THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
IDLEWILD SOUTH
1970-POLYDOR
Produced By TOM DOWD & JOEL DORN
1. Revival
2. Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
3. Midnight Rider
4. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
5. Hoochie Coochiie Man
6. Please Call Home
7. Leave My Blues At Home
Idlewild South is the second album from The Allman Brothers Band. Showing a stunning growth from their first record, this contains several clasics. "Revival" is the introduction of Dicky Betts as a powerful songwriter. "Midnight Rider" was the hit, and a great song. "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed" became a staple of the Allman's live shows, and is one of their best instrumental tracks. "Hoochie Coochie Man" is a powerful Willie Dixon cover...sung by bassist Berry Oakley! This is the original lineup breaking loose and becoming the great band they were.
Unfortunately, this album is criminally short, barely hitting 30 minutes. Another 2 or 3 tracks would have made it perfect. So buy it used if you can, or even better, get it as part of the Beginnings set, which packages the first 2 albums together at a much more fair price. Otherwise, this is a gem.
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THE WHO
LIVE AT LEEDS
1970-MCA
Produced By JON ASTLEY, KIT LAMBERT & THE WHO
1. Young Man Blues
2. Substitute
3. Summertime Blues
4. Shakin' All Over
5. My Generation
6. The Magic Bus
Live At Leeds was the first live album from The Who, and the only one released while the original lineup was still recording. This is a pretty great performance, even with how uncomfortable "The Magic Bus" sounded live, and it's a great document of one of rock & roll's greatest bands. Even with 3 of the 6 songs being covers, it's still great.
But if you want even better, trade in this version and get one of the later ones. This has grown over the past 40 years from a 6 song record to a 4 disc behemoth. Newer versions of Live At Leeds contain tons of music. The lastest has 13 tracks, THEN Tommy in its entirety, THEN a 2 disc show called Live At Hull. But even if you stick with the 6 song original, it's live rock at its finest.
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HAZEL
TOREADOR OF LOVE
1993-SUB POP
Produced By JACK ENDINO
1. Joe Louis Punch Out
2. Push To Close
3. Comet
4. She's Supersonic
5. Big Fatty
6. J. Hell
7. Everybody's Best Friend
8. Shiva
9. Day Glo
10. Boog
11. Constipation
12. Cosmic Allison
13. Truly
Hazel's short career went by pretty much unnoticed...which is too bad, because they left behind one pretty terrific album. Despite the fact that they were signed to Sub Pop in 1993, they had nothing to do with grunge. Instead, this was a fast, exciting band that owed more to X than anyone else. Singer/guitarist Pete Krebs went on to record some great solo stuff and to work with Elliott Smith, but here he is just a plain desperate rocker. The vocal interplay between Krebs and drummer Jody Bleyle is very much like John Doe and Exene, and the songs are terrific: odes to boxer Joe Louis and baseball player Boog Powell, alongside the great power pop of "She's Supersonic" and "Cosmic Allison". Great stuff.
But, alas, the world missed out on Hazel, and they split in 1997. Too bad: one of the world's most interesting bands. They even had a 4th member, Fred Nemo, who was officially in the band, but he only danced at live shows. If you can find this, pick it up. A lost gem of a record. for sure.
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ASS PONYS
ELECTRIC ROCK MUSIC
1994-A&M
Produced By JOHN CURLEY & ASS PONYS
1. Grim
2. Little Bastard
3. Ape Hanger
4. Place Out There
5. Lake Brenda
6. Wall Eyed Girl
7. Live Until I Die
8. Peanut '93
9. Banlon Shirt
10. Gypped
11. Blushing Bride
12. Earth To Grandma
13. Otter Slide
Maybe if they'd had better sense in the band name department, you'd all know all about Ass Ponys. Electric Rock Music is their major label debut, and it's one of the true lost gems of the 1990's. Made for what was rumored to have been $2500.00, this album simply shines. The Cincinnati band, led by the quivering vocals of Chuck Cleaver, sing bizarre songs about small moments in small town Ohio. "Little Bastard" is maybe the best hit single you never heard in the decade. "Earth To Grandma" is actually a song about the strange, odd things you'd find laying around your grandmother's house, and "Grim" give us the best verse of the rock era:
Standing on the corner
My pants around my knees
I'd write her name out on the road
But I can't piss "Denise"
The Pony's never matched this album, but still released some pretty terrfific stuff. They're gone now, and this album is very sadly out of print. But buy it if you can find it. This is great stuff.
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THE CURE
STARING AT THE SEA: THE SINGLES
1986-ELEKTRA
VARIOUS PRODUCERS
1. Killing An Arab
2. 10:15 Saturday Night
3. Boys Don't Cry
4. Jumping Someone Else's Train
5. A Forest
6. Play For Today
7. Primary
8. Other Voices
9. Charlotte Sometimes
10. The Hanging Garden
11. Let's Go To Bed
12. The Walk
13. The Love Cats
14. The Caterpillar
15. In Between Days
16. Close To Me
17. A Night Like This
The Cure were, very simply, the coolest of anyone who played New Wave music. And Staring At The Sea (Staring At The Beach in other parts of the world) collects all of their best songs from their early period: up through 1986. And though they did some great stuff afterward, this is the perfect introduction. Great hooks are everywhere here: even the now creepy "Killing An Arab" sounds great. And while the titles may not ring a lot of bells ("Love Cats" will...such a terrible song, yet so catchy and well done), they'll sound familiar when you hear them. This is a great compilation done the right way. There's no fluff here: it's a true best of.
