That's My Story, John Lee Hooker

That's My Story, John Lee Hooker, 1960, :44

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

The king of Delta blues delivers a restrained, ruminative set of folk blues.  His voice is as haunting as ever, but some of the songs lack that rolling beat that Hooker is famous for.  In its place are softly moaned lyrics and the space between sparse notes.  Hooker's skill and craft are impeccable, but I decided to rate this one a three simply because this style of restrained blues isn't quite my style.  Favorite tracks: "I Need Some Money" (actually an adaptation of Berry Gordy's "Money (That's What I Want)," with what seem to be a few added lyrics; "I'm Wanderin';" "No More Doggin'."

Exile On Main Street, Rolling Stones

It's Finally-Got-Around-to-It-Friday!  Wherein I discover a classic that everyone else already knows about.

Exile On Main Street, Rolling Stones, 1972, :67

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

I would like to begin by saying that through a lifetime of what to most people would be obsessive and non-stop listening to music, the Rolling Stones are not in my top fifty acts in terms of time listened to.  They're actually about number 60, tied more or less with the Band and just under Elf Power.  I say this to give you a sense of how I feel about the Stones.  England's hitmakers, for sure, but to me they will always be the luckiest lads to take country-blues and add a British strut, not "The World's Greatest Band."  So anyway, this album doesn't change my view much.  Yes, what a good blues-country-rock record this is.  An excellent one, even, made even more impressive by its length.  But one of the all-time greatest discs?  Not to me.  Most of it kind of blends together for me, all the songs sounding vaguely similar and somewhat evocative of the guitar line in "Gimme Shelter."  Sorry, Robert.  Sorry, world.  That said, of course, there are some great songs on this double album, and, admittedly, some departures from their usual sound, like 'Sweet Black Angel."  Favorite tracks: "Rocks Off," "Tumbling Dice," "Shine a Light," "Rip This Joint," "Soul Survivor."

Hums Of the Lovin' Spoonful, Lovin' Spoonful

Hums Of the Lovin' Spoonful, Lovin' Spoonful, 1966, :27

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The third album by one of the very best hippie folk-rock bands of the early 1960s.  Despite its absurdly brief length, it's startling how many absolute classics it boasts.  Now, apparently with this disc the lads were attempting to try their hand in as many styles and genres as possible, rather than simply making the best Lovin' Spoonful record they could.  The result is an album that is, a little bit uneven, but even the experiments which don't work, like "Bes' Friends" aren't bad, per se, just somewhat disappointing in comparison.  Even jokey toss-offs like "4 Eyes" and "Henry Thomas" (about a dog the singer's "cat dragged in") are toe-tappers.  Favorite tracks: "Summer in the City," "Darlin' Companion," "Rain On the Roof," "Nashville Cats," "Coconut Grove."

Southland Mission, Phil Cook

It’s What-the-Hell-is-This-Wednesday! Wherein I listen to something I know absolutely nothing about. 

Southland Mission, Phil Cook, 2015, :32

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

No idea who this guy is (he's played in some bands I've heard of or heard only snippets of) or why I picked this retro '60s album cover to play.  The spirit just struck me.  He plays what Wikipedia calls "freak-folk."  It's sort of a neo-folk, an acoustic folk-blues-rock, I guess, somewhat akin to a cheerier aSon Volt or a more bluesy Golden Smog.  On the album cover he looks like Jerry Garcia's spiritual nephew.  This album starts off strong with two catchy, uptempo songs, but then settles down to a more sleepy groove.  He's a fine musician, but I found myself not listening very carefully to most of the album, even at a brisk 32 minutes.  Favorite tracks: "Ain't It Sweet," "1922," "Gone."  

Signals, Calls and Marches, Mission of Burma

Signals, Calls and Marches, Mission of Burma, 1981, :33

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Minimalist post-punk.  Reminds me of the Wipers.  It has the social dissatisfaction and the intensity of punk, but with a stripped-down, clean, wiry sound.  Still in your face, but it hits your mind and not your hips.  Musically talented and raw, these guys are Fugazi's less political, more artistic forefathers; would Fugazi end a song with a thousand chants of "dada" as Mission does on "Max Ernst?"  I say thee nay.  A strong four stars.  Favorite tracks: "Outlaw," "That's When I Reach For My Revolver," "Academy Fight Song," "This Is Not a Photograph."

All the Young Dudes, Mott the Hoople

It’s Manic Monday! Wherein I listen to a rocker, a punker, or just a general banger.

All the Young Dudes, Mott the Hoople, 1972, :40 

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Everyone knows the story.  Swaggering into obscurity, glam band finds savior in Glamfather Bowie, who gives them "All the Young Dudes."  Band has a hit, but fades away anyway due to reasons.  Bowie records his own, far superior, version of his song.  The end.  But what about the other songs on the album?  They must be okay, too, right?  Well, sadly "okay" is about it.  The guitar work is excellent, though it leans a bit too heavily toward noodling for my taste, and the drumming lends a lot of muscle to the songs.  But Ian Hunter's vocals are not as strong as the band's chops.  The cover of "Sweet Jane" is decent, but an odd choice to begin the album -- if you're going to cover something so well known right off the bat, it better be a big statement and you should make the song your own.  They don't do that.  "Ready for Love" is a pale echo of the later Bad Company version.  "Soft Ground" is as heavy as early Black Sabbath, but not very interesting.  In all, it's just a weak album around an okay single.  Favorite tracks: "All the Young Dudes," "Momma's Little Jewel," and yeah, I guess that "Sweet Jane" cover.

