(*) Jackie & The Cedrics - Thunder Struck! 7" (Estrus)
Jackie & The Cedrics deliver the goods here - four stompin' surf rave-ups, housed in a swingin' jacket. The cuts featured here are Thunder Struck, Made in Japan, Red Baron, and Little Coupe. The record's label was inspired by the design of classic Del-Fi releases. In a word: AMAZING! (Continental #5)

Cordell Jackson - Live In Chicago (Pravda)
"Just like any nurturing grandmother, Cordell has given much to rock n' roll and will always be a part of its history."
At 73, this rock n' roll grandma really know how to pick a mean electric guitar. This live recording features seventeen original tunes performed in front of an appreciative audience. From fast rockabilly to slow country she can do it all. She has an interesting history, which I would detail here if I had the space. Just buy this CD and read the liner notes for a true slice of Americana. (Continental #4)

Jesus Presley - Music From A Spinning Planet 7" (Rainforest)
"Jesus Presley know how to put on a show, that much is obvious enough from this piece of vinyl."
They describe themselves as "acid lounge", a genre that I'm not too familiar with. The A-side is pretty interesting, combining jazzy bass, guitar harmonics, and an occassional squelch from a saxophone. The B-side is a stronger piece of work, sounding a bit like Roxy Music after taking way too much LSD. The song goes through several tempo changes, growing weirder and weirder as it goes along. (Rainforest Records, P.O. Box 1218, Wilsonville, OR 97070.) (Hmmm...#7)

The Jimmies - Cheap 7" (Blood Red) The Jimmies are a Portland, OR punk rock band that have recorded this brand new 7" for Jeff "Punk Rock" Martin's Blood Red label. I'm not a huge punk fan, but two of the three songs on here are dedicated to drinkin', so they're cool in my book. (Continental #5)

Johnny & The Hurricanes - The Definitive Collection (Charly) * * * * *
What a month for music this has been so far! Johnny & The Hurricanes are famous for one song - RED RIVER ROCK - which has been covered thousands of times but never topped in terms of energy and tone. Well, imagine that sound spread over 60 tunes and that's what you've got here. I first got into them after hearing The Astronauts (from Germany) cover several of their tunes. In addition to Red River Rock other essential tracks include Crossfire, Beatnik Fly, Rocking Goose, Happy Time, Thunderbolt, Buckeye, and dozens of others. They combine youthful energy with excellent playing by Johnny Paris on saxophone and the trademark raunchy organ sound of Paul Telsuk. This is an import from Germany, but I found this at Tower Records for $20!!

Jon & The Nightriders - Fiberglass Rocket (Atomic Beat)
"Jon & The Nightriders are the gnarliest, guitar-driven surf instro band around."
This could very well be the best instro surf release of 1996. On this release they mix original and cover tunes using vintage gear, yet add enough energy to make this sound very up-to-date. Led by John Blair, surf historian and one of the major forces behind the current surf revival, The Nightriders blast through tunes such as "Hot Doggin'", "Midnight Run", "Tailspin" and a full 7 1/2 minutes of "Apache", along with eight originals. Fiberglass Rocket is a disc just begging to be listened to over and over again. (Atomic Beat Records, 10390 Santa Monica Blvd. #210, Los Angeles, CA 90025.) (The Continental #1)

(*)Tom Jones - Live In Las Vegas (London Records)
Before I bought this album the only Tom Jones song I had heard was that cheezy Prince cover he did with The Art Of Noise. This guy is so cool! This disc is choc-full of hits: I Can't Stop Loving You, Hey Jude, Yesterday, and Twist & Shout. He must be a big fan of The Beatles. This man is so full of energy! He does an Otis Redding tune (Hard To Handle), which I have hated ever since The Black Crows covered it. Somehow, Tom manages to turn it into a masterpiece. Find this disc today! (Hmmm... #2)

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