Chicken Shack - Imagination Lady (1972)

After the departure of Christine McVie Chicken Shack became, for this album anyway, a pretty ferocious power trio. This has always been my favorite Chicken Shack album. Some great originals like "Daughter Of The Hillside" and some well-chosen covers provide a launching pad for an all-out assault of throbbing basslines by John Glascock, pounding rhythms by drummer Paul Hancox, and the wah-wah driven guitar of Stan Webb. This short-lived incarnation of Chicken Shack really ground it out.

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T2 - It'll All Work Out In Boomland (1970)

This is an amazing, overlooked gem of early seventies progressive rock. The guitar playing of Keith Cross is well-informed, inventive and mature, and it is hard to believe that he was only 17 years old when this record was made! The standout track is "No More White Horses", but there really aren't any weak tracks here. The musicianship is top notch, the arrangements are complex and powerful, and the vocals fit the music perfectly.

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Steamhammer - Junior's Wailing

Steamhammer was arguably the best of the "British Blues" bands of the late sixties and early seventies. Unlike many of their contemporaries though, these guys weren't purists, they were adventurous, maybe even daring. The tracks on this compilation of material from 1970 & 1971 are full of moody and atmospheric guitar, harmonica, and flute solos. The best track is "Riding On The L & N", in which the band amplifies a basic blues number into a 10 minute long heavy duty mungo that is full of surprises. This is electrified white-boy blues at it's best.

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Message - From Books And Dreams (1973)

OK some Krautrock! Message was an oddity in the German underground scene in that the band's roots were British. This was the band's follow-up to their excellent debut, "The Dawn Anew Is Coming", and combines a heavy British progressive style with the best of krautrock innovation. I hadn't listened to this for over a year probably until the other day, and I was kinda shocked how much I liked it! This is a real strong album, very energetic.

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Necronomicon - Tips Zum Selbstmord (1972)

More Krautrock! If the band's name doesn't give you a clue, the title translates to something like "How To Commit Suicide" I think, so you have some idea of what we're dealing with here. This is progressive rock that is raw, dark and sinister sounding. There are pleasant, melodic, acoustic bits rubbing shoulders with thundering, aggressive dark rock with some choirs chiming in here and there, all to great effect. Not for everybody, but worth checking out if you are interested in vintage progressive rock. Includes bonus tracks.

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Red Knuckles & The Trail Blazers - Shades Of The Past (1988)

This is my Garage Sale/Thrift Store find this week. Gotta get a catchy name for these things. Anyway if you aren't familiar, Red Knuckles and company are the alter egos of the bluegrass band Hot Rize. Both bands are the same guys playing different material and instruments. This is some real nice retro-sounding country music, without any of the campiness or corniness that I was expecting. There's a brilliant country version of the Beatles' "Nowhere Man", and some real catchy tunes here. I had the song "Wigwam Wiggle" running through my head all day!

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OK that's it I guess. Later!