Van Halen | Van Halen – Lost Gem

One of my fondest rock and roll memories took place in the spring of 1977. A friend rang and asked if I'd like to go to the Whisky A...

Phoenix | Phoenix In Full View – CD Review

From the ashes of Argent's final 1976 tour, the band Phoenix rose. Argent's strong lead vocalist and guitarist John Verity, drummer Bob Henrit and bassist/keyboardist Jim Rodford initially formed H.R.V., pledging...

Bad Company | Merchants Of Cool – Lost Gem

Given the nature of the beast, it can be tricky following the membership of Bad Company these days. The original four seem to float in and out of the...

Dennis Wilson | Pacific Ocean Blue – Lost Gem

Brian Wilson typically gets credit for the success of The Beach Boys, but it was younger brother Dennis who embodied the look and feel of the surfside singers. The...

Jefferson Airplane | Surrealistic Pillow – Lost Gem

The Jefferson Airplane were the first blip on the radar screen tracking the San Francisco buzz of the mid 60s. With an inauspicious debut, the Airplane garnered little appraisal...

Classic Commentary: Kansas | Leftoverture – Lost Gem Review

Amidst all the accusations of going commercial with their breakout album Leftoverture, the fourth album by the heartland prog rockers collectively known as Kansas hardly panders to the hit...

Stevie Wonder | Talking Book – CD Review

One of the great cross-over records of all time, Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book shattered the myth that R & B artists were incapable of dishing out something even the...

Dire Straits | Dire Straits – Lost Gem

In 1978, the Newcastle-born Dire Straits burst onto the music scene with their self-titled debut album Dire Straits, which was released on the Vertigo Records label then a division...

Cat Stevens | Back To Earth – Lost Gem

By the end of the 1970s, Cat Stevens (born Steven Georgiou) had run through teen idol success, songwriting fame, survived tuberculosis, mega-stardom with his more ‘adult’ tunes, a near...

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | Trout Mask Replica – Lost Gem

Whether by detour or design, the antics of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart were enough to fan the flames of the misdirected idealism that eerily seeped out from the...