On this page I review the albums I consider the best for each month, starting in January 2026. I’m not discussing new releases in the market, though it can happen, but new releases in my collection. That means that the albums discussed here can be from any period of time.
New album reviews appear on top of this page, so scroll down to see earlier reviews. Images are included as well, in the same way as elsewhere on this website. There’s no connection with the Philips label intended, but if a link can be made, I will do so. Have fun!
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March 2026: Status Quo – Blue For You
(Vertigo 6360 128, 1976, made in Italy, single slip cover, no inserts)
I never realized how uplifting a good Status Quo boogie could be until I heard this 1976 album. Sure, I was charmed by what I owned of this band – not too much, two other albums actually (“Quo” and “On The Level“), but this one really hit me. It can be considered as the last album of the original Quo boogie area, which started with “Ma Kelly’s Greasy Spoon” in 1970. The “Frantic Four” appear to be fading away in people’s musical interests, but I guess this isn’t correct as this band could play those relatively simple hard rock boogies with great conviction and fire. With one foot in the rock & roll days of the past and the other firmly planted in the 1970’s, it could still appeal to many younger listeners, if only they were aware. Status Quo has their own space in the 1970’s rock history and should be appreciated much more for that.
The “Blue For You” pressing that I have, was made in Italy, and appears to be intended for the Dutch market. It’s a simple reissue, no gatefold and no lyrics innersleeve as with other pressings, though the innersleeve could have been lost. The sound is rather good, though one shouldn’t have audiophile expectations from any of this band’s recordings. Maybe a modern analogue treatment could do wonders, but I guess the time isn’t right for that yet. In the meantime I will buy more “Blue For You” pressings whenever I find them friendly priced, to see if some sonic improvements can be made.
February 2026: Gentle Giant – Octopus
(Columbia 32022, 1972/7?, made in the USA, single slip cover, no inserts)
“Octopus” by Gentle Giant is a masterpiece of progressive rock, blending intricate, polyphonic complexity with folk and classical influences. I already owned a recent reissue of this album (on Alucard) and the one featured here is an older American reissue, which I bought to compare the sound quality. It has a completely different cover, not half a as beautiful as the original European cover (by Roger Dean). For some reason I’m not always completely satisfied with the sound of Gentle Giant’s albums. I prefer the US album of “Octopus” above the Alucard reissue, as it appears to be more in balance, with slightly brighter sounding vocals. Steven Wilson worked on many of Gentle Giant’s albums, often improving on the sound quality, but for some reason he was not involved with the recent Alucard reissue of “Octopus”, even though his name is mentioned on the inside of the gatefold cover. Steven Wilson is working in the digital domain and though I appreciate the results, I would definitely welcome a true analog reissue program for essential Gentle Giant albums like the one reviewed here, “Free Hand” and “The Power And The Glory“.
January 2026: Dixie Dregs – Unsung Heroes
(Arista 203 630, 1981, made in Germany, single slip cover with printed innersleeve)
The first album of the month is “Unsung Heroes” by the Dixie Dregs, from 1981. I already owned the first two solo albums by guitarist Steve Morse and especially the first (“The Introduction”, 1984) is one of my favorite instrumental albums (the second, that I have on CD, has several vocal tracks as well). It was about time to dive deeper in this man’s discography. The Dixie Dregs was the band Morse played in prior to his solo career, though the group reunited in the late 1980’s with new recordings made between 1992 and 2000. It appears they still perform. “Unsung Heroes” is a virtuoso instrumental album that showcases the band’s peak musicianship, combining jazz rock, rock, classical, and more. I love to hear songs like “Cruise Control”, “Divided We Stand”and “I’ll Just Pick”, to name just a few. Pretty much unbelievable what these gentlemen achieve here. In January I also bought “Night Of The Living Dregs” (1979) which is equally interesting. Their other albums are on my want list now.
The covers for the Dixie Dregs albums leave much to be desired. Most are pretty ugly. The front cover presented here, made me think of the “Alarma” album by Daniel Amos (New Pax NP33095, 1981), which I have in my collection since my early days of collecting. On the Daniel Amos album, instead of blurred mouths, the eyes are blurred, as can be seen in the scan.
Also worth mentioning are both “cartoon cover” albums by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band (“The Impossible Dream” and “Tomorrow Belongs To Me“), which I bought this month as well. Choices needed to be made, but these are great albums as well.