Neil Young -- After The Gold Rush

  Intended to be a movie soundtrack carrying the same name, After The Gold Rush the film never happened, but the Folking kick ass soundtrack lives on!!!

Sam & Dave -- Hold on, I'm Comin'

    The dynamically dynamite Memphis Souled-out Duo, Sam & Dave's debut LP, Hold On, I'm Comin'!  What a great testament to the Memphis sound, which is a Bluesier version of Soul music.  Point is Hold On, I'm Comin' is a wham bam thank you mam (get it?) Soul explosion.  Although I do think they could have done a little more work on their cover, yeah yeah, I get it you're gonna havta hold on for a while because they are riding a turtle, which is slow (and doesn't theirs looks stoned), so it's going to take a while before they are-a comin', but seriously, two guys riding a turtle???  Oh well, what ever works, I don't have any MEGA hit songs under my belt, so who am I to judge!

Carol King -- Tapestry

  Carol King was already one of the greatest song writers of all-time, ten years before achieving her most prestigious accolade -- Tapestry!  Encouraged by her friend James Taylor, Carol started to record her own material, but it wasn't until her sophomore release that she reached the stratosphere of popularity and respect as a solo recording artist.  Side one has her typical Folksy sound, but with a Soul Pop vibe.  While the flipside has more of an intimately personal sound, like Joni's Blue, the best parts about it are the renditions of her old numbers, made famous by Aretha Franklin and the Shirelles, it's not that they're better, they're just interestingly different ...

Blondie

  The debut Blondie release is a 60's infused Punk Rock/ New Wave classic reminiscent of the Girl groups, but lacks in the "wall of sound".

UK/ DK

  This album is the soundtrack to a documentary about Punk and Skinhead life in the UK ... I've never seen the film, so I haven't the slightest clue to its validity.  Apart from three tracks, the soundtrack was pretty rockin'!  It's not exactly a concise history of British Punk/ Hardcore, it's more just like a gaggle of good tunes, very much geared towards street urchin culture, almost like Folk music, except loud and aggressive.  I love the fact that they went with a Jackson Pollock style cover -- very chic!

The Ponys -- Laced With Romance

  What do you get when you mix Sonic Youth with Richard Hell ... The Ponys!  Is this an accurate dadaist criticism ... I think so, why not!

American Folk Singers & Balladeers

  This 4 record set is the direct result of the influential Anthology of American Folk Music.  There are some crucially everlasting moments on these albums, for example; the Odetta set, Mississippi John Hurt, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee, the one tune by Pete Seeger's Weavers Woke Up This Mornin' which was like folksy Doo Wop, otherwise most of the numbers were a total write off.  I think this might have worked out better as a double or single record ...

Phil Spector's Greatest Hits

  A producer's sound that is so renowned that he is considered an artist himself, not that the other great producers deserve that title any less, but Spector coined his own brand of Rock 'n' Roll.  All the tracks on this double LP set feature the humongous Spectorized "Wall Of Sound", it's hard to categorize his  style ... maybe ... Soulish Wop 'n' Roll ... I'd name some tracks ... but then I'd have to name 'em all ... point is his influence spans way farther than his heyday in the 60's, his sound is still mimicked today, and his techniques were revolutionary!

Albert King -- Born Under A Bad Sign

  Not too many surprises here, just good 60's Blues, accompanied by the Stax house band, Booker T and The MG's with the Memphis Horns.  Everything about this album reeks of classic Blues music, released at a time where the Blues was drenched in Psychedelia ... Albert King comes out and refreshes their memories ... showin' all dem' kiddies what the Blues was really about ...

Elvis Presley -- The Complete Sun Sessions

  One of the greatest singers of all-time, Elvis Presley.  This collection spans his most brilliant contributions to Rock 'n' Roll -- the Sun years.  His collision of Rhythm & Blues and Hillbilly Country was nothing short of a miracle.  Now about the vinyl itself, the  grooves on this 1987 commemorative collection are so thin, it makes me sick, the needle on the turntable can hardly survive a flake of dust ... F*CK I hate these cheap ass 1980's commercially pressed records meant to last 6 months ... and waitta commemorate one of the pioneers of Rock 'n' Roll music, with an album that's grooves resemble a f*ckin' CD!  God collecting can drive me batty sometimes ... NEXT!

