CD-Charts Position 131
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The Incredible String Band

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date July 05, 1993
This album, the ISB's debut, is hugely overlooked and underrated. If you don't know the 'October Song' then there is an ache in your soul you are not aware of yet. This album is one of the essential ones along with the 3 that followed it- 5000 Spirits, Hangman's Beautiful Daughter,Wee Tam and the Big Huge. Joint 1st for Scotland's finest with (the also hugely underraterd and misrepresented) Donovan, but even more original and adventurous. A dream of a better world and maybe a time-dispatch from a better world.

CD-Charts Position 132
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Nice and Nicely Done

by: Spinto Band

Release Date February 06, 2006
Spinto are the sort of band that should be huge in Indie circles. Having seen them live, I can confirm there are about ten of them, and they fill the record in the same way they fill the stage. The music is short, sharp, bouncy and catchy. The highlights are Oh Mandy, with it's infectious toe-tapping chorus, Direct to Helmet, which builds into probably the most radio-friendly track on the album, and Mountains - shortest and sharpest of all - which for about two minutes rattles its way around a unique chorus melody and some super lyrics.

Spinto sound like no one in the charts, and although they may sound a bit like lots of people from the past, there are enough unique things about this album to make it not sound a lot like anyone.
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CD-Charts Position 133
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Melts in Your Brain Not on Your Wrist: the Complete Recordings

by: Chocolate Watch Band

Release Date May 02, 2005
The good thing about this double cd compilation is that it manages to bring together the vast majority of the band's output. The Chocolate Watchband were one of the better 60s garage/psych bands out there but you can see they went through a number of different phases veering from psych punk like "Lets Talk About Girls" (later covered by the Undertones) to more standard blues rock "Sweet Young Thing" to some more experimental psych rock like "No Way Out". They did have a couple of incarnations with different singers and in fact a couple of the tracks have re-recorded vocals from one of them. They definitely sound more comfortable covering The Kinks and Dylan as opposed to less successful tracks like "Midnight Hour" but they deserve a lot of credit for ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 134
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Dancing Days Are Here Again

by: Albion Band

Release Date March 26, 2007
Archive cull of a folk rock institution continues apace with this 2-CD set comprising a 1976 performance at London's Festival Hall and recordings from 1983. The studio tracks on disc 2 are a mix of trad. anon and band-written material that lack the cohesion of the live set and work best as bonus material (will probably play nicely for TV film or documentary use one day). The former is the more satisfying, offering muscular interpretations of tradtitional songs and instrumentals, delivered by a nine person line-up including Simon Nicol, Dave Mattacks, Phil Pickett, band founder Ashley Hutchings and the wonderfully doulful-voiced Shirley Collins. A band at the height of its powers summons the English traditional with playful spirit and conviction, offering ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 135
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Drowning By Numbers

from: Venture

Release Date March 22, 2004
I find it difficult to believe that no one has taken it upon themselves to review this extraordinary work and consider it a privilige to be the first person invited to do so.
I first became aware of Michael Nyman having been to see Peter Greenaway's Draughtsman Contract for which Nyman also composed the score. Although the film impressed me it was Drowning by Numbers that really moved me,both film and music. The film is excellent in its own right,but it is the music that makes it a masterpeice , and no doubt, some would argue vice versa. Invariably, soundtracks pale into insignificance when listened to without the film they were intended to accompany, not so this one, each track is a belter. It is debateable as to whether it is best to listen to the music ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 136
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Csárdás - Hungarian Gypsy Music

by: Ferenc Santa and His Band

Release Date March 29, 1995
Santa Ferenc is a well respected virtuoso gypsy violinist & composer, who was born in Kaposvar, Hungary. The music on this CD is beautiful and is known to most Hungarians. It is played by a master violinist and his gypsy band with perfection ... This is the music one would hear played by a strolling "primas" (first violinist) and his band as they wander from table to table, serenading the patrons at a fancy restaurant. Whoever wrote anonymous, is perhaps refering to the fact the music is traditional and therefore no one knows the composers or origin of the music. (Please be aware that "Santa" is pronounced, "Shanta" with the first 'a' sounding like the American 'aah' and the second 'a' sounding like the vowel in 'up'.) Rest assured, this is among the finest violin ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 137
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No More Fish Jokes

by: Walter Trout Band

Release Date August 31, 1999
This is searing hot, blistering rock blues from perhaps the greatest guitarist playing this type of music in the world today. It is relentless high energy though never samey or tiring, it will have you rocking from beginning to end. Highly recommended. Buy it if you don't have it and listen to how the guitar can be but is rarely heard to be played. GREAT STUFF!!!

CD-Charts Position 138
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Bestiality of Bonzo Dog Band

by: Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

Release Date April 16, 1990
The quality of the Bonzo Dog Band are apparent in this album, however, I feel what this compilation lacks is the consistancy required to make a good album, as there are a few tracks from their weakest, and final album, 'Let's make up and be friendly'. This would make a better album, and would be a more fitting tribute if it stuck to the plan of putting their good songs on it, rather than the ones they were contracted to produce later in the band's career.

This 'bestiality' lacks gems such as:

Look out There's a Monster Coming! Laughing Blues Death Cab for Cutie

and other tracks from their seminal album, 'Gorilla'.

CD-Charts Position 139
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Eat A Peach

by: The Allman Brothers Band

Release Date July 06, 1998
I know I'll probably be knocked for giving this final Allman Brothers album to feature Duane Alman only three stars; but I must admit that I find it a little uneven.

The album has a strong opener in Gregg Allman's "Ain't Wasting Time No More", but Dickey's Betts' long instrumental "Les Brers in A Minor" sounds a little too loose to keep my interest going.

The melodic "Sweet Melissa" is another strong Gregg Allman effort; one of my favorites.

First track to feature Duane Allman is the extremely long live improvisions over Donovan's "There is a Mountain" called "Mountain Jam". I think you have to be a hard-care Duane Allman fan to really find this interesting.

"One Way Out" and "Trouble No More" are two more live-tracks; ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 140
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Busted Stuff [Us Import]

by: Dave Matthews Band

Release Date July 16, 2002
Like many of the reviews before me, I have to agree, I am stunned that DMB have not made a huge impact over here... Having said that, let's look at the charts in this country and you can quite easily see why. It must be said that the Americans know what good music is. I got into Dave and the boys about 3 1/2 years ago after buying "Everyday". I hadn't heard the band but I read a review in Rollingstone and decided to give it a go; I thought it sounded quite cool that the band consisted of a violinist, Saxophonist, bass, drums and acoustic guitar. I imagined it would sound quite weak and thin, but gave it a go anyway. After my first listen i was hooked. Everyday was followed by the rest of the (far superior) back catalogue and a LOT of downloaded songs (Including the "Lillywhite Sessions" ... Read More: