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.

Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs -- The Best Of....

  Southern Souled Garage Rock outfit Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs are primarily known for the goofball mega hit Wolly Bully, but their other numbers are just as good if not better than their chart topper.  Sam himself was a Navy man, then studied Classical music in college, he eventually ran out of money, dropped out and decided to give his Rock 'n' Roll combo a real go ... a black hearse touring van, a couple of turbans and a couple of number one hits later, I'm sure Sam realized he made the right choice. One Two Unos Dos Tres Quatro ... behm bahm behm behm behm ..........

The Mindbenders -- A Groovy Kind Of Love

  A surprisingly not bad album by The Mindbenders ... don't be fooled by the cheese ball mega hit, A Groovy Kind Of Love, these Machester British Invaders actually have some pretty good chops; especially shown is the Bluesy Seventh Son and trippy Little Nightingale.  They may not be on my top list of British Beat groups, but their lush Zombies-esque sound keeps this album around.