13
Artist: The Doors

The success and continued popularity of 13 over the years was a perfect illustration of the way in which the Doors (and their record label) successfully manipulated the group's image in two distinctly different directions. 13 presented the Doors' most accessible, AM radio-friendly music, even bypassing their rather daring debut single, "Break On... Read More

Link Wray
Artist: Link Wray

Link Wray was one of rock & roll's first bone fide guitar heroes, and his speaker-shredding buzzy chords were as distinctive a sound as anyone conjured up in rock's early years. So Link's old fans were thrown for a loop when, in 1971, the man made a comeback after several years along the margins with a self-titled album that set aside his big... Read More

Grin-1+1
Artist: Grin

Kicked off by the delicious pop confection "White Lies," 1 + 1 is the best of Nils Lofgren's work with his trio Grin. That single never got higher than number 75, though, and the album sold very little outside of Lofgren's home base in the northern Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable recording... Read More

Jo Jo Gunne
Artist: Jo Jo Gunne

From the ashes of the multifaceted jazz/psych/rock combo Spirit rose Jo Jo Gunne. The band's personnel included Jay Ferguson (keyboards/lead vocals), Mark Andes (bass/vocals), his brother Matthew Andes (guitar/vocals), and Curly Smith (drums/vocals). Their self-titled debut would be the only release from this lineup as well as arguably the... Read More

The Tin Man Was a Dreamer
Artist: Nicky Hopkins

Nicky Hopkins' finest solo album, the memorably titled The Tin Man Was A Dreamer is a solid piece of engagingly edgy pop-rock -- picture Elton John's early '70s work with more variety, a few rough edges, and a bit less ego. As one would expect, Hopkins' piano playing (augmented by the organ in spots) dominates most of the songs, but there's... Read More

Never a Dull Moment
Artist: Rod Stewart
Community Score: 5.50

Essentially a harder-rocking reprise of Every Picture Tells a Story, Never a Dull Moment never quite reaches the heights of its predecessor, but it's a wonderful, multi-faceted record in its own right. Opening with the touching, autobiographical rocker "True Blue," which finds Rod Stewart trying to come to grips with his newfound stardom but... Read More

Gasoline Alley
Artist: Rod Stewart
Community Score: 8.33

Gasoline Alley follows the same formula of Rod Stewart's first album, intercutting contemporary covers with slightly older rock & roll and folk classics and originals written in the same vein. The difference is in execution. Stewart sounds more confident, claiming Elton John's "Country Comfort," the Small Faces' "My Way of Giving," and the... Read More

Seven
Artist: Bob Seger
Community Score: 7.65

With his seventh album, appropriately titled Seven, Bob Seger delivered one of his strongest, hardest-hitting rock records -- the toughest since the days of the Bob Seger System. Not to say that he ever abandoned rock & roll, since Back in '72 was filled with fantastic rockers, but it was tempered with reflective singer/songwriter material. Not... Read More

Hot Rocks, 1964-1971
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Community Score: 7.55

This two-LP/two-CD set is both a lot more and a bit less than what it seems. It is seven years' worth of mostly very high-charting -- and all influential and important -- songs, leaving out some singles in favor of well-known album tracks, and in the process, giving an overview not just of the Rolling Stones' hits but of their evolving image.... Read More

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Community Score: 8.30

Recorded during their American tour in late 1969, and centered around live versions of material from the Beggars Banquet-Let It Bleed era. Often acclaimed as one of the top live rock albums of all time, its appeal has dimmed a little today. The live versions are reasonably different from the studio ones, but ultimately not as good, a notable... Read More

He Touched Me
Artist: Elvis Presley
Community Score: 8.00

As if to make up for not recording in the studio for all those Hollywood years, Elvis took the first few years of his comeback dead serious. As it stands, He Touched Me blends the earthiness of the 1960 gospel album with a bit of the preternatural churchiness of the 1966 recordings. This is a fine record and you don't need to be a Christian to... Read More

Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Artist: Elvis Presley
Community Score: 8.00

When Elvis and the Colonel decided it was time to start appearing live again, they assembled a crackerjack band (featuring James Burton) and took on Vegas full-bore. Easily the King's best live album, In Person at the International Hotel featured a slew of hits, including "Johnny B. Goode," "My Babe," the "Mystery Train/Tiger Man" medley, and... Read More

Jailhouse Rock/Love Me Tender
Artist: Elvis Presley

As part of the commemorative releases surrounding the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, RCA Records released the soundtracks for Jailhouse Rock and Love Me Tender on a single disc, adding several alternate takes as bonus tracks. It was the first time Jailhouse Rock had been released as a complete soundtrack; it had previously been... Read More