Dakota - Dakota (1980)

This US melodic rock outfit was formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1979 by vocalists/guitarists Jerry Hludzik and Billy Kelly. Recruiting Lou Crossa and Jeff Mitchell on keyboards, Bill McMale (bass) and John Robinson (drums), they based their style on the music of Styx, Toto and Kansas.
Heavily dominated by keyboards and watertight vocal harmonies, the band released two high-quality studio albums of pomp rock, before disbanding in 1984.  
Dakota´s debut album is a real overlooked gem that references both the smoothness of their close friends in the band chicago and the intricacy of classics 70s pomp rock. 
Like all great creations, there´s a fine back story to how this album came to fruition, involving a lot of hard work and a great deal of networking. A great contrast between mid-tempo verses and flowing up-tempo harmonised and melodic chorus songs, compared to bands like, Survivor, Le Roux, 38 Special and Journey.

Track listing

01.  If It Takes All Night  (Bill Kelly & Jerry G. Hludzik)  - 4:50

02.  Crazy For Your Love  (Bill Kelly & Jerry G. Hludzik)  - 3:37

03.  Possession  (Bill Kelly & Jerry G. Hludzik)  - 3:55

04.  You Can't Live Without It  (Bill Kelly & Jerry G. Hludzik)  - 3:35

05.  One Step  (Bill Kelly)  - 4:40

06.  Lady  (Bill Kelly & Jerry G. Hludzik)  - 3:28

07.  Restless  (Jerry G. Hludzik)  - 4:30

08.  Crazy Love  (Jeff Mitchell & Bill Lombardi)  - 4:11

09.  It Gets Easier  (Bill Kelly & Jerry G. Hludzik)  - 4:06

Bonus Tracks 2012 Re-issue

10.  The Higher You Rise  (David Bluefield)  - 3:37

11.  Give Love Another Try  (Chuck Yarmey, Jerry G. Hludzik & Jimmy Harnen)  - 3:24

Released:  1980

Recorded at:  Le Studio, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Label:  Street Sense Music/Renaissance Records

Genre:  Melodic Rock

Length:  43:53

Produced by:  Danny Seraphine & David "Hawk" Wolinski for Skidrow Productions

Personnel

Bill Kelly - Guitar & Lead vocals

Jerry G. Hludzik - Guitar, Lead vocals

Lou Cossa - Keyboards, Background vocals

Jeff Mitchell - Keyboards, Background vocals

Bill McHale - Bass Guitar, Background vocals

John "JR" Robinson - Drums

The Silencers - A Blues For Buddah (1988)

"A Blues For Buddha" was the second release for the quartet the Silencers. A Scottish folk-pop band that injects some traditional instrumentation into their work, the Silencers, like fellow Scottish bands the Proclaimers, Del Amitri, and Deacon Blue, are consistently melodic and occasionally breathtaking. There is also the deep title track "Blues For Buddah", it´s a bit heavy-handed (the similarly themed "Walk With the Night" works better), but even the weaker songs are still fairly enjoyable. Also the optimistic, horn-driven "The Real McCoy" (the "be do, do be do do, be do do" is infectious) and the surging, pop-savvy "Razorblades of Love" are examples of the latter and showing  different styles in the Silencers repertoire. All these ingedients added make this a must for all Silencers and Celt Rock fans.

It didn't matter as "A Blues for Buddha" met with a less-than-enthusiastic public response, although they did manage a minor radio hit with "Scottish Rain." With this release the real talents of Jimmy O'Neil shine through.From the early days of the band, this album is a joy to listen to.

Track listing

01.  Answer Me  (The Silencers)  - 4:57   

02.  Scottish Rain  (The Silencers)  - 7:11   

03.  Real Mc Coy  (The Silencers)  - 6:04   

04.  A Blues for Buddha  (The Silencers)  - 3:08   

05.  Walk With the Night  (The Silencers)  - 5:30   

06.  Razor Blades of Love  (The Silencers)  - 4:51   

07.  Skin Games  (The Silencers)  - 5:48   

08.  Wayfaring Stranger  (The Silencers)  - 3:09   

09.  Sacred Child  (The Silencers)  - 7:35   

10.  My Love Is Like A Wave/Razor Blade Reprise  (The Silencers)  - 6:09   

11.  Sand and Stars  (The Silencers)  - 1:32

Released:  1988

Recorded at:  Ca. Va. Studios, Glasgow, Scotland

Label:  RCA

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Length:  53:55

Producer:  Flood, The Silencers

Personnel

Jimme O'Neill - vocals, guitar, harmonica

Cha Burns - vocals, guitar

Joseph Donnelly - bass

Martin Hanlin - drums

David Crichton - fiddle (on "Answer Me" and "Sacred Child")

