice Cooper- School's Out

Little Feat- Sailin' Shoes
(New Lowell tribute just came out. As per usual, very uneven. But thankfully my two faves from the album get terrific versions. Mike Viola nails "Trouble" and Jonathan Wilson delivers  a sweet "Willin'," though neither can touch the originals.)

Paul Weller- Sonik Kicks
(I've tried with this one and it just doesn't take. I think Jam fans who don't like solo Weller probably think it all sounds like this one.)

Bob Dylan- Desire
Elvis Presley- The Sun Sessions

Nine Inch Nails- Pretty Hate Machine
(A game changer! Saw them three times in concert and all three times were the best live shows of their respective years.)

The Heartbreakers- L.A.M.F.: The Found '77 Masters
(It's Saturday night, damn it!)

Keith Richards- Talk Is Cheap
(The reprobate marathon continues.)

5/17/24

iPod on Shuffle:
Hard Time Blues- James Cotton
With A Little Help From My Friends/Nowhere Man- Jeff Lynne
California Dreaming- The Mamas & The Papas
Dirty Old Town- The Pogues
This Is The One- Thin Lizzy
Careless Hands- Barbara Lynn & Lee Maye
Love's A Mystery- The Tubes
The Truth Is Plain To see- Freedom
Withered On The Vine- Nick Lowe
Going To The River- Snooks Eaglin
I Like The Way You Groove Me- Frederick Knight
Naked Eye (Olympic Sound Version)- The Who

Whitesnake- Saints & Sinners
(I can't recall ever hearing this record and certainly didn't realize "Here I Go Again" was here five years before the hit. Good rock record! And I think this version of "Here I Go Again" is better. Less bombast.)

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers- You're Gonna Get It
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros- Streetcore

The Kinks- Soap Opera
(I've been a fan of this record for a while, but I have really fallen in love with it this week. This new remaster I just picked up to replace my well worn OG is certainly helping matters.

Rebirth Brass Band- Feel Like Funkin' It Up
(Just in from the Tipitina's Record Club. Great release!)

Todd Rundgren- Todd
The Roches- S/T

Pretenders- II
(I hated this record when it came out. How do you follow up that debut? "Zep 2" would have been a crap follow up. This one aged really well. And maybe I did, too!)

Big Black- Atomizer
(Steve Albini is overrated. So is Kurt Cobain. So are Big Black. )

Raspberries- Cleveland Rocks (Personal Playlist)
(Needs an edit.)

5/16/24

iPod on Shuffle:
Music In Dreamland- Be-Bop Deluxe
Madness- Prince Buster
Trick Bag- Robert Palmer
Don't You Want Me- Glenn Tilbrook
Love In Vain- The Rolling Stones
Neo Punk- Iggy Pop
Color Me Blind- Extreme
Hybrid- Siouxsie & The Banshees
Only Love- The Black Keys
Donna- 10cc
Climb That Hill- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Cinderella Man- Rush
Stone For Stone- Henderson Thigpen
The Only Time- Nine Inch Nails
It's A Sin- Pet Shop Boys
Size Of Sorrow- Tears For Fears
A Lucky Guy- Rickie Lee Jones
I've Got Sand In My Shoes- The Drifters
Pony Tail- T-Bone Walker
A Conspiracy (Live)- The Black Crowes
Points Of View- Squeeze

Billie Eilish- Hit Me Hard & Soft
(Three songs really knocked me out. The rest, not so much, but still somewhat enjoyable compared to her last record.)

Bad Brains- S/T
The Kinks- Something Else By (Kevin Gray MONO master)

5/15/24

John Martyn- Glorious Fool
(I've been trying for years and years to get into John Martyn. But I think I dislike a lot more than I like.)

Pokey LaFarge- Rhumba Country
(I've enjoyed some of Lafarge's earlier records, though a lot of it came across as novelty. I was not expecting this new record to be this solid. I really enjoyed this.)

Giles, Giles & Fripp- The Brondesbury Tapes (1968)

The Kinks- Word Of Mouth
(This record is much better than I remembered it.)

The Kinks- A Soap Opera
(Another record that deserves better.)

 

The Cult- Pure Cult: The Singles, 1984-1995 (less two songs)

Misfits- S/T
(Everyone needs a copy of "Die Die My Darling" in their home.)

