Kiss -- Dressed To Kill

  Yearrck!  Total over the top Rock 'n' Roll debauchery, Dressed To Kill.  Now I do have a guilty pleasure for Kiss style Rock music ... but is it actually good ... NO.  It seems to me this is exactly what Punk Rock was setting out to destroy, although some of the Punk sound and aesthetic is taken somewhat from these guys, but they stripped it down like a Dadaist and re-invented it.  Everyone likes the idea to Rock 'n' Roll All Nite, "and party everyday," but realistically if you did you'd be a brain dead moron wondering why someone won't C'mon And Love Me ...

The Animals -- Animal Tracks

  US release of Animal Tracks works more like a compilation than an actual album.  These Animals are hard edge Garage Blues royalties who certainly know their licks, my only real problem with the record is Burdon's sporadic opera tones he explores with his voice, which he turns up to eleven later in his career.  These guys definitely had a leg up on the Doors by a couple years, thanks to Alan Price's brilliant keyboard playing.  So just "Bury My Body, I don't care where they ...."

Screamin' J Hawkins -- Because Is in Your Mind (Armpitrubber)

  Totally bizarro boppin' Soul LP by Screamin' (I put A Spell On You) J Hawkins.  This guy has been drenched in weirdness since the start of his career.  I was very surprised to hear he might have been a tortured POW who killed his chief captor by taping a grenade in his mouth! YIKES!!  Hawkins on the back cover looks more like Malcolm X rather than his usual Blacula self.  The front cover is a great piece of Modern African style art, all this makes me think ... Black Panther Party??  Some say they don't like this  Hawkins record, but I think it's great, in a time of political Soul, Hawkins keeps up, stays current ... and sits on his throne ... as the King of Shock!

The Ink Spots -- S/T

  Jazzy pre-Doo Wop combo the Ink Spots.  These guys were ten years ahead of their time.  Unfortunately by the late 40's one gets drafted, one dies, they get replaced, and the rest end up feuding ... meaning they never got to be part of the era that they helped invent!

Mott The Hoople -- Rock and Roll Queen

  A collection of pre-success Mott tunes, released after their hit album All The Young Dudes, probably to generate interest in their previous albums.  The music is a not so bad mix of early Heavy Metal.  You can hear where Bowie saw some potential, but on it's own ... no thanks!

Diana Ross -- S/T

  Kinda bizarre Supremes-less debut album by Diana Ross.  The cover reminds me of a World Vision type photograph, is the message supposed to be the plight of the African people, while she is using her skinny American body to portray that image, which is used in Western culture to look chic, I'm not sure if I feel this is tasteless or an interesting juxtaposition.  Musically I'm torn as well, at first glance I find the album too busy, the songs shallow and an ungenuine Motown sound-a-like.  At the same time it might grow on me?  All in all let's just say I'm not sure!

Lou Rawls -- Live!

  Smooth as silk Jazzy Bluesman Lou Rawls's Live performance is filled with classy classic numbers.  Not only is the music great, but Rawls's hipster ramblings between tracks make the album even better; my personal favorite rant is part of the closing song, it's about a small time crook, who's hustler rags are thrift store specials, and he's about to enter a World Of Trouble.