Classic Compilation Albums Review: Hit Express, by K-Tel Records 1982

Without too much background, here is my pick for April 2025, keeping on with the compilation theme. It was released in 1982 by KTel. This is the first compilation that popped into my head when Darren mentioned this theme. I may have had others prior but I would have been 9-years-old and distinctly remember having this one and listening to it in PEI over and over.
It seems there were different versions of this released – in the US, Canada and maybe others, but this is the Canadian version. I played the shit out of this as a kid.

Continue reading

Review of Joan Jett: Bad Reputation

In December 2024, we revisited Joan Jett’s debut solo album, Bad Reputation (1980), a milestone in rock history. Jett’s bold voice and pioneering role as a female rocker broke barriers in a male-dominated genre.

While the album boasts standout tracks like the title song, its mix of hard rock and 50s-style pop felt uneven, with only four original songs. Despite this, Jett’s talent and energy shine through, making it a must-listen for understanding her impact on rock.

Though not a cohesive masterpiece, Bad Reputation offers a glimpse into Jett’s early journey and the evolution of women in rock. It’s worth a listen to appreciate where it all began!

Continue reading

Joan Jett – Bad Reputation

Joan Jett – Bad Reputation: When Darren’s November pick of Elvis Presley’s self-titled debut had him reflecting on his first-ever album, it got me thinking: what was mine? After a stroll down memory lane, I landed on Joan Jett’s Bad Reputation. Released in 1980, this debut solo album marked Jett’s transition from The Runaways to solo stardom, paving the way for her legendary career in rock ‘n’ roll.I received this cassette for my 9th birthday in August 1982. At first, I was disappointed—it wasn’t Jett’s I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, the album I’d actually requested. But after listening to Bad Reputation a few times, I was hooked. Classics like “Bad Reputation” and “Do Ya Wanna Touch” have stuck with me ever since.Now, decades later, I’m revisiting this album to see how it holds up and what it still has to say. Join me as I take a fresh listen to the music that first introduced me to the rebellious spirit of rock.

Continue reading

How The Rolling Stones Influenced The Black Crowes

In this review, we explore how The Black Crowes’ The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion may have been influenced by The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. Released 20 years apart, both albums share a southern, bluesy, and soulful sound, with striking similarities in their pacing and musical journey. While some of us favored The Black Crowes, we all appreciated the deep connections between these two classic albums. Listen to our conversation and share your thoughts on these timeless records.

Continue reading

This Album Influenced That Album – The Rolling Stones Influenced The Black Crowes

In the upcoming episodes, we explore how one album influenced another, starting with Darren Scott’s picks of the Foo Fighters’ debut and Bad Brains’ Rock for Light. Now it’s my turn with The Black Crowes’ The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, their 1992 follow-up to Shake Your Money Maker. This album broke records with four rock number-one hits and topped the Billboard 200. Produced by George Drakoulias and The Black Crowes, its rock, blues, and southern black soul sound has always reminded me of the early Rolling Stones, especially their 1972 album Exile on Main St.. Known for its murky, party-like atmosphere, Exile on Main St. was a double album featuring blues, rock, swing, country, and gospel influences. This month, I’ll dive deeper to see if Exile on Main St. truly influenced The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion.

Continue reading

Review of John Mayer – Continuum

Our pick for March 2024 was John Mayer’s third studio album, Continuum, which was released on September 12, 2006.

As sometimes happen when we share post-listening thoughts, we differed a bit on this one, with one TSC member really not liking the album, but most of us aligned on it sort of just being hhmm. Not great, not bad, just there, and potentially a great album to cut vegetables to.

Continue reading

John Mayer – Continuum

Check out our album selection for March 2024. Continuum is Mayer’s third studio album, was released on September 12, 2006, and took about a year-and-a-half to record, which happened in New York, LA, and Memphis. It’s noted as making a departure from his pop side, transitioning into a more blues / soul vibe, and notably was produced by legendary drummer Steve Jordan, who is now the Rolling Stones’ drummer. Listen to this and get access to more episodes and content at https://thesoniccollective.com

Continue reading

Review of MC5: Kick out the Jams

Get ready for a thrilling ride through music history! In the last four episodes, we’ve been grooving to the catchy tunes of one-hit wonders. But now, hold on to your seats because we’re shifting gears. Our very own music aficionado and Sonic Collective member, Darren Scott, has taken us on a journey back to the world of influential albums.

This time, we’re diving headfirst into the debut album of the incomparable Tracy Chapman. Picture this: soul-stirring lyrics, mesmerizing melodies, and a voice that’ll give you goosebumps. We’ve gathered around to dissect this musical masterpiece and explore how it still holds up today.

October 2023 saw us dive into the very first punk album of all time. It’s so the first that it wasn’t even classified as punk at the time. MC5 recorded this, their first album live and we all felt the sound recording and quality was pretty darn good considering how long ago this was done. It stands up.

But when we really got into the music, things took a bit of a turn. We enjoyed a few of the sounds, notably the title track, but found overall this album just became noisy after a couple of tracks and started to down-right irritate some of us. Scott G enjoyed it the most but the rest of us found getting through in one listen a bit of work.

That said, we’re glad we had the experience, as this was really the beginnings of punk and an entirely new sound to the world. We’ve widened our musical knowledge and scope.

Continue reading

MC5 – Kick Out the Jams

This month we’re tackling an album I’ve been aware of for a long time, never listened to, but the time has come.

Kick Out the Jams by MC5 was released in February 1969 and has been classified as proto-punk. While the band formed in 1963, it took a few years for their debut album to come into form, and uniquely, it was recorded live over two nights at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom in 1968. Typically bands release a live album well into their career but MC5 uniquely opted to do so out of the gates.

Continue reading

One Hit Wonder or Not? New Radicals’ Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too

New Radicals

So here, it is, the second review of our One Hit Wonders round, this time listening to New Radicals’ Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too. If you haven’t listened to/read about why we picked it, check that out first.

The album was released October 16, 1998, and is essentially an album by lead singer, Gregg Alexander, who is the only person to play on all the album’s tracks. He enlisted a swath of session musicians (28) to play instruments while recording, really making this an album of hired guns. The very successful You Get What You Give charted high on most Top 40 lists around the world, then the band broke up in 1999. A second single, Someday We’ll Know, was released shortly after the band called it quits and the rest is history.

Continue reading