Editorial Review

Everything the peace and love vibe of the '60s wasn't the Stooges 1969 debut record was: dangerous, violent, chaotic, mean-spirited, and sex crazed. Iggy Pop's monotone birthday lament, "1969" ("War across the U.S.A. / Another year for me and you / Another year with nothing to do"), pretty much sums up the band's coldly disaffected outlook. Producer and Velvet Underground second banana John Cale lends the proceedings an appropriately ominous feel, although his attempt to transform the Stooges into V.U. clones on the 10-minute-plus "All Fall Down" is the band's weakest studio moment. But Iggy Pop and company more than make up for that misstep with the mind-numbingly ugly-and-great "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and the distortion-drenched "Real Cool Time." Read more

Reviews (63)

breathtakingly devastating rock & roll
Rock and roll just doesn't get any more REAL than the Stooges.For coping with life in a world that just plain drives you crazy, the Stooges provide the antidote.
***1/2A long, strange trip into late '60s hell
Proto-punk, hard rock, acid rock, three-chord garage anthems - it all starts here. Iggy Pop takes Jim Morrison's confrontational stance three cocky steps forward and snarls his way from start to finish. His inspiration by the Doors is obvious, and he has the same lizard charisma as Morrison, but he doesn't rip him off. Ig has his own agenda.
The Stooges - A quinnesential album!
As I said in my review for "Fun House", I am a HUGE fan of Iggy & The Stooges. I love and own all of their albums, but my absolute favorite album of theirs would be their debut, The Stooges.
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Subjects:  1. Detroit Rock    2. Glam Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

Many thanks to RHINO
I was in my early teens and The Slider was one of the first, if not the first, record I purchased. T Rex was my first concert I attended also - happened to be on my 14th Birthday. So will be bias in my review. But received the double CD in the mail yesterday, and enjoyed opening this CD immensely. Rhino has packaged the CD beautifully, including a nice booklet. I have listened to The Slider CD, and part way through the alternative mix CD, and the sound quality seems excellent.It is more than appreciated that a record company would take so much care and I suggest that any T Rex fan, young or old in years, or long term or a more recent devotee, should buy this CD. Electric Warrior may be my favourite T Rex album, but The Slider has many outstanding songs, including the title track, Ballrooms of Mars and Main Man, hit singles in Metal Guru and Telegram Sam, and the odd rocker in Buick Mackane. Although a pioneer in Glam Rock, I think both Electric Warrior and The Slider show Marc Bolan and T Rex had substance.

"I wanna call ya . . ."
" . . . I wanna ball ya, eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww!" - "Baby Strange"
T. Rex at their peak
T. Rex and Marc Bolan had the U.K. wrapped around their fingers from 1971 to 1973 as "Trextasy" was at its height. In 1971 the band released the seminal "Electric Warrior", which launched the band into stardom. Surprisingly, they raised the bar (and then some) once more with "The Slider".
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Britain    3. Glam Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Limited Edition

Reviews (120)

A Joke That Is Still Going Strong
Lou Reed has gotten so much out of so little in his prodigious recording career. In some ways I think he had more than a little Andy Warhol in him; cranking out so many albums with worthless tracks, almost tempting his audience to reject him while still reaping the monetary benefits from the music industry.
Lou Reed's finest work
This album without doubt represents the zenith of Lou Reed's output.I recently heard a theory that it is an aural portrayal of the four seasons of the year.And it may just have something going for it - have a listen yourself. MMM Part One develops a number of bright, fresh spring-like themes that repeated listening make more apparent.These develop through MMM Part Two into warmer deeper tones, bringing forth images of summer, with some starkly conflicting themes towards the end, which presage MMM Part 3, which is strongly marked by a number of desperate aural clashes as each channel fights for supremacy.But all too soon it's winter, indicated by MMM Part 4's more sombre, rueful tones, the repetitive rhythmic theme which this music ends with symbolising the cyclical nature of time.My desert island disc for sure.Let us hope that Hal Leonard Music soon go ahead with the long overdue release of the Guitar TABs.

