THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH

THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH
CARRY ON UP THE CHARTS, THE BEST OF (1994)
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Carry On up the Charts: The Best of the Beautiful South was the surprise British hit of 1994, going platinum five times between its late fall release and the summer of 1995. The success was surprising, because while the Beautiful South had been modestly popular, their last few albums were sliding down the charts. However, their hits collection, Carry On up the Charts, flew to number one and stayed there for weeks. It's nothing more than all their singles, yet compiled together they make the most convincing case for the Beautiful South's sly, cynical sophisticated pop.

Disc 1
1. Song for Whoever
2. You Keep It All In
3. I'll Sail This Ship Alone
4. Little Time
5. My Book
6. Let Love Speak Up Itself
7. Old Red Eyes Is Back
8. We Are Each Other
9. Bell Bottomed Tear
10. 36D
11. Good as Gold (Stupid as Mud)
12. Everybody's Talkin'
13. Prettiest Eyes
14. One Last Love Song

Disc 2
Bonus Disc
1. Diamonds
2. They Used to Wear Black
3. Throw His Song Away
4. Trevor You're Bizarre
5. Love Wars
6. You Just Can't Smile It Away
7. But 'Til Then
8. Size
9. Frank and Delores
10. I Started a Joke
11. Woman in the Wall
12. Danielle Steele (The Enemy Within)
13. In Other Words I Hate You
14. His Time Ran Out

BIG CHIEF

BIG CHIEF
PLATINUM JIVE (1994)
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With a grungey guitar attack and sludgy sonics, Big Chief's early records sound like prototypical '90s Seattle — except the band is from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Formed by members of several popular local groups (Laughing Hyenas, Necros, McDonalds, Posse From Hell), Big Chief embraced a wide swath of hard-rock influences, ranging from righteous homeboys the MC5 and the Stooges to Black Sabbath, Blue Cheer and Black Flag. The twist is in the funk, however; Big Chief hails from George Clinton country, too, and their debt to Dr. Funkenstein — an obligation none of their forbears knew from — would become obvious later on.
The quintet more than makes amends, though, on its major-label debut, Platinum Jive. The rock/funk synthesis is even more seamless, resulting in heavy music that drives hard and with great invention — including ample spicy sonic details provided by flutes, horns and deftly arranged backup vocals. There's a rap number ("Bona Fide," with Schoolly D) and a soul croon called "Simply Barry," but mostly Platinum Jive rocks and roils, from the slamming opener "Lion's Mouth" through the trippy "Your Days Are Numbered" and the relentlessly rhythmic "The Liquor Talkin'." Kudos also to the packaging, a hilarious sendup of greatest-hits albums that even lists fictional solo records by the individual Big Chiefs (Henssler's is called The Sexual Intellectual).

1. Lion's Mouth
2. Take over Baby
3. John's Scared
4. M.D. 20/20
5. Map of Your Failure
6. Bona Fide
7. Armed Love
8. Philly Nocturne
9. Locked Out
10. All Downhill from Here
11. Liquor Talkin'
12. Sick to My Pants
13. Your Days Are Numbered
14. Clown Pimp
15. Simply Barry
16. Lot Lizard

YUSEF LATEEF

YUSEF LATEEF
THE BLUE YUSEF LATEEF (1968)
REMASTER
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A master of the tenor sax and myriad other woodwind instruments, Yusef Lateef is joined on this 1968 date by an all-star ensemble that features trumpeter Blue Mitchell, bassist Cecil Brooks, and guitarist Kenny Burrell. They delve into the spirituals on "Juba, Juba," and the blues on "Othelia," "Back Home," and "Six Miles Next Door." "Moon Cup" is an impassioned Afro-Eurasian eclipse of the medieval plainchant and Filipino chant, while "Get Over, Get Off, and Get On" sounds like it could be a track from the original Shaft. The standout track is "Like It Is," a hypnotic midtempo blues composition laced with strings, background vocals, and Lateef's exotic sax and bamboo flute. Here's further proof that this master's aural explorations broadened jazz and paved the way for world music's enduring popularity.

