New Sensations (1984)

Rating: 8/10

Reed dumped Quine shortly before the recording of New Sensations and did all the guitar work himself - it doesn't matter. This album is not a guitar record at all. Instead, Lou worked on writing 11 pop songs for the 80s. And some of the songs are his best ever, with only the 'modern' tunes 'Down at the Arcade' and 'My Red Joystick' failing. Even those tracks have comedy value. Good fun and even Dylan was envious.

Mistrial (1986)

Rating: 6/10

It's easy to write Mistrial off as I had done upon hearing it at…

Rock and Roll Heart (1976)

Rating: 3/10

This was a low period in Lou's life (he was apparently close to bankruptcy) and musically, he's just as redundant. This is a joke of an album with songs that Reed clearly wrote in less than 10 minutes. Horns, keyboards, false happiness throughout and of course the best song is an unreleased Velvets track, the closer 'Temporary Thing', with the vicious opening line: 'Hey now, bitch, now baby, you better make your face, get out of here quick' That's more like it, Lou.

Street Hassle (1978)

Rating: 9/10

Dumbfounding critics again, Lou bounced…

Lou Reed (1972)

Rating: 7/10

Lou's first solo album, released two years after he left the Velvets (he reportedly spent a year working with his father in an office) is one of his best. Comprised of new songs and tunes which simply never made it onto VU records (but which would be later released in out-take compilations; seven of the ten songs were Velvets tracks), it's the air-tight production which lets this one down.

Lou sounds in great form throughout, however. Great singing and you can imagine him smiling (God, imagine that, Lou Reed smiling) while tearing through this set.…

Talk about an oxymoron, I hear you say!!

Well, you're the oxymoron for thinking that about this thoroughly enjoyable 20 track 2007 compilation from good ol' Ringo!!!

The main criticism that was levelled at Starr during his career (and probably still is) was the strength of his voice. But along with being an excellent and original drummer, Ringo's foghorn voice is what elevates so much of this otherwise pedestrian material to jovial levels. He's no Dennis Wilson but he is eons ahead of Keith Moon who surely had one of the most laughable voices ever committed to vinyl (Phil Collins…

I've posted this before but what harm can it do to put it up again.

Genius

The KinksAll Day and All Of The Night

Listening to this great Brian album again yesterday had me thinking that this would have been the ideal reunion record had tragic events and stupid squabbles not got in the way. Carl Wilson died shortly before the album's release, in February 1998, and Al Jardine was in the process of suing Brian. Meanwhile, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston were doing their best to charge on with their own idea of the 'Beach Boys'.

It had been rumoured that Mike and Brian were writing songs again in the mid-90s but it proved to be once again another false dawn. Instead, their…

Keepin' The Summer Alive (1980)

Bruce Johnston's production lets things down and kills the best songs (title track; 'Goin' On') The latter is probably the last great song the Beach Boys ever did. As for Johnston's own 'Endless Harmony' it is another laughable schmaltz that he should have donated to Manilow.

Concert (1964)

If you've heard the original tapes, you'll realise that the Beach Boys were an AWFUL live act (the singing is always good however). Only Carl Wilson was an adequate onstage musician and even he needed prompting to solo. Al Jardine was no guitar player and Brian was…

What better way to get over a hangover than to listen to the Who's worst ever studio album. Yes, that's right….Tommy!

No wait, It's Hard.

Let's start with the cover. Pete Townshend is looking at you with pity for daring to listen to such drivel. And then there's some kid playing an arcade game, behind the Who's best ever drummer (after Simon Phillips) Kenney Jones. There are two other guys on the cover. No idea who they are.

So onto the songs. Opening up is 'Anthena' (written about famous tv presenter Anthena Turner) First lyric: 'Athena, I had no idea…

As one of the best and most enduring bands in pop history, The Beach Boys have one of the biggest back catalogues of any group. Yet, still so many tracks remain unreleased and their judgement throughout the years to keep so many good songs in the vault was questionable at best. Indeed, group politics played a big part in keeping several great songs off albums, in favour of dreck, particularly in the latter stages of their career. Here are some of their best unreleased songs that were either unfinished or completed and yet still didn't appear on any Beach Boys…

And it isn't Gary Glitter. Sorry, Mr Gadd

GG Allin
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GG Allin
Gary Glitter