June 29, 2024

Various Artists - Best of Power For a New Generation (1993)

*This a complication released in Germany, 
consisting of various U.K., European 
& North American artists. 
Contains 13 tracks total.
Country: Various Countries
 Genre: Pop, Pop Rock, New Wave
Label Number: 291 045

© 1993 Ariola Express
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: various artists, best of power for the new generation, 1993, flac,

China Crisis - Diary of a Hollow Horse (1989)

*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 11 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop
Label Number: CD 5225

© 1989 A&M Records
Reunited with producer Walter Becker, China Crisis made perhaps their most Steely Dan-like album with Diary of a Hollow Horse. Pristinely recorded and brimming with jazzy sophistication, it includes some of the U.K. quintet's best-ever material, including "Sweet Charity in Adoration," a satisfying, complex pop song of the first order that features a lovely flute cameo from sessionman Jim Horn. Yet beyond the FM perfection lurk a few surprises. The group also teamed with producer Mike Thorne (Soft Cell) for a trio of cuts that are among the most simple and direct pop songs in the their catalog. In particular, "St. Saviour Square" and "All My Prayers" have straightforward rhythms and melodies that connect instantly, drawing passionate performances from singer Gary Daly and offering a nice contrast to the more subtle surroundings. Harder to suss is the closer, the Becker-produced "Age Old Need," which sounds like it was lifted from the soundtrack to a medieval morality play. But the album did mark the close of a three-album period (begun with 1985's Flaunt the Imperfection and continued on What Price Paradise the following year) that saw China Crisis at their artistic peak, a summit reached by few of the group's late-'80s peers.

 tags: china crisis, diary of a hollow horse, 1989, flac,

Nik Kershaw - The Works (1989)

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop, Pop Rock
Label Number: DMCF 3438

© 1989 MCA Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 tags: nik kershaw, the works, 1989, flac,

Mick Jagger - Wandering Spirit (1993)

*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 14 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock, Blues Rock
Label Number: 7 82436-2

© 1993 Atlantic
Jagger doesn't show any signs of wear on his third -- and by far best -- solo album. If anything, his voice seems to have developed a deeper bottom end without sacrificing any of the highs. This is not always an advantage -- the forced falsetto and rhythmic pulse of "Sweet Thing" causes a nightmarish flashback to the Stones' disco flirtations in the mid-'70s. But more times than not, this disc works. A lot of the credit goes to Jagger's backing band and producer Rick Rubin who keep things lean, mean, and simple. The economy of performance allows Jagger to remain credible on a wide variety of styles -- he delivers a groovin', sultry version of Bill Withers' soul classic "Use Me," a passionate country ballad on "Evening Gown," and even pulls off an Irish traditional folk piece with "Handsome Molly."

 tags: mick jagger, wandering spirit, 1993, flac,

June 21, 2024

Tangier - Four Winds (1989)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 7 91251-2

© 1989 ATCO Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 tags: tangier, four winds, 1989, flac,

Tangier - Stranded (1991)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 7 91603-2

© 1991 ATCO Records
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Tangier mined the same commercial hard rock/pop-metal waters as the Scorpions, Winger and Def Leppard. Tangier wasn't in a class with those headbangers, and it never achieved their level of commercial success. Nonetheless, the band provided albums that were competent and likable, if conventional. Stranded won't win any awards for being innovative or experimental, though it's a decent, sincere effort that satisfies. Whether Tangier is rocking out on "It's Hard," "Down the Line," "Back in the Limelight" and "You're Not the Lovin' Kind" or going the power ballad route on "Caution to the Wind," "Since You Been Gone" and the title tune, this CD paints a likable though not breathtaking picture of the band. Stranded wasn't a huge seller, and Tangier wouldn't get many more chances to break through commercially -- for when alternative rock became rock's dominant direction a few years later, bands like Tangier found themselves out of fashion.

 tags: tangier, stranded, 1991, flac,

Chico & Coolwadda - Wild 'N Tha West (2001)

*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Gangsta Rap
Label Number: 088 112 311-2

© 1993 Giant Records
Coming off a hot single, "High Come Down," that generated plenty of buzz on the West Coast, Chico & Coolwadda dropped their debut album in 2001. "High Come Down" is a reworking of Evelyn "Champagne" King's classic "Love Come Down." With vocals from West Coast stalwart Nate Dogg, the track is a certified West Coast classic. Other tracks on the group's debut don't have quite the same sizzle. The pair offers up serviceable slices of West Coast funk devoid of any lyrical ingenuity. If Chico & Coolwadda don't take their lyrical skills to the next level, they will no doubt become just another one-hit wonder.

* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled. 


tags: chico & coolwadda, wild n tha west, in the, 2001, flac,

June 16, 2024

Eddie Money - Eddie Money (1977)

*First pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 34909

© 1977-1986 Columbia
This strong debut benefits greatly from the expertise of veteran producer Bruce Botnick as well as the likes of former Steve Miller bassist Lonnie Turner and saxman Tom Scott. Guitarist Jimmy Lyon was to Money what Keith Scott was to Bryan Adams. Money, son of a New York City cop, had a rock & roll epiphany en route to following his dad's career path. The debut album, long on craft but not without inspiration, deservedly shot radio-ready tunes "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Baby Hold On" up the charts, the latter helped by former Elvin Bishop songmate Jo Baker. The key tune is the spirited "Wanna Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star," which spells out the game plan.

 tags: eddie money, eddie money album, 1977, flac,

Mick Jagger - She's The Boss (1985)

*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 9 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 39940

© 1985 Columbia
Jagger employs a who's who including Herbie Hancock, Pete Townshend, and Jeff Beck for an album that replaces the familiar sound of the Stones with a more sophisticated but no less hard-rock sound. And the voice is familiar. Features the hit "Just Another Night."

 tags: mick jagger, shes the boss, 1985, flac,

Mick Jagger - Primitive Cool (1987)

*European first pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CBS 460123 2

© 1987 Atlantic Records
For his second solo album, Mick Jagger teamed up with producer Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), turning in a more adventurous and ambitious record. Of course, "adventurous" and "ambitious" are relative terms. In comparison to the carefully constructed, state-of-the-art pop/rock of She's the Boss, Primitive Cool sounds lively, as Jagger puts some genuine conviction behind the funky "Peace for the Wicked" and the country stylings of "Party Doll." Nevertheless, the album, like She's the Boss before it, is designed to establish Mick Jagger as a solo star in his own right, and Primitive Cool is filled with attempts at contemporary rock and dance-pop. The nadir of his stabs at modern pop is the appalling single "Let's Work," where the rock star tells his fans to get off their asses and start working, all to a bouncy, aerobicized beat. However, most of the album is more appealing than the single, even if Jagger's writing seems forced on the numbers designed with the Top 40 in mind ("Shoot Off Your Mouth," in particular). Not surprisingly, the best moments on Primitive Cool occur when he stops seeing the album as a way to jump-start his solo career and he concentrates on the music. While his emotionally unguarded songs ("War Baby" and "Party Doll") are the most affecting tracks on the record, songs like "Let's Work" are more indicative of Jagger's true feelings.

 tags: mick jagger, primitive cool, 1987, flac,

Eddie Money - Nothing To Lose (1988)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 44302

© 1988 Columbia
Throughout his career, Eddie Money has followed a successful album with another record that sounded remarkably similar to its predecessor and Nothing to Lose was no exception to the rule. However, Nothing to Lose was marginally better than Playing for Keeps and Where's the Party?, featuring a handful of well-crafted mainstream pop songs, including the Top 10 hit "Walk on Water."

 tags: eddie money, nothing to lose, 1988, flac,

Wild Horses - Bareback (1991)

*First pressing. 
Contains 12 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hard Rock
Label Number: 7 82275-2

© 1991 Atlantic Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

tags: wild horses, barback, 1991, flac, bare back,

June 12, 2024

Eddie Money - No Control (1982)

*This is a repress of the original 1982 LP pressing on CD. 
Contains 11 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 37960

On No Control, Eddie Money found the perfect middle ground between AOR production and pop hooks, with the singles "Think I'm In Love" and "Shakin'" sending the rocker back into platinum territory.

 tags: eddie money, no control, 1982, flac,

Eddie Money - Where's The Party? (1983)

*First pressing. 
Contains 9 tracks total. 
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 38862