John Nevans - bagpipes

The McCluskey Brothers - background vocals (on "Scottish Rain"), Phantom Horns

Michelle Shocked - The Texas Campfire Tapes (1986)

"The Texas Campfire Tapes" is the first album by American singer and songwriter Michelle Shocked. It was originally a bootleg recording made on a Sony Walkman of an impromptu set performed by Shocked around the eponymous campfire and was released without her permission. It was then released by Mercury Records in 1986.

This disc contains recordings of Michelle Shocked during a serendipitous meeting between English music enthusiast and wannabe record label exec Pete Lawrence and Shocked. The story goes that they were both attending the 1986 Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas when, during a walk around the campgrounds, Lawrence heard Shocked playing and asked if she would sing some of her songs for him. He produced a Sony Walkman cassette recorder and off they went. Shocked apparently thought nothing more of it until she received word that her new album had charted in England. She made the most of the opportunity and performed her very first professional gig at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The album's lo-to-no fidelity actually works in favor of overall ambience as it creates a palpably organic backdrop for Shocked's uniformly enchanting tales. Her honestly executed material provides stripped-down authenticity that perfectly matches the singer/songwriter's original voice. The ultimately informal performance allows Shocked to effortlessly segue songs together into mini-medleys and give brief spoken explanations of tracks such as "The Incomplete Image"  which seems to be more of a description of the fragmented work than an arbitrary title. Musically, Shocked seems to deeply draw upon the ramblin' imagery of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie on tracks such as "Down on Thomas Street" or her Bay Area ode "Fogtown."

Track listing

01.  5 A.M. in Amsterdam  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:10 

02.  The Secret Admirer  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:29 

03.  The Incomplete Image  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:30 

04.  Who Cares?  (Michelle Shocked)  - 3:36 

05.  Down on Thomas St.  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:20 

06.  Fogtown  (Michelle Shocked)  - 3:33 

07.  Steppin' Out  (Michelle Shocked)  - 1:50 

08.  The Hep Cat  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:35 

09.  Necktie  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:20 

10.  (Don't You Mess Around With) My Little Sister  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:03 

11.  The Ballad of Patch Eye and Meg  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:42 

12.  The Secret to a Long Life (Is Knowing When It's Time to Go)  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:21 

13.  The Chain Smoker  (Michelle Shocked)  - 2:49 

14.  Stranded in a Limousine  (Paul Simon)  - 1:41 

15.  Goodnight Irene  (Leadbelly / John A. Lomax)  - 2:25 

Released:  1986

Recorded:  live at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Texas May 1986

Label:  Cooking Vinyl

Genre:  Alternative Pop, Folk Rock

Length:  30:24

Engineer:  Howie Weinburg, Tony Engle

Producer:  Pete Lawrence 

Dinosaur Jr - Green Mind (1991)

"Green Mind" is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr, released in 1991.

