Captain Beefheart ~ Grow Fins - Rarities 1965-1982

Although the price of "Grow Fins" is steep, this set is essential if you are a fan of Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band. Although they could have fit discs one and two onto one disc, I don't care. Although they could have added more video cuts or even some "clean" copies of Beefheart gems for which we have been waiting years (e.g., "Bat Chain Puller" original album), I don't care. Although the Trout Mask Sessions disc is filled with endless meaningless studio chatter, I don't care.


Grow Fins - Rarities 1965-1982 buy from Amazon:

Grow Fins - Rarities 1965-1982 MP3 Album [$45.49]

The Stooges ~ 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions

142 outtakes from the Fun House sessions, and the download costs almost $100? Hey I love that album as much as anybody but one of the reasons I like it so much is that Don Galluci pushed the band to do multiple takes until everything was just right. I'm pretty sure hearing all of the false starts and failed takes would not add to my overall appreciation.


1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions buy from Amazon:

1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions MP3 Album [$99.99]

Grateful Dead ~ The Golden Road [1965-1973]

This is a perfect box set, doing what all good box sets should. It is comprehensive (Over 100 pages worth of essay and liner notes. It has excellent sound (recieving the digital remastering treatment). And it has plenty of unreleased material. (Over 7 hours, stretching each disc to 80 minutes in length) You can't go wrong with a 12 cd box set covering the golden era in Dead history.


Grateful Dead ~ The Golden Road [1965-1973] buy from Amazon:

The Golden Road [1965-1973] MP3 Album [$99.99]

Metallica ~ The Metallica Collection

When Metallica - Classic Album (The Black Album) was released on DVD and VHS initially in 2001, it was sought out by Metal and Metallica fans all over the country. As a VIDEO release it was buried in the newly created DVD section of most accounts. This DVD chronicles the recording, from the BAND (James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Jason Newsted) and the Producer (Bob Rock) the making of this ground breaking release. The Black Album launched Metallica into the sheds where they promoted The Black Album on the road for almost 2 years!


Metallica ~ The Metallica Collection buy from Amazon:


The Metallica Collection [Explicit] MP3 Album [$9.99]

Led Zeppelin ~ The Complete Album

Big enough for Led Zeppelin's towering sound, this 10-CD box set collects all nine of the legendary band's original studio albums released from 1969 to 1982. Included are: Led Zeppelin I (1969), Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), IV (1971), Houses of the Holy (1973), Physical Graffitti (1975) (2CD), Presence (1976), In Through the Out Door (1979), and Coda (1982). A true stairway to heaven for Zep fans, this massive box originally released in 1993 features each classic title with its original album artwork.


Led Zeppelin ~ The Complete Album buy from Amazon:

The Complete Led Zeppelin MP3 Album [$99.99]

Aerosmith ~ Big Ones Album

Few comebacks in rock and roll history have been as amazing as that of Aerosmith. Their triumphant return to the charts in the '80s not only rekindled the band's earlier success, but also significantly surpassed it. With their top 20 hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Ragdoll," and the top 10 power ballad, "Angel," the group proved they had even more fire left in their fight than anyone could have imagined. Leaving behind its reckless lifestyle, the band sacrificed none of their rowdy rock and roll. "Ragdoll" and "Love in an Elevator" built upon Aerosmith's raunchy blues approach to hard rock, complete with singer Steven Tyler's howl in the best form of his career.


Aerosmith ~ Big Ones Album buy from Amazon:

Big Ones MP3 Album [$5.00]
Big Ones Audio CD [$9.99]

The Naked And Famous ~ Passive Me, Aggressive You

This album feels like a mix-tape of really good bands. One song has me comparing them to Passion Pit or Temper Trap, but then the next song has me thinking M83. Then another suggests Stars, and then another suggests Radiohead. In this case, I really like the range. High energy stuff. Fun album.


Passive Me, Aggressive You Album buy from Amazon:

Passive Me, Aggressive You MP3 Album [$5.99]
Passive Me Aggressive You Audio CD [$9.99]
Passive Me, Aggressive You Vinyl [$18.98]

Temple Of The Dog ~ Temple Of The Dog Album

This 1991 Seattle supergroup brought together Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron of Soundgarden with the surviving members of Mother Love Bone (Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard) and Eddie Vedder, later of Pearl Jam. The experiment worked. Cornell shines, seeming more comfortable here on this tribute to his former roommate and deceased MLB lead singer Andrew Wood than with his own band. "Hunger Strike" and "Say Hello 2 Heaven" combine glam and grunge better than anything in Love Bone's catalog, while "Wooden Jesus" is less didactic than anything in Pearl Jam's oeuvre. Most of the songs may be about loss and addiction, but this is compelling music for black days. --Charles R. Cross


Temple Of The Dog ~ Temple Of The Dog Album buy from Amazon:

Temple Of The Dog MP3 Album [$5.00]
Temple of the Dog Audio CD [$9.99]

George Thorogood & The Destroyers~Greatest Hits: 30 Years Of Rock

The finest part was turning down the video soundtrack and substituting George Thorogood's 30 Years of Rock collection! Talk about adrenaline pumping tunes!! The collection and body of work offered by this man has stood the test of time over these years, and is summarized beautifully in this anthology. The only disappointment was "Ride On Josephine" is conspicuously absent from the CD. Oh well...can't have everthing.


