Smithereens - B-Sides The Beatles (Koch; KOC-CD-4504)
Fame may come and go, but good music is forever. While The Smithereens aren’t in the national spotlight anymore, they are still cranking out some of the finest retro pop records ever. The band’s sound was always a mixture of the best of old and new, blending vintage mod, rock, folk, and beatnik sounds with a contemporary touch that can only be described as Smithereens… READ MORE
Slammers Maximum Jive Band [Live] - Hey There You (Self-Released; CD002)
Some bands are great in the studio. Some shine onstage. The Slammers Maximum Jive Band rocks both. After releasing a truly brilliant studio album earlier this year (the appropriately titled Jive Time), The Slammers return with Hey There You, an absolutely killer live recording… READ MORE
Michael Nesmith - Pacific Arts (CD/DVD; Edsel; EDSX 3004)
During his stint in the Monkees, Michael Nesmith spent a lot of time fighting the good fight for creative control. After leaving the manufactured pop group, he proceeded to demonstrate just how creative he could be, once he had control. Forming his own media company, Pacific Arts, in the 1970s, he released albums, produced films and television, pioneered the concept of music video as an art form, and even sold a pilot to Time Warner that was the basis for the development of MTV. The Edsel label’s new Nesmith CD/DVD compilation, Pacific Arts, features some of the company’s finest output… READ MORE
Jay and the Americans - Live From The Cafe Wha? / Blockbusters (BGO; BGOCD791)
During the turbulent 1960s, Jay and the Americans existed in a kind of bubble world, immune to political, social and musical trends. For over a decade, the squeaky clean pop vocal group released singles and albums that sounded like a throwback to a more innocent time. Despite being a walking, talking, crooning anachronism, the Americans were also a nearly unstoppable hitmaking machine. How did they do it? The evidence can be found on BGO’s new 2-on-1 CD reissue of a couple of long out of print Americans LPs, 1962’s Live From The Café Wha? and 1965’s Blockbusters… READ MORE
Los Fabulocos Featuring Kid Ramos (Delta Groove Music; DGPCD125)
America’s rich multi-cultural and multi-ethnic musical heritage is beautifully represented on the self-titled Delta Groove label debut from California’s Los Fabulocos. Featuring legendary guitarist Kid Ramos, of Mannish Boys and Fabulous Thunderbirds fame, this Cali-Mex quartet blends rockabilly, rhythm and blues, country, and traditional Spanish and Mexican influences, to paint an ever shifting portrait of vintage rock and roll… READ MORE
Mott The Hoople - Roll Away The Stone (The Best of) (2 Discs; Music Club; MCDLX062)
Often cited as the granddaddy of glam, Mott The Hoople frontman Ian Hunter brought a unique sensibility to the early ’70s music scene. With all the grace of a ballerina swinging a sledge hammer, Hunter pounded out rock and roll songs of crude elegance and glorious excess. Nobody wrote about the trials and tribulations of being a rock star quite like Hunter. “All The Way To Memphis” and “Saturday Gigs” were classic tales of life in a band, presented in an appropriately grandiose manner. These two tunes and 33 others comprise this brilliant new collection, celebrating a time when hair was long and platform boots were all the rage… READ MORE
Patsy Cline - Showcase / Sentimentally Yours (BGO; BGOCD798)
Country music legend Patsy Cline had the kind of talent that transcended musical boundaries. Her uncommon ability to be at once vulnerable and strong, to display breathtaking emotional fragility and impressive vocal power simultaneously, made her a hit on both the country and pop charts. With the reissue of Cline’s second and third LPs, Showcase and Sentimentally Yours, together on a single CD, the BGO label has created an amazing 24-track collection that is sure to delight devoted fans and casual listeners alike… READ MORE
Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band - Overnight Sensation (Delta Groove; DGPCD 123)
With a combined 60 years of experience playing soul and blues all around the world, Jackie Payne and Steve Edmonson are uniquely qualified to produce music that sounds both utterly fresh and undeniably nostalgic. In an era when music in general seems to have lost its soul, these two veterans have released an album infused with true passion and a timeless groove… READ MORE
Jet Harris and Tony Meehan - Diamonds and Other Gems (RPM Retro; Retro 825)
Bassist Jet Harris is a master of the musical sonic boom, as evidenced on RPM Retro’s complete Decca singles collection, Diamonds and Other Gems. In the early 1960s, Harris and drummer Tony Meehan created sweeping soundscapes of infinite grandeur and exquisite beauty. Combining elements of pop, rock, surf, and even folk, they brought the rhythm section into the lead, while scoring several chart hits along the way… READ MORE
Michael Nesmith - The Prison (Edsel; EDSX 3002)
Michael Nesmith - The Garden (Edsel; EDSX 3003)
With The Prison and The Garden, Michael Nesmith takes the book and record concept to an entirely new level. As an artist, Nesmith has always been a big thinker, dealing with grand ideas and philosophical questions. On these two works, originally released in 1974 and 1994, respectively, he allows his penchant for soul searching to roam unfettered. Here is Nesmith at his finest, blending music and narrative in a way that is entirely unique… READ MORE
