Rhapsody Streamnotes: July 27, 2013

Fifty-five records below. Seems like a lot, but I topped that in January, March, and May, so we seem to be on an every-other-month cycle with dips toward thirty and rises toward sixty. Nonetheless, having trouble finding things. The metacritic file helps, but when I'm assembling it I often don't do an adequate job of flagging things of possible interest. Moreover, skimming off the top of the list has proven not especially productive. Of the records reviewed below, the top-rated metacritic file items are:

19. Sigur Ros: Kveikur (XL) [B]
25. Queens of the Stone Age: . . . Like Clockwork (Matador) [B]
26. Pet Shop Boys: Electric (X2) [A-]
34. Disclosure: Settle (Cherrytree/Interscope) [B+(*)]
35. Frightened Rabbit: Pedestrian View (Atlantic) [B]
38. Foals: Holy Fire (Warner Brothers) [B+(*)]
49. Primal Scream: More Light (First International) [A-]
52. Thundercat: Apocalypse (Brainfeeder) [C+]
58. Phoenix: Bankrupt! (Glassnote) [B]
81. These New Puritans: Field of Reeds (Infectious) [C+]
84. Austra: Olympia (Domino) [B-]
96. Mount Kimbie: Cold Spring Fault Less Youth (Warp) [B+(*)]
99. Mavis Staples: One True Vine (Anti-) [B+(**)]

There are other records in the top 100 that I got to earlier and like fine: Vampire Weekend, The Knife, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Chance the Rapper, Deerhunter, Parquet Courts, Waxahatchee, Bassekou Kouyate, Kacey Musgraves, Colin Stetson, DJ Koze, Ashley Monroe. But aside from the Pet Shop Boys (OK, Thundercat too), everything else from the above list is more than a month old, so something I initially passed up, found high on the list, figured I might as well give it a chance, and, well, you see. The only real surprise there was Primal Scream. I don't know their previous work, and this could be a total exception -- could be something like the one-and-only Coldplay record I like. Or it could wear thin after more plays, which is always a risk with my methodology. (One of the EW commenters recently made exactly that point on the Oblivians' Desperation, a record I recommended last time.) There's nothing here that I own, or have played more than three times, and the median is more likely one than two plays, so the room for error is correspondingly large. Caveat emptor, etc.

One surprise for me is how poorly Christgau's recent picks have faired -- since most months they dominate the list. His last four A/A- new picks are here, all sunk more or less deeply into the B-grades (one way down at B-), although he did write about a B+ record that I like better. Not sure there's anything to read into it. I'm tempted to explain that it's been hard to find picks lately, but I've actually had a pretty good month -- nine A- records below, plus eight A- jazz records this month (five published already in Jazz Prospecting, and three more in the scratch file). My 2013 list is up to 82 A- (or better) records (including 5 reissues/compilations), split 43-39 in favor of jazz (if I don't count Ceramic Dog or David Greenberger). Christgau currently has 37 A- or above 2013 releases (including Ceramic Dog and Greenberger but no other jazz), so my non-jazz list is virtually the same size as his non-jazz list (39 to 37). However, we only have 17 (46%) in common: Ceramic Dog, Chance the Rapper, Deerhunter, David Greenberger, Kenya Special, Knife, Bassekou Kouyate, Ashley Monroe, Kacey Musgraves, Kate Nash, Parquet Courts, Pistol Annies, Rilo Kiley, Rachid Taha, Uncluded, Vampire Weekend, Waxahatchee.

A brief reminder on how my columns split up. If I get a jazz record, it goes into Jazz Prospecting, but if I don't get a copy and wind up streaming or downloading it, it goes here. (Four jazz titles below: Eliane Elias, Andrea Parkins, John Scofield, Miguel Zenón.) If I get (or buy) a new non-jazz CD it will go here, mostly because there aren't enough of them to go anywhere else -- and much of the non-jazz I buy or beg I was sampled first here.

Records beyond some arbitrary age go into Recycled Goods, whether I get a copy or stream or download it. This can include digging back into an artist's catalog, as I've done several times recently -- the first two Jeffrey Lewis titles (2002-03) will go into Recycled Goods, but the more recent 2010-11 Peter Stampfel catalog items are here. Don't have a hard and fixed cutoff date, so I can fudge it in order to keep things together, or for some other reason I haven't thought of yet.

These are short notes/reviews based on streaming records from Rhapsody. They are snap judgments based on one or two plays, accumulated since my last post along these lines, back on June 29. Past reviews and more information are available here (3544 records).

Austra: Olympia (2013, Domino): Canadian synth-pop band "named for the Latvian goddess of light." Former Children's Opera diva/keyboardist Katie Stelmanis lets her classical training show when this gets thickly self-important -- doesn't the formula call for something lighter, not to mention more fun? B-

Lurrie Bell: Blues in My Soul (2013, Delmark): Chicago bluesman, father was harmonica man Carey Bell, has close to ten albums since 1989, this one sounding like it could have been recorded any time -- indeed, like something Buddy Guy or Magic Sam might have done fifty-some years ago. A-

Bell X1: Chop Chop (2013, Belly Up): Irish band, evidently a popular one, with eight albums since 2000 -- I've seen them compared to U2 and Radiohead, and can hear both, not that I'm much of a fan of either. Not as grandiose or as geeky, just nice, catchy, pleasant MOR pop-rock. B+(*)

Brandt Brauer Frick: Miami (2013, !K7): Electronic music, in form and function anyway, done with acoustic instruments: a ten-piece orchestra, plus extra voices. Form and function prevails, and sounds even quirkier. B+(**)

Ciara: Ciara (2013, Epic): Surname Harris, born in Austin, grew up on army bases, family settled in Atlanta, has a handful of records since 2003, going eponymous on her escape from LaFace. Danceable pop, tightened up by an occasional (probably guested) rap. B+(**)

Guy Clark: My Favorite Picture of You (2013, Dualtone): Singer-songwriter from Texas, country but never got to Nashville, now 71 with 15 albums, slowing down both metaphorically and literally. Starts with a song called "Cornmeal Waltz" and in the nine slot follows that up with his one cover, Lyle Lovett's "Waltzing Fool" -- both done as leisurely as possible. He's always been likable, but rarely this much. A-

The Cyclist: Bones in Motion (2013, Stones Throw): Andrew Morrison, from Northern Ireland, makes thumping electronica, a little rough. B+(**)

The Del-Lords: Elvis Club (2013, MRI): Scott Kempner's group released three conventional but pretty good rock and roll albums 1984-88, closed up shop a couple years later, regrouped in 2009, and finally have a new album out. No surprise: conventional but pretty good rock and roll. Ends with Neil Young's "Southern Pacific," which is the same idea (only better). B+(*)

Dessa: Parts of Speech (2013, Doomtree): Margaret Wander, from Minnesota, mostly rapped on 2010's remarkable A Badly Broken Code, mostly sings here, and while she's not in any way a bad singer, and she's undoubtedly very smart, you give up a lot of beats in the trade, and I don't get much back in the words. B+(*)