© 1983-1988 Columbia
After the comeback of No Control, Money produced the lackluster Where's the Party? Although the album replicated the formula of its predecessor, it lacked a collection of hook-filled songs, which made Where's the Party? Money's lowest-charting record to date.

 tags: eddie money, wheres the party, 1983, flac,

Kenny Loggins - Back To Avalon (1988)

*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 11 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 40535

© 1988 Columbia
The title might have implied a return to form, but Kenny Loggins' commercial decline continued here, despite the inclusion of "Nobody's Fool," the Top Ten theme from Caddyshack II, "Meet Me Half Way," the Number 11 theme from Over the Top, and a cover of The Exciters' "Tell Him [Her]." Instead of addressing the concerns of his long-time fans, Loggins proceeded farther into contemporary sounds, employing multiple producers, the likes of Patrick Leonard (Madonna) and Peter Wolf (Starship), all to little effect. This was Loggins' first solo album to miss gold certification, and made his career crisis official.

 tags: kenny loggins, back to avalon, 1988, flac,

June 09, 2024

Eddie Money - Can't Hold Back (1986)

*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 10 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 40096

© 1986 Columbia
After Where's the Party's lack of recognition and poor sales, Eddie Money more than compensated for it with 1986's Can't Hold Back, an album which netted him three Top 40 hits and eventually gained platinum status. With some vocal help from Ronnie Spector and some exuberant sax work, "Take Me Home Tonight" emerged as Money's highest-charting hit, going all the way to number four as the album's lead single. Following this, "I Wanna Go Back's sincere, semi-ballad charm peaked at number 14, while "Endless Nights" went to number 21 in May of 1987. Not only does Money have a perfect balance of catchy, hook-induced music and well-written lyrics, he also sports more confidence and energy throughout Can't Hold Back's material than ever before. Although tailored for radio, the songs aren't hindered by what could have been a mediocre, humdrum rock formula. Instead, Money infuses enough of his slightly sexy vocal character into the cuts to give them the added sparkle and crispness needed to rise above his past endeavors, evident in even the non-hits like "We Should Be Sleeping," which just cracked the Top 100 but is a fine single nonetheless, and on both "I Can't Hold Back" and Stan Meissner's "One Chance." Upping the ante from 1982's No Control, Can't Hold Back exhibits the type of music Eddie Money was meant to make, and it's at par if not better than his first couple of albums.

 tags: eddie money, can't hold back, 1986, flac,

Eddie Money - Greatest Hits: Sound of Money (1989) ☠

*U.S. first pressing. 
Contains 13 tracks total.

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Pop Rock
Label Number: CK 45381
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1989 Columbia
Eddie Money was always reliable for turning out a hit single or radio anthem on each of his records. Often, it felt like all of his energy went into a couple of songs per album, since the remainder of each record, while frequently enjoyable, was cluttered with filler. Which is a roundabout way of saying what a welcome addition Greatest Hits: The Sound of Money is to Money's catalog: not only is it a fine collection of his hits, it's the most consistent record he's assembled. Not that it's perfect. Some of his smaller hits are missing and there's a bit of filler even on this hits disc, but the truly essential items -- "Baby Hold On," "Two Tickets to Paradise," "I Wanna Go Back," "Walk on Water," "Shakin'," "Take Me Home Tonight," "Think I'm in Love," even "Peace in Our Time" -- are here, and the best of them really do define what album rock was all about at the turn of the '70s and early '80s.

 tags: eddie money, greatest hits the sound of money, 1989, flac,

Neek The Exotic ft. Large Professor - Backs N' Necks (20th Anniversary Edition)

*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz
Reissued in 2020 by Hustle Don't Stop Music
This pressing contains 10 tracks total.
This EP was originally released in 1999 on LP & cassette only.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: None

© 1999-2019 Hustle Don't Stop Music
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.


tags: neek the exotic, large professor, backs n necks, 20th anniversary edition, 1999, 2020, flac,

Saint Vitus - Mournful Cries (1988)

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Doom Metal
Style: Traditional Doom
Label Number: SST CD 161

