I always thought of David Peel & The Lower East Side as the New York counterpart to Country Joe and the Fish, as both were politically-charged, novelty-appeal acts seemingly born out of the folk tradition. In reality, Peel (along with the Fugs) was part of the first of many waves of nihilism enumerating out of New York. While colors abounded and minds were expanding, The Lower East Side Band just went out and yelled it from the street.

Less an autobiographical tale and more a string of really fine performance clips of both the Small Faces and Humble Pie, used as a backdrop to tell Steve's story in a very loose style. If you are looking for the fine details, start with an actual written autobiography. I think this really was made in the 90s but I am not certain. Some versions advertise a complete live show (normally "Winterland '73") but in reality it's just the documentary.

I continue to come away stunned at the depth and breadth of this one, after each succeeding listen, which supposedly isn't even their best (that nominally goes to 1970's Astra). Coldly-feeling riff-monsters and monolithic experiments ("The Crazy World of Pod") fit snugly by fantasies drawn from an older era ("Fields and Me"). "1999" combines all the above elements - and a healthy helping of the band's South African roots - into one explosive, anthemic mix, making it the one 1970's classic rock-era track you never heard that you need to hear. If you really want adventure, check out the great drum solo in the middle of "The Home Coming". To say this is a must-hear collection is an understatement....

When Vince Furnier took over ownership of the Alice Cooper name and launched his solo career back in the mid-70's, I think the intention was to gain stardom on the level of an Elton John or a Bowie along with developing the character in ways previously unheard of. What happened instead was real life interference - specifically, the pressures of keeping up appearances in the public eye, and the effects of continual substance abuse. Two albums into the venture, cracks in the dam were beginning to show, yet on Goes to Hell, Alice and crew are still functioning at near-optimum abilities, for the most part. Backed by the usual co-horts (Bob Ezrin, Steve Hunter, and Dick Wagner) it's an introspective affair, overall, and definitely has more insight than the outright camp that was all over the previous Welcome to My Nightmare.

Everyone has to get their start somewhere. For 80's Casanova pop star Robert Palmer, it was with Vinegar Joe, a rollicking theatrical blues rock outfit from the U.K. which also featured the raunchy pipes of female counterpart Elkie Brooks and multi-instrumentalist Pete Gage. They all share the spotlight in a roughly equal fashion, through a pleasant, engaging, and versatile set of groove-heavy songs - although at certain points Brooks' vocal gymnastics can't help but get out in front. Not to mention, tracks like "Leg Up" and "Never Met A Dog" had a thread that the studio was never going to ever capture.