Disclosure: Settle (2013, Cherrytree/Interscope): English brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, 22 and 19 respectively, cop samples and string together a long album, never unpleasant but never all that interesting either, let alone exciting -- the youth of today, so serious, so glum. B+(*)

Eliane Elias: I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker (2013, Concord): Standards program, fourteen songs, all most likely in Baker's songbook but no "My Funny Valentine." She's a terrific singer, an even better pianist, and these are all good songs, many great, so what's not to like? (Certainly not an occasional bossa nova lapse.) Ex-husband Randy Brecker supplies the trumpet, current hubby Marc Johnson plays bass. B+(**)

The Ex & Brass Unbound: Enormous Door (2013, Ex): Dutch group, around since 1980, originally figured for punk but guitarists Terrie Ex and Andy Moor dabble in jazz and have various African connections, especially with Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya. Arnold de Boer and drummer Katherina Bornefeld sing, and they've hooked up with the most avant horn section ever to grace an Afro-punk band: Roy Paci (trumpet), Wolter Wierbos (trombone), Ken Vandermark (clarinet, bari sax), Mats Gustafsson (more bari sax). Ends with a "Theme From Konono No. 2" that could use more garbage cans but makes do with the horns. A- [dl]

The Fall: Re-Mit (2013, Cherry Red): Postpunk band dating back to 1979, has dozens of albums, most sound pretty much the same, as does this one -- Mark Smith growling against the grain of bass-heavy riffs. This one got terrible reviews, but after an ambivalent start they tighten up and nail cut after cut, often with a drum roll or some extraneous noise. A-

Foals: Holy Fire (2013, Warner Brothers): Oxford [UK] band, new wave-ish with what sound like a set of arena moves, except the sound is distant, disaffected, but turn it up and they achieve a certain snappy indeterminacy. B+(*)

Foals: Tapes (2012, !K7): Not counted as a group album, basically just a mixtape collated by the artist. They tap some contemporary electronica producers like Caribou and Nicolas Jaar, vintage disco by Cerrone (but remixed), scattered Africans from Tony Allen to Konono No. 1, and end with a bit of gospel -- consistent-enough beatwise, eclectic in a sort of ambient way (although Konono lifts the bar). B+(**)

Frightened Rabbit: Pedestrian View (2013, Atlantic): Scottish band, fourth album since 2006, well regarded in alt circles, which may just mean that Scott Hutchison writes mopey lyrics on top of classic rock riffs -- the keyb and bass remind me of Springsteen, but it's the guitar and sax that put Springsteen over the top, and they're too self-conscious (or should I say pedestrian?) for anything that flashy. Enjoyable until the second half thickens up. B

Frikstailers: En Son de Paz (2013, ZZK): Argentine electronica, so all influences are fair game, including cumbia and baile funk; still, the Latin beat does little to hide the electronic dance pulse, but maybe to dress it up a little. B+(***)

Ezra Furman: The Year of No Returning (2013, Bar/None): Three previous albums as Ezra Furman & the Harpoons. First play brought up various sonic annoyances, both in the alt-rocky first half and the folkie second -- the latter signalled by Dylanesque harmonica although vocally he slips into Ian Hunter instead. Second play reveals some strong songs, or at least strong lyrics -- "American Soil" and "Cruel Cruel World" about more than just himself. B+(*)

Gogol Bordello: Pura Vida Conspiracy (2013, ATO): Eugene Hütz's gypsy punk band, some great records in their 15-year past, and a sound so distinctive it promises more. One thing that seems new here is remarkably clear enunciation, and not just because they've lost a step: every word is completely clear, including lines like "borders are scars on the fact of the planet" and "truth is always the same." Also picking up a bit of norteño, country even. B+(***)

Mayer Hawthorne: Where Does This Door Go (2013, Republic): Did a clever Motown impression on his first album and a very impressive one on his second album, maturing and moving on here, which evidently means when he sounds like anyone it's Steely Dan. Not sure whether the move from Ann Arbor to Los Angeles came before or after -- probably before. B+(**)

Hermitofthewoods: Land of the Lotus Eaters (2013, Endemik Music): Rapper from Halifax, Nova Scotia, sometimes sounds like a dead ringer for Buck 65, but prefers thicker envelopes of sound, more industrial than metal, plus he knows a class war when it clubs him on the head like a seal. B+(***)

James Holden: The Inheritors (2013, Border Community): British DJ, has a handful of albums since 2001, this one notable for how the electronics, which is all there is, swells and threatens to devour everything. B+(**)

Hurray for the Riff Raff: My Dearest Darkest Neighbor (2013, Mod Mobillian/This Is American Music): Folk group, basically a front for guitarist-singer Alynda Lee Segarra, who ran away from the Bronx and her Puerto Rican ancestry to settle in New Orleans, One original, two post-Beatles covers -- I reckon if you're as young as she is, those songs are as ancient as the ones by Leadbelly, Billie Holiday, and Hank Williams, although I figure Gillian Welch for a more immediate role model. B+(**)

Inc.: No World (2013, 4AD): Two brothers, Andrew and Daniel Aged, who have worked with Rafael Saadiq and Ce Lo Green, offer R&B tracks that have been stripped of anything remotely charismatic -- just thin, high vocals and slow keyb rhythms, not even trip hop. Oddly enough, not such a bad idea. B+(*)

Jay-Z: Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013, Roc Nation): Great title. Lazy rhymes. No flow. Someone could try to make a case for the production, or conceptual audacity, or something like that, but that doesn't strike me as cost-effective. B

Nikki Lane: Walk of Shame (2011, IAmSound): Touted country singer, lives in Nashville at least, writes ordinary songs and sings them with occasional panache. B

Jeffrey Lewis/Peter Stampfel: Hey Hey It's the Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel Band (2013, self-released): Second album combining these intergenerational folk heroes, the first (Come on Board) reversing the artist sequence. I don't hear as much Stampfel as I'd like, and I'm not sure that I care for the rush-rush of the rock song structure -- there's even a fake Beach Boys summer song, and not a very good one at that. Still, more amusing than crass, and more diverting. B+(***) [bc]

Mac Miller: Watching Movies With the Sound Off (2013, Island): Started off as Easy Mac, white teenaged rapper from Pittsburgh, naively dubbing an early mixtape Kickin Incredibly Dope Shit. Couple years later, he's an institution, posing naked except for his tats and a strategically placed "parental advisory" sticker, looking worn and bored, floating so many guests I have no idea which reprobate here is him -- presumably not the one who asks, "who the fuck is Mac Miller?" Best cut is "Red Dot Music," but that's Action Bronson. B-

Anaïs Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer: Child Ballads (2013, Wilderland): Seven ballads, all by trad., numbered {1, 6, 39, 58, 100, 209, 216}, a series that means something I know not. Hamer has a previous album called Left Wing Sweetheart. Mitchell was an Ani DiFranco protégé, but the concept swallowed her Righteous Babe album, Hadestown. The concept is kinder here. A-

