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Bill Haley: From the Original Master Tapes, 1985
This compilation covers Bill Haley's work from 1954 to 1956. A great look at some of the early roots of rock-n-roll. You can hear the influence of the swing and boogie beats on this record, but Bill and the Comets are also giving us new sounds with cuts like Don't Knock the Rock, R-O-C-K, and Rip It Up. Both Rudy Pompilli and Joey D'Ambrosia establish the tenor sax as a legitimate rock instrument. The remastering work by Steve Hoffman makes all the tracks sound nice and fat. These cuts go hard!
A fine collection of tunes here. A great record that is still fresh and vital today.
The Beatles: Rubber Soul, 1965
McCartney contributes 'You Wont See Me," "I'm Looking Through You" and "Michelle." John Lennon gives us 'In My Life," ""Norwegian Wood ," "Girl" and the classic "Nowhere Man." George Harrison penned the superb "If I Need Someone." Ringo sings on "What Goes On." Other great cuts include "Drive My Car,' and "The Word" which was 2 years ahead of the whole flower power deal, yet describes the movement perfectly.
So many styles and flavors, it's inspiring to see them come from one group. In hindsight we find this to be perhaps the best of their early recordings. Matty says you gotta own this record.
Badfinger: Straight Up, 1972
Badfinger was "discovered" by Paul McCartney and signed to the Beatles' Apple Label in the late 60's. Both he and John Lennon produced strong tracks that established the band and sent them on their way.
Now George Harrison would get his turn. His early versions are included here as bonus tracks, but it is Todd Rungren who has his production stamp on the final album tracks. A great sounding effort, but some would argue that it was not nearly as strong as the previous release of No Dice (1970). It took many years to finish this record, and it's conceivable that it was affected somewhat by the nasty business dealings of the Beatles breakup.
Yet there are some very good tracks, and two enduring classics came from this record- "Baby Blue," and Day After Day." This CD is actually a remaster from 1993. It includes the bonus tracks and some great liner notes. Check it out!
Bob Marley and The Wailers: Natty Dread, 1974
This was the first record Bob Marley made without Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, who left to pursue solo careers. So this marks the debut of the "I-Three's" the harmonic team of Rita Marley, Marcia Griffith and Judy Mowatt, all standouts in their own right. The backing musicians included the brothers "Family Man" and "Carly" Barrett on bass and drums. Not only were they essential ingredients to the "one drop" sound, they also helped write some of the songs.
And what songs they are! Every one on this record is a classic, pure and simple. This record, with it's smooth style, infectious rhythms, and beautiful production demonstrates the roots and vibe of the island sound, and helped bring reggae to mainstream audiences. This is one of his best records, and by extension, one of the best of the genre. Listen in and Lively up Yourself. Matty says highest rating, sho nuff!
Lene Lovich: Flex, 1980
Let me get my bias out of the way- this is undoubtedly one of my favorite records ever. It opened my teenaged ears to the magic of good, clean production technique, and showed me that very powerful records can be created without the sledgehammer use of volume and bombast.
This was her second album, and 7 of the 10 tunes were penned by Lene and Les Chappell, her partner both musically and personally. They are a great team, and show a rather varied and open approach to music with tunes like "Bird Song," "Angels," "Wonderful One" and "The Freeze." Lene's good friend Chris Judge Smith contributed "What Will I Do Without You" and "You Can't Kill Me," both display his trademark humor.
The original record came out on Stiff Records, But I suggest you look for the CD reissue called "Flex Plus" on Rhino, 1991. It includes liner notes and 8 bonus tracks from later singles, EPs, and albums. "New Toy" was written by Thomas Dolby, and "Blue Hotel" is probably her best known song.
The band is super tight. And Lene's voice is truly incredible, she is the only rock vocalist who could make Nina Hagen sound mundane. Flex Plus shows her at her best, with her best recordings, and is definitely worth owning.
Digable Planets: Reachin’, 1993
In the feel-good tradition of De La Soul and Arrested Development come Digable Planets with this, their debut album. This 1993 release was exemplary of the smooth, conscious, and refined hip-hop that existed before the guns and bling of gangsta rap began to dominate the charts and minds of listeners.
This record holds up, even more than 10 years after the fact. Doodle Bug samples heavily from the Blue Note era of jazz greats, giving it a swing and style unique to the genre. The rhymes by Butterfly and Ladybug are tight and speak heavily of social issues and good times. Doodle does time on the mic as well. I think Ladybug is the best rapper in the group. Outstanding tracks include the single “Rebirth of Slick (Cool like Dat),” “Escapism (Getting’ Free)” “Where I’m From” “Pacifics”and “Nickel Bags.” But honestly there are no bad tracks on here. This is a great, intelligent, and artistic record. Throw this on the turntable when you want to feel funky, free, and super fine.