After temporarily suspending the band, J Mascis first snuck out "The Wagon" as a Sub Pop single, then a little while later released the group's first major-label album, "Green Mind". More of a solo project than a group effort Lou Barlow was out and then some, Murph only drums on three tracks, a few guests pop up here and there  it's still a great album, recorded and performed with gusto. Such a judgment may seem strange given Mascis' legendary image as the überslacker, but clearly the man knows how to balance how to convey himself with getting the job done. "The Wagon" itself kicks off the album, an even quicker and nuttier sequel to the peerless "Freak Scene"  Don Fleming of Gumball fame adds some of the music and background vocals, but otherwise it's Mascis and Murph cranking it and having a blast. When Mascis goes into one of his patented over-the-top solos, it all feels just right  this is loud rock music for putting a smile on your face, not beating up people in a pit. The remainder of the album floats and rumbles along in its uniquely Dinosaur Jr. type of way, as apt to find poppy hooks, singalongs, and soft strumming as it is to blow out the Marshalls. Sublime moments include the contrast of sweet acoustic guitar and loud drums on "Blowing It," the fun thrash of "How'd You Pin That One on Me," and the Mellotron-as-flute-tinged stomp "Thumb." If nothing on the album is completely as freaked-out and over the top as "Don't" from "Bug", it's still a fine translation of Mascis' art for the commercial big boys. The song titles alone sometime say it all  "Puke + Cry," "I Live for That Look," "Muck." Mascis throughout sounds like his usual self, cracked drawl ever as it was and shall be. "Turnip Farm" is also featured in the film Reality Bites.

The cover photograph, Priscilla, 1969, is by Joseph Szabo and taken from his book of photographs Almost Grown.

Track listing

01.  "The Wagon"  (J Mascis)  - 4:53

02.  "Puke + Cry"  (J Mascis)  - 4:27

03.  "Blowing It"  (J Mascis)  - 2:43

04.  "I Live for That Look"  (J Mascis)  - 1:56

05.  "Flying Cloud"  (J Mascis)  - 2:35

06.  "How'd You Pin That One on Me"  (J Mascis)  - 4:23

07.  "Water"  (J Mascis)  - 5:38

08.  "Muck"  (J Mascis)  - 4:15

09.  "Thumb"  (J Mascis)  - 5:38

10.  "Green Mind"  (J Mascis)  - 4:56

Bonus Tracks 2006 Re-release

11.  "Hot Burrito #2"  (Chris Ethridge, Gram Parsons)  - 3:22

12.  "Turnip Farm"  (J Mascis)  - 5:51

13.  "Forget It"  (J Mascis)  - 4:07

Released:  February 19, 1991

Genre:  Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

Length:  41:14

Label:  Blanco y Negro/Sire

Producer:  J Mascis

Personnel

J Mascis - Vocals, Guitar, Producer

Murph - Drums

Joe Harvard - Guitar, Tape

Jay Spiegel - Drums, Tambourine, Tom-Tom

Don Fleming - Bass, Guitar, Vocals (Background)

Matt Dillon - Backing Vocals (on Hot Burrito #2)

Eddie And The Hot Rods - Teenage Depression (1977)

"Teenage Depression" is the first studio album released by Pub Rock band Eddie and the Hot Rods. The album contains three cover songs, The Who's "The Kids Are Alright", Joe Tex's "Show Me" and Sam Cooke's "Shake". In 2000, a reissue was released with 12 additional tracks that contains another cover, this time of the track "96 Tears" live, originally by ? & the Mysterians. "Teenage Depression" is often cited as being one of the albums that is the missing link between pub rock and punk rock because of the album's fast and hard-hitting R&B sound showing the attitude of a punk band.

Young, loud, snotty and incredibly fast, the riffs and rhythms are fuel-injected R&B, but the lyrics are teenaged disaffection with a forest on its shoulders. The six-minute finale, "On the Run," is even stronger, a dead-end kid-style anthem about the ultimate outsider  "the boy should be pitied, but they're getting me committed." The FX that drench the song's closing minutes, meanwhile, capture all the rage and confusion of the lyric, and give a hint of the sheer brutal power that was the Hot Rods when they really let loose  a treat normally reserved for the live show. Isolated tastes of that particular beast do surface elsewhere on the album -- both "The Kids Are Alright" and "Been So Long" were recorded live at the Marquee on a baking-hot night in July 1976; the dozen bonus tracks appended to the CD reissue include four more from that memorable night, in the form of the legendary Live at the Marquee EP. Mach 10 versions of Van Morrison's "Gloria," Bob Seger's "Get Out of Denver," ? Mark's "96 Tears," and the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" further amplify the linkage between '60s garage and '70s punk, but, far more importantly, they give at least a hint of why witnesses still describe that particular show among the greatest gigs they ever attended. The CD is completed by the band's first two singles, including a crunchy cover of "Wooly Bully," produced by Roxy Music's Andy Mackay. They, however, are simply the icing on the cake. In late 1976, with punk still a flood of records waiting to happen, "Teenage Depression" was one of the only things that made it worthwhile to get up in the morning.