Mount Kimbie: Cold Spring Fault Less Youth (2013, Warp): English dubstep duo, Dominic Maker and Kai Campos, had a 2010 album -- well-regarded but I never found it -- and return here. Some seriously distorted rap vocals, with quasi-industrial ambiences. B+(*)

Willie Nile: American Ride (2013, Loud & Proud): Already a retro-rocker back in 1980-81 when he came late to the CBGB scene, didn't record much between then and 2004 when he caught a second wind. The title cut is a decent rocker, and "There's No Place Like Home" conveys fair folkie sentiment, but I couldn't care less for his thoughts on "Holy War": God isn't great unless you can sing like Rosetta Tharpe, or Blind Willie Johnson. B

Zeena Parkins: The Adorables (2013, Cryptogramophone): Harp and accordion player, I know her mostly through Ellery Eskelin's Trio, but she has a couple dozen fringe avant records. Group includes Shayna Dunkelman (vibes, marimba, percussion) and Preshish Moments (live electronics and programming). Quirky rhythms, quirkier sounds, most impressive when aligned ("Sophia") but they probably view that as an accident. B+(**)

Van Dyke Parks: Songs Cycled (2013, Bella Union): Thirty-five years after his debut, Song Cycle, another twist which makes a career-capping bookend, not that it's ever been much of a career: he strikes me as a dabbler, stealing from Broadway and the movies, more mischievous than humorous, ultimately producing nothing much I ever care to hear again. B-

Pet Shop Boys: Electric (2013, X2): On their own label now, maybe they're trying to pick it up a notch, but mostly they've gotten heavier and a bit cruder. Nothing here matches the light touch of albums like Behaviour, but they still have a buzz, and they're able to amplify it enough to fill an arena as well as a dance floor -- indeed, it's big enough to swallow Bruce Springsteen's "The Last to Die" and make it even more anthemic. A- [later: B+(***)]

Phoenix: Bankrupt! (2013, Glassnote): French group, been around since 2000, their 2009 album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, a huge critical and popular breakthrough, near the top of most year-end polls. Synth heavy, catchy enough with some gratuitous noise. "Deluxe edition" seems to have a 75-minute second disc on synth experiments. I turned it off after about five minutes, not because I disliked it so much as it was confusing the issue. Well, and it wasn't that good. B

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: Mature Themes (2012, 4AD): Ariel Rosenberg's lo-fi band, only heard one previous album and found it to be unintelligible murk, but the songs here are clear as well as idiosyncratic, sometimes even witty. Or sometimes not, like "Symphony of the Nymph." And sometimes not even listenable (e.g., "Schnitzel Boogie"). B-

Primal Scream: More Light (2013, First International): Legendary Scottish band, goes back to the mid-1980s although they haven't produced much, and I never was persuaded to bother with their supposed masterpiece, 1991's Screamadelica. However, on purely sonic grounds this is mighty impressive: nice structure, hooky riffs, one song nearly whispered, the closer filled out with "oo-la-las." A-

Queens of the Stone Age: . . . Like Clockwork (2013, Matador): Guitar-driven rock band, a bit hard for alt and a bit alt for hard, a narrow niche that sounded like a statement on 2000's Rated R. The guitar sound holds up more than a decade later, and the songwriting has become more flexible, but it's harder than ever to care, and it never was easy. B

John Scofield: Überjam Deux (2013, Emarcy): Guitarist, close to 40 albums since 1977 including one called Überjam in 2002. That's a substantial career, but it's amusing to read reviews that place him in the "big three" of his generation (along with Frisell and Metheny). He's far less ambitious than either, far less accomplished than Frisell, and while he's probably produced more good records than Metheny, that's only because he found his groove and stuck with it. And that's all he has to offer here. B+(*)

Serengeti: The Kenny Dennis LP (2013, Anticon): OK, I'm confused. Christgau refers to KD as "David Cohn's most beloved character, so fiction I assume, but aren't there real albums by Tha Grimm Teachaz, or are they all in on the con? The stories show that KD can be generous and can be an asshole, excusing the latter as just being KD. OK, people can be complicated, so can characters. Despite its greater length, this feels like what I expected from last year's The Kenny Dennis EP. Still, the beats get better the more you play, even if the skits don't. B+(***)

Sigur Rós: Kveikur (2013, XL): Icelandic band, most likely singing in their native tongue so you have to go on sound. This one, touted as "darker and more aggressive" by critics more familiar and I with their 15-year catalog, is mostly middleweight metal with occasional breaking glass, some prog synth, and vocals that escaped from a burning church. B

Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle (2010-12 [2013], Nonesuch, 2CD): Selections from four concerts put on as a memorial after Kate McGarrigle died in 2010, mostly featuring her two professional offspring, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, some with sister and former duo partner Anna McGarrigle, many with others, both one-shots and frequent repeaters like Emmylou Harris and Norah Jones. I'm not sure that any live up to the originals or vary interestingly, and I'm sure that most do not. Still, you can feel the temptation to find a future for a legacy that is now irrevocably locked in the past. B+(**)

Slava: Raw Solutions (2013, Software): Slava Balasanov, b. in Russia, moved to Chicago at age 12, got his degree in math. First album, after a couple EPs. B+(**)

Peter Stampfel/Baby Gramps: Outertainment (2010, Red Newt): Stampfel is the ex-Holy Modal Rounder with the voice you remember because there's never been anything like it, nor does it hurt that its intrinsic comedy is at the service of an equally legendary sense of humor. Gramps is a Seattle folkie who has just a bit less of all that, but is more obscure -- partly that's Seattle vs. Stampfel's New York, but largely it's because he's just plain weirder (throat singing is part of this). B+(***)

Peter Stampfel & the Worm All-Stars: A Sure Sign of Something (2011 [2012], KormDigitaal): The Worm All-Stars are a Dutch group, but the only other reference I've seen to them concerns a Kim Fowley collaboration, a rathole I don't care to descend. Stampfel met them while he was promoting a Holy Modal Rounders documentary, and they decided to recycle some of his songbook, starting with "Fucking Sailors in Chinatown." The band tries to play even more ragged than the singer, and succeeds. B+(**)

Mavis Staples: One True Vine (2013, Anti-): Coming out of the family gospel business, she's had a spotty solo career: two secular soul albums for Stax (1969-70), two forgotten albums (1977, 1984), a brief run sponsored by Prince (1989-93), a Mahalia Jackson tribute for Verve in 1996, another gospel for Alligator in 2004, and now a three-album run on Anti-: the first a marvelous collection of civil rights anthems (We'll Never Turn Back), followed by two Jeff Tweedy-produced roots albums -- this one with three Tweedy tunes mixed in with the gospel, itself slathered with an alt-rock veneer. B+(**)

The-Dream: IV Play (2013, Def Jam): Fourth album, give or take, has gotten hung up in the release machine for a couple years, which seems to mark it as something for critics to gang up on. Actually, continues along with the artist's soft porn beats, while the lyrics never let love get in the way of sex. For example: "this ain't a love song/I need to fuck you." Or: "how can I hold this bitch/when I don't know this bitch." B

