Najma: "Forbidden Kiss" - 1996 Shanachie
Vocalist Najma from India sings soundtracks with some Western collaboration with wild variations. One song sounds like a Ennio Morricone spaghetti western with ghazal Najma's eerie but beautiful vocals. Really cool intoduction to Indian film music.
Natural Calamity: "Peach Head"; 1998 Ideal Records.
At times mystical, moody, ethereal, and trance-like with sensuous female singer Stephanie Heasley. Mostly guitar, base, keyboards and electronics make this a beautiful though rather mellow piece. Reminds me a little of Morcheeba, Angelo Bedalamante and the Cowboy Junkies. Includes a few simplistic instrumental tunes.
Nektar: "The Dream Nebula - The Best of 1971 - 75"
At this point in time as the rock music world was transforming from 60's varieties to more accessible pop and hard rock, progressive rock fusion was a great escape from hard to bear commercial rock. Nektar had a few early albums that offered some great songwriting, instrumentation, and vocals. Perhaps a bit dated today, some of the underlying playing and song structures hold up nicely today. This two CD set covering four years underlies the respect thsi band deserved but of course never attained as pop radio opted for schlock and commerciality over substance.
Willie Nelson: "Teatro" - 1998 Island
Fourteen wonderful folksy tunes by this master singer/songwriter. Willie changes with time which while experimental can also produce wonderful results, as in this masterpiece. Finely produced by Daniel Lanois.
Aaron Neville: "Hercules" - 1997 Charly (UK)
Mostly 1950's and 60's style soul ballads. Aaron easily has one of the most beautiful voices in popular history, and his work with the Meters and the Neville Brothers is nothing short of spectacular. While some songs on this collection are a tad slow, it includes the gems "Let's Live," "Hercules," and "Tell It Like it Is."
New Grass Revival: "Too Late to Turn Back Now" - 1977 Flying Fish
A live and very lively collection of hot new grass pickin' tunes including "High Lonesome," and the instrumental "Red Man Blues." Sure would like to have been there!
New Grass Revival: "Anthology" - 1990 Capital
For those in the know, the New Grass Revival and Strength in Numbers represented a magical time of new grass development. Truly intense instrumentation and experimentation of folk-rock-bluegrass fusion.
Colin Newman: "It Seems"
1988 Crammed Disks cd release with about the same energy level as the more mellow songs on Wire's Chairs Missing or 154. Unlike the classic first three Wire albums, this is rather popish with synthesizers, but it's not commercial. It's a bit melancholic in spots, but overall upbeat. Colin doesn't take as many chances as in early Wire, and there's no rough edges. A fan of the punkish Pink Flag might find this and all later Wire, solo Newman, and solo Gilbert stuff tame and boring. I enjoy it. It's accessible and more enjoyable than his rather strange "Singing Fish." Very nice female backing vocal on "Better Later than Never." I find myself humming "Round & Round" days after hearing it. Liner notes list lyrics. If you like this type of vocalist, check out Robyn Hitchcock and Ed Kuepper, or Wire's 154 & Chairs Missing.
New Riders of the Purple Sage: "The Best of" - 1972 CBS
Super independent folksy country rock party tunes played and sung spectacularly, including "Panama Red" and "Henry." Recommended.
Nickel Creek - 2000 Sugar Hill
Their best yet with spectacular song compositions and instrumentation. Chris Thile on mandolin is certainly the Mozart of the instrument of our age. Recommended.
Niney the Observer: "Truth and Rights: Observer Style" - 1994 Poly-Rhythm, Ltd.
Super cool and hip reggae D.J. dub afficionado & producer with killer selection of guests from Big Youth to Michael Rose, Dennis Brown to Lee Perry, and Niney himself. Recommended.
The Notting Hillbillies: "Missing" - 1990 Warner Bros.
An interesting project with Mark Knopfler, Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips on Guitars and vocals, Guy Gletcher on kwyboards and vocals, and Paul Franklin on pedal steel. It's OK.
Les Nubians: "Princesses Nubiennes" - 1998 Virgin France
Smooth, sultry, groove based dance rhythms with jazzy influence and cool hip hopish female vocalists.
Sally Nyolo: "Tribu" - 1996 Tinder Records
Really beautiful and cool world beat with Sally's beautiful voice and backing vocalists, percussion backdrops, and other fun sounds ala Zap Mama.
Mollie O'Brien: "I Never Move Too Soon" - 1987 Resounding Records
Interesting mix of jazz and pop classics, such as "Angel Eyes," "You Send Me," and "I Did My Part." A very beautiful vocalist with production and help by Tim O'Brien.
