Can - Tago Mago

Exceeds my expectations wildly. I only heard the Jesus & Mary Chain's cover of "Mushroom" so far. The original is so much better. I really have no problem with Augmn and Peking O. They're at the very least interesting, and nice enough to make me check out Stockhausen. It's "Hallehluhwah" I have a big problem with. If you're gonna do a tape loop at least make the rhythm hypnotic and add something interesting. It's just a bloody tip tap drum and a boring bassline. Go listen to Bitches Brew or On the Corner for some damn interesting loops. Best songs here - hands down Peking O (the spouting gibberish is actually very funny and innovative) and Mushroom. I like this a whole lot over Ege Bamyasi. My only problem is that Damo's vocals are mixed too low.

Kate Bush - The Dreaming

Probably my favourite album by a female artist. "Suspended in Gaffa" makes me cry even if I dunno what I'm crying about. The various vocal cord twisters are so excellent she just might outplace Liz Fraser as my fave female singer. Let's face it - Tori Amos is not fit to lick her rectum after she has purged a long one.

Rush - Moving Pictures

Very easy on the ears. Only have a problem with "Witch Hunt", which is a gigantic fireball of mediocrity. What next? Power Windows? 2112?. "Vital Signs" is one of the nicer songs here, how can you not like Andy Summers-style cod reggae riffs and a Baba O'Riley synth intro?

Dylan - Planet Waves

Can't say much about this except the musicianship is excellent and the songs are pleasant, albeit hardly memorable. The best song here is "Dirge". About the same ranking as "Infidels" I believe.

Lucinda Williams - West

Seriously this album would work wonders if it had more venomous mid-tempo rockers. As such the slow "torch" songs only work if I'm sitting on the porch chewing babyfood and trying to remember when, where and who I lost my virginity to.

Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose

The songs themselves aren't much. But Jack White's boisterous and spacey arrangements make them sound grander than normal. There's a general yee-haw barnyard party on "High on a Mountain-Top". "Have Mercy" breaks away from the usual rockabilly standard Nashville backing. "My Little Red Shoes" is probably a better spoken narrative than Velvet Underground's "The Gift". Only stinker here is "Mrs. Leroy Brown".