To every joke, there is some truth.
Released in the mid-70s, Metal Machine Music is an hour-long double LP that consists of nothing but screaming guitar feedback. There are no lyrics, no catchy hooks, no real melodies or rhythms. In fact, one could argue that MMM isn't really music, at least not in the traditional sense. In other words, this album is an hour of pure noise. It's a pretty controversial record: Some people believe that it's an avant-garde art-rock piece, while others think it was Reed's practical joke on the music industry, and perhaps even a parody of experimental music. Reed himself has been dodgy on the issue.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Experimental Rock    3. Noise-Rock    4. Pop    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (30)

One Funhouse You'll Never Leave
. . . even if you wanted to; but if you're a fan of pure rock I can't imagine you'd want this wasted soundscape to ever end. The only complaint one could make about _fun house_ is that it ends; this is about the best criticism one could make of an album, as I'm sure you would agree. Iggy, the Asheton Bros. & Co. get more out of sludgy three-chord rants than pretty much anyone before or since (see anything by Boris for a worthy contemporary heir). The Stooges live up to their namesake perfectly here and continue to set the pace for extreme music on this CD, be it punk, metal, experimental, or otherwise.
Not just a museum piece...This is Iggy's best (thanks Rhino)
This is not a "fans only" disk.It's an outstanding introduction to Iggy produced by Don Gallucci, the same fellow who was behind Louie Louie by The Kingsmen.Like that record, it's loose, loud, fun and very addictive.Actually, if you've never heard an Iggy Pop album, but you really appreciate rock and roll, start right here.Get it NOW.
We've Been Needing This
Ann Arbor's Stooges never expected to sell lots of records.They were disappointed, however, when their 1969 debut failed to capture the aggression of their live performances.For the follow-up Fun House sessions, they went with producer Don Gallucci, whose stripped-down studio approach promised a far better match for their heavy, relentlessly primitive songs.
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Subjects:  1. Detroit Rock    2. Glam Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. Pop    5. Proto-Punk    6. Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop    10. United States of America   

Features

• Original recording remastered
• Import

Reviews (8)

Not His Best, Nor His Worst!
Lou Reed's first solo album was released in early 1972. Reed had temporarily retired from recording for a year's time after his departure from the Velvet Underground in 1970. Several of the songs on his first album are songs that were originally recorded by the Velvets; in fact most of the strongest material on this album is old Velvet material.
"It's the beginning of a new age"
As we look back on Lou Reed's first solo album, it's viewed more as a historical curiosity than as a powerhouse of artistic expression.In fact, it's difficult to listen to it without casting your mind on the past and what would become the future; there are hints of both.Yet to listen to it outside of the context it exists within, it passes as an interesting -- if not mind-blowing -- collection of music.It's not Reed's best album, but it does contain some of my favorite individual tracks from his career.
4.5 stars - Lou's solo career begins...
Lou Reed (1972.) Lou Reed's first solo album.Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Proto-Punk    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Rock/Pop    9. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Arriving a decade before the Clash but every bit as politicized, musically revved, and rife with contradiction, the MC5 scorched the earth in ways that few late-'60s bands ever even imagined. Read more

Reviews (17)

The Big Bang: Best of MC5
I had heard so much about this band, and came close to buying "Kick Out The Jams" (their debut) many times.I was always averted though, at the last minute, by the feeling that they were just a bunch of hype.Their manager, after all, was the leader of the White Panthers (a bunch of white kids who were trying to express solidarity with the Black Power movement), so it seemed reasonable to think that The MC5 broke ground mainly in terms of image, rather than music.Wow, was I wrong.
A great compilation of a great band
From aband that exerted an enormous influence on the
There is no studio version of "Kick Out The Jams"
To the reviewer who mentioned "Kick Out The Jams" being live it's because the MC5's debut album (KICK OUT THE JAMS, 1968)was a live album and no official studio version exsists (except on possible bootlegs of demos).Don't write reviews if you don't know your material. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Detroit Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Proto-Punk    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rock/Pop    8. United States of America   

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (48)

