Triumph - Just A Game (1979)

Whenever someone thinks of Canadian hair rock, Rush comes to mind, but what about Triumph? Triumph was the lesser known hard rock trio from the great north. To be honest, I'm not a fan of these guys. I just love their artwork. It's one of those bands where you see the album cover in a store & start imagining crazy solos & devil hands. For me, this album dosen't hold up to the epic gatefold design.  I really wanted to hear rockin' metal, but instead you get softer ballads & some spanish freakin' guitar. WTF!?! Anyway, I know a girl who occasionally busts out an old Triumph t-shirt. It automatically switches something on in my brains & turns me into a teenage boy getting sweaty thinking about the bands logo hanging off a pair of tits.

Eric Burdon & The Animals - The Twain Shall Meet (1968)

I'm a huge fan of early Animals records, but what about the later ones? In the mid-to-late sixties they up & moved to California, included Eric Burdon in their name & started making psychedelic rock records. I'm not completly sold on the idea, but it's still got Burdon's signature vocals & you can still hear bits of their earlier blues sound amongst the 7-minute experimental rock breakdowns. This album would probably be great while on a trip. Sky Pilot is a wierd anti-Vietnam War song. My favorites are the bassline heavy Monterey & Closer To The Truth.

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The Animals - Animalization (1966)

Animalization is The Animals fourth US full length release. The UK version, Animalisms had a slightly different track list & shouldn't be confused with Animalism, their fifth release. It's like they were trying to make it hard to keep track of everything. The album is a great collection of blues-inspired Animals songs, from the classic organ riffs in their hit, Don't Bring Me Down, to the chanting in Cheating. She'll Return It is sort of hidden on side one & isn't mentioned on the sleeve. The real winners are the B-side covers. From the classic See See Rider, to Chuck Berry's. Sweet Little Sixteen. Who can overlook Burdon's hollerin' version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins hit, I Put A Spell On You. Really good stuff.

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Roger Miller - Man Of Distinction (1969)

Roger Miller is known for his hit song "King Of The Road" but he's more of a king of the country novelty song. He's at his best when mixing the Nashville sound with his tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. This album, Man Of Distinction, is a partial re-release of his 1965 Smash Records album "The 3rd Time Around", but the album art is reworked from his release "Words & Music". Released on Wing/Mercury it's missing the songs Water Dog & Swing Low Swingin' Chariot. You're left with a weird mix of songs. It's full of somber tracks like The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me & One Dyin' & A Buryin'. Kansas City Star & This Town return to his familiar light-hearted style. The hightlights of the album are Swiss Maid, a simple love song, & the foot tapping It Happened Just That Way.

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Toto - IV (1982)

One of my favorite dives in Chicago always has a DJ spinning great records that surprise the hell out of you & keep you on your feet. They only have one rule: No playing Toto. Sounds straight forward, but there is so much depth to that one rule. It's a middle finger to over-produced pop crap that, thanks to an anti-culture movement that says that things that are embarrassing uncool are suddenly cool again, has made a resurgence. That being said, I'd be a fool to say that you can't like a song just because, & after a few beers I want to sing along to their anthemic one-hit wonder, Africa. There is a 45 out there somewhere that is cut in the shape of the African continent. Buy that one cause nothing else on this LP is worth it.

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Gene Ammons - Bad Bossa Nova (1962)

I'm not really a big jazz guy, but I got into Bossa Nova a few years ago thanks to Stan Getz's The Girl From Ipenema  & Joe Harnel's Fly Me To The Moon. Figured I couldn't go wrong with Gene Ammons foray into the genre. This was the last album the Chicago-born saxophonist released before getting jailed for possession of heroin. Come on, drug-influenced jazz has gotta be good, right? Sadly, the title, Bad Bossa Nova, is exactly what you get. I wouldn't even consider it Bossa Nova. It's more Latin-infused jazz. It does have a lackluster version of the Haitian classic, Yellow Bird & my favorite tune on the album, Moito Mato Grosso.  The text on the back says it's based on a Brazilian tale of an elephant stomping on ants to create the Amazon river. It reminds me more of the Pink Panther theme though.

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The Kinks - Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968)

When someone asks me if I'm more of a Beatles or Rolling Stones kind of person, I usually reply with "The Kinks". They are a land mark band after all, & this album, is one of my favorites. So what would a Beatles fan say when asked to critically review Revolver? It wouldn't happen. That means this is less of a review & more of an attempt to get you to listen to it. The album starts with a tongue-twister of a title track, & gets things off to a perfect start. If you were ever a fan of Green Day, their song Warning ripped off The Kink's Picture Book. There is an earlier European version out there with a slightly different track listing, but the US/UK one has a bigger & better collection of songs, specifically Last Of The Steam-Powered Trains & Big Sky. Seriously, that's only a few songs from side A. I'll let you discover side B on your own.