© 1988 SST Records
Saint Vitus' third album, Born Too Late, was an instant classic of the then-nascent doom metal movement, and without question it's the band's finest and most powerful work. It was so strong that it was hard to imagine how Saint Vitus could top it, and the truth is they didn't; their next album, 1988's Mournful Cries, is a shorter and less ambitious album that lacks songs quite as remarkable as "Clear Windowpane," "Born Too Late," or "Dying Inside." But Mournful Cries was Saint Vitus' second album with singer Scott "Wino" Weinrich, and like Born Too Late it confirmed he was the ideal vocalist for the band. The gritty resignation and throaty, fevered force of his voice meshes perfectly with Dave Chandler's howl-in-a-void guitar work, and his lyrics lend the songs an unblinking street-level attitude that gives the tunes a wildly potent force, even on the token fantasy piece "Dragon Time." Weinrich's second guitar also gives Chandler more space to stretch out with his thick, buzzing chords, as Armando Acosta's carefully punctuated drumming hits like a fist in the gut and Mark Adams' bass gives the songs a simple but rock-solid foundation. The material on Mournful Cries rates a B, but the performances deserve at least an A-, with stronger ensemble work than anything Saint Vitus had accomplished to date, and when they rise up in full strength on "The Creeps" and "Shooting Gallery," they're a mighty and malevolent force to be reckoned with. (The production also gives the material a more resonant and natural sound than they achieved on Born Too Late.) It's not a masterpiece, but Mournful Cries still ranks high in this band's mighty pantheon.

 tags: saint vitus, mournful cries, 1988, flac,

Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Music! 43 (1999)

*This is the U.K. pressing which was released as a 2 disc set.

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Pop, Pop Rock, Alternative Rock
Label Number: 7243 5 21472 2 9
              *****

© 1999 Virgin EMI/Universal/Box Music
The U.K.'s Now series features timely selections of pop hits and provides a convenient way for casual pop fans to stay on top of the most popular singles. The sets are almost always naturally well-rounded, encompassing dance music, R&B, hip-hop, teen pop, and rock. And though they might expire, in a sense, since they're based on trends in pop music, they work as more than adequate snapshots of specific points in time. The 43rd volume, released in 1999, includes Basement Jaxx's "Red Alert," New Radicals' "You Get What You Give," Fatboy Slim's "Right Here Right Now," James' "I Know What I'm Here For," Stereophonics' "Pick a Part That's New," and Masters at Work's "To Be in Love."

 tags: various artists, now thats what i call music 43, vol 43, 1999, flac,

June 06, 2024

Wiseguys - In Tha Company of Killaz (1996) ☠

*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz
This pressing contains 15 tracks total.

Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Mafioso Rap, Gangsta Rap
Label Number: None
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1996-2023 Surrender Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.


tags: wiseguys, in tha company of killaz, killers, killas, the, 1996, 2023, flac,

OlympX - Ultimate Game Trilogy (Single) (1999)

*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz
This pressing contains 4 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: None

© 1999 Warlock Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

* Due to past abuse, comments for the Hip-Hop section have been disabled.


tags: olympx, ultimate game trilogy, single, 1999, flac,

Debelah Morgan - Dance With Me (2000)

*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz
This pressing contains 15 tracks total.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: R&B, Pop
Label Number: None

© 2000 Rhino/Atlantic
Six years after Atlantic initially dropped her, multi-talented singer/songwriter Debelah Morgan returned with her third album, Dance With Me, a fresh, quick-stepping dance-oriented album. Morgan collaborated with brother Giloh on production and songwriting credits, which made the 14-track album a simple urban spin on R&B grooves and sultry hip-hop beats. She is emotionally confident and smooth in heightening her Mariah Carey-like vocal range, especially on tracks such as "I Remember" and "Think of You." A definitive musical maturation is pretty obvious from her previous material, and Morgan stays sassy with upbeat songs about adoration and the lovelorn. She isn't afraid to slow things down, and the ballad "What Would You Do" is an enjoyable look showcasing Morgan's sentimental brooding. It's a nice twist for Morgan, and her move in perfecting her angular pop-laden sound shapes nicely. Dance With Me is sheer, decent, and carefree in the sense that Debelah Morgan made a solid record with the idea of doing it only for herself.

 tags: debelah morgan, dance with me, 2000, flac,

Diana King - Respect (2002)

*This is a digital store download purchased from Qobuz. 
Contains 13 tracks total.
Country: Jamaica
Language: English
Genre: R&B, Raggamuffin
Label Number: None

© 2002 Maverick Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

tags: diana king, respect, 2002, flac,