Todd at the top of his game
Love this cd. When it was on record, I think Todd crammed more music on vinyl then anybody else. This is not a singles record like Something/Anything rather it needs to played through. The first half are mini songs, then he goes into eccentric middle eastern and soul stuff and then ends it with just one victory.
Perhaps I'm Disturbed....
But this makes complete sense to me. Todd is so gifted and prolific it nearly frightens me and "A Wizard/A True Star" is perfect from start to finish. To separate even one track from the others would do this masterfully twisted work of art an injustice. All 19 cuts whiz by in rapid succession and make the idea of total artistic control and freedom a blindingly colorful reality. A True Work of Genius.

mind-blowing!!!
in the mid-eighties, we obtained a copy of this from a used record store and I remember eagerly awaiting it's first play...
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Popular Music    6. Power Pop    7. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    8. Proto-Punk    9. Psychedelic    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (11)

The Real Deal & Sloppy Wonderful
Don't think of buying this instead of the two (2) studio albums. Buy this as companion. This is what the Dolls sounded like when you saw them in a cramped, sweaty club in 1973. Young, hungry, urgent, sassy, and confident. The star is Jerry Nolan's drumming. No matter what chaos was happening up front, Jerry slams the back beat and keeps the boys in line. Arthur's rumble bass is up front, and better represented here than in either studio album. Let's hear it for the underappreciated rhythm section. David is in exceptional voice throughout, and Johnny's nasal off-key vocals make me smile. I can see his screwed up face everytime he squeals "Trash!" or "I'm a human bein'." That's Queens, N'Yawk talkin' at you. Syl fills in all the blanks energetically and inventively. I've been waiting years to relive the Dolls' sloppy wonderful version of "Give Her A Great Big Kiss." Marty Thau's liner notes are heartfelt. I remember him first showing up at the Mercer Arts Center. Looking old school record biz promotor with a gang of juvenile deliquents. My only regret is that "Endless Party" was left off. It was always my favorite Dolls' song, and one that typified what they were like. RIP Billy, Johnny, Jerry, Arthur. Rock on, David and Syl!

New York Dolls at their Best!
This is the good stuff.....raw and live versions with better sound quality than any of their studio recordings.

Private World
Where did these guys come from?How'd they make women's clothes look masculine?I can imagine Marty's amazement when he walked into the Mercer Arts Center.Amazement and joy.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Glam Rock    3. Hard Rock    4. New York Punk    5. Pop    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock & Roll    9. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (42)

Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy
Taking Tiger Mountain By Strategy~ Eno is a quite quirky fellow (and I mean this in a good way) whom does not let the rules of convention run his creative mind and will not let the music industry dictate his creativity. This album sounds like nothing that I have heard so far in my life and the closest that I can even compare it with is Smile (Brian Wilson), but it also has hints of Bowie. Eno is an acoomplished lyricist and has very accomplished vocals. I love the book-let but the decision not to include the lyrics is odd and confounding.
a good place to start for new Eno listeners
Wonderfully expressive and totally unconcerned with the concurrent musical output of its peers, this sounds as fresh now as it did decades ago.Listening to this record has always left me musically sated and somehow cheered in the chaotic face of daily events.A great place to start exploring Eno's music if you're new to it.Accessible pop/rock with some truly twisted, almost creepy moments that effortlessly mesh with a musical vocabulary culled from all over the world.
good but a little odd
this is a good cd and it and the rest of eno's cds have inspired much other crap which does not even compare with this. But i do think it is alot bit odd and the songs can get a little repetitive at times. But the songs r good so it makes up for the fact that thier repetitive.This is an inavative cd that has some great stuff on it, but i just find it a bit strange. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Experimental    2. Experimental Rock    3. Glam Rock    4. Pop    5. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    6. Proto-Punk    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered
• Import

Reviews (5)

Sparks
This CD brought Sparks into my life.All their best songs together with great sound.

yeah, right
A Sparks best-of would have to include at least 80 percent of the songs on the first five albums, "gone with the wind" (b-side), "my other voice" and probably the rest of No 1 in Heaven, maybe a couple of the catchy 80s tracks to show they could do the cars or the go gos almost as well as the real thing, 1 or two songs each from Gratuitous Sax, Plagiarism, and Balls ("The Angels," "More Than a Sex Machine"), and maybe half of Lil B.This collection misrepresents their melodic genius and makes them sound like a cute if rather cliche new wave pop band with unsubtly goofy lyrics. They were the best band on earth at times, and deserve better. Sorry kids.