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Stampeders - Against The Grain (1971)

The Stampeders are a bunch of Canadian cowboys that play their own version of 70's rock with a touch of country western. They were originally called The Rebounds & after a few line up changes came out with the tune Sweet City Woman that hit the charts in Canada & The U.S. It's the perfect track to jump in a truck, roll the window down, & go drive through the country side. Against The Grain is the Canadian version of the album. The U.S. version was renamed after the title track. Sadly, there is a lot of crap on their full release, but a few gems to make it worth a listen. Gator Road is a funky swamp-rock b-side while Man From PEI sounds like it could have been a big hit if The Who did it.

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Outsiders - Time Won't Let Me (1966)

The Outsiders were a group of rock 'n' rollers from Cleveland, Ohio. Their first full release comes with their big hit, Time Won't Let Me. It's a Motown infused garage rock tune with horns & bass a'plenty. They wrote four other tracks on this LP that are more on the 50's pop driven side of things. What Makes You So Bad, You Weren't Brought Up That Way might be the best of them, with the use of an harmonica. The rest of the album is filled with covers of popular bands like Herman's Hermits, Buddy Holly & Jay & The Americans. The best being their version of Rockin' Robin & My Girl, originally by The Temptations, but nothing will really blow you away.

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Count Five - Psychotic Reaction (1966)

Here's some classic garage rock from the sixties. Count Five was a cape-wearing band from San Jose, California. Their song Psychotic Reaction is recognized as a cornerstone garage rock & a precursor to the glam & punk movements. It's been covered by the likes of Television to The Cramps & ended up on the Pebbles compilation. So how's the rest of the album? Well they start things out by hitting you with 'a' Double Decker Bus. It's a driving beat with fuzzy guitar & harmonica with a killer drum break in the middle. There's a cover of The Who's My Generation, which falls short of Roger Daltrey's stuttering. Among some of the softer stuff there's the more Beatles-ish sounding She's Fine & the psychedelic solos in Peace Of Mind. Out In The Street hits fast more like The Animals. There's a lot to like on this record.

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Neil Diamond - Shilo (1970)

Neil Diamond is another pretty common thrift store find & I've skimmed past plenty of his records. I finally broke down (I blame a girl) & bought one when I found out his early stuff was on Bang records, a label full of 60's pop rock. His pre-Sweet-Caroline era was actually pretty rockin' comparatively. This release is a compilation full of his first hits with a connect-the-dots album cover none the less. There are some mellow tunes on here like the title track about a childhood imaginary friend, Red Red Wine & Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon. The more up beat stuff such as You Got To Me & Thank The Lord For The Night Time really shine though. It also has originals of some staple hits covered by just about everyone. I'm A Believer was made famous by The Monkees. Solitary Man is genius song writing. Don't knock the Neil.

On a side note, I've seen plenty of used records where someone went through & connected the dots. I also saw this one, where a more artistic owner painted their own creepy picture of Neil.

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The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favor (1971)

Moody Blues records are a common find in bargin bins. They are known for mixing classical music into their unique blend of English rock, producing progressive rock that's easy on the ears. Every Good Boy Deserves Favor is their seventh album, & is named for a mnemonic for the treble scale. The real highlight of this record is the intro track Procession, which tells the evolution of music. It rolls right into the popular hit track, The Story In Your Eyes, which is the most energetic song of them all. Afterwards, the listening experience softens up & fades away.

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Centipede Eest - Surf Licks & The Wall Of Sound For World Peace (2007)

Centipede Eest is a hard to pin down band from Pittsburgh PA. Is it a post-garage jam session or an indie noise experiment? The guitar defines this band & is either the work of a jazz-influenced genius, or a random note generator. I was hoping to hear some surf licks that were mentioned in this EP's title, but I strained to hear only influences. Still, this was a suprisingly cool sound. Mirrors is the track that shines with a catchy repeating guitar riff over a freaky drum beat, all somehow held together to create a really rockin' tune.

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Face To Face - Confrontation (1985)

Are you looking for some 80's pop dribble? Boston's Face To Face delivers just that on their 2nd release. I bought this album for 50 cents because the singer, Laurie Sargent, was dressed like a hot pirate on the cover. I was disappointed when all the songs sounded like a crappier Sheena Easton or Pat Benatar. Apparently there were so many promotional copies shipped out, it's harder to find one without that gold stamp pressed into it. If you do happen to find one, I wish you the best of luck finding a collector.