1. Juba Juba
2. Like It Is
3. Othelia
4. Moon Cup
5. Back Home
6. Get Over, Get Off and Get On
7. Six Miles Next Door
8. Sun Dog
Bonus Track
9. Db Blues

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS [REPOST]

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
MOTHER'S MILK (1989)
REMASTER
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1989's MOTHER'S MILK is the album that broke the Red Hot Chili Peppers out of college rock cultdom and into the rock mainstream. Despite suffering the loss of drummer Jack Irons and guitarist Hillel Slovak a year earlier (Irons left after Slovak suffered a fatal drug overdose), founding members Anthony Kiedis and Flea found exceptional replacements in Chad Smith and John Frusciante. The new members' excitement is clearly evident throughout MOTHER'S MILK, arguably the Chili Peppers' best album. A cover of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" and a tribute to Slovak, "Knock Me Down", were both big MTV successes, as were such other highlights as "Taste the Pain" (featured prominently in the movie SAY ANYTHING), "Good Time Boys", "Subway to Venus", "Magic Johnson", and "Sexy Mexican Maid".

1. Good Time Boys
2. Higher Ground
3. Subway To Venus
4. Magic Johnson
5. Nobody Weird Like Me
6. Knock Me Down
7. Taste The Pain
8. Stone Cold Bush
9. Fire
10. Pretty Little Ditty
11. Punk Rock Classic
12. Sexy Mexican Maid
13. Johnny, Kick A Hole In The Sky
Bonus Tracks
14. Song That Made Us What We Are Today (Demo)
15. Knock Me Down (Original Long Version)
16. Sexy Mexican Maid (Original Long Version)
17. Salute To Kareem (Demo)
18. Castles Made Of Sand (Live)
19. Crosstown Traffic (Live)

BEN LEE

BEN LEE
BREATHING TORNADOS (1999)
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Ben Lee got the jump on being a pop star by starting his career when other kids his age were more concerned with acne medication than writing the perfect love song. A lo-fi savant, Lee's humble approach and off-kilter, nasal wail called to mind his acknowledged idol Jonathan Richman. Here, at the ripe old age of 20, he has managed to maintain the precocious, friendly, and wide-eyed personality that influenced both Noise Addict and his early solo efforts, while graduating to more complex musical structures. Breathing Tornados sounds like it has an intravenous feed from early-'80s MTV, with electroriffs and catchy refrains coursing through the tubing. But luckily, Lee's lo-fi tendencies still rule the day and the synthesizers and computers are used with the same simple joy with which he bashed out nerd-rock love songs on his teenage guitar.

1. Cigarettes Will Kill You
2. Nothing Much Happens
3. I Am a Sunflower
4. Tornados
5. Finger and the Moon
6. Birthday Song
7. Nighttime
8. Burn to Shine
9. Sandpaperback
10. 10ft. Tall
11. Ship My Body Home
12. Sleepwalking

DELANEY

DELANEY
DELANEY (1998)
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Delaney's debut album is undoubtedly marked by its creator's intimacy. Often constructed on almost shy guitar riffs, each of the twelve songs exposes Christelle Delaney's grace, she manages to be both touching and seducing the listener which is not as easy as it seems. On songs such as "Mes Sourires Par Intérim" or "La Nuit On A Toujours Tort" (the highlights of the album) she delivers some of the best indie pop that was released in the 90s in France. This album will appeal to those looking for something plain and simple yet displaying little things that do not appear on the first spin making it a nice catch if you like indie pop.