The Cure is still at it, and Staring At The Sea is stil a great album: one of the best snapshots of the early 80's you'll find. And even though a lot of it sounds aged, it doesn't sound out of time...if that makes any sense. A must for any 80's fan.
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BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO
ON A NIGHT LIKE THIS
1987-ISLAND
Produced By TED FOX
1. Ma 'Tit Fille
2. Buckwheat's Special
3. Zydeco Honky Tonk
4. Marie Marie
5. On A Night Like This
6. Time Is Tight
7. Space Zydeco
8. Hot Tamale Baby
9. People's Choice
Buckwheat Zydeco is the stage name of one Stanley Dural, Jr., an accordianist and one of the few zydeco acts to find any kind of mainstream success. On A Night Like This is his 5th album, and his masterpiece. This is a flawless album, played with the enthusiasm and energy that zydeco should be played at. Every track is a winner, but especially "Hot Tamale Baby". And you can't listen to "Ma 'Tit Fille" without weanting to party in some way. A perfect song.
Dural still tours and records as Buckwheat Zydeco. Catch him at a festival near you...you will not be disappointed. Or pick up any of his records...but if you can find this one, it's the perfect zydeco record, and the perfect introduction to one of the more fun genres of music you'll ever find.
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DAVE BRUBECK
WE'RE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME
1973-ATLANTIC
Produced By DAVE BRUBECK & SIEGFRIED LOCH
1 Truth
2. Unfinished Woman
3. Koto Song
4. Take Five
5. Rotterdam Blues
6. Sweet Georgia Brown
This live album by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck was recorded over two nights in Berlin and Paris in 1972. The song he's known best for, "Take Five", is here in it's 16 minute glory, and is always a pleasant listen. The rest is well crafted, kind of safe jazz...nothing too over the edge, which may be what the appeal of Brubeck has always been. Safe, not too adventurous. Nice, but hardly groundbreaking.
We're All Together works fine as an intro to jazz, and it's worthwhile for "Take Five", a nifty version. Other than that, you don't have to go very far to find much better and memorable jazz records. A solid pick, but you can do better than this, both in the world of Brubeck and the world of jazz.
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THE BLACK CROWES
THE SOUTHERN HARMONY AND MUSICAL COMPANION
1992-DEF AMERICAN
Produced By THE BLACK CROWES & GEORGE DRAKOULIAS
1. Sting Me
2. Remedy
3. Thorn In My Pride
4. Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye
5. Sometimes Salvation
6. Hotel Illness
7. Black Moon Creeping
8. No Speak No Slave
9. My Morning Song
10. Time Will Tell
This is the second album by the Black Crowes, and the first to include guitarist Marc Ford. The growth from their debut album is remarkable, in the songwriting, the guitar interplay, and the maturity of Chris Robinson's voice. Although at first listen the album may be a bit tough to get all the way through, keep at it...you'll be rewarded. Moving away from the straight Stones-like bookie that dominates the debut, this is the beginning of a very strong period for the band.All of the first 9 tracks have become among the band's best work. "Time Will Tell" is an overlong hippiefied Bob Marley cover, but the rest is pure gold.
They soldiered on until 2015, when Chris Robinson tried to make his brother (co-founder and guitarist and co writer) an employee. The band was been racked with many personnel changes over the years, which hurt their later output. This is a must have, the beginning of their best years.
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LOU REED
THE BLUE MASK
1982-BMG
Produced By LOU REED & SEAN FULLAN
1. My House
2. Women
3. Underneath The Bottle
4. The Gun
5. The Blue Mask
6. Average Guy
7. The Heroine
8. Waves Of Fear
9. The Day John Kennedy Died
10. Heavenly Arms
Of all the fine albums that Lou Reed has recorded over his long solo career, The Blue Mask may be his very best. Done with his fine band of Robert Quine, Fernando Saunders and Doane Perry, The Blue Mask is poignant, thoughtful, fiery, and brutal all at the same time. Reed's writing is consistent and as powerful as at any time in his career. "My House", "Women", and "The Heroine" are beautiful works: "Waves Of Fear" and the title track are simply ferocious, and "The Gun" is simply frightening. This is Lou Reed at his very best. And not a hit single in sight. Even better.
This was the first album I ever dissected, and where I learned that you can write songs that have more to say than how much you want to get into some girl's pants. I'll always have Lou and The Blue Mask to thank for that.
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CROWDED HOUSE
WOODFACE
1991-CAPITOL
Produced By MITCHELL FROOM & NEIL FINN
1. Chocolate Cake
2. It's Only Natural
3. Fall At Your Feet
4. Tall Trees
5. Weather With You
6. Whispers And Moans
7. Four Seasons In One Day
8. There Goes God
9. Fame Is
10. All I Ask
11. As Sure As I Am
12. Italian Plastic
13. She Goes On
14. How Will You Go
Some records are hard to rate...not this one. Tim Finn joins his brother Neil, and Crowded House, already a hugely underrated band, turns in one of the best albums of post Beatles pop rock ever made. Woodface is overflowing with great songs and amazing harmonies from the very beginning. If you're not hooked on this album by the end of "It's Only Natural", then I'm not sure what can be done for you. Woodface is not only the definitive Crowded House album, but it would be the masterpiece for almost every other band in existence. This is a classic, and this should be in every collection.
The Finn's have recorded together since, but they're still trying to match what they did here. Listen to this, then buy it. No need to thank me...I just try to steer y'all in the right direction.
Link _________________ I'm leaning on the threshold
Of her mystery
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Of dying history
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