Track listing

Disc 1

01.  "Get Across To You"  - 2:48

02.  "Why Can't It Be?"    2:33

03.  "Show Me"  - 2:03

04.  "All I Need Is Money"  - 2:21

05.  "Double Chekin' Woman"  - 2:29

06.  "The Kids Are Alright"  - 2:40

07.  "Teenage Depression"  - 2:59

08.  "Horseplay (Wearier On The Schmaltz)"  - 2:22

09.  "Been So Long"  - 3:22

10.  "Shake"  - 1:30

11.  "On The Run"  - 6:26

Disc 2 

Bonus Tracks On 2000 Reissue:

01.  "Writing on the Wall"  - 2:42

02.  "Crusin (In the Lincoln)"  - 3:33

03.  "Wooly Bully"  - 2:37

04.  "Horseplay" (Single Version)  - 2:24

05.  "96 Tears" (Live)  - 2:58

06.  "Get Out of Denver" (Live)  - 3:51

07.  "Medley: Gloria/Satisfaction" (Live)  - 5:24

08.  "On the Run" (Live)  - 9:02

09.  "Hard Drivin Man" (Live)  - 2:11

10.  "Horseplay" (Live)  - 2:30

11.  "Double Checkin Woman" (Live)  - 2:37

12.  "All I Need Is Money" (Live)  - 2:56

Released:  1976

Genre:  Pub Rock, Punk Rock

Length:  1:13:41

Label:  Island rRecords

Producer:  Ed Hollis, Vic Maile

Personnel

Barrie Masters - Vocals

Paul Gray - Bass, Backing Vocals

Steve Nicol - Drums, Backing Vocals

Dave Higgs - Guitar, Backing Vocals, Piano on "Horseplay (Wearier On The Schmaltz)"

Stonebolt - Juvenile American Princess (1982)

Stonebolt is a rock band from Vancouver, Canada. They first formed in 1969 under the name Perth Amboy, and after adding a vocalist and keyboard player, they changed their name to Stonebolt in the early 1970s. They remained a local attraction in Vancouver until 1977, when they landed a recording contract with Parachute Records.

"Juvenile American Princess", the band's fourth and final album, was released in 1982 and went virtually unnoticed in the states. Canada, however, was a different story as numerous singles came and went with modest success. The next year was spent touring and promoting the album but by the end of 1983, the members amicably laid Stonebolt to rest. "Juvenile American Princess" is a decent addition to the band's repertoire, though the material is notably more lightweight than much of their previous output. I would compare this release to their debut, with a less varied approach to the music. There are plenty of hooks to be found here, as evidenced by the compact tightness of tracks like "Slow Dancin", "Are You Listening?" and the title track. Though the band's sense of melody hasn't left them here, many of the songs collapse under the weight of their predictability and MOR tendencies.

Track listing

01.  Goin' Through The Motions Of Love  - 3:34  

02.  Outrun The Sun  - 2:47  

03.  Slow Dancin'  - 3:39  

04.  To Love Somebody  - 3:15  

05.  Can You Tell Me  - 3:45  

06.  Juvenile American Princess  - 3:34   

07.  Rollin' Down The Highway  - 4:03  

08.  Never Come Home  - 3:58  

09.  Are You Listening  - 4:00  

10.  It's So Different Here  - 2:37

Released:  1982

Label:  RCA Viktor

Genre:  Rock

Length:  35:12

Producer:  Stonebolt

Personnel

Danny Atchinson - Bass

Brian Lousley - Drums, Background vocals

Lewis Nitkman - Keyboards

Ray Roper - Guitars, Vocals

David Wills - Vocals

Vinegar Joe - Six Star General (1973)

Vinegar Joe evolved out of Dada, a 12-piece Stax-influenced, jazz-rock fusion band. Dada released one, eponymous, album in 1970, with a line up including vocalist Elkie Brooks and guitarist Pete Gage. Singer Robert Palmer, formerly with The Alan Bown Set, and bassist Steve York both joined Dada after the album had been recorded, and the four were signed by Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records for USA and Chris Blackwell of Island Records for the UK and rest of the world to form Vinegar Joe in 1971, adding keyboard player Dave Thompson. The band was without a drummer. Conrad and Rob Tait drummed on the first album. Their debut LP Vinegar Joe was released in April 1972 on Island Records in the UK and Atco Records in the US. "Six Star General" features 10 tracks, that should please any rock music lover. Boogie, soul, blues, R n B, and even a splash of country rock. Although Vinegar Joe never achieved significant record sales, they received considerable press coverage and toured extensively, playing numerous sell-out concerts, especially on the British university circuit.

