Cat Stevens -- Mona Bone Jakon

  Mona Bone Jakon is by far the best Cat Stevens album, not that it sounds all that different than the others, it just has a greater sophistication and range.  The two main reasons that make this record a cut above the rest, are, I Think I See The Light, with its simple childish sinister sound, and two, Trouble, the perfect sound for human emotion, it's really miraculous how much Stevens nailed it.  Funny footnote:  A seriously themed album is titled after the Cat's pet name for his wing-wang.  Anyhoo moral is, try and stay out of Trouble,  See the Light and watch out for old hippie ladies, you never know when you'll fall in love with one!

Beach Boys -- Summer Days (And Summer Nights)

  Just under half an hour, Summer Days (And Summer Nights) is another release getting away from the early Beach Boy Chuck Berry sound and weening towards the arranged baroque style they are better known for.  Wilson here is perfecting his Spectorized wall of sound, from a four piece rock 'n' roll band, to complex string arrangements, and the sonic barbershop doo wop quartet.  Lyrically its basic Beach Boy themes, girls, the beach, but totally surfless -- weird.  My favorite numbers on this record have a Dada element of simplicity and beauty, Girl Don't Tell Me and You're So Good To Me.  And as much as I think I won't like it because of the David Lee Roth version the super hit California Girls is still great, it captures the timeless boyish obsession with fairer sexe!  The only thing I don't recommend on this album is the instrumental Summer Means New Love.   What is this suppose to be, an attempt to make it on a swinging groovy  movie soundtrack? YUCK!  Enjoy your Summer Days (And Summer Nights), I do (well try to)!

Jethro Tull -- Aqualung

  Aqualung is, in all fairness, just the ramblings of a vagrant mad man, which gives the band points for originality, but hardly makes this seminal classic, conceptual, prog, heavy metal, folk, celt, mishmash any good.  The strangeness of the album does make it a must hear, at least once, and for me, once was enough!  What made it even more bizarre were the notes on the back cover, tweaked from the book of Genesis for the character of Aqualung.  Side one focuses, and is named after, Aqualung, a sniveling weirdo, while the flipside focuses, and is named after God, now is it about Aqualung's relationship with God, I don't know.  There were a couple pleasant surprises on this record.  The first one, a folk number, Cheap Day Return, clocked at 1:21, this track has a Cat Stevens feel to it, and I'd go as far as saying a Elliot Smith vocal sound inbeded in the beginning -- I loved it.  The second surprise was in the song Mother Goose it stems in the same vein as the previous track, not as good, but gets murdered by intervals of flute solos which makes you think you were in Polanski's Macbeth.  Aqualung is just one of those weird thing in rock history, I didn't like it, but I respect it for what it is!

James Taylor -- Sweet Baby James

  What can I say, I never really liked James Taylor, but for some odd reason I've always been drawn to want to.  The thing about him is that I can never get past is his voice!  It reminds me of someone's dad singing on Sesame Street, except this dude was shooting crank behind Oscar's trash can between takes.  Although that is my reaction to James Taylor, today, at the time of the album's release it might have been different.  Perhaps, in the pre-Taylor era, there were less of these paternal figures singing in coffee houses and bars, our lives would have been less saturated with his sound, so when Jamesy started doing his thing it was maybe totally different and new???  I doubt it!  Sweet Baby James wasn't bad, I didn't hate it, corny at times, but otherwise it's ok, but make sure to skip Steamroller, 'cause it's one stinker of a sh*troller!

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.