These New Puritans: Field of Reeds (2013, Infectious): English group, third album, play slow and solemn, the chant vocals lost in the organ swells. Not sure the old puritans would do better, but at least you wouldn't get that "high church" conceit, and might even encounter some fire and brimstone. C+

Thundercat: Apocalypse (2013, Brainfeeder): Fairly deft beats, except for the occasional drum solo, with vocals so disembodied you wonder why they/he bothered -- maybe it's part of the apocalypse theme. God, I'm so tired of that shit. C+

Transplants: In a Warzone (2013, Epitaph): A merger from Rancid and Blink-182 meant more in 2002 when they put their striking eponymous debut together. Only their third album, tight, hard punk with hooks and raps, politics too. Short at 29:55, but I wouldn't call something with 12 songs an EP. B+(***)

Carmen Villain: Sleeper (2013, Smalltown Supersound): Norwegian singer-songwriter, Carmen Maria Hillestad -- first and second names reflect some Mexican heritage -- based in England, singing in English, her face obscured by hair on the cover and her voice buried in sonic murk -- mostly bass and guitar -- perhaps trying to live up the threat. B+(*)

The White Mandingos: The Ghetto Is Tryna Kill Me (2013, Fat Beats): Rapper Nick Carter (aka Murs) with Bad Brains bassist Darryl Jenifer and Ego Trip magazine founder Sacha Jenkins (found in an old bio: "in his spare time, Sacha likes to play guitar"), plus someone on drums: basically a punk trio with a rapper. Doesn't push the noise envelope like Death Grips, and I figure that to be a plus. Not sure the race politics won't get to be boring, but so far it feels real enough. A-

Daniel Wohl: Corps Exquis (2013, New Amsterdam): Paris-born, New York-based composer, background and label marking this as classical but the sound diverges from electronica only in that it's meant for the symphony hall instead of the dance floor and much of the actual sound is acoustic -- admittedly, loud acoustic, laced through and through with synths. A-

The Wonder Years: The Greatest Generation (2013, Hopeless): Cleveland band, fourth album since 2007; what they do is called "punk-pop" because the vocal posture is punk but the drums are much heavier and they have a sense of hooks, moreover they can shift volume levels, including a moderate one where they are very coherent, but they much prefer the real loud one. Actually, very impressive, and what few lyrics I caught suggest they're not dolts, but I don't enjoy it much. B+(**)

Miguel Zenón & the Rhythm Collective: Oye!!! Live in Puerto Rico (2011 [2013], Miel Music): Alto saxophonist from Puerto Rico, so this is his home turf, with Aldemar Valentin (electric bass), Tony Escapa (drums), and Reynaldo De Jesus (percussion), and rhythm is indeed their thing. Opens with a surprising "Oye Como Va" then builds, the sax most impressive toward the end. Only thing with live albums is you have to wade through the bass and drums solos, but at least he didn't drag in a string quartet this time. B+(***)

Missing

Records I looked for but didn't find on Rhapsody:

• Deap Vally: Sistrionix (2013, Island)
• Dirty Beaches: Drifters/Love Is the Devil (2013, Zoo)
• Miss Kittin: Calling From the Stars (2013, WSphere)
• Aiofe O'Donovan: Fossils (2013, Yep Roc)

Recycled Goods

The following were written during this period for Recycled Goods:

The Beau Brummels: Introducing the Beau Brummels (1965, Autumn): San Francisco group, took the retro hint from the British Invasion and contextualized it more subtly, but at least they came up with one of the indelible hits of the era ("Laugh Laugh") and put more work than usual into the filler. B+(**)

James Brown: Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (1965, King): The hardest working man in soul business released 31 albums during the 1960s, most unavailable (except possibly through comps), so this will be spotty; two parts of his big hit packaged with older tracks, which means the album (unlike the single) isn't cutting edge, but still who the hell has caught up? B+(***)

James Brown: Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969, King): One last greath anthem for the decade, done in two parts, of course, plus one prophetic bit of nonsense, "Licking Stick," that opened up funk for the next decade, and the usual filler, but even a small organ feature's got soul. A-

Buffalo Springfield: Last Time Around (1968, Atco): Third and last album, as stars Stephen Stills and Richie Furay and Jim Messina were heading off to worse bands to join while Neil Young would wind up doing fine on his lonesome; nothing much here that would long be remembered with the band, unless you count "Kind Woman." B

The Byrds: Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde (1969, Columbia): After the artistic triumph (and commercial debacle) of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman left, almost making this the first Roger McGuinn solo; it's schizophrenic all right, but only because McGuinn's bag of tricks only works half the time -- when he's adapting something old, like "Old Blue," or leaning on someone brilliant, like Parsons ("Drug Store Truck Drivin Man") although less so his old standby Dylan. B

The Byrds: The Ballad of Easy Rider (1969, Columbia): McGuinn's only credit is the title song, but Gene Parsons and Clarence White rise from the band to help out, and they thumb through their old folk records for a scattering of stuff as good as Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" and as bad as "Jack Tarr the Sailor," finding Jesus and founding the lame side of El Lay country-rock. B-

The Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band: Greatest Hits (1968, Vanguard): Berkeley band, hippies and proud of it, existed in various combinations 1966-70, the mainstay Phil Marsh, formerly of the Instant Action Jug Band, later the Masked Marauders; don't think they ever released any other records -- they jumped straight to the career tombstone. B+(***)

John Coltrane: Dear Old Stockholm (1963-65 [1993], Impulse): A quartet recording with Roy Haynes in the drum chair, two cuts from a 1963 studio session, three from 1965, the title track an old trad piece, the rest originals; later cuts like "After the Crescent" break loose in his full fury, but the final short prayer sounds thin. B+(***)

John Coltrane: Living Space (1965 [1998], Impulse): Quartet tracks, from a year so productive the label didn't bother with releasing the first four until 1978, then tacked on yet another cut for this release; not at his greatest, but he's so intense, on such a high plateau, that anyone else would be green with envy, and Tyner somehow manages to keep up. A-

John Coltrane: Interstellar Space (1967 [1991], Impulse): His last album, cut five months before his death at age 40 of liver cancer, released in 1974 (the two bonus tracks first appeared in 1978); duets with Rashied Ali, the young drummer who shepherded Trane into the furthest reaches of the avant-garde -- I can't say as I've ever approved, but this is the first album I've heard where they really connect, both players in perpetually frantic motion, pouring their hearts out; or maybe I'm just getting the hang of this. A-

John Coltrane: Expression (1967 [1993], Impulse): Mostly cut a week before the duos on Interstellar Space, the group is expanded here with Alice Coltrane on piano and Jimmy Garrison on bass, plus one cut features a long Pharoah Sanders flute solo; after early floundering, the group comes together impressively on the title piece, and Coltrane at least continues furiously through the bonus track. B+(**)