The Party Ain't Over, Wanda Jackson

The Party Ain't Over, Wanda Jackson, 2011, :39

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

74-year-old Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson proves she's still got chops and the party is still goin' on with this album of covers from the '50s to modern times, produced by Jack White.  Some reviews of this album say it's kitchy, or the song choices are odd and impersonal, or that White kept the songs at arm's length with fuzzy guitar and horns, not letting Jackson's thin, raspy voice shine by distorting it.  I disagree; I think Jackson does a great job, attacking the songs with the sashay of the young woman who dated Elvis, her knowing growl showing that she's not bemused by the song selections.  That said, I do enjoy the way  last track, "Blue Yodel #6," gives Jackson, mostly unaccompanied, a chance to yodel.  Favorite tracks: "Rip It Up," "Rum and Coca-Cola," "Thunder on the Mountain."

Original Recordings, Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks

Original Recordings, Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks, 1969, :41

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

This record is also known by the eponymous title of the band.  Hicks plays a sort of unclassifiable genre that may be (possibly unhelpfully) called neo-swing, heavily influenced by music of the '40s such as the Andrews Sisters but also old-timey finger-pickin' piano-plinkin' general Americana.  His voice is often a fluttering falsetto like Alan Wilson of Canned Heat, but it can also be a sort of laid-back drawl.  His songwriting is marked by a casual insouciance peppered with some wit (like "How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away?").  The "background" women singers are easily as important to his sound as Hicks himself is, often sharing equal time in vocal duties, trading lines, or responding to his lines.  Favorite tracks: "Canned Music," "Evenin' Breeze," "Milk Shakin' Mama," "It's Bad Grammar, Baby."

Dean Friedman, Dean Friedman

Dean Friedman, Dean Friedman, 1977, :35

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

It's like someone took all of the 1970s AOR and concentrated it onto one slab of vinyl.  Vest-wearing, mustachioed Friedman sings of getting high, coming to peace with his crazy mother, and free love.  You can practically smell the colitas and polyester.  Friedman's got a straightforward story-telling style of songwriting like Harry Chapin without the extended imagery and a nasal voice like Al Yankovic without the satiric zaniness.   Sample lyric: "Anytime I get a little silly, please try not to be dismayed / You know it's really not my fault / Just take everything I say with a grain of salt."  Okay, then.  A low point of the album is the histrionic and stretched thin metaphor of preferring to win at Hearts rather than winning at "Solitaire."   If you get his drift.  As a whole, it's corny as hell, but somehow endearing, like someone who's really ugly but confident.   Favorite tracks: his only US hit "Ariel," the practically rockin' "I May Be Young," the swinging big-band style "Funny Papers."

Labour Of Lust, Nick Lowe

Labour Of Lust, Nick Lowe, 1979, :39

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Elvis Costello's idol and collaborator is not someone I ever paid attention to much, despite being a superfan of the Little Hands of Concrete.  This is yet another in a series of albums that showed my I came to my senses much too late.  This is a spectacular album, full of wit, pop hooks, and occasional weirdness.  I loved the eclectic virtuosity of the album, from swaggering pub rock to crooning ("You Make Me") New Wave pop to country-rock ("Without Love") to modern folk (Endless Grey Ribbon").  "Switchboard Susie" is a litany of telephone-related sexual double entendres; I was hugely tickled by the wit it displays, and so was somewhat disappointed to find out it's a cover song.  Favorite tracks: "Cruel To Be Kind," "American Squirm," "Switchboard Susan," "Without Love."

Real Animal, Alejandro Escovedo

Real Animal, Alejandro Escovedo, 2008, :50

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

I know almost nothing about this rocker, what his story is, what genre he adheres most to, etc.  I came to this album a blank slate and came away thinking, "It's a banger of an opener followed by some filler."  After another listen, though, I realized that dismissal was harsh and unfair.  There are definitely some other strong spots on the album, and it's solid musically.  I don't have much to say about it.  It's a rock album, performed by a guy who does rock music.  I vacillated between giving it three or four stars and settled on three; the high points don't fully justify the fifty minute length.  Favorite tracks: "Always a Friend," "Sister Lost Soul," "Chip 'N' Tony."

England Keep My Bones, Frank Turner

England Keep My Bones, Frank Turner, 2011, :44

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Frank Turner, whom I consider a god among elder punk statesmen, was I believe at the peak of his powers when he released this stunning album.  Featuring twelve (in the original release) solid songs based on the twin themes of England and death, there's nary a stumble to be found, and the high points are dizzyingly high.  Turner is jaded and tired as the rest of us, but in song he fights the urge to give up by preaching optimism and unity.  Favorite tracks: "One Foot Before the Other," a masterwork; "I Still Believe;" "If I Ever Stray;" "Redemption;" the defiant and hopeful "Glory Hallelujah."

Desolation Boulevard, Sweet

Desolation Boulevard, Sweet, 1974, :43

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The third and, apparently, best-loved album by Sweet, a band I previously knew only through the greatest hits.  This album offers a wide variety of sounds, a whirlwind of rock from full-on metal ("Sweet F.A.") to glam to proto-punk to almost disco.  It's like Queen and Black Sabbath got together to make an album.  There are three huge standout songs, but the rest of the album manages to keep the toes tapping.  Favorite tracks: "Ballroom Blitz," "The Six Teens," "Fox on the Run," "No You Don't."

The Interpreter: Live at Largo, Rhett Miller

The Interpreter: Live at Largo, Rhett Miller, 2011, :45

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Affable singer-songwriter Rhett Miller does an acoustic live set of his favorite songs, mostly solo.  After the live material comes some studio cuts, including another version of "Wave of Mutilation" with Joey Santiago.  There's nothing earth-shaking here, and the songs aren't exactly transformed and made his own, but everyone has a lot of fun.  Favorite tracks: "Homeward Bound," "The Birth of the True" (a song I'd never heard), "Cynthia Mask" (with Jon Brion on drums).