Subsequently, Elkie Brooks and Robert Palmer went on to enjoy success as solo musicians. Pete Gage became a record producer and arranger, working with Brooks, his wife, until their divorce, and a range of successful musicians like Joan Armatrading and specialising in upcoming rockabilly and punk bands such as Restless, King Kurt and others.

Track listing

01.  Proud to Be (A Honky Woman)  (Vinegar Joe)  - 4:34   

02.  Food for Thought  (Vinegar Joe)  - 3:51   

03.  Dream My Own Dreams  (Vinegar Joe)  - 3:20   

04.  Lady of the Rain  (Vinegar Joe)  - 3:55   

05.  Stay True to Yourself  (Vinegar Joe)  - 4:02   

06.  Black Smoke Rising from the Calumet  (Vinegar Joe)  - 6:13   

07.  Giving Yourself Away  (Vinegar Joe)  - 4:16   

08.  Talkin' 'Bout My Baby  (Vinegar Joe)  - 3:46   

09.  Let Me Down Easy  (Vinegar Joe)  - 3:26   

10.  Fine Thing  (Vinegar Joe)  - 3:38   

Released:  1973

Recorded at:  CBS Studios, London, England

Label:  Island Records

Genre:  Blues Rock, Boogie

Length:  41:01

Producer:  Pete Gage

Personnel:

Robert Palmer - vocals

Pete Gage - vocals, guitar, bottleneck guitar, piano, keyboards

Mike Deacon - vocals, piano, electric piano, organ, keyboards, Moog synthesizer

Elkie Brooks - vocals, piano, keyboards

Steve York - harmonica

Pete Gavin - drums, congas, percussion

John Woods - drums, percussion

Marvin Gaye - In Our Lifetime (1981)

Marvin Gaye's "In Our Lifetime" came after 1978's confessional and meandering double album "Here, My Dear". Although this better set does seem effortlessly conceived, it wasn't that simple. Gaye originally envisioned a "party" album and almost released one called Love Man. After some consideration, Gaye nixed the idea and aimed for an effort that would spotlight his religious concerns. Thankfully, "In Our Lifetime" splits the difference between the two mindsets. The first single from the aborted Love Man shows up here. "Ego Tripping Out" works as both a parody of the "love man" with a few autobiographical flourishes as he sings, "Got a sweet tooth/For the chick on the floor." Slowly but surely the religious matters do surface here. The buoyant "Praise" has a blithe riff inspired and/or lifted from Stevie Wonder and has Gaye getting his message across without being preachy. Although no song is especially brilliant here, the level of Gaye's musical sense and his vocal prowess carry him throughout. The unfinished and non-Gaye-approved "Far Cry" has lyrics that are steam-of-conscious and are barely decipherable. The mesmerizing "Love Me Now or Love Me Later" has Gaye examining both good and evil with equal skill. The last track, the title song, has Gaye back in the party frame of mind and has great horn charts and a propulsive beat. In Our Lifetime" is one of his finest albums and captures him as his craft was maturing and becoming more multifaceted.

