Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane- "Rough Mix" Released in 1977, this care-free
album sounds like the proto-type to the Traveling Wilbury's. Guests include
Eric Clapton, Charlie Watts of the Stones, and fellow Who member John Entwistle.
Townshend's songwriting takes on a blue grass feeling on "Misunderstood", while the dramtic "Street in the City"
features elegant orchestra in the background while he plays simple
acoustic guitar. But, the late Ronnie Lane steals the show on this album. Though British, Lane's
vocals are tinged with a country influence. "Annie" displays bright harmonica
playing, while the interlude of acoustic guitar playing by this duo on "April Fool"
is only improved by Clapton's brilliant slide guitar. It's too bad that these two
couldn't have recorded together again prior to Lane losing his long battle with MS.
House of Freaks- "Cakewalk" During my very weird summer of 1994, my friend Greg sent me three different cd's by House of Freaks.
I was instantly hooked on how great these two guys are! Johnny Hott and Bryan Harvey hail from Richmond, Virginia.
Harvey's voice is very similar to John Lennon's with a small hint of a southern accent. 1991's "Cakewalk"
is a spacious and sometimes bizarre release. "Rocking Chair" shows off layered guitar work and great pop hooks.
"I Got Happy" is plastered with a large array of drums and percussion. "Never" is the most powerful of
the bunch with it's "beatlesque" harmonies. House of Freaks are a little off center compared with
other bands, but that's why I enjoy them so much! Last I heard, the band has grown to include more
members under the name "Gutterball".
Elvis Costello and the Attractions- "ImPeRiAl BeDrOoM" After helping to pioneer the punk and
new wave sound of the late '70's, Elvis Costello's sound and direction started to
slowly change in the early '80's. This is best evident on 1982's "Imperial Bedroom". Produced
by former Beatle's engineer Geoff Emerick, Elvis and the Attractions experimented with accordians,
mellotrons, backwards tape loops and strings to produce this lush sounding album. The results
are very different from song to song. "The Long Honeymoon" sounds like it came direct from a French romance
film, while "You Little Fool" sounds direct from the late '60's with its "flanging" effects. "Beyond Belief" and "Man Out
of Time" are probably the most recognizable songs from this release because of their inclusion on his
"Best of" album. To date, this is the most adventurous album that Elvis and Co. have done and is
my personal favorite.
Los Lobos- "This Time" Anyone who hasn't followed Los Lobos throughout the '90's is missing
some of the best rock music produced in America. Los Lobos went back to basics with this cd. This is
pure guitar driven rock and roll! Even though this cd is a sonic feast for the ears, they do
know how to write thoughtful lyrics. "Oh Yeah" is a song that visits the common human condition of wondering how
time slips away so quickly. In the case of these guys growing up Latino in East L.A., they are simply
"Glad to be still breathing, glad to be alive". Distorted and fuzz guitar are heard frequently on "Viking", "High Places", and "Run Away With You".
The band pays homage to their hispanic roots on "Cumbia Raza", "Corazon" and "La Playa". This diversity
makes Los Lobos a major treasure to listen to, and it doesn't look like they are letting up any time soon!
Ric Ocasek- "Troublizing" Former Car's front man Ric Ocasek is sort of a forgotten
commodity since the band broke up in 1988. I have to confess that I haven't really followed Ocasek's
work over the last decade, but I was quite impressed when I "discovered" this 1997 release. Produced
by Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, "Troublizing" is a great combination of '80's nostalgia and '90's
techno sound. The best evidence of this can be heard on the dreamy "Hang on Tight". Former Car's keyboardist Greg Hawkes
adds his trademark synth sound along with Pumpkin's bassist Melissa Auf der Maur's smooth back-up singing. Ocasek does a
nice job on Corgan's penned "Asia Minor", making it more "his song" than sounding like he's covering a Smashing Pumpkin's tune.
The production here is very glossy, and Corgan and Auf der Maur can be heard on almost every track.
The formula is never over-done though, and the outcome is a very modern and powerful sounding release.
You would think that being married to Paulina Porizkova would be enough for this guy, but he's obviously has
a lot of music making left in him!
The Rolling Stones- "Stripped" Ok, by now you've probably realize that this is indeed the
11th most underrated cd that I'm reviewing. Compare this to the Big Ten conference in college football
and it will probably make more sense to you! Hey, if you don't like my math get you own web site!! Anyway...
The Stones released this "almost unplugged" live cd in 1995. These old-timers have released plenty of
live albums during their career, but "Stripped" comes in a close second to their 1969 release "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out".
I like the fact that they performed some more obscure tunes like "Shine A Light" and "Sweet Virginia" off the "Exile on
Main Street" album. "The Spider and the Fly" goes way back for these guys, and I like the way they bluesd it up with
acoustic guitars. Old or not, the Stones are still a great band and Stripped proves it!
