U.S. Bonds -- Dance 'Til Quarter to Three With ...

  Yikes this is one strange album, don't be fooled by the cover.  Intendedly recorded to be gritty it comes off as raw as The Sonics.  He scored a # 1 hit record with title track Quarter To Three.  Even though it sounds like a overly dubbed tape, I wouldn't have it any other way, the U.S. Bonds brand of Rock 'n' Roll is so unique and unmistakable, that full weird sound, bizarre voice, Dick Clark said it best, "I wasn't sure if I was suppose to be looking for a Marching band or a Rock 'n' Roll group."

The Bluesbreakers Feat. Eric Clapton -- Steppin' Out

  The story goes ... Clapton leaves the Yardbirds to pursue bluesier projects so he joins forces with John Mayall and his Bluesbreakers, they make a couple singles and an album.  Steppin' Out is a compilation of those singles and most of the record, aka The Beano Album.  Unlike the Yarbird hard blues rave up style taken from the Howlin' Wolf, The Bluesbreakers take their inspiration from Chicago Blues, a smoother more flowing style of the music; these guys were so good at it that they even scored sessions with Champion Jack Dupree and Otis Spann, which are represented on this record.  In the end, yes the album is good, but there's something about it that sounds uninspired, it seems to lack that visceral blues feeling that only comes from within ... all the talent in the world can't teach you that!

Jerry Lee Lewis -- The Golden Hits of ...

  Recorded years after the scandal, for those of you who don't know he married his 13 year old cousin once removed, Jerry Lee signed to Smash Records.  They rerecorded all of his typical hits and covers as his opening album for his new label.  The renditions of the old material are great, maybe not Sam Phillips quality, but who cares because after this he stuck to the country ballads -- less killer, more filler.  Let's all remember the man for who he was, a wild entertainer and one hell of a piano player, trailblazing with his piano on fire way before anyone else could have muttered the very idea ...

Joan Baez -- 5

  Well to tell the truth I don't really like Joan Baez her voice drives me batty, the vibrato, the tone, the sound, all of it I file under yucky.  But she's so acclaimed, so there must be a good album in her entire catalogue, and it's definitely not this one!  I gave it the old college try, I only paid a buck for it, so I wasn't too sore that it sucked.  Honestly I couldn't even listen to it, the needle only touched a few seconds of each song, but alas I over came, turned it off, and gave up.

Sonic Youth -- Goo

  This might not be Sonic Youth's best album, but it's definitely their coolest.  These tastemakers not only have unique killer guitar riffs, but their own brand of tuning and their own style of guitar chord progression -- can it get better than that, answer, NO!  Goo has some of that Indie Rock sweetness with the punch-drunk love for Punk Rock, even going as far as getting their cover done by the man himself Raymond Petitbon.  Let's put on our Dirty Boots and go visit My Friend Goo who's a real Kool Thing!

The Stooges -- Fun House

  The Stooges second album is in my opinion their best, totally raw, totally loud and totally awesome.  Fun House is the symbiotic mix of the MC5 and the Doors with the beat down street primitivism of the Velvets.  What else can I say, but "welcome to the Fun House, Yow!!!!!"

The Temptations -- With a Lot o' Soul

  Pumpin' Motown Classic, man this album is a power house of hits and devotion!  Their sound is mostly taken from Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, whom was very involved with the Temptations early career and this record, but where the Miracles are more the smooth Soul, The Temptations are more of that hard edge thumpin' bass Soul.  The sound on this record is so big you'd think they had everyone at Motown working on it, a gang of producers/songwriters (Holland-Dozier-Whitfield-Robinson-Ivy Joe Hunter ... etc), full orchestrations and The Temptations.  What an effort it musta been, and wuz made With a Lot o' Soul!!!!!