Track listing

01. Praise (Marvin Gaye) - 4:51

02. Life is for Learning (Marvin Gaye) - 3:39

03. Love Party (Marvin Gaye) - 4:58

04. Funk Me (Marvin Gaye) - 5:34

05. Far Cry (Marvin Gaye) - 4:28

06. Love Me Now or Love Me Later (Marvin Gaye) - 4:59

07. Heavy Love Affair (Marvin Gaye) - 3:45

08. In Our Lifetime (Marvin Gaye) - 6:57

Released:  January 15, 1981

Recorded at:  Marvin's Room, Los Angeles, California Seawest Recording Studio, Honolulu, Hawaii, Odyssey Studios, London, England

Genre:  Soul, funk

Length:  41:30

Label:  Tamla

Producer:  Marvin Gaye

Personnel

Marvin Gaye - vocals, keyboards, drums

Robert Ahwry - guitar

Gordon Banks - guitar

Frank Bates - bass, background vocals

Frank Blair - bass, drums

Candace Bond - Executive Producer

Ray Brown - trumpet

William Bryant - drums, keyboards

Elmira Collins - vibraphone, background vocals

Raymond Crossley - keyboards

Fernando Harkness - saxophone

Joe James - percussion

Gary Jones - percussion, conga

Lee Kentle - drums, background vocals

Nigel Martinez - drums

Kenny Mason - trumpet

Joe Mayo - percussion

Sidney Muldrew - French horn

Curtis Anthony Nolen - guitar

Raphael Ravenscroft - alto saxophone

Dr. George Shaw - trumpet

Nolan Andrew Smith - trumpet

Bugsy Wilcox - drums

David Ritz - liner notes

Preston "Bugsy" Wilcox - drums

Soundtrack - Can´t Stop The Music (1980)

"Can't Stop The Music" is the soundtrack album by Village People for their movie Can't Stop the Music released in 1980.

It contains songs not only by the Village People but also by David London and The Ritchie Family. The album also features a re-make of "Y.M.C.A." with lead vocals by Ray Simpson. Simpson's remake never charted and was not released as a single.

The released album features single edits and reduces or in some cases altogether eliminates Ott's contributions to the tracks. To hear these songs as originally intended you would have to collect the Ritchie Family's "Give Me A Break" album and several 12" singles which were released as promotional items to club DJs only. Despite my disappointment this is still a highly enjoyable album, David London's "The Sound Of The City" (probably the only track to make it to the album in it's original version) is a standout, the lyrics and Gershwinesque arrangement paint a loving picture of New York that could have been created in Tin Pan Alley days. "Milkshake" is silly, campy fun and "Liberation" is a disco anthem to freedom and liberation in a time when a pop group couldn't get more specific as to who needed liberating (have we made much progress since then? I think we haven't). "Y.M.C.A." is simply an overdub of Ray Simpson's vocals over the single edit of the original recording but the title track is a great song and one of the best things the group recorded since Ray replaced Victor Willis.

Track listing

01.  "Village People - Can't Stop the Music"  - 3:35

02.  "David London - Samantha"  - 3:15

03.  "The Ritchie Family - Give Me a Break"  - 3:30

04.  "Village People - Liberation"  - 3:33

05.  "Village People - Magic Night"  - 3:22

06.  "David London - The Sound of the City"  - 4:31

07.  "Village People - Milkshake"  - 2:54

08.  "Village People - Y.M.C.A. (re-make)"  - 3:21

09.  "Village People - I Love You to Death"  - 3:03

10.  "The Ritchie Family - Sophistication"  - 3:52

Released:  May 1980

Genre:  Disco

Length:  34:56

Label:  Casablanca

Producer:  Jacques Morali

Personnel

Village People

David London

The Ritchie Family

R.L. Burnside - Burnside On Burnside (2001)

Like jazz, blues music has faced a problem of attrition, with its major names dying off and younger artists having trouble establishing themselves at anything like an equal level of recognition. One way out of this dilemma has been the discovery of new-old bluesmen, musicians who have reached an advanced age without becoming stars, who can now be trotted out as performers in the tradition of the lost heroes. Of course, the practice of discovering or rediscovering old bluesmen dates back at least to the folk boom, but it is given impetus by the dire state of blues music. R.L. Burnside owes his breakthrough to the 1992 documentary Deep Blues, which led to his signing to Fat Possum Records when he was already in his sixties. Since then, he has been taken up by such hip figures as Jon Spencer and Beck producer Tom Rothrock, resulting in albums that have broadened his popularity but irritated purists with their contemporary gimmicks. The purists should be pleased by the live album Burnside on Burnside, recorded on a West Coast tour in the winter of 2001, which finds the Mississippi musician in Portland and San Francisco, backed only by second guitarist Kenny Brown and drummer Cedric Burnside, Burnside's grandson. The 74-year-old singer/guitarist rocks out furiously for the better part of the set, evoking obvious predecessors such as Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. He's no match for them, of course, not only because he lacks their distinctiveness, but because of his ingratiating attitude, complete with corny jokes. But that has its appeal, too. Has there ever been a Delta bluesman as friendly as R.L. Burnside?