The Specials- The Best Of (Sides One, Three & Four)

5/14/24

David Bowie- David Live (Sides One, Two & Three)
Electric Light Orchestra- Zoom
George Harrison- S/T
Siouxsie & The Banshees- Through The Looking Glass
Queen- News Of The World
Pretenders- Loose Screw
Todd Rundgren- Arena

5/13/24

Ministry- With Sympathy
Ministry- Twitch

Angus & Julia Stone- Cape Forestier (about half)
(First time listening to any music by these two. Started off interesting and then by track seven it all sounded like the same song.)

Charles Neville & Diversity
(I discovered this record about ten years after its 1990 release and I played it almost daily for about a year. I had forgotten about it for a long time and it is still one of my favorite records out of New Orleans, less the two vocal tracks.)

The Rolling Stones- Their Satantic Majesties Request (U.K. MONO)
Utopia - Ra (Side One)
Prince- Sign O' The Times (Sides One, Two & Three)

The Kinks- The Journey Part 1
(A candidate for one of the greatest compilations of all time.)

5/12/24

Ray Charles- The Great (MONO)
(All instrumental. A beauty. My favorite Ray Charles record when it's not "The Genius Sings The Blues.)

Toots & The Maytals- In The Dark
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach- Painted From Memory
The Meters- S/T (Kevin Gray Stereo Remaster)

The Lemon Twigs- A Dream Is All We Know
The Mamas & The Papas- Personal Playlist
XTC- Skylarking
(This is a great triple feature!)

Todd Rundgren- Personal Playlist (Inspired By Current "ME/WE" Tour)
Todd Rundgren- A Cappella

Boston- S/T (Kevin Gray Master)
(I loved this record when it came out. Then I hated it for the next 40 years for all the wrong reasons. Once I heard this Kevin Gray master I got back on board in a big way. I'm older and (somewhat) wiser and don't care what people think...most of the time. This is a brilliant record, and it has never sounded better thanks to the genius ears of Kevin Gray.)

The Jaded Hearts Club- You've Always Been Here
(This record came out during the heart of the lockdown in August, 2020 and boy did I need it!)

5/11/24

Bob Marley & The Wailers- Burnin'
Dr, John- Desitively Bonnaroo
James Singleton- Malabar
Utopia- Complete Bearsville Singles (1977-1982)
The Paragons w/Roslyn Sweat
The Clash- London Calling
The Beatles- Revolver (2022 Stereo Remix)
Whitesnake- Slide It In
Whitesnake- Ready An' Willing
V/A- Big Ol' Box Of New Orleans (Personal Playlist From The Box)

5/10/24

iPod on Shuffle: 

Barracuda- Heart

Badhead- Blur

15 Petals- Elvis Costello

Love Can Run Faster- Robert Palmer

Nowhere Is My Home- The Replacements

Strictly Memphis- The Rolling Stones
(This kinda rocked!)

Sinner- Neil Finn 

Letter From Abroad- John Cale

Your House- Mike Keneally 

Dear Prudence (Stereo Remix)- The Beatles 

That Feel- Lil’ Band O’ Gold
(Def a Top Ten Waits cover.)

Theme From Boat Weirdos- Joe Walsh

Jaggedland- Marshall Crenshaw
(iPod alogrithm blowing my mind again. Listen to these back to back and you'll see what I mean.)

Penetration- Iggy And The Stooges

Utopia-Adventures In Utopia
Todd Rundgren- Liars
(Got to hear four from this album at Thursday night's show!)
Chris Braide & Andy Partridge- Queen Of The Planet Wow!
Led Zeppelin- In Through The Out Door
Iggy Pop- Every Loser

5/9/24

Paul McCartney- Tug Of War
Donovan Barabajagal

iPod on Shuffle:

Dowie Den’s Of Yarrow- Shelagh McDonald

Smile For Me- Huey “Piano” Smith

Yeah Yeah Yeah- Chuck Martin

Wild Horses- Johnny Hammond

Hate & War- The Clash

The Wah-Watusi- The Orlons

True Blue- Rod Stewart 

Turn To Stone- Joe Walsh

Chuck E’s In Love- Rickie Lee Jones

I Do Not Miss You- Glenn Tilbrook

Heaven- Eurythmics

Do It Ina Dance Hall Dub- Sly & Robbie

Get Down Make Love (Early Take) - Queen 

Deliver Your Children- Wings

5/8/24

World Party- Dumbing Up
(Probably the weakest of Wallinger's five WP albums, but it does include five of his best songs. Just that the others really don't cut it.)

