Nina Hagen -- NunSexMonkRock

  What's this?? The sound of total madness, possibly the soundtrack of a schizophrenic mind or Regan from the Exorcist??  I'd say yes!  NunSexMonkRock is one wonky-ass record, a real Punk Operatic Electro mash of the crazies.  I get the fact that it's art for arts sake, and that it is nothing less than pure feeling, no one could make such a bananahead album without coming from a visceral mind frame.  This release is virtually unlistenable, unless you have the volume turned way down while you are doing the dishes.  Although there is one exception, Born In Xixa, it sounds like The Cramps meet Trout Mask Beefheart, with some deeply strange lyrics about a European American junkie farmers planning a reunion of freedom ... it's the only saving grace that keeps this record in my collection, well ... maybe the cover too!!  As to the meaning behind NunSexMonkRock, who knows and who cares ... we can't take these things too literally, especially when dealing with a possible crazy person!

Funny Footnote: Why does almost everyone I know in Montreal own this album???  Hmmmmm ....

Dead Kennedys -- Bedtime For Democracy

  The fourth and final Dead Kennedys release is their worst, but still stands as a Punk Rock classic from a notorious band.  I'm not a huge fan of the Kennedys's crossover to Hardcore, the music itself does not suit them, I always thought they should have stuck with what they were good at, the Surf Punk sound -- that was their musical innovation.  Biafra's ego on Bedtime is pumped up to the max, although that's his shtick, but it's hard to buy the social commentary coming from the dude who wrote Chickensh*t Conformist while conforming to Hardcore which is where the scene had shifted.  Anyway there was almost the makings of something great but it got drowned in profane idealism and shameless self-promotion.

Al Green -- Greatest Hits

  This Greatest Hits album is know as the "best executed" collection of all-time.  We all know and love these sweet Soul ballads sung by the most tender singer I can think of, days like Valentine's Day couldn't survive without artists such as Al Green who vocally embody's the special holiday of love.  Even though we try not to buy into the whole corporate consumerism of V-day we can't help but get our lady's a symbol of our love, and what better way to celebrate it with, but the smoothest, panty remover (did I just say that?? yesssss I did!) music you could find ... Al Green's Greatest Hits!

Stephen Stills -- 2

  This hunk of junk second solo release by Stephen Stills has the perfect album title, the number 2, think about it!  Sound wise this record is all over the place, like he's not too sure who he wants to be, that or he's just doing a mish-mash of styles hoping that his chances for a hit song are greater, nevertheless as an album it's very irritating for the listener, a Folk tune, a Rock number, then a full tilt Soul track.  Personally I never liked Stills, even in the Buffalo Springfield days, I found his songs cheesy.  So as far as this album goes I think it's total sh*t, like the title!

Slint -- Spiderland

  Slint's monolithic sophmore album, Spiderland ... it's hard to describe and categorize this Post - Math - not so Grungy - Indie - Spoken Velvet-ish The Gift style - Rock record, but that was my best attempt!  No wonder these College kids, who had a burst of brilliant creativity, lost themselves in metal illness and stress while recording.  Honestly I didn't know sh*t from shinola about this band until my buddy Jon totally schooled me and bought me a copy ... it's hard to like this record, but easy to love it!

Genesis -- Live

  For starters I got this album for free, or else I wouldn't have given it a mere try ... and I can't say I was able to listen to a full track on this record ... maybe if there was something that resembled music on the album I would have been able to withstand one of their epic sh*t storms of sound.  I don't know much about the whole Prog scene ... and God knows I've tried ... but what I do know is that when it comes to this genre of music, only the German Krautrockers really know how to pull it off, maybe they weren't the first to invent it, but they are the only ones to execute Prog in a listenable fashion.  So f*ck Genesis and get that stupid triangle off your damn head!

Muddy Waters -- Electric Mud

  This not so good Sludgy Guitar Blues album by Muddy Waters was a valiant attempt to modernize his sound to what was currently going on in music, resulting in total bubkis.  The only good thing I see, other than that it is made by a legend, is that it gives the whole 60's Psychedelic Blues scene a thumbs up from the man himself for changing his music, the proof is that he's trying to play it their way, meaning, his humbled majesty has found good things in their version of the Blues.