Track listing

01.  "Shake 'Em On Down"  - 4:34  

02.  "Skinny Woman"  - 2:41 

03.  "Miss Maybelle"  - 3:16  

04.  "Rollin' & Tumblin'"  - 4:44  

05.  "Long Haired Doney"  - 4:01 

06.  "Walkin' Blues"  - 4:28  

07.  "He Ain't Your Daddy"  - 2:43 

08.  "Bad Luck And Trouble"  - 3:55  

09.  "Jumper On The Line"  - 5:16  

10.  "Goin' Down South"  - 5:44  

11.  "Alice Mae"  - 4:12  

12.  "Snake Drive"  - 7:16  

Released:  October 23, 2001

Recorded at:  Crystal Ballroom, Portland, Oregon and Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, California on January 21 & 24, 2001

Label:  Fat Possum Records

Genre:  Blues, Live

Length:  52:51

Producer:  Matthew Johnson, Bruce Watson

Personnel:

R.L. Burnside - vocals, guitar

Kenny Brown - guitar

Cedric Burnside - drums

Soundtrack - Ali G Indahouse (2002)

The soundtrack of "Ali G Indahouse" is very strong, regardless of how much the listener knows about the man or the movie. It's presented as a pirate radio program "comin to you out of da ghettos of Berkshire" with Ali as the host. Unsurprisingly, the selections on this program cover Ali G's biggest influences. There's garage (Ms Dynamite's "Dynamite", So Solid Crew's "Ride Wid Us" and Oxide and Neutrino's "Shoot To Kill"), dance hall reggae (Backyard Dog's "Baddest, Ruffest"), hip-hop (Foxy Brown and Ja Rule both make appearances) and RnB (Another Level). The sequencing is a little haphazard, but this problem is not a major one as a result of the "radio show" element.

Ali G also drops three stone-cold classics of early hip-hop, at least one of which has appeared on his show. NWA's "Straight Outta Compton" is given a rewind treatment and sounds as fresh today as when it was written - and quite frankly puts the MCs around it to shame. Public Enemy's "Fight The Power", with its Bomb Squad production and heavy politics, is a little out-of-place surrounded by the apolitical stuff of the rest of the soundtrack. Of course, that might be the point. The last actual "song" is Afrika Baambaataa and Soul Sonic Force's legendary "Planet Rock" in its full glory. Quite frankly, this alone is worth the price of purchase.

Partly as a result of this introduction, the standout track is Shaggy and Ali's duet of "Me Julie". This song, theoretically about their respective girlfriends, is utterly marvellous. Shaggy delivers one of his better vocal performances ever, along with some very interesting asides, while Ali's contribution after telling Shaggy "me can rap too" is marvellous. While some of the other cuts here are unintentionally funny, "Me Julie" glories in its humour and is thus far and away the strongest cut here.

Track listing

01.  "Ali G - Drive By"  - 1:18

02.  "Adam F feat. M.O.P - Stand Clear"  - 3:58

03.  "NWA - Straight Outta Compton"  - 4:51

04.  "M Beat feat. General Levy - Incredible"  - 4:05

05.  "Ali G - Swallow Back"  - 0:31

06.  "Ali G and Shaggy - Me Julie"  - 3:32

07.  "Ali G - Yo! (Skit)  - 1:25"

