Music Reviews

Long before “Yacht Rock” was a thing, there was Little Feat. Yep, if you dig a bit (or listen carefully) you’ll hear a few Doobie Brothers’ on this record. Come to think of it back in 1977, when this record was released, it was often spun in rooms full of smoke. Read More

This one is a mega classic, albeit a bit before my time. However, I think many of us can agree that Hendrix’ debut, released in May 1967 was not only one of the greatest, but most successful rock records of all time.The low distortion of the Acoustic Sounds pressing is thought by many collectors to be the finest rendition of this album, and the lack of tracking error in the Bergmann Thor linear tracking arm has Jimi’s guitar growling like never before. Read More

While their popularity has never waned, (and the band continues to tour today) it might be argued that Los Lobos was at their peak of exposure in the early 1990s. Their soundtrack to the movie La Bamba, in 1987 sold two million copies, but Kiko was their biggest selling album, with close to half a million copies sold. Read More

This one goes way back to my early audiophile days, when anything that was “half-speed mastered” or “recorded on audiophile vinyl” caught my attention and my wallet.

A trip to my favorite hifi store of the day, Audio Emporium, just outside of Milwaukee, WI where they were playing Ms. Read More

It’s been a week or so, and I’m back in the Joni Mitchell mode again. My one-step copy of Court and Spark has arrived, and while this was Mitchell’s most commercial record, it remains a favorite.

Court and Spark was Mitchell’s transition to a more jazzy period. Read More

I didn’t need to watch the Netflix documentary on DEVO to shake the dust off my DEVO albums. I never stopped playing them.However, that first record was pretty amazing, even in a day where punk was king, and new wave was a close second – DEVO was unique. It was a classic day in the record store that I worked, with the satin-jacketed guy from WB stopping in with the promo and concert tickets! Sometimes it pays off to work the night shift. Read More

Do you remember when the video for “Ironic” broke on MTV?With that clip, no one knew (then) that Morissette’s third record was headed for five Grammy’s and 17x Platinum status, but it was stunning then, as it is now.30 years later, this record is still a masterpiece, combining sublime musicianship and 90s angst, and a fantastic recording all in one. Read More

Nearly everything The Bad Plus does is pretty trippy and off the map. And I say that in a really good way.This double LP set of classic covers on For All I Care might just trigger your inner art school kid. Or you might run away screaming. One thing’s for sure… You won’t hear anything from this record at a hifi show anytime soon. Read More

Time to head back to the 60s…What a better way than some major psychedelic rock from Moby Grape? Their Wow/Grape Jam record was a two record set, released April 3, 1968. I was too young for this one on the first go, but in the early 70s when I started hanging out with a lot of the older dudes in high school that were really into Moby Grape, Iron Butterfly and Zappa, it made a big impression. Read More

Im still in that 60s groove…Somehow Moby Grape and Steppenwolf always make me dig out In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Yeah, I know the new kids don’t care for this, but it’s my party and I’ll play 60s music if I want to.When I bought my original copy of this, I mostly just listened to the title track, sometimes really loud just to annoy my parents. Read More

Just the other day, the 10-album box set of Deep Purple’s classic: Made In Japan was released. This one features the main album remixed by Steven Wilson, and if you like what he’s done with classic Yes and King Crimson, there’s a great chance you’ll enjoy this rendition as well. Read More

Sally’s Dream is the all-female punk band I wish I’d known about when I was hanging out at punk clubs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 80s. I wish I would have seen them.Unfortunately, it took till now to finally get the record out, but it’s just as awesome today as it was then.Ironically, this foursome was made up of Cynthia Hammond (Bass, keyboards, guitar and vocals) Jenny Davis (Keyboards, bass, guitar, and vocals) Emily Jackson on drums, and Chrissie Dickinson on guitar and vocals. Read More