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Jo Jo Gunne - Jo Jo Gunne (1972)

Jo Jo Gunne, named after a Chuck Berry song, were a classic rock band from the early 70's. With members from the defuct band, Spirit, they had a single hit with the song Run Run Run. Their self-titled release, including the hit, turns out to be a mixed bag. It's got some nice country blues-inspired guitar & driving bass lines. There's also a heavy dose of piano. The anthemic track I Make Love has that catchy LA rock sound & is hard to hate. Being on Asylum records, I also can't help comparing them to Joe Walsh, but with less presence.

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Submerge - Submerge (2006)

 In the mood for some evil French thrashcore? Submerge might be the answer. The region of Burgundy is known for it's red wine, but it's also home to Submerge's hatred. This self-titled LP from Abstraction/Destructure is a real revolution starter. Half the tracks are in English & the other half, in French, though it matters little. The dark & indecipherable lyrics overpower a typical hardcore death metal sound. I can't say any particular song stands above the rest & there are no suprises on this album, but it's nice to know anger translates into any language.

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Paul Hardcastle - 19 (1985)

Paul Hardcastle is an electronic musician from England that fell into jazz in his later years. Before he did, he hit the charts with his one-hit wonder, 19. It's 80's synthpop at it most exemplary. It 's title is named after the average age of an American soldier in Vietnam. Although the Vietnam war ended in 1975 the pop hit chronicles the war 10 years later. It's light dance tunes are juxtaposed by clips of war statistics, soldier's experiences, & traumatic experiences. The version on this 12" single is called the Destruction Mix & is a little longer, but pretty much the same hit song. Side B of the release is really an interesting change. It's full of less popular, but equally as interesting electronic instrumental tracks: There is the weirdo track The Asylum, the light-hearted Dolores, & the funky Fly By Night.

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Various Artists - Viva La Vinyl Vol. 3 (1999)

Here's a cool little punk compilation released by LA's Dead Beat Records. It's a pretty ripping collection of punk rock bands before they hit their prime. It includes 45 pressing from Temporal Sluts, The Stiches, The B-Movie Rats, Scarred For Life, The Dirtys, URBN DK, The Spasms, The Slobs, Dead End Cruisers, Smog Town, The TV Killers, Inflicted, Haunted Head, The Bodies, & finally, Detestation. I'm personally a fan of the track You're A Sick Rat, but that's because I am. It's quite a collection ranging from hardcore to garage & comes with a 12 page booklet. I'd love to track down the first 2 volumes.

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Various Artists - Unforgettable Oldies (1967)

Unart was a budget sublabel of United Artists Records in the 60's. I originally picked up this title because I'm a fan of Toledo, Ohio's Johnny & The Hurricanes, who have three fantastic tracks on here, Red River Rock, Sheba & Reveille Rock. It also hold three of Del Shannon's hits, including Runaway & Hats Off To Larry. Johnny Gibson makes a welcome appearance with Midnight too. That leaves very little room to fit in the other teenie boppers, The Royaltones, The Volumes, & The Dream Girls. It's a nice balance of rockin' instrumentals with a side of early pop.

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B-52's - Party Mix (1981)

Party Mix is a remixed B-52's album with 6 songs on it. They are all from the band's first two albums. In traditional 80's remix style they all transition into each other making for a fluid listening experience. The tracks are stretched out a bit with a 7 minute version of Give Me Back My Man & a 6 minute Lava track. Dance This Mess Around & Party Out Of Bounds were the weakest songs on the record, while Private Idaho & 52 Girls stand out as the go-to party makers. It's a fun EP to get a hold of, but it's not as complete as some of their comps, and comparably, the original albums have more substance. This is pretty much for the die-hard B-52's fans.

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The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun (1981)

I've always been drawn to budget releases, so I was excited to find this one from Holland on Emidisc, a European sublabel of EMI with a strange collection of titles. They have pressed everything from Frank Sinatra to Unit Gloria, a Dutch pop group. They're usually lower quality with weird version of the songs, but this one is loaded with high quality hits from The Animals, from the title track to We've Got To Get Out Of This Place. The keyboard sounds so clear on Story Of Bo Diddley. Eric Burdon sings the blues on I'm Mad Again & Worried Life Blues. There are no suprises of this budget album, just some good old fashion Animals.

