The 7th album from american songwriter and softrocker Browne. It was the 1st without David Lindley on guitar who was replaced by Rick Vito. The album was Browne's 4th top 10-album on the USA-charts and reached nr. 8 and stayed 33 weeks on the Billboard toplist.

The music is melodic laid back softrock with clear and melodic vocals which I have liked since the first time I heard him in the 1980's. All songs are okey, some are a bit better but I would like some heavier songs to lift the album.

1)Laywers in love (7,0)

2)On the day (8,0)

3)Cut it away (7,0)

4)Downtown (6,5)

5)Tender is the night (7,0)

6)Knock on any door (6,0)

7)Say it isn't true (5,5)

8)For a rocker (7,0)

Score: 6,75

Jackson Browne-vocals and guitars (b.1948)

Rick Vito-guitars (b.1949)

Bob Glaub-bass, guitar on 1. and organ on 7. (b.1952)

Russel Kunkel-drums (b.1948)

Doug Haywood-organ and bass on 7. 

Craig Doerge-piano and synthesizer (b.1947)

Incredibly enough this band's last album of original material was released in 1974! 32 years later it was time again and it features old New York Dolls rockers David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain but 3 original members had died prior to this albums release. Johnny Thunders died already in 1991, Jerry Nolan in 1992 and Arthur Kane in 2004. The bonus track Seventeen features bluesmusician Bo Diddley (1928-2008) and Michael Stipe from R.E.M and Iggy Pop make vocalappearences. The album recieved good reviews and reached nr. 129 on the US Billboard list and nr. 3 on the Finnish charts. The music is positive, enercig, alive and punky rock'n'roll with great old man's deep vocals but it also features calmer melodic songs and there's a good quality all through. An album to enjoy and get happy to!

Bassist Sami Yaffa from Finland has played with Hanoi Rocks and Michael Monroe.

1)We're all in love (7,5)

2)Runnin' around (8,0)

3)Plenty of music (6,5)

4)Dance like a monkey (8,0)

5)Punishing world (8,5)

6)Maimed happiness (5,5)

7)Fishnets and cigarettes (7,0)

8)Gotta get away from Tommy (7,0)

9)Dancing on the lip of a volcano (6,5) (Michael Stipe-vocals)

10)I ain't got nothin' (6,5)

11)Rainbow store (6,5)

12)Gimme luv and turn out the light (7,5) (Iggy Pop-vocals)

13)Take a good look at my good looks (6,5)

Score: 7,04

David Johansen-vocals and harmonica (b.1950)

Sylvain Sylvain-guitars (b.1951)

Steve Conte-guitars (b.1960)

Sami Yaffa (Sami Lauri Takamäki)-bass (b.1963)

Brian Delaney-drums

Brian Koonin-piano

Former member of the Spiders From Mars in David Bowie's band, Mick Ronson recorded some soloalbums after that period. This is an album of mostly coversongs, spanning from cheesy to wild rocksongs. The quality is variating from not very good to okey and the vocals is not very good either. Not an album I would listen to more than for the sake of rockhistory.

1)Billy Porter (4,0)

2)Angel no.9 (7,0)

3)This is for you (6,0)

4)White light/white heat (Lou Reed) (7,0)

5)Play don't worry (6,0)

6)Hazy days (3,0)

7)Girl can't help it (6,5)

8)The empty bed (lo me ne andrei) (5,0)

9)Woman (6,0)

Score: 5,61

Mick Ronson-vocals, guitars, bass, drums, piano, synthsizers, harmonica and clavinet (1946-1993)

Trevor Bolder-bass on 2,3, 4, 6 and 9 (1950-2013)

Richie Dharma-drums

Aynsley Dunbar-drums on 4 (b.1946)

Paul Francis-drums on 5

Tony Newman-drums on 7 (b.1943)

Neal Kernon-arp synthesizers on 1 and 3

Mike Garson-piano on 3, 4 and 6 (b.1945)

John Mealing-piano on 9 (b.1942)

Jeff Daly-saxophone and flutes

Ian Hunter-background vocals on 7 (b.1939)

The 4th album by Lou Reed and his most selling one, reaching top 10 in the USA. It was his first album not to include songs by Reed's former band The Velvet Underground and the first to be recorded in the USA. Reed was not much involved in the production and he was very dissapointed of the sound of the songs and since it was a hit-record the recordcompany wanted to release another one as fast as possible. Reed then handed over a tape of reverbs and noises that defenitely was not going to be a hit!

