Cream of The Crate: Album # 199 - Lightning Hopkins: The Gold Star Series Vol 1

"The blues is born with you. When you born in this world, you were born with the blues. (Lightnin’ Hopkins, 1967)
"Sam (Lightnin') Hopkins, one of the great country blues singers and perhaps the greatest single influence on rock guitar players." (New York Times Obituary, Feb 1, 1982 )
"These are not necessarily the best known Lightnin' Hopkins tracks, but in many ways that makes this CD even more valuable." (This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Ninety Nine in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"Her deep, almost-vibratoless contralto sounded rough and unsophisticated compared to other commercial blueswomen but she projected a great depth of feeling and was adored by audiences." (US Library of Congress
"Ma Rainey was one of the first singers to popularize the style (the blues)." (Joe McGasko - Bio May 2015)
"When we listen to Ma Rainey, the recordings are very crude, but even so the power and mesmerism of her voice shows that pure talent and commitment to an audience makes Ma Rainey stand out even more today." (This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Ninety Six in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"Robbie played lap steel guitar, an axe with a real twangy sound." (Colin Talbot - 100 Greatest Australian Singles Of The Sixties)
"Rob E. G. was, by any criterion, a curious sensation." (Glenn A. Baker - album liner notes)
"Rob E. G.'s flame may have only burnt brightly for a relatively short time, but when it really burned it was scorching, and, it has never actually gone out!" (This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Ninety Five in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"Dion was the original punk." (RollingStone - March 1973)
"Dion and the Belmonts were perhaps the suavest of New York Cities late-fifties white teen idols." (The History of Rock and Roll)
"Dion DiMucci for a relatively short period of time was at the top of what he did, his "white style" of Doo Wop."(This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Ninety Two in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"Stillpoint was recorded in 1973 in just six days and has a wonderful feel of immediacy. " (Classic Rock Music)
"We listen back over 40 years later and applaud their desire to make a mark on Australian music that was different to what others around them were doing."(This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Ninety in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"Lonnie Mack, the blues-rock pioneer who influenced an entire generation of guitarists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards." (Rolling Stone April 2016)
"Guitarist and vocalist Lonnie Mack, known as one of rock's first true guitar heroes". ( Guitar World April 2016)
"With his recent passing, we have lost not just a guitarist, but one of the pioneers". (This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Eighty Nine in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

I was fortunate to be in the audience on Sunday 5th June at Melbourne's Caravan Club (in Oakleigh) for a one-off performance by the legendary Australian group - Ariel.
...

"Rick Nelson was there at the beginning of the modern rock era." (Steve Horowitz -Popmatters - 2012)
"Musicians as diverse as Eric Andersen and John Fogerty, and even some of his own heroes, including Carl Perkins and Scotty Moore, admired and respected Nelson." (The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll)
"I remember him not just as a nostalgic rock singer but as a lively and talented artist who loved what he did and did what he loved." (This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Eighty Seven in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"(The album) is a winner alright, paced and pitched for today."(Jim Carroll - New Music Express 1992)
"They were definitely at the top of the chain when it came to purveyors of quality urbane pop of the time." (This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Eighty Six in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"He gave rock 'n' roll the best years of his life."(Kevin Johnson - quote from the album liner notes)
"Dig Richards must rate as one of the first of the Australian pioneers of rock with Johnny O'Keefe and Col Joye." (Music Minder)
"Dig Richards may or may not have been one of our greats when it comes to early rock but he left an indelible mark." (This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Eighty Five in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"Prime contenders among the most searingly loud and heavy bands on both sides of the Atlantic."(RollingStone May 1972)
"Perhaps more than any other rock band, Deep Purple proved that a group of musicians could undergo consistent and even traumatic turnover, yet still achieve remarkable success over a long span of time." (Eduardo Rovadavia - Classic Rock)
"[This album] provides us with a fantastic insight into the development of the music of Deep Purple"(This review)


This is album review number One Hundred and Eighty Three in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"The mystique of this album are the hard rock experimental tracks, which are at times intriguing and at times superfluous."(Classic Rock Review Jan 2014)
"(The hits on this album)made the group a constant presence on AM radio and kept its albums in the gold and platinum range." (RollingStone)
"(CTA) were unique, talented and provided some damn fine music and this album reminds us of some of the best, and worst!"(This review)



This is album review number One Hundred and Eighty Two in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

“I Like to write songs from true experiences. Things that have actually happened. You can't get away from the truth of everyday life."(Joe Tex to Jim Delehant in Hit Parader, Jan 1967)
"Joe Tex is one of the unsung stars of southern soul." (Soul Train retrospective 2015)
"Joe Tex - relatively unknown outside R&B circles, until you hear one of his tracks, and then it's, "Oh I know that track . . .""(This review)



This is album review number One hundred and eighty one in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

“I Like to write songs from true experiences. Things that have actually happened. You can't get away from the truth of everyday life."(Joe Tex to Jim Delehant in Hit Parader, Jan 1967)
"Joe Tex is one of the unsung stars of southern soul." (Soul Train retrospective 2015)
"Joe Tex - relatively unknown outside R&B circles, until you hear one of his tracks, and then it's, "Oh I know that track . . .""(This review)



This is album review number One hundred and eighty one in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...

"Sound quality is impressive for a live album, particularly the vocal work which comes through clear and strong." (The News (Australia) April 1984)
"This is a crowd-pleaser with howling guitars and hot organ flushes most of the way." (Adelaide Advertiser April 1984)
"This album should remain a testament to his (Manfred Mann) and the group's ability to play quality music in a live format." (This Review)



This is album review number One hundred and seventy nine in the series of retro-reviews of both vinyl and CD albums from my collection.
...