Desmond Dekker -- Black and Dekker

  Ok I put this album on, it opens with Israelites it starts like the original but then the band kicks in, and I, out of shock, had to toss the needle right off the record.  Before you get you're panties all in a bunch here's the deal, this record is a 1980 comeback album on Stiff records, so instead of rocksteady it's ska, but that was the popular genre in his field at the time.  At first I thought it was a best of album because it featured a slew of his hits tunes, but nooooo, they're terribly updated versions of the old songs.  After hearing the new Israelites I was ready to give up on the record entirely, it was that bad, but I gave it a second chance, and two numbers were pretty good, It Mek and Why Fight.  From what I hear Dekker was backed by The Rumour, a sh*tty new wave rock band, and Akrylykz  (what the hell does that mean??) a ska band, I can only assume that the two good tracks were recorded with the ska band.  Other than that I can't recommend to get this one, just get the old stuff with the original songs, because most of these versions, well, suck, the big one!

Dr. John -- In The Right Place

  New Orleans's (unofficial) ambassador Dr. John has had a long standing career in the scene before he started releasing his own material.  In The Right Place is his sixth studio release, this record is a perfect fusion of Funk and Americana.  Produced by Allen Toussaint and accompanied by his classic funksters the Meters, which makes this record an all local effort!  The hit chart topper Right Place Wrong Time kick starts the record with a unignorable charismatic burst of right place right time, which follows through until the lp's denouement Cold Cold Cold that will knocks your socks off.  This is the kinda prescription I like to hear from the good hoodoo doctor!

Willie Dixon -- Walkin' The Blues (V/A)

  Willie Dixon is the quintessential Chicago Blues writer, he worked with everyone, and was a key figure to the bridge between Rock 'n' Roll and the Blues.  Walkin' The Blues works like a compilation,  all the numbers solely written by Dixon, but is nowhere close to his entire catalogue, it's merely like a starter kit to use as example to his greatness.  So who's on this album, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Dixon (of course) ... etc ... you get where it's going.  This record has eighteen beyond classic, I'd say legendary tracks, naming the best songs is impossible, but I can tell you my personal favorites, which is, My Babe and Pretty Thing.  Both songs are woman themed, but unlike most blues numbers these do not portray women negatively, they're more from the loving man stand point -- which I find very cool.  Walter's, My Babe, is a smooth Blues number with some killer harp, while Diddley's, Pretty Thing, is a Bo beat jungle hopin' Rock 'n' Roll track.  Don't get me wrong the rest of the record is just as good as these two songs, but what the hell am I going to do, write little snippets about eighteen tracks, I don't think so, and if I did, I'd be typin' the Blues!

Talking Heads -- 77

  Classic debut release 77 seems to be linked to punk rock, but only murderous track Psycho Killer can sorta fit into that mold, even with that it's closer to a Joy Division tune than the Sex Pistols.  The rest is a kinda funky new wave sound.  Lyrically the album reads like observations of the modern world, it makes you think the future is now, but even at it's 1977 release, Byrne knew what timeless modern elements to mention so its relevance would last, who couldn't relate to the nonsensical The Book I Read, which is about just what the title says, he depicts the steps you would take if you were to tell another about the book you read, or Don't Worry About The Government, about the building he lives in, picking it, the highway that takes him there, then the highway that takes his friends there .... so on and so forth!  Those are just examples but I'm sure you get my drift and just outta nowhere does anyone else find that David Byrne looks like he should be a bizarre dentist?

Tom Waits -- Blue Valentine

  Drenched in smoke, whiskey and drugs, Blue Valentine has a feel of a dark blues/ jazz lizard lounge, with Waits at the helm like the go-between Howlin' Wolf and Dr. John.  Blue Valentine is great, with the exception of Somewhere (from West Side Story) and Kentucky Alley, which are so bad I had to skip 'em, I have no idea how they didn't make it on the cutting room floor, they sounded like ridiculous exaggerations of a drunken Howlin' Wolf,  with just plain bullsh*t orchestrations.  The record lyrically speaks to the beat down pseudo-intellectual crowd who just can't make it in this world, and probably wouldn't want to anyway.  Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis is a good example, it reads like a letter, reminiscent of Cohen's Famous Blue Rain Coat, a themed narrative from the disenfranchised.  This is one Blue Valentine you'll definitely wanna get!

John Lennon -- Rock 'n' Roll

  This album was recorded during Lennon's extended boys lost weekend period that lasted years!  Rock 'n' Roll is exactly what the title says, all classic covers from the early days, basically the people who influenced Lennon into the music business.  There aren't too many surprises here, huge amount of of famous session musicians, Phil Spector's wall of sound, and pure Rock 'n' Roll music.  Stand By Me the only chart topper on this record proved to be the best song on the album, you can hear the Bowie-esque plastic soul sound in the tune, which shows that Lennon can influence and be influenced.  Oh the three blurry figures on the front cover are, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Stu Sutcliffe.

The Exploited -- Horror Epics

  Mega angry hardcore punk one trick pony The Exploited's fourth studio release.  These guys are known to be anti ... well, everything ... hippies, cops, rumoured to potentially be racist, the list goes on and on ... But I'm not buying it!  Take away the screaming anger, the album, lyrically, focuses on starvation of the third world, hence the term Horror Epics.  Who knew that a group with one of the worst raps had such global concerns??   Musically this record is terrible, constant shouting, cookie cutter guitar riffs and horrible robotic drumming!  My Life and title track Horror Epics make up for some of the rubbish, both are the same and are very unique.  The pair have, tribal style drums, psychedelic guitar noise, Pink Floydian Let There Be More Light style bass riffs, and even the horrendous screaming helps the dark, desolate, desperate atmosphere ... come to think of it, global concerns and Psyched-out music kinda sounds like a bunch of hippies to me -- just don't tell them that!

Footnote: why is there only one guy in the horror get up?