ALBUMS

• MARVIN GAYE: WHAT’S GOING ON:  1971: 5 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: Motown in the 60’s were known for one thing- their great hit singles- not that there weren’t good Motown albums but with What’s Going On- the album became the centerpiece not the single- although there were three Top 10 singles on this- What’s Going On #2, Mercy, Mercy Me #4 and Inner City Blues #9. Gaye’s finest album- a concept album of social commentary told from the view of a Vietnam vet. A landmark album which Rolling Stone ranked #6 on its 500 Greatest Albums list. Of course it is listed on the 1001 albums to hear list.

• HINDU LOVE GODS: HINDU LOVE GODS:  1990: 4 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: Hindu Love Gods are Warren Zevon backed with three members of R.E.M.- Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry. They were all together working on Warren’s Sentimental Hygiene album- and recorded these long after midnight after consuming a few cold bevies. What became an album of covers wasn’t recorded for the purpose of ever being released- but it ended up being released a couple years after they were recorded. A great highlight is a cover of Prince’s Raspberry Beret. They do a couple Robert Johnson covers and a Muddy Waters cover too- a fun album and you can tell they were having fun making it.

• NEIL YOUNG: LIFE: 1987: 3 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: Neil’s last release on Geffen records. Most of it was recorded live like Rust Never Sleeps was. He is back with Crazy Horse for this album. The first three songs which are among the best on the album- Mideast Vacation, Long Walk Home and Around The World are all songs looking at Americas role at the time in the world. One of Neil’s best albums of the 80’s period- not the decade for Neil that the 70’s was.

• BERT JANSCH: THE BEST OF BERT JANSCH: 1992: 5 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: 25 songs on this best of by Jansch an underappreciated figure. Love listening to his acoustic guitar playing. Led Zeppelin lifted his song Black Waterside and made it into Black Mountainside. This is a great introduction to Jansch- a Scotish folk musician who was a founding member of Pentangle. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 67. His music is played regularly on the  Celtic Crush radio show I listen to every week.

• THE BEATLES: PAST MASTERS II: 1988: 5 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: Finishing up my second run through on The Beatles studio albums by doing the what was much needed collection of loose singles that had never appeared on the albums.

• PAUL MCCARTNEY: EGYPT STATION: 2018: 5 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: I am loving Paul’s new album- his best of the 21st century and for the most part I have enjoyed his work in the past couple decades.

• BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: DARKNESS  ON THE EDGE OF TOWN: 1978: 5 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: Bruce’s 4th album and the first one owned. Remains one of my favorite -if not my favorite Bruce. After a three year lay off due to legal issues with his manager- finally Bruce was able to record. At the time three years in between albums seemed an insanely long time and Bruce was climbing the walls. Born To Run had upped the stakes- in this album Bruce starts taking a look at life as an adult. On the 1001 albums to hear list.

• NEIL YOUNG: THIS NOTES FOR YOU: 1988: 3 1/2 STARS OUT OF 5 STARS: A concept album looking at the commercialism of rock- the This Notes For You video got a lot of attention at the time with the Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Spuds McKenzie look a likes and the message against sponsors. Neil was showing signs of life as the 80’s drew to a close.