Pete Townshend & Ronnie Lane- "Rough Mix" Released in 1977, this care-free
album sounds like the proto-type to the Traveling Wilbury's. Guests include
Eric Clapton, Charlie Watts of the Stones, and fellow Who member John Entwistle.
Townshend's songwriting takes on a blue grass feeling on "Misunderstood", while the dramtic "Street in the City"
features elegant orchestra in the background while he plays simple
acoustic guitar. But, the late Ronnie Lane steals the show on this album. Though British, Lane's
vocals are tinged with a country influence. "Annie" displays bright harmonica
playing, while the interlude of acoustic guitar playing by this duo on "April Fool"
is only improved by Clapton's brilliant slide guitar. It's too bad that these two
couldn't have recorded together again prior to Lane losing his long battle with MS.
House of Freaks- "Cakewalk" During my very weird summer of 1994, my friend Greg sent me three different cd's by House of Freaks.
I was instantly hooked on how great these two guys are! Johnny Hott and Bryan Harvey hail from Richmond, Virginia.
Harvey's voice is very similar to John Lennon's with a small hint of a southern accent. 1991's "Cakewalk"
is a spacious and sometimes bizarre release. "Rocking Chair" shows off layered guitar work and great pop hooks.
"I Got Happy" is plastered with a large array of drums and percussion. "Never" is the most powerful of
the bunch with it's "beatlesque" harmonies. House of Freaks are a little off center compared with
other bands, but that's why I enjoy them so much! Last I heard, the band has grown to include more
members under the name "Gutterball".
Elvis Costello and the Attractions- "ImPeRiAl BeDrOoM" After helping to pioneer the punk and
new wave sound of the late '70's, Elvis Costello's sound and direction started to
slowly change in the early '80's. This is best evident on 1982's "Imperial Bedroom". Produced
by former Beatle's engineer Geoff Emerick, Elvis and the Attractions experimented with accordians,
mellotrons, backwards tape loops and strings to produce this lush sounding album. The results
are very different from song to song. "The Long Honeymoon" sounds like it came direct from a French romance
film, while "You Little Fool" sounds direct from the late '60's with its "flanging" effects. "Beyond Belief" and "Man Out
of Time" are probably the most recognizable songs from this release because of their inclusion on his
"Best of" album. To date, this is the most adventurous album that Elvis and Co. have done and is
my personal favorite.
Los Lobos- "This Time" Anyone who hasn't followed Los Lobos throughout the '90's is missing
some of the best rock music produced in America. Los Lobos went back to basics with this cd. This is
pure guitar driven rock and roll! Even though this cd is a sonic feast for the ears, they do
know how to write thoughtful lyrics. "Oh Yeah" is a song that visits the common human condition of wondering how
time slips away so quickly. In the case of these guys growing up Latino in East L.A., they are simply
"Glad to be still breathing, glad to be alive". Distorted and fuzz guitar are heard frequently on "Viking", "High Places", and "Run Away With You".
The band pays homage to their hispanic roots on "Cumbia Raza", "Corazon" and "La Playa". This diversity
makes Los Lobos a major treasure to listen to, and it doesn't look like they are letting up any time soon!
Ric Ocasek- "Troublizing" Former Car's front man Ric Ocasek is sort of a forgotten
commodity since the band broke up in 1988. I have to confess that I haven't really followed Ocasek's
work over the last decade, but I was quite impressed when I "discovered" this 1997 release. Produced
by Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, "Troublizing" is a great combination of '80's nostalgia and '90's
techno sound. The best evidence of this can be heard on the dreamy "Hang on Tight". Former Car's keyboardist Greg Hawkes
adds his trademark synth sound along with Pumpkin's bassist Melissa Auf der Maur's smooth back-up singing. Ocasek does a
nice job on Corgan's penned "Asia Minor", making it more "his song" than sounding like he's covering a Smashing Pumpkin's tune.
The production here is very glossy, and Corgan and Auf der Maur can be heard on almost every track.
The formula is never over-done though, and the outcome is a very modern and powerful sounding release.
You would think that being married to Paulina Porizkova would be enough for this guy, but he's obviously has
a lot of music making left in him!
The Rolling Stones- "Stripped" Ok, by now you've probably realize that this is indeed the
11th most underrated cd that I'm reviewing. Compare this to the Big Ten conference in college football
and it will probably make more sense to you! Hey, if you don't like my math get you own web site!! Anyway...
The Stones released this "almost unplugged" live cd in 1995. These old-timers have released plenty of
live albums during their career, but "Stripped" comes in a close second to their 1969 release "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out".
I like the fact that they performed some more obscure tunes like "Shine A Light" and "Sweet Virginia" off the "Exile on
Main Street" album. "The Spider and the Fly" goes way back for these guys, and I like the way they bluesd it up with
acoustic guitars. Old or not, the Stones are still a great band and Stripped proves it!