Little Richard - Live! 10 Super Hits

  For starters this record is not a live album, it's got 10 of Richard's early Super Hits!  Every song on this short record is through the roof awesome!  I can't get over his poignant, matter of fact shout singing, with the R & B back-up which are borderline Funk by 50's standards.  Richard went on to be a preacher and made some pretty bad music later on in his career, but his beginnings are nothing short of sheer brilliance, Rock 'n' Roll wouldn't be the same without him, a pure artist.

Squeeze -- Argybargy

  What a piece of sh*t!  I tried to listen to this record but had to turn it off after a couple numbers, although I did check to see if there were any hidden gems -- no dice!  I feel bad for all the good New Wave bands out there who have been roped in the same category as these jokers.  I did hear that their next release is quite good, I might give it a try at the right price, but if it was left up to Argybargy would I ever buy another Squeeze album ever again, no chance in hell!

Alice Cooper -- Killer

  Glam Shock 1971 Killer album by Alice Cooper seems to break up into two camps, part good ol' Rock 'n' Roll hits, and part bad Prog Metal misses.  Although some of us associate Cooper with the 80's cheese ball image who doesn't like pizza, these early albums were brilliant, pre-dating the British Glam Rock scene by a couple years, and Marilyn Manson's corny wanna be rip-off by decades.  Personally I find the offensive tunes to be so over the top that it becomes tacky rather than shocking.  Otherwise Killer kicks ass, and if you are unfamiliar with Alice Cooper's radness, I'd go for 1974's Greatest Hits, which I normally wouldn't recommend these types of compilations, but it's got all the good stuff, minus the stinkers!

MC5 -- Babes In Arms

  Super charged Punk Rock band the MC5 are often cited as being a Proto-Punk outfit ... but seriously these guys make the Anarchist Punks of the 70's look like a bunch of babies in comparison to the White Panther Party, they did more than practice what they preach, they lived it like a religion!  Babes In Arms works like a Best Of/ Rarities compiled by Kramer's personal recordings, from early stuff, to reworked album tracks, to alternate takes.  Originally put out as a cassette only release in 1983, it finally made it to vinyl.  Anything by the 5 isn't short of being wild and great, meaning, "KICK OUT THE JAMS MOTHERF*CKERS!!!"

Modern Lovers -- The Original ...

  Recorded in 72' by Rock luminary Kim Fowley ... this album is a little rough around the edges, more like a demo than anything.  Richman had quite the pre-supergroup backing him, who went on to be in the Real Kids, Talking Heads and The Cars.  All in all the album is a cute artifact as well as a piece of shit.

The Beau Brummels -- The Golden Archives Series

  A collection of hits (64 to 68) by early Garage Rock outfit The Beau Brummels.  I hear they took their name so they'd be the next thing you'd find after The Beatles.  These songs are great artifacts of American Garage Folk masters, most are produced by Sylvester Stewart also know as Sly Stone.  However I do find these numbers mostly forgettable and vocally annoying.  They were a great influence on things to come in the 60's, but they were out done by their contemporaries like the Byrds.  Personally I'd rather stick with my Brummel 45's, a song here a song there, than an entire record ... but that's just my opinion!

The Moody Blues -- Go Now

  A couple years before their breakthrough summer of love hit record, the Moody Blues release this album, also known as The Magnificent Moodies in the UK.  The record works like a typical British Beat group, some old covers, some originals.  What I did like about the album is that they have a real cool Blue Eyed Soul sound with hints of Doo Wop from time to time, that became an unexpected surprise, as well as a message from Donovan telling us how awesome they are on the back cover ... I might not totally agree with the Mellow Yellow gnome ... but the record was/ is pretty damn good!