Michael Jackson -- Off The Wall

  Funky Soul Disco, like a squarebait watered down version of Prince, but still a pretty good album, Off The Wall.  Jackson has an array of superstars to help him on this record, producer Quincy Jones, writers, Sevie Wonder, Paul McCarney ... the list goes on.  I was never a huge fan, well maybe when I was 7 or something.  But in all honesty f*ck Michael Jackson, you have to play this album at the right place and at the right time, and then even I can dig it, so "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" ...

Kraftwerk -- The Man-Machine

  Das record iz more German dan German.  Heavily influenced by zeh Bauhaus (you better not think I mean the band!) und Karlheinz Stockhausen (electro composer, Beatles dug it too) ziss all laid zeh groundverk for Kraftwerk's innovative electronic pop music.  Zeh MTV vid heads and das 80's owe a huge debt to ziss band who revolutionized music in das style zat iz still mimicked today.  The Man-Machine focuses on typical Kraftwerk themes zat iz clear in zeh six track titles from zee album; The Robots, Spacelab, Metropolis, The Model, Neon Lights and The Man-Machine.  Und if you look closely at der video's you'd swear zat zey are das robots! doo doo dah doo!

Slade -- Play It Loud

  1970 second release, Play It Loud, by Slade.  As you can see by the cover this doesn't look like the same Slade that play Cum On Feel The Noize, but I assure you it is.  As suggested by Chas Chandler (you know the one, Animals bass player, Hendrix manager), their producer, they adopted the skinhead look, not the racist kind we all know and hate, that genre of skinhead comes later, no no, this is the working class version of the mods, well sorta, but still very chic.  I read that this album is suppose to be a Punk Rock record seven years before the UK explosion, f*ck that sh*t, this garbage sounded more like a cross between early Queen and Pub Rock.  It might be fine when you're totally sh*tfaced, and these guys are the bar band that you don't have to hear again, but a timeless influential classic, bah ha ha ha!  Play It Loud, no thanks, I'll stick to Sladest, in stilettos!

Quicksilver Messenger Service -- Happy Trails

  This is what I'd call a super psychedelic album.  Happy Trails is pure wild, Owsley (classic San Fran acid guru)  musta cooked up a bitchin' blend of LSD for the band on these live performances, recorded at the Filmore East and West.  The first side works like a 20 minute long ode to Bo Diddley a total San Franciscan freak-out version of Who Do You Love, as the tune goes on they expand it into a spaced-out jam session broken up into  parts called, When You Love, Where You Love, How You Love, Which Do You Love, then it all comes back 'round full circle with Who Do You Love -- Part 2 .... the flipside isn't any different, it starts off with Diddley's Mona ... then the acid fueled jam-out starts up again and goes on with, Maiden Of The Cancer Moon, Cavalry, and finally we land back on earth with a little spoof of ..... Happy Trails ... to yoouuuuu!

  I must say even though I admire this record, the musicianship in parts isn't the best, they're probably way too high, letting loose, so I don't blame em' for not being perfect, how could you, it's random freedom ... like being totally annihilated by noise, but noise with a beat, and the beat starts the next experiment ... it keeps going  ... until the trip is over ... you hear this sort of cosmic sound experimentation with bands like Sonic Youth and Television years later ...

Simon & Garfunkel -- Bookends

  Totally weird Bookends has some typical Simon & Garfunkel themes and sounds, but they tweaked it in such a way that it enters the dark and bizarre.  From what I read the first side of this record is  a conceptual piece, from childhood to old age.  After reviewing the lyrics, sure, I guess they touch on the quote unquote theme.  But from what I saw on the lyric sheet is that they mention several New York periodicals, and expand on what you'd read in the paper, from childhood trauma to being old and hanging out in the park -- histoire humaine.  It felt like a mini-personal tour of what it would have been like to grow up in such a big city, what you'd hear about and what you'd see.

  Side two's numbers were written for the Graduate soundtrack, and mostly rejected, except Mrs. Robinson.  Compared to the first side's synth-folk, folk sound, side two is more what you'd expect from the duo, insightful folk rock.  Bookends is a tough record to follow, but worth every minute wasted trying to figure out what it all means, but such is the Bookends of life!  Right?

Black Flag -- Slip It In

  Black Flag's musical assault, Slip It In, is another move away from hardcore and another step forward towards sludgy guitar grunge.  This record is a mix between the MC5 and Black Sabbath, it has the 5's free jazz punk aesthetic, and Sabbath's power blues guitar, but Black Flag turns it up to 11!  Rollins sounds more pissed than ever, he's all Wound Up lookin' into Rats Eyes setting foot in My Ghetto.  Title classic hit track, Slip It In and similar sounding The Bars are the hit tracks on this album, both are driven by freight train bass riffs, but only one, Slip It In, features a pre-L7 Suzi Gardner doing backup vocals.  Slip It In might not be the best Black Flag record ever put out (he...he), but it changed the whole definition of punk rock and influenced the 90's scene .... I think you can guess which one .... so slip it on in ... in .... innnn!!

The Smiths -- Meat Is Murder

  Meat Is Murder is a bit of a departure from their first release ... Morrissey is still crooning his typical depressing sarcasmatron lyrics, but the tone is more personal and serious, with relatable insight about teen angst, corporal punishment, politics, vegetarianism ... etc.  The Warholian cover kinda gives that away.  The music is a jumble of jangly New Wave with hints of Rockabillied Funk, kinda weird to say, but sounds good to hear!  All you need to remember next time you have a nice steak dinner, "the meat in your mouth, as you savour the flavour of MURDER."  Yum!