Tim O'Brien & the O'Boys: "Oh Boy!" - 1993 Sugar Hill
Upbeat, fun, high quality CD with great playing by Tim, Mark Schatz Scott Nygaard and others. Produced by Jerry Douglas who also plays dobro. See photo link below.
Tim O'Brien: "Rock In My Shoe" - 1995 Sugar Hill
Tim strikes me as a good ole' boy, nothing too wild but a pleasant singer, mandolin picker, and song writer. A very talented musician with roots in Hot Rize and an ability to play with a wide variety of artists. See Rockygrass photos
October Project - 1993 Sony
Musical composition and structure quite similar to Renaissance. The downfall is the female vocalist who doesn't quite cut the grade. I'll probably sell this one.
Old and in the Way - 1975 Round Records/Arista
Seminal classic with Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, and John Kahn. This release introduced countless Dead heads and rock n' rollers to bluegrass music. Includes "Midnight Moonlight," "The Hobo Song," "Panama Red," "Wild Horses," and "Land of the Navajo."
Mike Oldfield: "The Best Of" - 1993
A mixed bag of cool tunes and smucky pop sellouts.
Remmy Ongala & Orchestre Super Matimila - 1995 Real World
Layered guitars and Remmy's deep Tanzanian vocals live on eleven very nice tunes.
Jackie Orszaczky: "100%" cd
Creative avant-garde new wave? reminiscent of a cross between Daevid Allen's Gong, Henry Cow, Holger Czukay, and Random Hold. Fun, ever changing, at times quirky or funky. Not easy listening but nice. Various Hungarian musicians on voice, sax, guitars, drums & other instruments.
Os Mutantes: "Everything is Possible"; Luaka Bop
Imagine Sergio Mendes Brasil 66 with more psychedelic influences. Very creative, often pretty with female vocals, strange and fun.
Peter Ostroushko: "Buddies of Swing" - 1990 Red House
Upbeat, fun, super musicians, great song choice with Peter on vocals, mandolin and guitar, Jethro Burns on mandolin, and Prudence Johnson singing "Honeysuckle Rose," and others. Lotsa fun!
Outback: "Dance the Devil Away" - 1991 Hannibal/Rykomusic
Uptempo, world beat didgerdoo based instrumental rock fusion. Very nice.
Buck Owens: "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail," Sundazed Music - 1965 (original)
A great collection of honky tonk - straight country hits like "I've Got A Tiger By the Tail," "Trouble And Me," "Cryin' Time," and "Wham Bam.." My favorites are "Fallin' for You" and the screaming crowd live version of "Act Naturally." Hot fiddle, guitar, steel guitar and bass playing throughout.
Ozric Tentacles: "Waterfall Cities"; 1999 cd Phoenix Rising - www.radiophoinix.com
Progressive, instrumental, acid space British neo-hippie, new-age travelling rock fusion at its best. From the first time I heard these guys I could relate. An advanced excursion into the tightest fusion of Gong, Brand X, Camel, Necter, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Goblin - killer gold dude. I stopped buying their cds after collecting around five as they started to sound very similar, though excellent. And then I saw them Nov. 12, 2000 in Boulder, ColoRADo. And then I heard "Waterfall Cities" and it felt so good and refreshing. Highly recommended for fusion lovers.
See Photos. Their "Pungent Effulgent" CD is also smokin' hot!!
Parliament: "Tear the Roof Off: 1974-1980" - 1993 Polygram/Casablanca
Get funked up with Dr. Funkenstein and Mr. Wiggles in the Chocolate City with Funkentelechy while doing the Aqua Boogie. Two CD collection: Hot!
Niamh Parsons & the Loose Connection: "Loosen Up" - 1997 Green Linnet
Contemporary Celtic music with Niamh's beautiful vocals. Eleven delightful tunes including one instrumental of jigs.
Gtentra Pasundan: "Sudanese Wedding Ceremony" - Interra
Somewhat simplistic and repetitive drum and trance-like singers. It's so so.
Peeni Waali - 1992 Shanachie
Oh baby! Super fine uptempo, varied dub with vocalists Linton Kwesi Johnson on some tunes, and Lee Scratch Perry and Rams each on one. Deadly Headly on sax, Rico on trumpet, Robbie Shakespeare or Dennis Bovell on Bass, and a whole slew of other fine musicians from different sessions in the late 1980s. There's even an accordion and a ukulele appearing on tunes. Very hot!
Pentangle: "A Maid That's Deep in Love" - 1989 Shanachie
Formed in the late 1969's with guitar virtuosos Bert Jansch and Renbourn and the spectacular Jacqui Mcshee on vocals, this British folksy rock band has produced some wonderful music, and this compilation CD is one of the most spectacular. Beautiful music with traditional influences and super song composition and instrumentation. Recommended.