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Baltimora - Living In The Background (1985)

I love finding albums by 1-hit wonders & seeing how their other songs hold up. One of these bands, Baltimora, is a dance-heavy new wave outfit from Italy. They are known mainly for their song Tarzan Boy. It's the epitome of campy, mid-80's, pop radio. So how's the rest of the record? There are only 5 other tracks on this release. The title track, Living In The Background has a catchy chorus, & Woody Boogie, which was actually popular in Germany, has a ton of synths & beats that make for a great dance song. The other 3 songs are balladish 80's pop dribble.

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Chet Atkins - Caribbean Guitar (1962)

With each new Chet Atkins album, he seems to pick up his guitar & go on an adventure into some new style of music, on what seems like an endless musical spectrum, from country to pop to jazz to classical. On each new release he blends what he's done before with something new. With Caribbean Guitar, Chet takes a dip in the Latin rhythm pool. It's generally a relaxing album that covers Mexican tunes like The Bandit, the Haitian composed Yellow Bird, & The Banana Boat Song. There's nothing special on here, but it's nice to listen to on a cold winter night, dreaming of relaxing on a boat in the warm Caribbean.

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Chet Atkins - Stringin' Along With Chet Atkins (1955)

How about we go stringin' along with some more Chet Atkins on my growing collection of album reviews? This record is actually a reissue of an earlier 10 inch with the same title, with a few singles from 45's thrown in here & there for good measure. It's a great Chet Atkins collection, heavy on the blues, rags, & breakdowns with the right amount of country guitar to bring it all together. Black Mountain Rag stands out as a nice reinterpritation of the classic Wasbash Cannonball, while it's very nice to hear Chet meander through The 3rd Man Theme. There is a lot to like on here.

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Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper - Bo-Day-Shus (1987)

Mojo Nixon is a strange one, but he pretty much embodies everything right with weird psychobilly rock. With some help from Skid Roper, he wrote one of the ultimate tributes to Elvis, Elvis Is Everywhere. Although it's perfect Mojo satire, there is a bit of truth that Elvis has left his legacy everywhere, even cheeseburgers. The rest of the album is full of ditties about the finer things in life, like drinking, BBQ, freedom & digging up Howling Wolf. There are flavors of blues, Americana, country & even polka all over this record. Honestly though, nothing lives up to Mojo singing about the King. What's the deal with the Bermuda Triangle?  "Elvis needs boats."

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The Surfaris - Wipe Out (1963)

This is THE surf album to own. The whole album is full of wild waves of early Californian garage rock. The classic song Wipe Out has become an iconic tune when thinking about 60's surf with it's screaming intro & energy-infused drum solos. In fact, if drums are your thing they dirty up the water with a version of Teen Beat & get crazy with  the staple Walk Don't Run. I have to mention their cover of Green Onions as well with it's tingy guitar solo & organ. Almost the entire record is instrumentals, with Surfer Joe being the exception. It's a bit more along the lines of an early Beach Boys song. Grab your board & head for the nearest shore.

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Various Artists - Bowling Balls From Hell (1980)

Here's a cool little Akron compilation from Clone records. Starts out with an early version of  the pop hit "I Know What Boys Like" by the Waitresses. Things get bizarre from there, with Denis DeFrange's Kraftwerkian synth works. I'm pretty sure I hear Pac-Man in the background of Sector Wars. Ralph Carney, of Tin Huey fame, lays out some electronic-heavy new wave. David Thomas joins him on Sunset In Hibernia for a Pere Ubu fan's wet dream. The Hurricane Bob track features Chrissie Hynde's brother, Terry, on sax. It's a who's who of the Akron sound's original veterans. Mark Frazier & the Haff Notz also appear on this collection full of weirdos.

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Various Artists - The Akron Compilation (1978)

Ever heard of the Akron sound? In the late 70's the music industry's spotlight turned to Akron & started picking & choosing bands to sign. That's how you get London's Stiff records releasing a compilation dedicated to Northeast Ohio. This album is pretty diverse. Rachel Sweet, Jane Aire & The Belvederes, & Idiot's Convention pull off some catchy pop rocks, while Tin Huey, The Waitresses & Chi Pig & really weird out with their new wave sounds. Terraplane does ska while Sniper, The Rubber City Rebels, & The Bizarros go for straight rock'n'roll. There are a lot of stand out tracks on this release but Slide by The Waitresses really sums up the Akron sound quite well. Weird funky, jazzy, rock'n'roll.

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Toni Basil - Word Of Mouth (1982)

Anybody who grew up in the 80's remembers the one hit wonder, Toni Basil, jumping around in a cheerleader outfit to Mickey on MTV. Thats the obvious reason to grab this record, but there's a secret hidden in the liner notes of this synth heavy New Wave album. It's that a third of the album was written by & played by those weirdos from Akron, Ohio, Devo. You've Got Problems (which is also called Pity You), Be Stiff & Space Girls are all special releases by those spuds. If you're a Devo fan, this is a cheap & easy way to get your hands on some overly-produced pop heavy versions of those songs, which is great after listing to the versions on Hardcore Devo 1 & 2.

