All American Boy
Artist: Rick Derringer
Community Score: 6.60

Fresh from stints in the McCoys and Johnny Winter Band, All American Boy was supposed to be Rick Derringer's breakthrough solo album. For years, it was argued that the frightfully touched-up cover photo of Derringer sank the album before anyone heard it. If that's true, it's a shame, because this is simply Rick Derringer's most focused and... Read More

Live at the Monterey International Pop Festival - SPLIT
Artist: Jimi Hendrix

Contrary to the title listed here, this album is actually the classic Monterey festival recording featuring one side of Otis Redding and one side of Jimi Hendrix. Rhino has recently issued a wonderful boxed set covering the entire event, which is certainly worth having as well, but this was the album that made stars out of both Hendrix and... Read More

Tres Hombres
Artist: ZZ Top
Community Score: 9.57

Tres Hombres is the record that brought ZZ Top their first Top Ten record, making them stars in the process. It couldn't have happened to a better record. ZZ Top finally got their low-down, cheerfully sleazy blooze-n-boogie right on this, their third album. As their sound gelled, producer Bill Ham discovered how to record the trio so simply that... Read More

Brain Capers
Artist: Mott the Hoople
Community Score: 5.00

Re-teaming with producer Guy Stevens, Mott the Hoople delivered the great forgotten British hard rock album with their fourth album, Brain Capers. Stevens was a legendary rock & roll wild man and he kept Mott careening through their performances; they sound harder than ever, even dangerous at times. This fortunately coincided with Ian Hunter's... Read More

High Time
Artist: MC5
Community Score: 8.50

MC5 were nearing the end of their long and bumpy trail when they cut High Time in 1971, and it was widely ignored upon initial release. While it lacks the flame-thrower energy and "off the man!" politics of Kick Out the Jams or the frantic pace and "AM Radio of the People" sound of Back in the USA, heard in 2002 High Time sounds like MC5's... Read More

Back in the USA
Artist: MC5
Community Score: 8.25

While lacking the monumental impact of Kick Out the Jams, the MC5's second album is in many regards their best and most influential, its lean, edgy sound anticipating the emergence of both the punk and power pop movements to follow later in the decade. Bookended by a pair of telling covers -- Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" and Chuck Berry's... Read More

The Best of the James Gang - MCA
Artist: The James Gang

A good collection of their innovative hard rock features "Walk Away" and "Funk 49." ~ Dan Heilman, All Music Guide Read More

15 Greatest Hits
Artist: The James Gang
Thirds
Artist: The James Gang
Community Score: 10.00

The James Gang Rides Again set the stage for the group's third album to propel them to Top Ten, headliner status, but that didn't happen. The band was on its last legs, rent by dissension as Walsh became the focus of attention, and the appropriately titled Thirds reflected the conflict. Among the nine original songs, four were contributed by... Read More

Rides Again
Artist: The James Gang
Community Score: 5.83

With their second album Rides Again, the James Gang came into their own. Under the direction of guitarist Joe Walsh, the group -- now featuring bassist Dale Peters -- began incorporating keyboards into their hard rock, which helped open up their musical horizons. For much of the first side of Rides Again, the group tears through a bunch of... Read More

Rock & Roll Outlaws
Artist: Foghat
Community Score: 9.00

After establishing a new level of credibility on record with 1974's Energized, Foghat cranked out another album of boogie rock before the year ended. The result, Rock and Roll Outlaws, is not as consistently inspired as its predecessor but remains a worthwhile listen for the group's fans. This time out, the group settles for a more... Read More

Raw Power
Artist: The Stooges
Community Score: 9.27

In 1972, the Stooges were near the point of collapse when David Bowie's management team, MainMan, took a chance on the band at Bowie's behest. By this point, guitarist Ron Asheton and bassist Dave Alexander had been edged out of the picture, and James Williamson had signed on as Iggy's new guitar mangler; Asheton rejoined the band shortly before... Read More