1. A toute alerte
2. Sur la Place Lili Boulanger
3. Hard Work Never Pays
4. A quoi bon ?
5. Mes sourires par intérim
6. Il ne faut pas d'usage se servir des sauvages
7. Une musique tragique
8. A Salamanque
9. La nuit on a toujours tort
10. Ready to Catch
11. Comme aux alentours
12. Ne rien faire s'entreprend

PRETTY MAIDS

PRETTY MAIDS
SPOOKED (1997)
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When you think about the best, most consistent hard rock and metal bands, Pretty Maids never jumps out at you. Which is odd, considering the Danish band can always be counted on to release top quality melodic hard rock/metal albums.
It's hard finding a good point of comparison for this band. Westworld meets Jorn Lande's solo material comes closest, though Pretty Maids' vocals are not as distinctive as Tony Harnell's or Jorn Lande's. That comparison definitely captures Pretty Maids' melodic hard rock meets metal style though. Pretty Maids is heavier than the typical Frontiers melodic rock band, but not as heavy as a straight-up metal band.
The band's 1997 album Spooked is a solid album from start to finish. You won't find any traces of grunge, rap-metal, or alterna-rock here; just plenty of great hard rock songs, including a cover of the KISS classic Hard Luck Woman. Spooked is a very heavy, yet very melodic album that should appeal to anyone who enjoys hard rock and/or metal.

1. Resurrection
2. Freakshow
3. Dead Or Alive
4. Die With Your Dreams
5. Fly Me Out
6. Live Until It Hurts
7. Spooked
8. Twisted
9. If It Can't Be Love
10. Never Too Late
11. Your Mind Is Where The Money Is
12. Hard Luck Woman
13. The One That Should Not Be

THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND

M E G A P O S T

DREAMS BOXSET (1989)
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Boxed sets such as this typically are a mixture of "Greatest Hits" material with enough unreleased material to hook die-hard fans into going ahead and spending money. "Dreams" is no exception to this, but it is better organized than most boxed sets. Die hards who already own the albums will get a lot of duplicate material, but roughly a third of it is unreleased and/or difficult to find. Those interested in discovering the group are in for a real treat! This boxed set is the perfect introduction.
Disc one is mostly cuts from the Pre-ABB groups The Allman Joys, Hour Glass, The 31st of February, and The Second Coming. When I saw the track listings after buying the set, I was initially disappointed by this, as I have little interest in being an Allman's "completist." However, I was relieved that all of the early cuts are at least pretty good, and at times, sublime! You hear a clear progression from psychedelic cover band to blues virtuosos to jazz/rock/country fusion. The second half of the disc is downright excellent.
Discs two and three are, by and large, greatest hits from the ABB golden era. If you don't already have a copy of the amazing Live at Fillmore East, there are three remastered cuts of probably the best tracks from Fillmore. Most ABB fans will already have Fillmore, but if you don't it's great to have these.
Over half of Disc four is solo and side project material by ABB members. As with disk one, all of these cuts are at least pretty good, with some really excellent numbers thrown in as well.
I'd rate this as one of the best boxed sets available because it doesn't contain any unnecessary filler tracks. You won't find yourself hitting the skip button very much at all. The breadth of ABB's musical heritage is laid out clearly and will continue to amaze after many listens.
If you're new to the band this is a can't-go-wrong try.

Disc 1
1. Shapes Of Things
2. Spoonful
3. Crossroads
4. Cast Off All My Fears
5. Down In Texas
6. Ain't No Good To Cry
7. BB King Medley
8. Morning Dew
9. God Rest His Soul
10. I Feel Free
11. She Has Funny Cars
12. Goin' Down Slow
13. Dreams
14. Don't Want You No More
15. It's Not My Cross To Bear
16. Trouble No More
17. Dreams

Disc 2
1. Statesboro Blues
2. Hoochie Coochie Man
3. Midnight Rider
4. Dimples
5. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
6. Revival
7. One More Ride
8. Whipping Post
9. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
10. Drunken Hearted Boy