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Louis Armstrong - Hello Dolly (1964)

A 63 year old Satchmo knocked The Beatles of their top spot in the charts with a tune from Broadway. How crazy is that? Although Hello Dolly was the chart topper & nearly half the tracks are from Broadway musicals, there are some other great gems hidden in here. A Kiss To Build A Dream On is classic Louis Armstrong. Moon River from the movie Breakfast At Tiffany's & Blueberry Hill are well needed break from the rest of the record. Then there is the jazz standard Jeepers Creepers. Even if you're not much of a fan of Broadway musicals there is something for everyone on this one.

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Louis Armstrong - Verve's Choice: The Best Of Louis Armstrong (1963)

Jazz master, Louis Armstrong needs no introduction. His hoarse voice & unmistakable trumpet has really stood the test of time. This is a "Best of" album. Verve records put out four of these Verve's Choice releases in a row back in the day, including Mel Torme, Gene Krupa, Count Basie & Louis Armstrong to go along with an earlier Ella Fitzgerald release. The highlight of this one is the 8:35 minute song Let's Do It. It takes up half of side two & probably could go twice as long if given more time to improvise. That's the great thing about Louis Armstrong, once he starts going you never want it to stop.

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Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass Band - Sounds Like (1967)

Herb Alpert, who started A&M records, single-handedly spawned a national craze for Latin brass bands in the early 60's that was washed away by the British invasion. His records are a regular find in bargin bins across the nation, but that dosen't mean you should overlook them. By 1967 you would have thought he would have given up, but Herb wasn't done just yet & he worked with the changing music scene to record a James Bond classic, Casino Royale. It's the star of this record, but the whole album comes off as a cheesy Bond soundtrack full of jazzy, trumpet-heavy, mariachi-influenced instrumentals.

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Chet Atkins - Chet (1967)

"If he had decided to become a farmer, we'd probably be taking six-foot super green beans for granted" says the back of the sleeve. Although I might have enjoyed some giant green beans, I'm okay with just having this record to listen to. It's a pretty reliable Chet Atkins album full of country & western instrumentals, & really, that's the way it should be. Aren't we all getting sick of those "artist does hollywood" albums? The highlights are his renditions of the traditional folk songs Wabash Cannon Ball & Goin' Down The Road. Between Chet's guitar & that banjo, they squeeze evey note out of each song.

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Chet Atkins - Finger-Style Guitar (1961)

One of the most famous guitarists to ever come out of Nashville, Chet Atkins is know for his country instrumentals. Finger-Style Guitar is less country & more classical. It's full of Waltzes, Rhapsodies, & a few surprises. There are very little in backing instruments, just Chet's signature guitar in all it's glory. His version of In The Mood is right in the pocket of what you'd expect. Just don't expect this to be one of your party favorites. I'd call it perfect for a lazy Sunday morning, especially the stand-out cover of Unchained Melody. Intimate is the only word that can describe it.

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Chet Atkins - The Guitar Genius (1963)

It's pretty hard to find a Chet Atkins record that isn't a solid listen from start to finish. The Guitar Genius, however, aims to do this by including Chet's brother Jim as a vocalist on half the tracks. Chet does what he does best, fingering his guitar through country & rock instrumentals. His covers of Heartbreak Hotel & It's Now Or Never add a fantastic new layer to Elvis classics. The humerous Blackjack changes the pace a bit, but it works. Then there's Chet's brother. When Jim takes to the mic, Chet is pushed aside & the listener is forced to listen to some lackluster Sinatra style vocals. It's like listening to sibling rivalry. I'm left wishing they put all of Jim's songs on side B, so I'd never have to turn it over.

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Accel 4 - From Motor City (1999)

Named after an ignition, Accel 4 is a raging garage rock band dressed in leather, that has been known to set their arms on fire while playing. Unlike the album title implies, they hail from Tokyo, Japan. The record is loaded with tunes that mix the sounds of 50's rock'n'roll with 70's punk attitude. Right from the start, with Highway Leather Boy,  they wail with a combination of Japanese & English, burning through the entire album. You can almost smell the gasoline while listening to tunes that remind you a lot of Guitar Wolf, which makes sense because the frontmen from Accel 4 & Guitar Wolf are brothers. If I were you, I'd turn this up, grab some lighter fluid & a matchbook, then get into some trouble.

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