George Duke: Reach For It (1977)
George Duke finally scored a hit with this one. Funked-up fusion served with a side of spicy Latin percussion and sweet lady singers.
AC/DC: “For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)” (1982)
AC/DC’s seven-inch salute to their last album added more cannon fodder to the band’s explosive live show, but it wasn’t a huge hit.
Tyrannosaurus Rex: “Pewter Suitor” (1969)
Believe us it’s mischievous and it daily does aggrieve us, that our platinum pixie poet and his acidkick did leave us.
John Coltrane and Paul Quinichette: Cattin’ With Coltrane And Quinichette (1959)
Coltrane takes the A train on this swingin’ set recorded in 1957 with fellow tenor titan Paul Quinichette and Mal Waldron’s rhythm section.
Tyrannosaurus Rex: Unicorn (1969)
The monochromatic sketches of the last two Rex records explode in technicolor wonder, or extra musical layers at least. Welcome to Oz.
Graham Bond with Magick: We Put Our Magick On You (1971)
More songs about witches and druids. Not as offputting as his last, but a full band is no substitute for a full deck.
Pete Townshend Discography
Pete Townshend is a genius. Time, you thief, who love to get sweets into your list, put that in.
Pete Townshend: “Face The Face” (1985)
Pete channels big band jazz through rock’s noisy filter and comes out looking tougher than Joe Jackson, which isn’t that tough.
The Who: Tommy (1969)
The first real rock opera and the gold standard for every great concept album that came after, from Lamb Lies Down to The Wall.
Rick Wakeman: Cost of Living (1983)
Rick Wakeman’s last synthesizer/symphony pop album for Charisma, featuring members of Cafe Society, Roxy Music, Strawbs and Them plus lyricist Tim Rice.
Peter Gabriel: “Solsbury Hill” (1977)
Two years after leaving Genesis, Peter Gabriel writes a great song about it. Unfortunately, the first record went downhill after that.
Jefferson Airplane: Long John Silver (1972)
The last Jefferson Airplane album. After you played it, the album converted into a “cigar” box and the band converted into a jukebox.
The Damned: Music For Pleasure (1977)
The Damned add a second guitarist and steamroll through 11 more punk songs. Not as catchy as their first, but still worth chasing.
Devo: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)
The first, bold, brilliant step toward de-evolution. Before the flower pots appeared, these guys kicked some ass. Brian Eno makes an appearance too.
Mount Rushmore ’69 (1969)
The band’s fortunes (and playing and songwriting) didn’t improve on their second album, although at least they didn’t lose their shirts this time.