Disc 3
1. You Don't Love Me/Soul Serenade
2. Blue Sky
3. Little Martha
4. Melissa
5. Ain't Wastin' Time No More
6. Wasted Words
7. Ramblin' Man
8. Southbound
9. Jessica
10. Midnight Rider
11. One Way Out
12. Long Time Gone

Disc 4
1. Can't Lose What You Never Had
2. Come And Go Blues
3. Bougainvillea
4. Can You Fool
5. Good Time Feeling
6. Crazy Love
7. Can't Take It With You
8. Just Ain't Easy
9. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
10. Angeline
11. Things You Used To Do
12. Nancy
13. Rain
14. I'm No Angel
15. Demons
16. Duane's Tune

AT FILLMORE EAST (1971)
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Whereas most great live rock albums are about energy, At Fillmore East is like a great live jazz session, where the pleasure comes from the musicians' interaction and playing. The great thing about that is, the original album that brought the Allmans so much acclaim is as notable for its clever studio editing as it is for its performances. Producer Tom Dowd skillfully trimmed some of the performances down to relatively concise running time (edits later restored on the double-disc set The Fillmore Concerts), at times condensing several performances into one track. Far from being a sacrilege, this tactic helps present the Allmans in their best light, since even if the music isn't necessarily concise (three tracks run over ten minutes, with two in the 20-minute range), it does showcase the group's terrific instrumental interplay, letting each member (but particularly guitarist Duane and keyboardist/vocalist Gregg) shine. Even after the release of the unedited concerts, this original double album (single CD) remains the pinnacle of the Allmans and Southern rock at its most elastic, bluesy, and jazzy.

1. Statesboro Blues
2. Done Somebody Wrong
3. Stormy Monday
4. You Don't Love Me/Soul Serenade
5. Hot 'Lanta
6. In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed
7. Whipping Post

ALAIN BASHUNG

ALAIN BASHUNG
L'IMPRUDENCE (2002)
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"Dark" is the first word that comes to mind when trying to qualify Bashung's L'Imprudence. On this album, his 11th, Bashung explores the depths and twists of human soul like very few others can. Helped by first-rate musicians such as Marc Ribot, Arto Lindsay, Simon Edwards (from Talk Talk), Mino Cinelu or Steve Nieve (Elvis Costello), Bashung builds an album which could very well be his best ever establishing himself as an equal to the likes of Robert Wyatt, Mark Hollis or Scott Walker with whom he shares the same sense of adventurous artistry and impeccable grace.
With songs ranging from trip hop to rock, folk or classical yet creating a cohesive and senseful whole, Bashung has delivered a work of art every music lover should try. Get it now.

1. Tel
2. Faites Monter
3. Je Me Dore
4. Mes Bras
5. La Ficelle
6. Noir De Monde
7. L'Irréel
8. Jamais D'Autre Que Toi
9. Est-Ce Aimer
10. Le Dimanche A Tchernobyl
11. Dans La Foulée
12. Faisons Envie
13. L'Imprudence

THE POORBOYS

THE POORBOYS
PARDON ME (1992)
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Here's a band with only one flaw: they came too late. By 1992 the hair metal hype had vanished replaced by the grunge craze which caused bands such as The Poorboys to go unnoticed and disappear after only one album. Shame is, it's a pretty good album, it's a little hard rocking gem recalling the likes of the Quireboys or late-Cinderella or the Black Crowes a.k.a. hard rock with a blues and southern rock influence which created a rootsier/more organic sound than what most hair metal bands usually offered. Andy Wallace's producion (The Cult, Rollins Band, Faith No More, etc.) serves it well giving it enough warmth and rawness so that it doesn't sound cheap. So, if you're looking for good hard rock, look no further, The Poorboys' Pardon Me will make your day... and a few more.

1. Hey Man
2. Can't Get Back
3. Guilty
4. Last Time
5. Love and Faith
6. Shine
7. Never That Easy
8. No Real Emotion
9. Brand New Amerika
10. Healing
11. Make Your Move
12. Don't Need You 'Round