The Supremes -- More Hits

  When I first got this record I thought it was a follow-up compilation because of the album's title.  I was wrong, they're insinuating that their songs from previous albums were all hits (which isn't too far from the truth, at the time they sold as well as the Beatles), and that all the songs from this album are hits as well, hence they'd be More Hits.  I can't help but love the smooth sultry sound of the Supremes, every record is as good as the last.  This album consists mostly of arranged ballads, which are all nice, especially Whisper You Love Me Boy, but I do find More Hits lacks the pumpin' Motown soul sound I look for.  The closest we get to it is in Stop! In The Name Of Love, but seriously, it hardly does it for me.  Don't get me wrong, the team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, made another brilliantly arranged record, they hardly ever miss their mark.  The Supremes go on to make more and More Hits -- but when did they not!

Pink Floyd -- Meddle

  This album is as if the Beatles continued in the Sgt Pepper/ Magical Mystery Tour direction with the spontaneity of the White Album, toss in some Kraut rock psychedelia and you've got yourself some Meddle.  The first three tracks all weave together in a clear circular direction -- smooth acoustic futuristic sound.  Fearless is the gem in this set, you can hear it's influential impact on bands like the Flaming Lips and Galaxie 500.  The simple but very cool guitar riff sets the atmosphere for what should have been thematic denouement ... but no dice ... lounge lizard track San Tropez was just plain awful, followed by bluesy Seamus, which I should have liked, but the damn dogs barking, over and over, totally ruined it of me.  The B-side is the 23 minute long Echoes, the song continues where Fearless left off, but these over the top extended rock-outs are way too much, I kept thinking, "Jesus, who cares, end it!"   You can't Meddle with it, this is a good album, they just needed to clarify their musical direction, somethings are better left on the cutting room floor.

The Byrds -- Turn! Turn! Turn!

  Maybe not the best Byrds release, but Turn! Turn! Turn! serves as a quintessential example of folk style rock music ... but it goes deeper than that, all because of the 12 string Rickenbacker guitar, which makes a great effect for the music, follow that up with the heavy vocal harmonizing and you've got yourself a lush, smooth, influential record.  These Byrds take off to even further musical reaches as they go on, but these early records tell us where they are from.

Roy Orbison -- All-Time Greatest Hits

  Without question Roy Orbison is one of the most unique Rock 'n' Roll persona's of All-Time.  The great thing is that he didn't have to use shock or glamour, no, Roy was purely himself with the enigmatic voice!  The double album set features 20 Orbison hit numbers, here's the quick synopsis: flamenco beat driven, orchestral, operatic rockabilly -- does that even make sense??   The music has a dark desperation, filled with loneliness and wonder, making In Dreams perfect for Lynch's Blue Velvet.  My personal favorites are the rockabillied, Uptown, Dream Baby and somewhat Dylanesque Candy Man.  Roy Orbison is a must hear for every music lover, there will never be another one like him, so whether you love it or hate it, you can't help but appreciate it!

Isley Brothers -- Soul Shout!

  For starters Soul Shout isn't an official Isley Brothers release.  This album is a compilation from bargain basement label Pickwick.  They basically reissued a bunch of old tracks at a low price while the groups are still in the charts.  Soul Shout ain't bad, as an album!  It features the super mega hit Twist and Shout, which is fine and good to hear, but the numbers to write home about are The Snake and especially Right Now.  The Snake is a danceable swingin' doo wop number, while Right Now is a jazzy, soulful full blown emotional vocal demonstration, almost like letting their fans know that they aren't just a one hit wonder, but a Soul Shoutin' force to be reckoned with -- meaning get yourself some Isley's RIGHT NOW!

Toots & the Maytals -- Funky Kingston

   As far as I'm concerned Funky Kingston is one of the best records to come out of the whole Reggae scene.  Now there is one little problem I have with, maybe not this record, but rather Jamaican music.  Many of us put on our Reggae hats in the summer while doing yuppie seasonal activities, enjoying our luxuries, thinking isn't this the greatest music to, for example, lounge in a pool on air mattress or sit on a dock with friends enjoying drinks?  And it is, isn't it?  But i can't help feeling guilty thinking of who and what this music was actually made for.  Just look at the cover of this record, ahh their smiling faces, but what's in the background, that's the shanty town, where living is hard, and albums like these can make life a little easier for all it's inhabitants.  Lets all think twice when playing one of Jamaica's finest! 