The Seeds -- The Seeds

  Holy f*ckin' EH!  First album on my first ever brand NEW turntable!  Yeah yeah I have had a slew of players over the years ... but going brand new is fun!  I got totally drunk in front of it like a sacrificial lamb!!  Point is the Seeds was the first record I played ... these flower Punk children invented their own shtick and used the same riffs over and over, but did it in a way that was so uniquely outta this world no one could ever copy it!  Man I think I'm still drunk!

The B-52's -- The B-52's

  Garage/ New Wave/ Pop debut effort by the B-52's.  These guys mastered the retro 60's super kitch, with a kinda Punk Rock aesthetic, they did what they wanted, looked how they wanted, didn't care what you were going to do about it, luckily with their mass charismatic appeal, people loved it and they became a huge hit ... mostly with Rock Lobster, which is in my opinion the weakest number on the record, but nevertheless a killer track!

Dusty Springfield -- Dusty In Memphis

  Newly signed to Atlantic records, with Jerry Wexler at the helm Dusty records a full blown Memphis Soul album.  Although the record is a bit of a Aretha Franklin ripoff, Springfield holds her own as a tour de force soul singer.  She was primarily known as a British Pop singer, but wanted to change her image to emulate something more like her idols and when you hear Son Of The Preacher Man, you can't help admitting that she had completely succeeded!

J.J. Jackson -- But It's Alright

    Kinda almost obscure, other than the title track which was a major hit, by Soul belter J.J. Jackson ... and if you've heard But It's Alright, which I'm sure you have, unless you've been radioless your whole life, you know what I mean by belter!!  Funny enough this American sounding Soul album was recorded in England with session musicians, so is there really a Greatest Little Soul Band In The Land???  The production on the record is a little shotty and way too tinny, But It's Alright!

Fats Domino -- Sings Million Record Hits

  R & B giant, no pun intended, has sold over 30 millions singles.  He revolutionized music with marketably relatable lyrics and a beat that just never quit!  Not only did he change the face of American music, but his sound even found its way to Jamaica, the proof is in the song Be My Guest, listen to the guitar closely followed by the horn section, yes that's right, you're hearing an early incantation of Ska done first by the fun lovin' Fat Man!  Domino has an undeniable talent, nonthreatening charisma ... changing American mores with simple songs of love and having fun!

Bob Marley And The Wailers -- Legend

   Yeah Yeah Yeah, he's a brilliant man and had one hell of a career!  But every white boy jock, hipster- wannabe who smokes tha ganj seems to flock to this album proclaiming their undying love for Reggae, even though this is the only Reggae album they own and it's probably on CD.  Not that I think that these songs are bad, but they're hardly the ones that I'd consider his best.  These tracks are the easiest for an American market to swallow, like a sorta friendly, kind hearted Marley, who didn't have utter contempt for the white man and Babylon, those themes are represented on his actual best numbers ... anyway these are his biggest Babylonian hits ... but they hardly represent the Legend that is Bob Marley!

Lene Lovich -- Stateless

  I knew I used to like this album, but I was ready to potentially hate it since my last listen, which was ages ago, to my surprise I still love this record.  Lene seems to have a kinda German shticked style to her music, making a sorta Electro Punk Wave.  My personal favorite is the opening track Home, but that's not saying the rest is bad, I just find she hit the mark the best with that number ... and doesn't she look just like Jennifer Connely, the chick from Labyrinth???

Update: I've been clearing out my record collection and decided that there would never be an occasion that would deem this album appropriate, I honestly hated it this time around!! 

The Jam -- This Is The Modern World

  Sophomore release by The Jam, This Is The Modern World.  The best way to describe The Jam's sound, I think, is 60's Mod mixed with hard edged Glam ... which is basically 77 British Punk Rock, but where their contemporaries wanted to destroy Rock 'n' Roll, The Jam wanted to embrace it!