Country Joe & the Fish: Electric Music for the Mind and Body (1967, Vanguard): San Francisco hippies with enough in the way of old left solidarity to note Stalin and Mao in their name; best thing here is an explcit rant against LBJ; worst is the closer, where they bid for psychedelic cred by sounding stoned. B+(*)

Country Joe & the Fish: I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die (1967, Vanguard): Had this album back in the day, the title cut's "whopee, we're all going to die" refrain one of the few Vietnam War refrains to capture the madness of the moment, so imagine my surprise when I eventually discovered they had just changed the words to "Muskrat Ramble"; nothing else like that here, but "Who Am I" is a good question-song, and "Eastern Jam" jams. B+(*)

Cream: Fresh Cream (1966, Polydor): Debut album by the formidable English power trio, bluesman Eric Clapton with arena hound Jack Bruce and jazz-oriented Ginger Baker, seeking a synthesis they only occasionally arrive at -- "I Feel Free," "I'm So Glad," above all "Rollin' and Tumblin'." B+(**)

Cream: Wheels of Fire (1968, Polydor): The studio side starts with "White Room" with Jack Bruce at his most imperial, but again depends on blues standards for its most bankable riffs; the "Live at the Fillmore" side offers four songs, two stretched out past 16 minutes, "Spoonful" with a lot of guitar, "Toad" with a lot of drums. B+(*)

Cream: Goodbye (1968 [1969], Polydor): Their break up album: three leftover studio tracks, three live ones from a gig in Los Angeles -- a prelude to two live albums in 1970, as if Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker really were the jazz virtuosos of their dreams (Eric Clapton, of course, would have been satisfied as a blues hobo); one of the studio tracks is a keeper ("Badge"), and the live cuts rock out. B+(*)

The Doors: Waiting for the Sun (1968, Elektra): Third album, starts with one of their minor hits ("Hello, I Love You"), but midway their artsy pretensions fail them, with the mock-operatic "Spanish Caravan" and some kind of march (or chain gang chant) in "My Wild Love." B

The Doors: The Soft Parade (1969, Elektra): Horn charts and strings clutter up half the cuts, hardly compensating for their mediocrity -- for contrast, see "Shaman's Blues," which isn't hit material but shows how easy quality filler can be; Jim Morrison's future chances as a jazz crooner: nil. B-

Grateful Dead: Grateful Dead (1967, Warner Brothers): First album; those who missed it will be surprised at how fast and precise the mother of all jam bands could actually play; but from the start the songs were just frameworks for improvising, and while in the studio they didn't run on as long as they did live, they do give you a real taste of that here. A-

Grateful Dead: Anthem of the Sun (1968, Warner Brothers): Second album, five cuts including one up at 15:17, no hooks, no real leadership, the vocals scattered and garbled, an attempt to show how far out you can go, yet once everyone shuts up they can develop an impressive groove, even around drums with no ordinary time. B

Grateful Dead: Aoxomoxoa (1969, Warner Brothers): Aside from the whispered, garbled 8:30 dirge "What's Become of the Baby" and the somewhat fractured 5:45 closer ("Cosmic Charlie") -- a second side to skip unless you're as stoned as they were -- the songs are tight and tuneful and short -- the St. Stephen you'll want is on Live/Dead -- the vocals slapped on with a big silly grin, prepping but not quite ready to go mersh. B+(***)

Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul (1969, Stax): Songwriter-producer turned impressario, orchestrated and rapped over these long rhythm tracks; I recall a poll once that picked "hot buttered rum" as the food/drink that sounded better than it tasted; "hot buttered soul" should be better, but turns out it isn't. B

The Hollies: Here I Go Again (1964, Imperial): First album, at least in the US (UK version is Stay With the Hollies), shows them trying to raise their harmonies to Beatles standards, applied to the sort of standards the Beatles practiced on before writing their own songbook -- "Stay," "Memphis," "Lucille," "Rockin' Robin," "Do You Love Me" -- except the Beatles matured much earlier, and never bothered with Glen Campbell. B

The Hollies: Hear! Here! (1965, Imperial): Second US album, skipping the UK-only In the Hollies Style (7/12 originals by "Ransford": Allen Clarke, Tony Hicks, and Graham Nash), drawing on the eponymous UK-only third album, and including their biggest single to date, "Look Through Any Window"; still about half covers, but they've tightened up their guitars and harmonies to where they all sound of a piece. B+(*)

The Hollies: Bus Stop (1966, Imperial): Their biggest hit was penned by Graham Gouldman, the other covers more predictable as they improve on Fred Neil and Paul Simon and liven things up with Chuck Berry and Dozier-Holland, and the originals seem to have hit a plateau, their sound down so pat there's no longer anything interesting about it. B+(*)

The Hollies: Evolution (1967, Epic): A breakthrough in songwriting -- the first time they had enough original material they didn't have to work in covers -- makes this their first coherent album, nicely balanced, each song potentially memorable, with the harpsichord the most pleasing surprise; I (accidentally) programmed the 12-track single-less UK release instead of the 10-cut US, then added "Carrie Anne" from the latter as a bonus; that's the way a CD reissue should do it, but the only ones I see pack in more (Sundazed) or much more. A-

Jefferson Airplane: Takes Off (1966, RCA): Pre-Grace Slick, Marty Balin dominates although Signe Anderson provides a female counterpoint, unusual at the time; not much here I know from their Worst Of but they built their psychedelic fuzz on a solid blues foundation, floating the hippie anthem "Let's Get Together" on a tough "Tobacco Road." A-

Jefferson Airplane: After Bathing at Baxter's (1967 [2003], RCA): After Grace Slick arrived, Surrealistic Pillow split neatly into inspired hits and indifferent filler; this third quickie reverses course, elevating the filler with intense guitar work and democratizing the vocals like they were in church; reissue goes further, swapping in a longer live rave for the single. B+(**)

Jefferson Airplane: Crown of Creation (1968, RCA): Fourth album, the cover reminds me of Atomic Basie but the music peers inward, everyone contributing but not much, finally opening up with the title cut and finishing strong with "House at Pooneil Corners." B+(*)

Jefferson Airplane: Bless Its Pointed Little Head (1968 [1969], RCA): Live album, taken from concert stands at both Fillmores; half new songs, "Somebody to Love" the only obligatory hit, all muscled up whether stretched or truncated, only "Bear Melt" topping ten minutes. B+(**)

Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign (1966-67 [1967], Stax): King's soul ballads -- covers like "I Almost Lost My Mind" and "The Very Thought of You" -- are received but their lack of pretension works out nicely; his guitar is another story: why people pay attention. A-

The Beau Brummels: Introducing the Beau Brummels (1965, Autumn): San Francisco group, took the retro hint from the British Invasion and contextualized it more subtly, but at least they came up with one of the indelible hits of the era ("Laugh Laugh") and put more work than usual into the filler. B+(**)

James Brown: Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (1965, King): The hardest working man in soul business released 31 albums during the 1960s, most unavailable (except possibly through comps), so this will be spotty; two parts of his big hit packaged with older tracks, which means the album (unlike the single) isn't cutting edge, but still who the hell has caught up? B+(***)

James Brown: Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969, King): One last greath anthem for the decade, done in two parts, of course, plus one prophetic bit of nonsense, "Licking Stick," that opened up funk for the next decade, and the usual filler, but even a small organ feature's got soul. A-

Buffalo Springfield: Last Time Around (1968, Atco): Third and last album, as stars Stephen Stills and Richie Furay and Jim Messina were heading off to worse bands to join while Neil Young would wind up doing fine on his lonesome; nothing much here that would long be remembered with the band, unless you count "Kind Woman." B

The Byrds: Dr. Byrds and Mr. Hyde (1969, Columbia): After the artistic triumph (and commercial debacle) of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman left, almost making this the first Roger McGuinn solo; it's schizophrenic all right, but only because McGuinn's bag of tricks only works half the time -- when he's adapting something old, like "Old Blue," or leaning on someone brilliant, like Parsons ("Drug Store Truck Drivin Man") although less so his old standby Dylan. B

The Byrds: The Ballad of Easy Rider (1969, Columbia): McGuinn's only credit is the title song, but Gene Parsons and Clarence White rise from the band to help out, and they thumb through their old folk records for a scattering of stuff as good as Woody Guthrie's "Deportee" and as bad as "Jack Tarr the Sailor," finding Jesus and founding the lame side of El Lay country-rock. B-

The Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band: Greatest Hits (1968, Vanguard): Berkeley band, hippies and proud of it, existed in various combinations 1966-70, the mainstay Phil Marsh, formerly of the Instant Action Jug Band, later the Masked Marauders; don't think they ever released any other records -- they jumped straight to the career tombstone. B+(***)

John Coltrane: Dear Old Stockholm (1963-65 [1993], Impulse): A quartet recording with Roy Haynes in the drum chair, two cuts from a 1963 studio session, three from 1965, the title track an old trad piece, the rest originals; later cuts like "After the Crescent" break loose in his full fury, but the final short prayer sounds thin. B+(***)

John Coltrane: Living Space (1965 [1998], Impulse): Quartet tracks, from a year so productive the label didn't bother with releasing the first four until 1978, then tacked on yet another cut for this release; not at his greatest, but he's so intense, on such a high plateau, that anyone else would be green with envy, and Tyner somehow manages to keep up. A-

John Coltrane: Interstellar Space (1967 [1991], Impulse): His last album, cut five months before his death at age 40 of liver cancer, released in 1974 (the two bonus tracks first appeared in 1978); duets with Rashied Ali, the young drummer who shepherded Trane into the furthest reaches of the avant-garde -- I can't say as I've ever approved, but this is the first album I've heard where they really connect, both players in perpetually frantic motion, pouring their hearts out; or maybe I'm just getting the hang of this. A-

John Coltrane: Expression (1967 [1993], Impulse): Mostly cut a week before the duos on Interstellar Space, the group is expanded here with Alice Coltrane on piano and Jimmy Garrison on bass, plus one cut features a long Pharoah Sanders flute solo; after early floundering, the group comes together impressively on the title piece, and Coltrane at least continues furiously through the bonus track. B+(**)

Country Joe & the Fish: Electric Music for the Mind and Body (1967, Vanguard): San Francisco hippies with enough in the way of old left solidarity to note Stalin and Mao in their name; best thing here is an explcit rant against LBJ; worst is the closer, where they bid for psychedelic cred by sounding stoned. B+(*)

Country Joe & the Fish: I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die (1967, Vanguard): Had this album back in the day, the title cut's "whopee, we're all going to die" refrain one of the few Vietnam War refrains to capture the madness of the moment, so imagine my surprise when I eventually discovered they had just changed the words to "Muskrat Ramble"; nothing else like that here, but "Who Am I" is a good question-song, and "Eastern Jam" jams. B+(*)

Cream: Fresh Cream (1966, Polydor): Debut album by the formidable English power trio, bluesman Eric Clapton with arena hound Jack Bruce and jazz-oriented Ginger Baker, seeking a synthesis they only occasionally arrive at -- "I Feel Free," "I'm So Glad," above all "Rollin' and Tumblin'." B+(**)

Cream: Wheels of Fire (1968, Polydor): The studio side starts with "White Room" with Jack Bruce at his most imperial, but again depends on blues standards for its most bankable riffs; the "Live at the Fillmore" side offers four songs, two stretched out past 16 minutes, "Spoonful" with a lot of guitar, "Toad" with a lot of drums. B+(*)

Cream: Goodbye (1968 [1969], Polydor): Their break up album: three leftover studio tracks, three live ones from a gig in Los Angeles -- a prelude to two live albums in 1970, as if Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker really were the jazz virtuosos of their dreams (Eric Clapton, of course, would have been satisfied as a blues hobo); one of the studio tracks is a keeper ("Badge"), and the live cuts rock out. B+(*)

The Doors: Waiting for the Sun (1968, Elektra): Third album, starts with one of their minor hits ("Hello, I Love You"), but midway their artsy pretensions fail them, with the mock-operatic "Spanish Caravan" and some kind of march (or chain gang chant) in "My Wild Love." B

The Doors: The Soft Parade (1969, Elektra): Horn charts and strings clutter up half the cuts, hardly compensating for their mediocrity -- for contrast, see "Shaman's Blues," which isn't hit material but shows how easy quality filler can be; Jim Morrison's future chances as a jazz crooner: nil. B-

Grateful Dead: Grateful Dead (1967, Warner Brothers): First album; those who missed it will be surprised at how fast and precise the mother of all jam bands could actually play; but from the start the songs were just frameworks for improvising, and while in the studio they didn't run on as long as they did live, they do give you a real taste of that here. A-

Grateful Dead: Anthem of the Sun (1968, Warner Brothers): Second album, five cuts including one up at 15:17, no hooks, no real leadership, the vocals scattered and garbled, an attempt to show how far out you can go, yet once everyone shuts up they can develop an impressive groove, even around drums with no ordinary time. B

Grateful Dead: Aoxomoxoa (1969, Warner Brothers): Aside from the whispered, garbled 8:30 dirge "What's Become of the Baby" and the somewhat fractured 5:45 closer ("Cosmic Charlie") -- a second side to skip unless you're as stoned as they were -- the songs are tight and tuneful and short -- the St. Stephen you'll want is on Live/Dead -- the vocals slapped on with a big silly grin, prepping but not quite ready to go mersh. B+(***)

Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul (1969, Stax): Songwriter-producer turned impressario, orchestrated and rapped over these long rhythm tracks; I recall a poll once that picked "hot buttered rum" as the food/drink that sounded better than it tasted; "hot buttered soul" should be better, but turns out it isn't. B

The Hollies: Here I Go Again (1964, Imperial): First album, at least in the US (UK version is Stay With the Hollies), shows them trying to raise their harmonies to Beatles standards, applied to the sort of standards the Beatles practiced on before writing their own songbook -- "Stay," "Memphis," "Lucille," "Rockin' Robin," "Do You Love Me" -- except the Beatles matured much earlier, and never bothered with Glen Campbell. B

The Hollies: Hear! Here! (1965, Imperial): Second US album, skipping the UK-only In the Hollies Style (7/12 originals by "Ransford": Allen Clarke, Tony Hicks, and Graham Nash), drawing on the eponymous UK-only third album, and including their biggest single to date, "Look Through Any Window"; still about half covers, but they've tightened up their guitars and harmonies to where they all sound of a piece. B+(*)

The Hollies: Bus Stop (1966, Imperial): Their biggest hit was penned by Graham Gouldman, the other covers more predictable as they improve on Fred Neil and Paul Simon and liven things up with Chuck Berry and Dozier-Holland, and the originals seem to have hit a plateau, their sound down so pat there's no longer anything interesting about it. B+(*)

The Hollies: Evolution (1967, Epic): A breakthrough in songwriting -- the first time they had enough original material they didn't have to work in covers -- makes this their first coherent album, nicely balanced, each song potentially memorable, with the harpsichord the most pleasing surprise; I (accidentally) programmed the 12-track single-less UK release instead of the 10-cut US, then added "Carrie Anne" from the latter as a bonus; that's the way a CD reissue should do it, but the only ones I see pack in more (Sundazed) or much more. A-

Jefferson Airplane: Takes Off (1966, RCA): Pre-Grace Slick, Marty Balin dominates although Signe Anderson provides a female counterpoint, unusual at the time; not much here I know from their Worst Of but they built their psychedelic fuzz on a solid blues foundation, floating the hippie anthem "Let's Get Together" on a tough "Tobacco Road." A-

Jefferson Airplane: After Bathing at Baxter's (1967 [2003], RCA): After Grace Slick arrived, Surrealistic Pillow split neatly into inspired hits and indifferent filler; this third quickie reverses course, elevating the filler with intense guitar work and democratizing the vocals like they were in church; reissue goes further, swapping in a longer live rave for the single. B+(**)

Jefferson Airplane: Crown of Creation (1968, RCA): Fourth album, the cover reminds me of Atomic Basie but the music peers inward, everyone contributing but not much, finally opening up with the title cut and finishing strong with "House at Pooneil Corners." B+(*)

Jefferson Airplane: Bless Its Pointed Little Head (1968 [1969], RCA): Live album, taken from concert stands at both Fillmores; half new songs, "Somebody to Love" the only obligatory hit, all muscled up whether stretched or truncated, only "Bear Melt" topping ten minutes. B+(**)

Albert King: Born Under a Bad Sign (1966-67 [1967], Stax): King's soul ballads -- covers like "I Almost Lost My Mind" and "The Very Thought of You" -- are received but their lack of pretension works out nicely; his guitar is another story: why people pay attention. A-

The Lovin' Spoonful: Do You Believe in Magic (1965 [2002], Buddha): First album, two hit singles here (plus "Younger Girl," which I remember as a third), the filler drawn from blues, climaxing in a guitar raveup as if they were practicing for a battle of the bands with the Yardbirds; while I remember the hits from back in the day, those blues I mostly know from other sources, discovered later even when they weren't. A-

The Lovin' Spoonful: Daydream (1966 [2003], Buddha): Second album, rushed out to repackage two hit singles, the filler safer -- including anthems for jug band music and rock and roll -- except for "Bald Headed Lena," a path they hinted at but never really took. B+(**)

The Lovin' Spoonful: Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful (1966 [2003], Buddha): Third album, the last three top-ten singles, the filler now mostly of John Sebastian songs, his profligacy less good for more hits than for more idiosyncratic misses; also shows they're more jug band than blues juggernaut. B+(**)

The Lovin' Spoonful: Greatest Hits (1965-70 [2000], Buddha): John Sebastian's jug band, named for a line in a Mississippi John Hurt song, scored seven top-ten singles in 1965-66, with more non-hits up to 1970. The hits have a crystaline clarity to them, but after the first four had an identifiable similarity, "Summer in the City" and "Nashville Cats" emerged as flukes. Listen to the albums in order and you can almost hear the money people cajoling Sebastian: write more hits, or at least write more. The first album fell back on blues filler, which made it safer but more substantial. With 26 cuts, 12 post-"Nashville Cats," this runs toward too much: the 12-cut Platinum & Gold Collection (2003, BMG Heritage) or the 14-cut Playlist (2008, Legacy) might be better bargains, but this offers more context. A-

The Mamas and the Papas: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966, Dunhill): Merging members of folkie groups the New Journeymen and the Mugwumps, they devised a sunny sound with multipart vocals for the two huge singles here -- "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" -- although I never cared for the latter; the rest is split between lower-keyed originals ("Go Wher You Wanna Go," "Somebody Groovy") and oddly mistreated covers -- "Spanish Harlem," "The In-Crowd," a goopy "Do You Wanna Dance?" where the answer is certainly "no." B+(*)

Wilson Pickett: In the Midnight Hour (1965, Atlantic): First album with Atlantic, kicked off with one of the signature soul hits of the decade, a little rough after that but no fighting it, he can outshout his horns, and has the charisma to raise filler to a higher energy orbit. A-

Wilson Pickett: The Exciting Wilson Pickett (1966, Atlantic): Second Atlantic album, waited long enough after the first one to get their hits lined up, and they got the branding right: no soul singer is wound up tighter, more explosive, more flat out exciting. A

Wilson Pickett: The Wicked Pickett (1966, Atlantic): Got rushed and made a covers album, and while he appropriates stompers like "Mustang Sally" and "Knock on Wood," he can't reclaim "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" or "Time Is on My Side" (maybe from Bobby Womack, but not like Otis Redding did with the Rolling Stones). B+(**)

Wilson Pickett: The Sound of Wilson Pickett (1967, Atlantic): Leads off with another dance number, always a smart move, and hits all the appropriate whoops and hollers, something more than just going through the motions but that alone is his most memorable feat. B+(***)

Wilson Pickett: I'm in Love (1968, Atlantic): Love songs, maybe not so lovable songs -- he uses "Stagger Lee" to pick up the pace, which is where he's strongest -- but he makes an impression with all of them, especially "She's Lookin' Good"; only two songs top three minutes, so ten of them add up to a short 25:39. B+(***)

Wilson Pickett: The Midnight Mover (1968, Atlantic): The single builds on his big hit, and everything else tweaks his past in search of a revitalized future, which he mostly finds; still short, but "Let's Get an Understanding" is an overlooked signpost for the decade. A-

Wilson Pickett: Hey Jude (1969, Atlantic): Bad idea to cover the Beatles' lame ballad, but Wicked throws so much backbone into it he manages to hold it up for 4:07; nothing else cracks 3:00, not "Born to Be Wild," which couldn't be truer, or "A Man and a Half," which doesn't need to be stretched to leave you satisfied. A-

Procol Harum: A Salty Dog (1969, A&M): Third album, widely regarded as their peak but hard to get a handle on the band -- an ever-changing studio concoction built to cash in on the undeniable "A Whiter Shade of Pale"; most notable songs in one pass: "The Milk of Human Kindness," philosophically grand, and "Boredom," decidedly not. B+(**)

Otis Redding: Pain in My Heart (1964, Atco): First album, the title cut unmistakable from the first horn note, then he does "The Dog," "Stand by Me," "You Send Me," and later "Lucille" -- proof that he could steal from the rich; his originals were buried on the second side, including "These Arms of Mine" and "Security" -- you must have heard those already. A

Otis Redding: The Soul Album (1966, Atco): Fourth album, knocking them off on at a six-month clip, this is the least spectacular of his studio albums, the fault of less memorable songs although he also managed to misjudge "Chain Gang" and "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"; I'd knock it down another notch, but it turns out he really did have only one more year to live. A-

Otis Redding/Carla Thomas: King & Queen (1967, Atco): A side show -- Thomas never amounted to more on her own than any of Marvin Gaye's partners, but she was better known, partly for dog-walking father Rufus Thomas, and partly for the title bestowed here; Redding carries the songs, and his rhythm section carries him, which is more than enough, but far short of epochal. A-

SSgt Barry Sadler: Ballads of the Green Berets (1966 [1997], Collectors' Choice): The title "Ballad," with its snare figure and bugle filigree, was a novelty hit, number one for five weeks in early 1966 -- a backlash against opponents of the newly Americanized Vietnam War that inadvertently showed how narrow-minded the case for the war was. The album is filled out with modestly orchestrated tunes, with Sadler calmly talking his way through stories of soldiers going to war and dying honorably without any details about where or why they fought, who or why they killed. He did a tour in Vietnam, which ended when he jammed his knee on a punji stick, leaving him with a severe infection. His second single, "The A Team," stiffed, and he never recorded another album. He tried his hand at writing war fiction, naming his hero after the Roman soldier who stabbed Jesus during his crucifixion. In 1978 he shot and killed a songwriter. He was convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 4-5 years in jail, but an appeal let him out after 21 days. He moved to Guatemala, and got shot himself in 1988. He was flown back to the US, was in a coma for several months, and died of complications a year later, at age 49 -- a piss poor example of a patriot, I'd say. D

Sun Ra: Outer Spaceways Incorporated (1968 [1993], Black Lion): Adds one song to the five released in 1971 as Pictures of Infinity; at first this sounds like John Gilmore trying to jump Albert Ayler, then the drummer gets some, someone quasi-sings; finally they swing into orbit, and let the flute float in space. B+(**)

The Temptations: Meet the Temptations (1964, Gordy): I doubt there's much to be gained by listening to album-by-album of Motown in the 1960s, especially since their first Greatest Hits series appeared around 1966, with their canon-establishing sequences. (I'm writing this after the Stevie Wonders below. Turns out he didn't make a really good album until 1972's Talking Book, although several lead-off singles might have gotten your hopes up.) The best of all the first wave Greatest Hits was by the Temptations -- for long the most cherished of all my LPs (didn't hurt that my copy was sleeveless, pressed in red plastic with Chinese print -- made it seem like a rare archaeological find). Also, later Temptations best-ofs invariably tacked on "Psychedelic Shack" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" -- great hits but out of place alongside their early run. This debut album only showcases one of their hits -- "The Way You Do the Things You Do" -- but they thought the filler important enough to list their titles on the cover. And funny thing: if you skip it and just play the rest, you'll find what sounds like a great lost Isley Brothers album -- at least until "Just Let Me Know," where they slow it down and the familiar voices emerge. A-

The Temptations: The Temptations Sing Smokey (1965, Gordy): Rather than the usual practice of wrapping their latest hit in a wad of fish paper, their second album goes for a concept, though Robinson was still more label stablehand than tribute star -- lets them repeat "The Way You Do the Things You Do," roll up a couple more hits (especially "My Girl"), and work on their soft side for an album that's just a little too consistent. B+(***)

The Temptations: With a Lot o' Soul (1967, Gordy): Sixth album -- Rhapsody is missing some -- their first top ten album (although all but the first topped the R&B chart, as would the next four); four hit singles, the lowest 14 pop, 3 R&B, and they hardly stand out but I did notice that they they drag a bit they wind up sounding like the Four Tops. B+(***)

The Temptations: Wish It Would Rain (1968, Gordy): Soon-to-be-fired David Ruffin sings five of six songs on the first side, including the title hit; second side falls apart, although "No Man Can Love Her Like I Do" has some inadvertent novelty charm. B+(*)

The Temptations: Cloud Nine (1969, Gordy): Dennis Edwards takes over for David Ruffin, and Norman Whitfield becomes the album's sole producer after all the jockeying on recent albums; the title cut is as strong as any, though not danceable like the old days, and everything else clicks in -- sure, they think they can sell this as "psychedelic," but it's really soul. A-

Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band: Hoodoo Man Blues (1965, Delmark): Harmonica player, a strong but sly singer when he gets the chance as they did on his debut, stepping out front of his long-time collaborator, guitarist Buddy Guy; this has a reputation as a Chicago blues classic -- number eight on Robert Santelli's The Best of the Blues list -- and comes damn close. A-

The Who: The Who Sings My Generation (1965, MCA): First album, their title hit ending the first side, "The Kids Are Alright" launching the second, the rest filler, the only covers from James Brown -- a statement, even if they don't hold a candle to the originals; a couple hints of where they would go, several stagnant blues efforts, an instrumental ("The Ox") that suggests what they may have meant by "maximum r&b." B+(**)

The Who: A Quick One (Happy Jack) (1966, Polydor): Second album, where they find a unified voice and sound, although non-Townshend songs rarely hit the mark (Entwistle's "Boris the Spider" the flukey exception), and Townshend's title cut was his first mini-opera, although the real prize is the single. B+(***)

Stevie Wonder: Up-Tight (1966, Tamla): After a handful of "Little Stevie" albums searching for novelty hits, the 15-year-old reintroduces himself as an upbeat dance powerhouse, although only the title cut proves indelible. B

Stevie Wonder: Down to Earth (1966, Tamla): Tempting to call this his folkie album -- "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Sixteen Tons," "Bang Bang" -- but he also covers (and can't top) the Four Tops. B-

Stevie Wonder: For Once in My Life (1968, Tamla): Title cut is one of his all-time great singles, which like last year's "I Was Made to Love Her" has done wonders for his voice, so he's finally able to lift up filler like "Sunny" -- probably the best version ever -- and "The House on the Hill," while turning a trifle like "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" into a hit. B+(**)

Stevie Wonder: My Cherie Amour (1969, Tamla): The title cut, which dates back to 1966, showed he can slow it down and still make it work; but when he get to the filler he has to turn the heat up. B+(***)

Notes

Everything streamed from Rhapsody, except as noted in brackets following the grade:

• [cd] based on physical cd (but made most sense to review here)
• [bc] available at bandcamp.com
• [sc] available at soundcloud.com
• [dl] something I was able to download from the web; may be freely available, or may be a promo deal