The Tremeloes -- Here Comes My Baby

  From what I've learnt, these guys have made a career out of covering songs, which isn't that bad, unless you just make it sound like the real version, but that seems to be the Tremeloes way!  This album was awful -- BIG TIME!!!!  These guys just seem to be riding on the coat tails of  60's swinging London, copy-catting good groups, trying to cash in, and seemed to have forgotten what the music was all about!  One song is kinda Kinksy, the other like the Beatles, ohhh is that the bad side of Cream a la Wrapping Paper I hear -- unfortunately yes!  The title track, a Cat Stevens cover no less, and who the hell calls their album someone else's tune the same year the original comes out (argh this band is stoopid, anyway), is a good rendition of the song, fools you into thinking it is the song, but no dice it's the Tremeloes!  In the end this wanna be garage band can stuff their Muppet sounding falsettos, and s%#*ty use of fuzz guitar, you know where, because this baby is GONE .... P.S. are those wigs -- nerds!

Joey Dee & his Starliters -- Doin' The Twist

  For those of you who don't know, the Peppermint Lounge was a legendary New York nightspot, where you'd find celebrities, royalty, intellectuals, local night owls, and whoever else, cracking down class structures and mores by twisting away together, reminiscent of Warhol's, Fantastic Exploding Inevitable, no art or psychedelic light show, but the ability to bring in a highly mixed crowd in one place night after night ... these guys were on to something.  Now as to why they get thrown in with the oldies style skiffle groups, I have no clue, because this record is wild, it'd be better compared to the Kingsmen and the Sonics, the songs are loud, fast, loose and noisy, bashed out mostly cover versions of rock 'n' roll staples.  EVERYONE put on your dancin' shoe and start doin' the Peppermint Twist!!

Stevie Wonder -- Innervisions

  Stevie Wonder's sixteenth, yeah that's right I said sixteenth record, is probably his best!  The album is a mix of ballad and funk numbers and is one smooth operator that is definitely in the vein of Marvin Gaye's What's Going on.   By far the greatest song on this record is the super chart topper Higher Ground, I just can't get enough of this funk jivin' mega track with great lyrics and is damn catchy.  Could someone please tell me if the piano bit on Don't You Worry Bout' A Thing is the one used on Sex and The City??  I liked the song, but every time that intro, I can't escape thinking about those ditz queens talking like valley girls about how their lives are soooo complicated!  All good things aside, this album does have a couple of flaws, nothing too serious, but still they're there, I'm talking about the drastically dated synthesizer solo's that pop out from time to time, yeah I know it might have been very ground breaking at the time, but I ain't diggin' it.  The second is the slightly awkward opening track Too High (maybe that was the problem, he he, not funny!) it reminded me of the jazz-outs from Songs In The Key Of Life.  But who cares this record is thoughtful, smart and innovative.  Close your eyes, open your mind, let the needle hit the wax and have yourself an Innervision!

J.J. Cale -- Naturally

      Up Until to a couple years ago I had no clue who this guy was, with the exception of having song credits on Eric Clapton records, which is the main reason why I picked this one up, After Midnight.  Naturally is one smooth, laid back, bluesy album reminiscent of Dr. John and Mayall's Bluesbreakers.  His style is primarily known as the Tusla sound.  The record kicks off with killer track, Call Me The Breeze, featuring a drum machine, which for 70's Rock music was basically unheard of.  Side one closes with a god awful country tune, Clyde, not that it's all that bad, but the fiddle solos were driving me up the wall!    The rest follows suit, good ol' style super laid back Americana in J.J. Cale's Naturally talented brand of Rock 'n' Blues.

