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Courtesy of Kung Tunes

The Jackson 5 - 18 Greatest Hits - 59:41 - 1983 (72-75)
This compilation gathers tunes from (lil) Michael Jackson, and the Jackson 5 early and later. Even though there is a lot of material here, it's just not really what I'm after. Too many of the tunes are too mellow. The thing I like most about the J5 is their energy and excitement, and the indomitable spirit and soul of lil Mike. That boy was just about the smoothest little guy that has ever been. The meat of the the good stuff is in the middle, and most of the classics are there, "ABC", "The Love You Save", "I Want You Back", and "Never Can Say Goodbye" to name a few. Who remembers the J5 cartoon? That was cool.

Michael Jackson - Off The Wall - 42:34 - 1979
Before I was old enough to buy (or have the responsibility of owning, for that matter) albums, this one was IT. As far as I was concerned, MJ was kicking much ass! (Maybe he just has that effect on young boys.) However, later as I started to "get cool" I realized that MJ was anything BUT cool, so I shunned him. After that, I realized that whatever I thought was cool - WAS cool, and screw everybody else. So, that brings us back to a really great album (now CD) with ultra tight production by Quincy Jones. Disco and roller-skates - hell yeah!

Rick James - Greatest Hits - 49:30 - 1986 (78-84)
So as not to disappoint, and or get it out of the way, the first track jumps right into "Super Freak". From there, this CD has a pretty good, although sorely lacking, assortment of tunes from one of the funkiest brothers ever to don red leather. Although he often does soulful material, where he really shines is his infectious style of party/dance/funk, which lends itself perfectly to his larger than life libido. Even though these are all good songs, I would look for a better hits package with a broader and more organized collection. Rick is a true player and general pimp daddy, check him out!

Janus Stark - Great Adventure Cigar - 42:20 - 1998
JS: an old comic character; GAC: a Wu-Tang reference; Gizz Butt, the front man, and Prodigy's live guitarist - now you know. I had never heard of these guys until Earache sent me this one, and though I don't think I would instinctively seek it out, it's pretty good. They are pretty much in that Green Day zone of hard rock/power pop that's maybe a little to abrasive for the frat boys, but too soft for the punks. I hear lots of bits that remind me of different things in different songs, one is a Weezer/Pixies hybrid, another has shades of STP, another Helmet, one Beatles, and so on. The diversity keeps it interesting, and the strong chords keep it rockin. It's very condusive to cranking up, and it's gennerally hard enough not to feel embaraced about it.

Jesus Lizard - Liar - 34:21 - 1992
Jesus Lizard is kind of a strange band, and I don't think I can write a proper review for this one, but I'll give it a shot. Frontman David Yow is notorious for being banned from various venues due to his riotous stage presence, although I've never witnessed it, so I don't know what the fuss is about. It may have something to do with the sound they make, I'm not sure what it is, but there is something very caustic and grating in their music. It's like I wan't to like it based on it's anger, but I have trouble because it feels your mother/girlfriend yelling at you or something. There is one stand out track that almost makes the whole thing worth while, but over all this CD just feels oppressive.

Jethro Tull - "M.U." The Best of Jethro Tull - 43:42 - 1985 (72-75)
Jethro Tull has a very unique style of rock. In some ways it has elements of metal, particularly songs like "Aqualung", but for the most part, it's like many of their contemporaries at that time in that they have a rich, full, hanging out in the studio on the record label's dime, sound. But, what defines this band's unique nature is the prevalence of flute in all the songs. You would never figure that would work in a rock setting, but by god it does, beautifully. It's a shame that like many other hits discs, the record company doesn't have the decency to provide a little retrospect or pictures or any fucking thing, after artist like this have made many millionaires, and continue to bring in revenue 30 years later.

Billy Joel - The Stranger - 42:30 - 1977
I'm sure this sounds as weird to you as it does to me, however, at one point Billy Joel actually used to be kinda cool - no really! I mean there's gotta be some reason he's been around for a bazillion years, and it certainly can't be because of that fluff he's put out for the last two decades. Ok, so that's probably most the reason he's still around, but wait, what was I talking about. Oh yeah, this CD - it's good! Many of these songs have ended up on soft rock stations, which is where I suppose most of them belong, but he does kick up the pace from time to time. Much like early Steely Dan Billy Joel has that New York / Brooklyn accent going on which works pretty well to add flavour to his story telling style. I have to commend the record company (he says sticking his finger down his throat) because they FINALLY got it right. At last, they have given the consumer a little added value on these old "nice price" CDs. This one contains your basic simple multi-media enhancements, but also includes 4 vintage live videos to boot - well done!

Johnny Violent - Shocker - 84:03 - 1996
There's three ways you can go with this double CD, and all of them are valid at some point or another - you like him, you hate him, and sometimes both. "But ~pedro," you say "that's the way of just about everything." True, but Johnny has a way of making me flip flop like a fish out of water. I like some of the sounds he makes, and his general aggressiveness, but every song he makes revolves around this moronic, pounding, relentless beat that sounds like some little kid beating one of those punch balloons for hour's, only missing a lick every now and then. On the other hand, that same idiotic, simplistic, annoying beat has a tendency to draw you into it's sterile world from time to time. Don't play this if you don't want a headache, or if you have neighbors.

Jollymon - Stoned Nation Radio -58:24 - 1998
Jollymon's sound is kind of a hard one for me to stick a label on because it kind of changes around, (which is a good thing btw) and isn't really one thing or another. Looking at the cover you would think they were techno, but that's at least one thing they are not. I guess the majority of the songs sound slightly similar to the kind of 70's jam songs the Beasties did on Check Your Head - laid back grooves with a touch of Starskey and Hutch. The other tracks range from dubby, to more upbeat, to a few respectable punk speed cuts; with most containing a little scratching. These guys earn bonus points for the fact that this CD was recorded live (in the studio), which should be a bad thing, but they pulled it off; not to mention the sound quality is very good. Overall, it's a little to mellow for my taste, but anybody that samples Gene Wilder is OK in my book.

Joy Division - Closer - 44:20 - 19
There once was a band called Warsaw, who all the critics pretty much despised. This band later turned into Joy Division, and the critics rejoiced. After the suicide of their singer, they turned into New Order. Don't let the name fool you, there's very little Joy in this group (hence the singer's demise). The music is borne of that same type of gloom and electronics that The Cure share, only JD is less electronic and has more anger with their depression. Also, there's similarities with the Smiths, in the somewhat different nature of the vocals. Smiths, Cure, Joy Division, it's pretty much all one big cloud of doom: although ironically, all were extremely successful bands.

Jungle Brothers - Done by the Forces of Nature - 60:39 - 1989
This is a great CD brought to you by one part of a motile rap consortium. Smooth, hooky groves that are suitable for all occasions, bumping around in your car or kicking back at home. Samples lightly drop in and fade out with perfect timing, a la De La Soul (one of the pack). The trademark instrimental track proves these boys have got serious tallent. In a time when rap contracts were handed out to anyone who could say "sucka M.C.", JB's rose above all that crap and produced a great piece of art.

Jungle Brothers - J.Beez Wit The Remedy - 50:22 - 1993
Not having gotten the attention they deserved, the J.Bros. changed gears. Although the sound is much more polished, Afro centric lyrics of old have given way to more traditional pursuits: ie. getting laid. Even the trademark instrumentals which highlighted previous releases have been reduced to boring, annoying loops. What they have achieved with their new cut out bound CD is radio ready songs that you won't remember in 2 days.
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