V/A- Licensed To SKA: Studio One 007
Grace Jones- Nightclubbing

Mdou Moctar-Funeral For Justice (four songs)
(This one is a nerve shredder.)

Patti Smith- Personal Playlist
Glenn Tilbrook & The Fluffers- Pandemonium Ensues
Badfinger- Personal Playlist

Irma Thomas- Love Is the Foundation
(A gorgeous, late career masterpiece and she has two more new ones coming this year.)

Joe Jackson- Look Sharp
(A perfect debut! Seriously, this record does not get enough recognition. No bad songs, not even the throwaway "Instant Mash" which is too good to be a novelty. Five stars!)

 

5/7/24

Traffic- When The Eagle Flies
Steve Winwood- S/T
(I had a dream about buying both of those records and being really excited, as if I had found gold. The Traffic album is and has always been weak. But that debut solo from Stevie is quite good.)

 

Joe Jackson- I'm The Man
Tom Verlaine- Cover

Geraint Watkins- In A Raw Mood
(Pure joy.)

 

 

Daughters Of Albion- S/T
Montage- S/T
(Just saw a recent clip of The Lemon Twigs and the brothers were asked, "What is your favorite record right now?" Michael said "Montage," which I have been raving about for years. Brian said "Daughters Of Albion" which I haven't played in years. The former, a Michael Brown project, post-Left Banke, that I think is 100 times better than the second Left Banke album. The latter is a Leon Russell produced sunshine psych record that apparently has The Wrecking Crew on it and was recorded in and around the time of "Smile." Makes sense. You can hear and feel both of these records all over the Lemon Twigs records.)

 

 

Elvis Costello- Ten Bloody Marys & Ten How's Your Fathers
("I was seriously thinking 'bout hiding the receiver when the switch broke 'cause it's old" is one of the most genius lyrics of all time.)

The Hollies- Stop! Stop! Stop!

5/6/24

Jennifer Lara- Weekend Loving
(A recommendation from a reggae guy I follow on IG. I know Lara's first, but never heard this. Very nice. Some of it felt more like a Chaka Khan record than a dancehall, lovers rock, reggae record, but it worked.)

Rickie Lee Jones- S/T (Kevin Gray Master)
Alice Cooper- Killer

Blue Oyster Cult- Secret Treaties
(BOC is another great candidate for a run of four, starting with this through "Mirrors.")

The Tubes- S/T

John Lennon- Walls & Bridges
(Good record, but what was the point of rewriting "How Do You Sleep" as "Steel & Glass?")

Genesis- Turn It On Again: The Hits
(I remember reading an interview with Tony Banks where he mentions how the older fans want to hear the "long songs" and so they added "Tonight Tonight Tonight" and "Driving The Last Spike" into the set. Someone should have said, "Tony, we meant the GOOD long songs.")

5/5/24

Laufey- Bewitched
The Toms- S/T
Gene Clark with The Gosdin Brothers- (Kevin Gray Stereo Cut)
Lou Reed- Legendary Hearts
The Lemon Twigs- Brothers Of Destruction

The Keys- The Keys Album
(The Lemon Twigs covered a track from this record, which I didn't recognize. Turns out to be a solid power pop/new wave record from 1981, produced by Joe Jackson. Actually, sounds a helluva lot like Joe himself. Maybe the album he would have released instead of "Jumpin' Jive.")

 

 

Fleetwood Mac- Then Play On
The Keys- Unlocked
The Heartbreakers- L.A.M.F.: The Found '77 Masters

Johnny Thunders- So Alone
(Thunders, Phil Lynott, Steve Jones, Steve Marriott...all my favorite reprobates.)

 

Utopia- Deface The Music
(Lemon Twigs had this album, as well as The Toms and Hall & Oates playing before they took the stage.)

Billy Idol- Rebel Yell (New Remaster)

5/4/24

Charles Mingus- Blues & Roots
Evi-Edna Ogholi- My Kind Of Music (Side One)

His Lordship- S/T
(Absolutely nuts! Relentless rock and roll from Pretenders' and Rails' guitar player James Walbourne.)

The Toms- The 1979 Sessions (Side One)
Lightnin' Hopkins- Thinkin' & Worryin': The Aladdin Singles 1947-1952
Skyy- Skyy Line

Swag- Catch-All
(The greatest power pop album of all time...in my house.)

John Cale- Fear
(How about John Cale as a nominee for an album run?
"The Academy In Peris," "Paris 1919," "Fear," "Slow Dazzle," "Helen Of Troy.)