Donovan -- What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid

  What's this the Free Wheelin' Bin Donovan??  We all know Donovan for his folksy sounds, but this was uncanny -- and I'm not talking about the X-men!  The entire album is way more than a homage to Bob Dylan, it's a carbon copy and as far as carbon copies go, this one isn't bad, but there were some pretty stupid moments, lets face it he ain't no Zimmy.  As far as the album title is concerned I'm guessing it's suppose to be some kind of southern drawl, but why that phrase?  May I suspect that he might have been smoking hash and meditating with a certain revolutionary that we all know and hate??  Lets all put on our tin foil hats, Remember the Alamo and pretend it's Bobby D!!

The Band -- Music From Big Pink

   Ahhhh who doesn't love an old classics classic!  The Band sounds like some kinda back woods white man's gospel music, I kept thinking, "this is like a loose jammy Percy Sledge,"  but at the same time I wish that their vocals were more controlled.  Side one closes with super hit The Weight.  I love songs like these, totally overplayed, very popular and great every time.  It's one of those tunes that makes you appreciate the trees, hug your dog, love your cat, kiss your lady ... etc (you catch my drift).  The flipside comes off way stronger than the first, especially with country classic cover Long Black Veil.  But there are two things that erked me on the B-side, the first was the drunken Manzarekesque organ solo on the otherwise great number, Chest Fever, the second was This Wheel's on Fire, if this tune were a real wheel I would set it ablaze, and watch it BURN BABY BURN, to unlistenable cinders!  The album closes with I Shall be Released, featuring the I can't sing but it sounds cool lead vocals, accompanied with the Stonesy style backups.   The Band are definitely premonitions of things to come, a Canadian infused blend of Americana, influencing the 70's hippies who wanted to try keeping the dream alive, so let's all "take a load off," light up our jazz cigarettes and make a pilgrimage to Big Pink!

Aerosmith -- Get Your Wings

  After leafing through my record collection, I found my copy of Get Your Wings, honestly I don't find Areosmith very good or original, but I did buy it thinking, "there must be a reason they are so damn popular."  Now I can't say I hated this album, but I can't say I liked it either!  The good thing about this album, it's got that classic 70's rock sound, good for any party, as background, or in my case filling the dishwasher and making lunches!  Seriously who wouldn't like a record with a tune on it called Lord of the Thighs (check the Breeders version -- way better!).  But realistically, Get Your Wings just isn't any good.  Steven Tyler, on the cover, looks like someone's annoying, wanting to be sexy but isn't, aunt who has her nephews over hoping they bring their friends so she can ogle them  -- not the image of a so called Lord Of The Thighs!  The one tune that I was looking forward to, and thought that I liked, an old blues number, Train' Kept A Rollin' (stick to the Yardbirds version), was almost ok, but then got trashed by a finger tappin' over extended guitar solo that brought out my inner grandpa, "it's just goddamn noise, noise, noise!!!"  So in the end Get Your Wings is being taken out of the main collection, it was a nice try, even with the watered down Alice Cooper sound of, S.O.S (Too Bad), but it just couldn't cut it.  These are wings that I definitely don't wanna get -- ha ha! Ewwww!

Van Morrison -- Astral weeks

  Here we go, one of the most under played albums of all-time!  If you don't have it, get it NOW -- it took me long enough!  I felt like a fool after I listened to it, thinking, "why the hell wasn't this in my record collection until now."  I have, of course, all the necessary classics Beatles, Stones, Dylan ... etc.  Astral Weeks is in my opinion one of the mega timeless classics, at par with Pet Sounds, Revolver, the Velvets, you get the point!  It has that sound that inspires, especially with today's Indie rock scene  -- the new weird America.  The one thing I wonder, especially now that I've done my research and read all the appropriate Lester Bangs articles, did Morrison really know what he had stumbled onto while making this record?  From what I hear he was hanging with this eccentric wild man artist, who named the album, doing who knows what, but definitely in the throws of a growth of consciousness of some kind.  What gives off the feeling that something spiritual happened during this record is evident in the side titles, one is titled, "In the beginning", and two, "Afterwards".   Question is, what happened in the middle?  Were they the Astral Weeks??  But he must have reached some kinda high, if not, why give these titles?  I won't drabble on, the best part of the album is that it isn't just a great record but it forces you to pose yourself many questions.  And who know what else there is to discover in the Astral Weeks to come.