Led Zeppelin fans have long tolerated less than ideal recordings to enjoy moments from the band during its heyday. I’ve considered doing an extensive shoot-out of some of the original Zep albums in my quest to obtain the best sounding copies, but while I’m still pondering that, here’s one that is worth the coin- cheap, in fact, for what you get: Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes- Live at the Greek. These performances, recorded in the post-Zeppelin era, are well worth owning. Although touted as the first release of these recordings on vinyl (not true, a vinyl set was released in... Read More

  I was a young lawyer working in the business when this album was released. An older colleague, more buttoned down than me, was slated to speak on a panel at the then industry-important “New Music Seminar” (a sort of New York City version of SXSW). He asked me for a recommendation because, as a speaker, he got a free pass to hear a show. I urged him to see Bad Brains, who were performing at a club on the Lower East Side with the Circle Jerks and Vernon Reid and Living Colour. The next day, he told me what happened: “I showed up at the club early, wearing my suit and tie,... Read More

  Billy Joel was unavoidable in the ‘70s- Piano Man and The Stranger were hugely popular in the era, and many of the tracks were (and remain) soft radio staples. Although Joels’ first album, Cold Spring Harbor, contained some eventual hits as well (“She’s Got a Way”), that album was sonically compromised and did not enjoy the commercial success of his later work. This album more than makes up for that- a live performance of some songs from “Harbor” album, along with other early, classic Billy Joel tracks performed by Joel’s then-regular touring band and recorded with... Read More

  Brian Davison’s every which way is a monster album and, as far as I know, is under most people’s radar (at least it wasn’t on mine). Ken Golden, a consummate authority on progressive music who has reissued and produced an extensive catalog of new progressive albums as well as unearthing some rare and desirable obscurities, tipped me to it. Ken mentioned the album on http://avshowroomsforums.com, a new gear and music forum organized by a couple of long-time audio hands. Knowing Ken’s taste and sensibilities, I bought it based on the strength of his recommendation.... Read More

    Not exactly under the radar, or forgotten, but Captain Beyond is a record that delivers far more than it promises- by a group of musicians assembled from members of other, more famous bands. This is unapologetically a hard rock album, but one that deftly moves into “progressive” territory by combining jazz and long form compositions that were a signature of label mates, the Allman Brothers. Unlike the Allmans, this album sounds more like a mix of UK and LA, thanks in part to the lead vocals of Rod Evans (who sang on the first three Deep Purple albums) and the guitar work... Read More