George Thorogood & The Destroyers~Greatest Hits: 30 Years Of Rock buy from Amazon:

Greatest Hits: 30 Years Of Rock MP3 Album [$5.00]
Greatest Hits: 30 Years of Rock Audio CD [$9.99]

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Album

After stumbling upon "Home" on hypem, I saw their album was just $5 on Amazon. After listening to previews of the other songs on the album, I went ahead and bought it. I don't usually listen to this genre of music but I actually am liking the CD so far. "Home" is already a favorite, as well as Jade, Janglin', and a few others. Their music is different from what I usually listen to, but the purchase was well worth it.


Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Album buy from Amazon:

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros MP3 Album [$5.00]

Coldplay ~ X & Y Album

It's hard to believe but it's been three years since Coldplay released A Rush of Blood to the Head. Now they are back with their third record X&Y. All of Coldplay's releases share one thing in common; they take some time getting into. When I first listened to Parachutes in the fall of 2000 I was not impressed. After a week it was the only thing I listened to for a six months. When A Rush of Blood to the Head came out it also took a few weeks for it to grow on me. The same thing applies to X&Y. 


Coldplay  ~ X & Y Album buy from Amazon:

X & Y MP3 Album [$5.00]
X&Y Audio CD [$8.59]
X&Y [Vinyl] [$30.23]

Primus ~ Green Naugahyde Album

While the songs on Green Naugahyde seem to have more in common with Les Claypool's solo material than classic Primus albums such as Sailing the Seas of Cheese and Pork Soda, the material here is no less worthy. It is great to finally have a complete album under the Primus moniker, with Larry Lalonde's outstanding guitar playing and amazing original drummer Jay Lane alongside Les Claypool. The songs are interesting and performed very well as you would expect.


Primus ~ Green Naugahyde Album buy from Amazon:


Green Naugahyde MP3 Album [$3.99]
Green Naugahyde Audio CD [$11.71]
Green Naugahyde Vinyl [$19.90]

Dum Dum Girls ~ Only In Dreams Album

Loved their last album and this one is even better. DD is writing great songs and their style is emerging and what a treat for everyone this band exists!

The vocals here have almost a country punk tinge to them on some of the retro rocking songs and this makes them even more awesome.


Dum Dum Girls ~ Only In Dreams Album buy from Amazon:

Only In Dreams MP3 Album [$9.60]
Only in Dreams Audio CD [$11.58]
Only In Dreams Vinyl [$16.56]

Seether ~ Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces Album

Seether returns with another workaday outing that rocks like late 2001. Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces is virtually interchangeable with any previous Seether disc, as well as pretty much anything by the likes of Nickelback, Shinedown, and other "post-grunge" rock bands. True, "Fake It" has zeal, and "Rise Above This" may very well provide the soundtrack to late-night, soul-searching sessions for teenagers from Cape Cod to Cape Town. Shaun Morgan’s often unnecessarily profane lyrics are another problem.

Seether ~ Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces Album buy from Amazon:

Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces (Bonus Track Version) [Explicit] [$5.00]
Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces Audio CD [$8.97]

Bob Dylan ~ Highway 61 Revisited

There are many dividing lines in rock and roll. Before Elvis and after Elvis, before The Beatles and after The Beatles, and so on. "Highway 61 Revisted" invites such a watershed moment in rock and roll. Prior to the release people such as Steve Allen would gather great laughs just from reciting the lyrics to rock and roll songs. For example, Steve Allen would read "Be bop a lu bop, she's my baby", and audiences would guffaw loudly. When "61" was released, it was evident that rock and roll had meaning, it was an viable art form.

Bob Dylan ~ Highway 61 Revisited Album buy from Amazon:

Highway 61 Revisited MP3 Album [$5.00]

Highway 61 Revisited (Reis) Audio CD [$6.99]
Highway 61 Revisited (180 gm Vinyl) [$19.99]

Kings Of Leon ~ Only By The Night Album

In several recent reviews, I've read Only By the Night decried as being "too commercial" or "too polished" and "straying too far from the Kings' signature sound". After a few listens, I've got to disagree with all of the above. As for the popular commercial appeal of this record, there is perhaps only one rock radio friendly single on this album and it's already peaked. "Sex on Fire" has been the Kings' most successful single to date. It has also been their most controversial, as far as their "old" fans are concerned.

Kings Of Leon ~ Only By The Night Album buy from Amazon:

Only By The Night MP3 Album [$5.00]
Only by the Night Audio CD (Import) [$9.81]

Coldplay ~ A Rush Of Blood To The Head Album

Still, when the chance came I decided to get this follow up album. I've never thought a great deal of Coldplay, always thinking of them as aimless depressives. But I was of course, wrong... behind every miserable sounding Trouble and Don't Panic there's a real message, and usually an optimistic one. They're a band who may throw you, but listen again

Coldplay ~ A Rush Of Blood To The Head Album buy from Amazon:

 A Rush Of Blood To The Head MP3 Album [$5.00]
 A Rush of Blood to the Head Audio CD [$7.99]
 A Rush of Blood to the Head [Vinyl] [$19.97]