ALBUMS

• GRATEFUL DEAD: AOXOMOXOA: 1969: 3 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: 3 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: To start with- a great album cover. An historical album in that it was one of the first rock albums recorded with 16 track technology. The Dead were still in their psychedelic/ acid rock phase- right before Workingman’s Dead/ American Beauty the following year. Highlights- St. Stephen, China Cat Sunflower and Cosmic Charlie.

• R.E.M: UP:  1998: 3 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: R.E.M’s first album without drummer Bill Berry. They didn’t replace him with a new band member. A change in direction more towards electronic music- and the change came across in record sales which slumped on this one. I think this was the point where the group lost me. It’s not a bad album but kind of dull.

• NEIL YOUNG: NEIL YOUNG: 1969: 3 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: Neil’s solo debut. It was released twice once in late 1968- then remixed and re-released in January 1969. An uneven debut he would quickly release album #2 which started off the Neil Young classic period “Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere.” The Loner, I’ve Been Waiting For You and The Old Laughing Lady- highlights.

• LORD HURON: LONESOME DREAMS: 2012: 2 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: I had heard and liked the lead off track Ends Of The Earth- and a couple other songs from their later albums and thought I’d give them a try. It’s only my first listen but while not a total washout by any means- the songs after a while seem to sound the same making it seem like a very long album.

• THE BAND: NORTHERN LIGHTS-SOUTHERN CROSS: 1975: 4 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: The Band’s first album of new material since the disappointing Cahoots in 1971. All the songs were written by Robbie Robertson and a couple of them are among my favorite songs The Band has ever done- Arcadian Driftwood and It Makes No Difference. Ophelia and Forbidden Fruit both sung by Levon Helm also favorites. Its not a return to form of say Music From Big Pink or The Band.. more like Stage Fright.

• THE BAND: ISLANDS: 1977: 2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: The Band’s last studio album- with the original members all intact. This is basically a collection of unreleased Band material over the years. One of those deals where an artist released an album to fulfill the end of a record contract. There was a reason most of this stuff hadn’t been released.