5/3/24

Society Of Rockets- Tough Trip Through Paradise
The Cynz- Little Miss Lost
Marshall Crenshaw- #447

Peter Harris & Firm Roots featuring Herlin Riley, Dwight Fitch Jr, Derek Douget, and Ashlin Parker -Live From The WWOZ Jazz Tent, 5/3/24
(This is one killer quintet. They hold court every Wednesday night at The Bayou Bar. Happy to catch this live set.)

The Mighty Hannibal- Hannibalism!
(Essential!)

Krasno/Moore Project- Book Of Queens
Neil Young- After The Gold Rush
The Lemon Twigs- A Dream is All We Know

Cheap Trick- The Latest
(The secret weapon of the CT catalogue! Man, this one deserves more!)

5/2/24

The Lemon Twigs- What We Know
(Their first, cassette-only release, which I had never heard until today. Fantastic. Trippy. Like Macca's "The Fireman" stuff, or Todd Rundgren's "A Wizard/A True Star," or even The Beach Boys' "Smile.")

 

The Black Crowes- MGM Music Hall, Boston: 4/28/24
(Band sounds really good. Solid set list, too. Sorry I missed them this time.)

David Ruffin- David
(Third solo album that Motown shelved for years. More than a few gems. Good stuff.)

 

The Lemon Twigs- A Dream Is All We Know
(Time to give it a rest. But, I could play it again before the day is through.)

The Black Crowes- Three Snakes & One Charm
(The Crowes covered a b-side from these sessions, "Just Say You're Sorry," at that MGM Boston show on 4/28. Great track from a great album.)

 

 

Lil' Band O'Gold- The Promised Land
(This record falls into my Top Twenty New Orleans records, maybe even Top Ten, though technically, most everyone on it is from Lafayette.)

 

 

The Lemon Twigs- What We Know
(Second play. Still dig it. Weird, for sure, but loving their ideas at 15 and 17 years old.)

Laufey- Bewitched
(Suggested by an old friend. Stunning. She apparently won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Album. One listen to this and I can hear why.)

The Rolling Stones- Stripped
(It's "Rolling Stones Day" at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. They just took the stage as I dropped the needle on my fave RS live record. I'm there in spirit.)

5/1/24

The Lemon Twigs- A Dream Is All We Know
(Just wow! Back for more, later.)

Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru- Spielt Eigene Kompositionen
Southern Culture On The Skids- Bootleggers Choice
Alice Cooper- Billion Dollar Babies (2023 Chris Bellman RM)

The Lemon Twigs- A Dream Is All We Know
(It's that good. Believe the hype.)

XTC- English Settlement

Kiss- Dressed To Kill
(I never filed it after playing it yesterday. I went in again.)

Dead Boys- We Have Come For Your Children
(I never not love this when I play it. Same goes for the first album. Two of the Top Ten punk albums of all time.)

 

4/30/24

Tony Gregory- Sings
(Found this on a reggae blog I follow. Listed as a "rare non-reggae record recorded at Studio One in 1968." Pretty wild. Everything about it sounds like a reggae record out of Studio One right down to the tone of the snare drum, just not the rhythms. Great little find.)

10cc- Meanwhile
(1992, semi-reunion of all four original members. Haven't heard this in ages. It has its moments, but mostly it doesn't.)

Prince Buster- Sings His Hit Song "Ten Commandments"
Bad Company- S/T (2024 AP 45 RPM RM)
Johnny Guitar Watson- A Real Mother For Ya

Todd Rundgren- Runt. The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren
(“The lyrics have his typical left-handed optimism, and just when they get jaded, the track opens up; and multiplies, as ‘Hey Jude’ did. But ‘Chain Letter’ has more balls and goes through several changes, while ‘Hey Jude’ never went past spirited repetition”---Patti Smith)

King Crimson- Starless & Bible Black (Steven Wilson Remix)

The Desert Nudes- Keep A'Movin' Dan
(Debut from New Orleans trio. Subtitle of the record says "Songs of hydration, vigor, horses and wide open spaces." Really terrific. Close harmony. Great sense of humor. Solid originals. And if you're a sucker for songs like "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" like I am, those are here, too.)

  

 

 

 

The Three Degrees- Maybe
(I love this record. I've written about it before over here. But I hadn't heard it in some time and it just caught my eye as I was filing a Three Sounds record.)

 

Mod Cons- S/T
(Listen to this album.)

 

 

Kiss- Dressed To Kill
(Their best. Hooks! Hooks! Hooks!)