Pere Ubu: "Pennsylvania" - 1998 Tim/Kerr
Their 11th studio recording incorporates some subtle spazz vocals with the usual cool guitar and strange sound effects.
Lee "Scratch" Perry: "The Upsetter and the Beat" - 1992 HeartBeat
Really hot and wild reggae. A great selection of varied tunes with super creativity and uniqueness. Funky, skanky, tropical, topical, "Big Apple Coconut" crazy gun great!
Lee "Scratch" Perry: "Upsetter in Dub / Upsetter Shop Volumne One" - 1997 HeartBeat
Hip dub with nice variety. Mostly 1970s recordings at Lee's first studio.
Lee "Scratch" Perry: "From the Secret Laboratory" 1990, Mango/Island.
Way cool. I own more Scratch CDs than any other artist. He's smokin hot. This is easily one of my favorites and belongs on my desert island top ten. Big sound mixture of loops, effects, various voices, killer rhythm & bass...Brace yerself!!!!! Produced by Adrian Sherwood & Lee Perry.
Lee Perry with Mad Professor: Mystic Warrior - 1990 Ras Records
Super Perry with excellent production. Recommended.
Lee "Scratch" Perry: "Jamaican E.T." - 2002 Trojan
Layers of vocals, full reggae production, very lively with the usual glowing praise of all things that strike his majesty as profound. Intense.
Oscar Peterson & Harry Edison - 1075 Fantasy
These piano and trumpet masters produce a sound far more encompassing than one might think possible. Oscar really smokes on the piano. Nine songs finely performed.
Phish -- This is a very influencial, creative, hot groove rock band. All their CDs are at a minimum decent, and at times extremely cool.
Phish: "Billy Breathes" - 1996 Elektra/WB
Some songs rock out, others are sweet and mellow. Very nice.
Phish: "Slip Stich and Pass" - 1997 Elektra
The Dead-style hippie rockers do a fun version of "Jesus Just Left Chicago" and eight other jammers. Nice.
Phish: "Farmhouse" - 2000 Elektra
Nice, often really nice, but perhaps a tad more vocal stylin' than the earlier freer jams.
Wilson Pickett: "Greatest Hits" - 1987 Atlantic
A great soul singer with "Mustang Sall," "Funky Boradway," and twenty two other classics. The production isn't the best, but this CD is still good for a few sweaty dance numbers.
Pink Floyd: "Atom Heart Mother" - 1970 Harvest/Capitol
Spacey, progressive, psychedelic rock fusion. The Atom Heart Mother suite lasts 23 minutes and is a rock orchestra piece with some background female vocalizations.
Pink Floyd: "The Final Cut" - 1983 CBS
Melodramatic, slow, not very special. Go for almost any other piece by them.
Pixies: "Surfer Rosa" - 1988 4A.D.
Lively, up tempo alt post punk new wave at times edgy at others catchy rock.
Der Plan: "Die Letzte Rache" - Ata Tak
Take the Residents and give them a tad more variety and depth, and a weird German background, and you start to get the gist of der Plan. This was originally published in 1984 as film music. Truly new wave, this is der Plan's third release. 30 tunes and ditties, and a big book of liner notes. Wow, I can't believe this is readily available in America. Now if they'd only release some Xao Seffcheque!
Der Plan: "Live at the Tiki Ballroom" - Ata Tak
It's all in German, but wow. I think it was recorded in New Zealand in 1992, but wow. Really bizarre, cool, hip, out there, an acquired taste, wow. Mighty fine!
Portishead: "Dummy" - 1994 Go! Discs/London
On first listen Portishead sound very different. The female vocalist is both sultry and somewhat fragile. The whole sound lends itself to slow dance. The background music is mostly synthesizer based and repetitive with some quirky and cool effects. Over time it doesn't really grow on me very much and sounds very similar from song to song. Best in limited doses.
Primus: "Frizzle Fry" - 1990 Caroline Records
With Les Claypool on various bass instruments and quirky, funky vocals this band rocks. Unusual and unique with songs such as "Too Many Puppies" and "To Defy the Laws of Tradition." Turn it up; Lotsa fun.
Primus: "Tales From the Punchbowl" - 1995 Interscope/Atlantic
It's all got that distinctive bass and vocal signature stylization, but man, crank it up for a few tunes and rock out. Way cool!
Professor Longhair: "Mojo Gumbo" - 1999 Home Cooking (Sweden)
Great artist and songs, bad recording, sometimes painfully so. Get something else from this legend.
