Truth
Artist: Jeff Beck
Community Score: 8.05

Despite being the premiere of heavy metal, Jeff Beck's Truth has never quite carried its reputation the way the early albums by Led Zeppelin did, or even Cream's two most popular LPs, mostly as a result of the erratic nature of the guitarist's subsequent work. Time has muted some of its daring, radical nature, elements of which were appropriated... Read More

Breakout...!!!
Artist: Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels

Ryder & the Wheels' second album, featuring the classic "Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly, Miss Molly" workout, continues the pattern of their debut; strong renditions of R&B classics, chopped and channeled and revved up to maximum torque. With the use of the original two-track master, the sound of it fairly sparkles. ~ Cub Koda, All Music... Read More

We Want Your Love
Artist: The Pretty Things
Morrison Hotel/L.A. Woman
Artist: The Doors

Elektra reissued the Doors' last two albums with Jim Morrison, Morrison Hotel and L.A. Woman, as a single cassette in the early '80s. For casual listeners, this may not be a bad way to purchase these records, but the packaging and sound on the tape are subpar. Most fans, even casual ones, will be better served by the original vinyl editions or... Read More

Del Shannon Sings Hank Williams
Artist: Del Shannon

While tribute albums nowadays are commonplace, a quick examination of history 30 years ago shows us that it wasn't always thus. And when they did occur, it was usually a tip of the hat to some long-standing show-business icon like Al Jolson. Certainly departed country music stars like Hank Williams were considered outside the pale of such... Read More

Beggars Banquet
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Community Score: 8.12

The Stones forsook psychedelic experimentation to return to their blues roots on this celebrated album, which was immediately acclaimed as one of their landmark achievements. A strong acoustic Delta blues flavor colors much of the material, particularly "Salt of the Earth" and "No Expectations," which features some beautiful slide guitar work.... Read More

Hollywood Dream
Artist: Thunderclap Newman

All these years, and all these accolades later, it still seems incredible that Hollywood Dream meant nothing at the time of its release; that America let it drift no higher than Number 161; that the U.K. did not even give it a hearing. Less than a year before, after all, "Something in the Air" was topping charts and readers' polls alike, and... Read More

Mott the Hoople
Artist: Mott the Hoople
Community Score: 5.67

Enough works on Mott the Hoople's eponymous debut album, and enough is so imaginatively freewheeling, that it's easier to think of the record as a bit more successful than it actually is. After all, their combination of Stonesy swagger, Kinksian crunch, and Dylanesque cynicism is one of the great blueprints for hard rock, and its potential is... Read More

The Kink Kontroversy
Artist: The Kinks
Community Score: 5.33

The Kinks came into their own as album artists -- and Ray Davies fully matured as a songwriter -- with The Kink Kontroversy, which bridged their raw early British Invasion sound with more sophisticated lyrics and thoughtful production. There are still powerful ravers like the hit "Till the End of the Day" (utilizing yet another "You Really Got... Read More

The Kinks' Greatest Hits
Artist: The Kinks

In its time -- and it was in print for about 20 years -- this ten-song compilation was the way that most listeners discovered the Kinks for the first time. Along with The Live Kinks, it was the sole showcase for the band's early work in the United States for those same 20 years, and it did its job well as far as it went, opening with that rock &... Read More

An Evening with Wild Man Fischer
Artist: Wild Man Fischer

Much sought after by an ever-increasing body of dedicated fans, this is the famous first album by an unforgettably unique and tragically misunderstood vocalist. Recorded and released in 1968, this album tells as much about the producer -- Frank Zappa -- as it does about the singer himself. Cal Schenkel's cover art ties it in with Zappa's own... Read More

Beck-Ola
Artist: Jeff Beck
Community Score: 8.40

When it was originally released in June 1969, Beck-Ola, the Jeff Beck Group's second album, featured a famous sleeve note on its back cover: "Today, with all the hard competition in the music business, it's almost impossible to come up with anything totally original. So we haven't. However, this disc was made with the accent on heavy music. So... Read More

The Hassles
Artist: The Hassles
Community Score: 4.50

On the Hassles' self-titled debut, the band displayed a naive enthusiasm and a slightly better-than-average blue-eyed soul, covering several hits and standards like "A Taste of Honey," "Fever," and "You've Got Me Hummin'," as well as Traffic's "Coloured Rain" in standard Rascals style. Most of the album is nothing spectacular, but a pair of... Read More