Guitarrist Danny Weis is a founder member of Iron Butterfly. Harmonica-player Steve Katz is a former member of Blood Sweat And Tears. Drummer Pentti Glan had played on Steppenwolf John Kay's two first albums prior to this album.

1)Ride Sally ride (6,0) Sounds very Eric Claptonish slow rock.

2)Animal language (7,0) Bluesy rock'n'roll.

3)Baby face (7,0) Slow and bluesy with nice feeling.

4)N.Y. stars (7,0) Slow sleazy rock.

5)Kill your sons (6,0)

6)Ennui (5,0) Slow ballad and quite boring.

7)Sally can't dance (6,5) Very much alike the other rockers on the album. Sounds a bit like Bob Dylan.

8)Billy (5,0) Acoustic and saxophone-based singer-songwriter music.

Score: 6,19

Lou Reed-vocals and guitars (1942-2013)

Danny Weis-guitars and tambourine

Doug Bartenfeld-guitars

John Prakash-bass (b.1946)

Pentti "Whitey" Glan-drums (b.1946)

Michael Fonfara-keyboards (b.1946)

Steve Katz-harmonica (b.1945)

The 2nd album as solo after his departure from The Commotions. This is orchestral and mostly very calm music with nice use of orchestra, accordion and harmonica but it gets way too boring for me. The singing isn't very uplifting either, with Cole's deep voice, but I suppose it fits the music. It rocks a bit sometimes but overall it's very dull, but anyway there are some decent melodies on this record. It has got some good reviews over the years.

Side A is played by an orchestra and side B by a band. The album reached nr.21 in the UK and nr.7 in Sweden.

1)Butterfly (6,0)

2)There for her (3,0)

3)Margo's waltz (2,0)

4)Half of everything (6,5)

5)Man enough (5,0)

6)What he doesn't know (3,0)

7)Tell your sister (6,5)

8)Weeping wine (6,0)

9)To the lions (6,0)

10)Pay for it (5,0)

11)The one you ever had (5,5)

12)She's a girl and I'm a man (6,0)

Score: 5,04

Lloyd Cole-vocals (b.1961)

Robert Quine-guitars

Matthew Sweet-bass

Fred Maher-drums

3rd album from englishborn, now resident of the USA, living in Detroit, 26 year old rock guitarrist and singer Joanne Shaw Taylor. Her music is mostly connected with blues but there sure ain't much blues here, that's for sure. Her singing does not appeal to me, it sounds strained and not with much feeling. Maybe it matures with age? The songs are pretty boring, not much happenes and not much of nice melodies here. She needs some soulful singers to back her up, that would lift this album a bit. Her guitarplaying is very chaotic, I don't understand why she plays in such a messy way in her solos. I immediately skip to the next song when she begins playing that way.

No, I don't recommend this album. It was the same when I saw her live here at the local music-pub in Gävle, I lost interest after a while.

1)Soul station (5,0)

2)Beautifully broken (5,5)

3)You should stay, I should go (6,5)

4)Piece of the sky (6,0)

5)Army of one (6,5)

6)Jealousy (6,5)

7)Almost always never (3,5)

8)Tied and bound (6,5)

9)A hand in love (3,5)

10)Standing to fall (7,0)

11)Maybe tomorrow (4,5)

12)Lose myself to loving you (4,0)

Score: 5,42

Joanne Shaw Taylor-vocals and guitars (b.1986)

Billy White-bass and acoustic guitars

J.J Johnson-drums

David Garza-piano, hammond and mandolin

Bonnie Tyler's 5th and most successful album including the monsterhit "Total eclipse of the heart". The album went straight to nr. 1 on the british charts, the first album by a female to do so. It also reached nr. 4 in the U.S.A Jim Steinman of Meat Loaf-fame produced the album and if one compare Meat Loaf's and Bonnie Tyler's music they sound very very similar with it's pompous melodic arrangements, progressiveness and quite nice guitarwork. The album has some re-worked coversongs and I don't understand why. It seems unnescesary when there were so good songwriters involved in the album.