Quiet Sun: "Mainstream"
A gem for creative progressive fusion lovers. Creative, quirky, and at times hot jamming with Phil Manzanera (guitars), Bill MacCormick (bass), Dave Jarrett (pianos), Charles Hayward (drums) and Eno (Oblique Strategies). Recorded in Jan. 1975. Especially hot is the song: "Mummy was an asteroid, daddy was a small non-stick kitchen utensil." Only "Rongwrong" has vocals. Included on my desert island top ten. Great stuff!
Radiohead: "Kid A" - 2000 Capitol
Way cool trance hop with ambient mellowness mixed in the right proportions with techno beats and vocals. Way more accessible than "OK Computer" without any hint of commerciality. Recommended.
Rambient: "So Many Worlds" - 2001 Imergent
Very creative electro trip groove music with nice variety and vocalizations. Guests include Flea, Lisbeth Scott, Peter Murphy and others. Way hip.
Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus: "Nyahbinghi" - 1992 Blues Interactions/Trojan [Japanese]
Roots Rastafari music. Heavy beats and chants - traditional, not dance oriented but very soothing and deep.
Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus: "Dadawah - Peace & Love/Nyahbinghi" - 1998 Trojan
Two records on one CD. "Dadawah" has only four songs that flow with a trance like Rasta beat. "Nyahbinghi" is reviewed above.
Lou Reed: "Between Thought and Expression" - 1992 RCA/BMG [3 CDs]
This bad boy of rock and roll offers a history of deep, moody, sometimes angry, sometimes artsy mellow rock and alternative compositions. There's even a small clip from Metal Machine Music.
Del Reeves: "His Greatest Hits" - 1994 CEMA/Capital
Great collection of hot country tunes including the hit "Girl On The Billboard." Del has a fun, deep voice and brings songs to life.
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers: "The Best of...The Beserkley Years" - 1975 Beserkley
Sometimes quirky and spazzmo with songs like "Dodge Veg-O-Matic," and "Abominable Snowman in the Market," but other times he's way cool with"Pablo Picasso" and "Roadrunner." Eighteen fun, creative alternative rock tunes with a 1970's feel. I'm still wondering what flavor ice cream the martians would like!
Jean Ritchie: "None But One/High Hills and Mountains" - 1979 Greenhays/Flying Fish
I guess I first heard her music in the early 1980's while a DJ at WMUC-FM.At the time my show was primarily reggae and German new wave. Then I saw her at a small event in Bethesda, Maryland. Jean Ritchie is backwoods folk, but her beautiful and humble voice and compositions just caught me then, and still sound wonderful in the new millennium. And now these two sweet albums are joined on one CD. It's simple Kentucky folk but very beautiful. Some songs you may imagine are old timey of someone's great grandparents, but some are very modern with semi-rockin' instrumentation. She also has a vinyl album from way back with Doc Watson.
The Rolling Stones: "Between the Buttons" - 1967 Abkco
A very creative collection of hip rock classics. While are perhaps a tad dated, "Complicated," "Ruby Tuesday," "Cool, Calm & Collected" and others are really great tunes. These were excellent years for them and the rock loving world.
Michael Rose - 1995 HeartBeat
The original voice behind Black Uhuru has a strong collection of straight Uhuru sounding reggae tunes. Nice.
Peter Rowan (self-titled) - 1978 on Flying Fish Records
A classic from this high priest of bluegrass - progressive folk. I own more CDs by Peter Rowan than any other musician except Lee "Scratch" Perry. I love his strong but gentle voice and songs. This self-titled recording is superb with such classics as "Midnight Moonlight," "Panama Red," and "The Free Mexican Airforce." Guests include Flaco Jimenez, Richard Green and Todd Phillips. Rockygrass Photos
Peter Rowan: "The First Whippoorwill" - (1990) Sugar Hill
Great selection including "It's Mighty Dart to Travel" and "I'm Just a Used to Be." With Sam Bush, Richard Green, Buddy Spicher and others. Mighty Fine!
Peter Rowan: "The Walls of Time" - (1991) Sugar Hill
Another super collection by Peter with "Roving Gambler," "Walls of Time," and bonus track on the CD, "Hiroshima Mon Amour." Musicians include Ricky Skaggs, Eddie Adcock, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Richard Greene, and Tony Trishka. Recommended. Photo
Peter Rowan: "Bluegrass Boy"- 1996 Sugar Hill
Perhaps my favorite of his CDs. Consistently excellent bluegrass songs and instrumentation, great production, upbeat sound - all around hot and beautiful. "Ruby Ridge" is really powerful. Recommended.
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