[Review] Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Welcome Back My Friends, To The Show That Never Ends — Ladies and Gentlemen Emerson Lake & Palmer (1974)
What better way to honor one of the world’s great trios than a triple-elpee live album?
Devo: “Secret Agent Man” (1979)
Devo are men on a mission to expose the cavities of evil in this demented version of the Johnny Rivers hit.
[Review] The Yardbirds: Five Live Yardbirds (1964)
A muddy concert recording from The Marquee marks The Yardbirds’ official debut.
[Review] Electric Light Orchestra: On the Third Day (1973)
This album pushes more of my buttons, especially in the middle.
Roxy Music: “Virginia Plain” (1972)
There was nothing plain vanilla about Roxy Music’s first, glamorous single.
[Review] Crosby, Stills & Nash: Replay (1980)
A companion compilation to So Far that brings the CS&N saga up to date.
[Review] The Police: Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)
Sting’s intellectual and musical presence is stronger on their third (and arguably best) album.
Living Colour: “Middle Man” (1988)
Not the first, second or third best song on their debut album, but a safe choice (ironically enough).
[Review] Robert Fripp: God Save the Queen/Under Heavy Manners (1980)
A half album each of Frippertronics and discotronics, the latter serving as a bridge between “I Zimbra” and Discipline.
[Review] Music from the Motion Picture: The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002)
A smashing collection of Afropop from the motion picture based on the animated series.
AC/DC: “High Voltage” (1975)
AC/DC’s high-voltage rock and roll: a steady source of power since 1975.
[Review] Queen: A Day at the Races (1976)
Presented as a bookend to the masterful Opera, this is just a slight notch below in terms of quality and power.
[Review] Kraftwerk (1970)
They put the “rock” in krautrock with a steady beat and minimalist machine music.
The Doors: “Light My Fire” (1967)
The Doors’ most recognizable song burns shorter but brighter on this edited single version.
[Review] Santana: Caravanserai (1972)
Santana’s fusion aspirations blossom on this brilliant recording, which sounds a lot like Mahavishnu Orchestra.