Tuneful and intelligent pop
Sparks first hit the limelight in about 1974 with the quirky This Town Ain't Big Enough, a powerful hook-filled pop song with dynamic falsetto vocals. It was a UK Top 20 hit but didn't do much elsewhere. Other seventies successes included Amateur Hour, Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth and Something For The Girl With Everything.
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Subjects:  1. Glam Rock    2. New Wave    3. Pop/Rock    4. Proto-Punk    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Synth Pop   

Editorial Review

Oft-sampled electronic pop pioneers the Silver Apples released two exceptionally influential, off-kilter records in 1968 and '69, then apparently vanished. The group was formed in New York City in the psychedelic heyday of 1967 by drummer Danny Taylor and protosynth player Simeon, who quaintly named his hand-built instrument the Simeon. Taylor was a powerhouse of polyphony and his looping, loping playing is the engine that drives the Apples' experimental music, characterized by snippets of found sound, weird and warbly high-pitched singing, stray banjos, and--most importantly--the battering, buzzing, bleeping beauty of the Simeon synth. The two albums are a bizarre, sincere mixture of avant-garde sensibilities, pop melodies, folk-psyche song structures, overwrought poetry, and hefty percussion. It is difficult-to-describe, signature music that ranks high alongside the most forward-thinking avant-prog. The group got back together in the mid-'90s, spurred on by the enthusiasm that many acts showed for their music (the group has been name-checked and more by Spacemen 3, Low, and Stereolab). But as is often the case, the reunion records just don't quite cut it--this one CD has everything you need. Lazy electronic musicians are encouraged to sample the heck out of this band; you won't be the first. Read more

Reviews (21)

Got unwanted guests, put this CD on.
If you're throwing a party and you have alot of people at your house & want to dispose of them by the end of the night or if you have unwanted guests at your house that you want to get rid of, do yourself a favor & buy this disc. Lou Reed's 1973 album "Berlin" may clear out 60% of the people, but Silver Apples/Contact will clear out the entire house, even your dorkiest friends will be hitting the exits! Trust me! It works. No joke! I don't listen to this CD for pleasure (well, sometimes I do), I play this when I have to get rid of people or to get people out of an establishment (especially a watering hole by the time 'last call' rolls around).
Pleasant surprise!
I don't know where I first heard of the Silver Apples, but as another reviewer mentioned, if you've found the Silver Apples you probably like difficult music.While I would say I like music which has more to offer than what's on the glossy surface, my tastes are quite diversified.I also have to say that although I like what could be called "difficult" music, I wouldn't say that's what this is:As a matter of fact, I was surprised by just how catchy most of these songs are.This album demands your attention, and repeated listenings can't hurt either.Some of the simeon parts sound like Raymond Scott's Manhattan Research material, another early electronic pioneer.I am usually not a fan of electronic music (too clinical, predictable), but this has the sound of actual drums very closely interacting with the simeon, making for a more organic sound.Plus, to tell the truth, the singing doesn't bother me so much either; it's almost sweet and naive (like so much hippy singing) but pleasant enough.Some personal favourites are program, whirly-bird, misty mountain, you and I, Ruby, I have known love, and fantasies.If you are constantly wondering what new and interesting music to delve into, this is it.

broken record: WAY AHEAD OF IT'S TIME!!
First of all, I know electronic. I am a techno purist. It doesn't take a ton of expensive equipment or a ton of loops, riffs and samples to make good techno... and this album is proof positive. Take away the vocals and you have pure, driving, four on the floor techno... banjos and all. I'm serious. Half the material on this album sounds like it was produced by Richie Hawtin or Jeff Mills (two of the godfathers of modern techno) a year or two ago and is still being dropped in underground warehouse raves today.
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Subjects:  1. Electronic    2. Experimental Rock    3. Obscuro    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Proto-Punk    7. Psychedelic    8. Rock    9. Synthesizer   

Reviews (38)