08.  "Ms Dynamite - Dynamite"  - 2:58

09.  "So Solid Crew - Ride wid Us (AC's Dark Dub Edit)"  - 3:50

10.  "Backyard Dog - Baddest Ruffest"  - 3:44

11.  "Foxy Brown feat. Spragga Benz - Oh Yeah"  - 4:19

12.  "Ja Rule feat. Vita - Put It on Me"  - 4:19

13.  "Mis-Teeq - This Is How We Do It "  - 4:11

14.  "Another Level - Freak Me"  - 4:47

15.  "Ali G - Hold Tight (Skit)"  - 0:10

16.  "Nelly - E.I."  - 4:04

17.  "Ali G - Legalise (Skit)"  - 0:28

18.  "Oxide & Neutrino - Shoot to Kill"  - 4:30

19.  "Ali G - Mad Props (Skit)"  - 0:23

20.  "Public Enemy - Fight the Power"  - 4:37

21.  "Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock"  - 6:21

22.  "Ali G - Spread de Love (Skit)"  -1:12

Released:  18 March 2002

Genre:  Hip Hop, Garage, Grime, 2-Step, R&B, Reggae

Length:  69:35

Label:  Island

Producer:  Nick Angel, Dan Mazer, Sacha Baron Cohen

Billy Swan ‎- Rock 'N' Roll Moon (1975)

Best-known for the 1974 number one hit "I Can Help," soft-spoken Billy Swan has struggled and succeeded through various musical eras, somehow keeping the true roots feel in his best records. A fine songwriter, guitarist, producer, part-time Jerry Lee Lewis-styled piano pumper, and professional jack-of-all-trades, he is simultaneously a living link to the first great era of rock 'n' roll and one of its most credible foot soldiers.

The follow up to "I Can Help" was the single, "Everything's the Same (Ain't Nothing Changed)," from his second album "Rock ´N´ Roll Moon" in 1975.

His first big break was in 1962 when Clyde McPhatter recorded "Lover Please", a song written by Swan when he was in a local band called Mirt Mirly & the Rhythm Stoppers, and which had first been recorded by Bill Black. McPhatter's version quickly became a pop hit.

Swan moved to Memphis to work with Black, but this was cut short with Black's illness and subsequent death in 1965. He also for a time worked on Elvis Presley's Graceland estate. He then moved to Nashville, which enabled him to write hit country songs for numerous artists, including Conway Twitty, Waylon Jennings, and Mel Tillis.  Finding work as a producer meant that Swan could leave his job as an engineer's assistant. He plugged along during the early 1970s writing songs and working in bands headed up by friend Kris Kristofferson and by Billy Joe Shaver and Kinky Friedman. In 1975 the gift of a compact RMI organ provided the impetus for his greatest commercial achievement.

Track listing

01.  "Everything's The Same (Ain't Nothing Changed)"  (Billy Swan)  - 2:34  

02.  "You're The Pain (In My Heart)"  (Billy Swan)  - 2:37  

03.  "(You Just) Woman Handled My Mind"  (Billy Swan)  - 3:15  

04.  "Stranger"  (Kris Kristofferson)  - 3:34  

05.  "Baby My Heart"  (Billy Swan)  - 3:04  

06.  "Got You On My Mind"  (Howard Biggs)  - 3:01  

07.  "Come By"  (Billy Swan)  - 2:44  

08.  "Ubangi Stomp"  (Charles Underwood)  - 2:22  

09.  "Home Of The Blues"  (Johnny Cash, Glen Douglas, Vic McAlpin)  - 2:32  

10.  "Overnite Thing" (Usually)  - 3:08  

11.  "Rock And Roll Moon Blues (Part I)"  (Billy Swan)  - 2:47

Release:  1976

Recorded at:  Youngun Sound Studio, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Label:  Monument

Genre:  Rock & Roll

Length:  32:02

Producer:  Billy Swan, Chip Young

Personnel

Billy Swan - Vocals

Mike Leech - Bass

Hayward Bishop - Drums

Dennis Linde - Guitar [Acoustic]

John Christopher - Guitar [Acoustic]

Chip Young - Guitar [Electric]

John Christopher - Guitar [Electric]

Bobby Emmons - Organ

Bobby Wood - Piano

Bobby Emmons - Piano [Electric]

The Bill Justis Orchestra - Strings, Horns

Weldon Myrick - Guitar (Steel)

Gayle Whitfield - Horns

Tommy Smith - Horns

Farrell Morris - Marimba, Percussion

Bill Joor - Trumpet

George Tidwell - Trumpet

Harold Bradley - Guitar (Acoustic)