The very well known guitarrist Rick Derringer had prior to this album played with Weird Al Yankovic for some time. Pianist Roy Bittan is mostly know for playing in Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band.

1)Have you ever seen the rain? (6,0) Creedence Clearwater Revival-cover in a heavyrock-vein with screaming guitars and heavy rhythm. It was at a time when rock still could reach the charts!

2)Faster than the speed of night (7,0) Pompous Jim Steinman-arrangement but it could have been better.

3)Getting so excited (5,0) Embarresing uptempo pop-rocker aimed for the charts...

4)Total eclipse of the heart (8,5) Incredibly pompous and powerful ballad and one of the biggest hits of the 1980's. At the time it was still possible for a 7 minute-song to reach the charts!

5)It's a jungle out there (7,0) Pretty good pop-reggaesong.

6)Going through the motions (6,0) A Blue Öyster Cult-cover. Just a supermelodic rocksong.

7)Tears (7,5) Duet with Frankie Miller. A good powerful ballad with very good singing by two excellent singers!

8)Take me back (7,0) Written by former Bob Dylan-guitarist Billy Cross. A good powerful melodic rocksong in the vein of Steinman/Meat Loaf.

9)Straight from the heart (6,0) Bryan Adams-cover. Another powerful ballad.

Score: 6,67

Bonnie Tyler-vocals

Rick Derringer (Richard Zehringer) -guitars (b.1947)

Steve Buslowe-bass

Max Weinberg-drums

Jimmy Maelen-percussion

Larry Fast-synthesizers (b.1951)

Roy Bittan-piano (b.1949)

This album is something new in Clapton's 20-album long career since the focus is on the flow and pure simple quality in music which are changing between blues, New Orleans jazz, standards, roots etcetera. I suppose it's a natural way to develop he's music now when Clapton is 65 years of age. The music abilities and taste grow with age that's for sure.

Nice to hear that Kim Wilson still got it on harmonica and that Derek Trucks from The Allman Brothers Band plays on the record and as many times before J.J Cale, who died in 2013, playes he's trademark sleazy swamp blues together with Clapton. There are many more well known artists on this album; such as Doyle Bramhall II who started his career with Stevie Ray Vaughan and has played with many blues greats since; Shreyl Crow and Steve Winwod among others.

1)Travellin' alone (5,5) Heavy shuffle-like blues with weird singing.

2)Rocking chair (6,5) Derek Trucks on slide guitar. Jazz-tune including piano.

3)River runs deep (9,0) Featuring J.J Cale so naturally this is mellow, slow, bluesy and sensetive with a great feeling. A great track!

4)Judgement day (7,5) Kim Wilson on harmonica in a good blues.

5)How deep is the ocean (6,5) Good jazzy song.

6)My very good friend the milkman (5,5) Big-band jazz with trombone and piano.

7)Can't hold out much longer (7,0) An old Little Walter-slow and heavy blues featuring Kim Wilson.

8)That's no way to get along (6,5) J.J Cale again in this slow 6-minute bluesy shuffle.

9)Everything will be allright (6,0) Cale once more and Paul Carrack on Hammond organ.

10)Diamonds made from rain (7,5) Shreyl Crow on vocals toghether with Clapton. Nice ballad with great vocals from Clapton!

11)When somebody thinks you're wonderful (3,0) Happy-happy jazz.

12)Hard times blues (6,5)

13)Run back to your side (7,5) Derek Trucks on guitars again in this uptempo bluesrocker. Good song!

14)Autumn leaves (7,5) Sweet, melodic jazzy ballad. Feeling!

Score: 6,57

Eric Clapton-vocals and guitars (b.1945)

J.J Cale-vocals and guitars (1938-2013)

Doyle Bramhall II-guitars and percussion (b.1968)

Derek Trucks-guitars (b.1979)

Jim Keltner-drums (b.1942)

Willie Weeks-bass (b.1947)

Walt Richmond-piano, keyboards and organ

Kim Wilson-harmonica (b.1951)

London Sesson Orchestra-strings