That's No Gospel Choir, That's Me
I love this record mostly for one reason. Sons of 1984 was rercorded at a free concert in Central Park, in the middle of one sunny afternoon. It was so great, very casual. I remember just walking in and settling into seats in the front row. Todd was very friendly, everyone got a photocopy of the words to Sons of 1984, Todd practiced it with us till we all knew it and there it is.
self indulgent album with 3 gems
Welcome to the world of Todd. He was never consistent. Thank god he had a legion of fans that followed him no matter what. It seems like when he made a bad solo album, he made a good Utopia album or produced a good one for someone else.
Todd - a feast of sonic goodness
This disc (originally a double LP of 66+ minutes of music)(Rundgren thought it should've been able to fit on one LP) runs the gamut of musical genres. This has some of the sweetest pop music you'll ever hear, and it has some of the hardest rock riffs and the wildest electronica---but that's why we love Todd.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Hard Rock    3. Pop    4. Pop/Rock    5. Popular Music    6. Prog-Rock/Art Rock    7. Proto-Punk    8. Rock    9. Rock/Pop   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (38)

Who Loves the Sun?
I can't speak for everyone, but I for one, do.
Loaded with Hits... Integrity IntactForever
Lou Reed did it..the survivor, new bandmates and studio musicians,a new age...total greatness, a 2 CD gift for the fans..the original album,the alternate album,early versions,full length versions, demos, early skeleton songs that appeared later on Lou's solo works with the demise of the Velvets, all in all not a note to be missed.. all loaded with a wonderful booklet, cover art appreciated by any NYC Subway junkie.
A Masterpiece
Of all the VU albums, this is the most "pop" sounding and accessible. It also has, in my opinion, the definitive VU song;"Sweet Jane", which is inarguably, one of the most compelling rock songs ever written.This is quite simply a flawless classic that you should own, if for no other reason that you cannot claim that you have a classic rock collection without owning this album. As for this "fully loaded" version; dont hesistate to buy it. The extra songs and different versions are all gems and will open the door to an appreciation of VU other albums. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Proto-Punk    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rock/Pop    8. Singer/Songwriter   

Reviews (19)

The best band of the '60s have an '80s production on this album.
I bought this album on cassette a week or so ago. This is what I think about it right now (opinions subject to change, of course):
This album has the two best Velvet Underground Songs on it
"A Foggy Notion" and "I Can't Stand It" are two of the best Velvet Underground songs ever. These songs are nothing less than savage. I have blown car speakers playing these songs over and over."I Can't Stand It" always reminds me of what an airplane crash might sound like, and if you are a Velvet Underground fan you should hear these songs. They are also on the "Gold" collection and on the box set. The rest of the album is okay but not essential if you are not familiar with the rest of the VU previous albums. It is criminal that these songs were not released when they were recorded. Great great stuff.

I gotta foggy notion (that this album is underappreciated)
I don't think I would call this the Velvet's least essential album.No, not by a long shot.
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Subjects:  1. Experimental Rock    2. Pop    3. Pop/Rock    4. Proto-Punk    5. Rock    6. Rock & Roll    7. Rock/Pop   

Reviews (13)

4 1/2 stars-- Bowie at his most theatrical.
After the excesses of his glam era, David Bowie turned his attention to creating a musical based on George Orwell's "1984", but unable to secure the rights to the work, he decided to restructure the material into what ended up being "Diamond Dogs".Still, the pedigree of the material brings it to a significantly different sound then any of Bowie's previous work-- a very much theatrical sound is present throughout the music, and it ends up coaxing some fine performances out of Bowie.
dark and sweet
What a great artist David Bowie was in the 70's he took so many chances - that would seem almost like rock and roll suicide - but somehow he always was on top of the game and way ahead of his contemporaries. 'Diamond dogs' would be his strangest and darkest albums looking to the future like Ziggy but in a way that does not glorify it like the starman did - this is not a pretty future.. There are many great moments on this album - but it is more of a whole than it is pieces - it all fits together. This is one of my new favorites.

This aint rock 'n' roll, this is genocide!
This is my favorite David Bowie album, and maybe his best! Diamond Dogs is strong from start to finish with no bad points. Really orchestral throught the whole thing. Might I suggest: