Phil Brett, Tom Fine

The Replacements: Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash (Deluxe Edition) and The Specials: Protest Songs 1924-2012.

Tattoo You is near and dear to me. It came out in August 1981, just before I entered 10th grade, the age when a person's rock'n'roll aesthetic begins to take shape. This album was formative.

I knew about the Rolling Stones mainly through the Hot Rocks compilation, from listening on radio to hits from Some Girls (which came out when I was too young and sheltered in leafy suburbia to understand the urban grit and decadence described in its lyrics), and from Emotional Rescue, which I owned, and which I thought (and still think) lacks interesting music in the grooves to match the cool cover. I figured the Stones might already be too old to rock.

Johnathan Blake: Homeward Bound, Bill Charlap Trio: Street of Dreams, Renee Rosnes: Kinds of Love and Oliver Nelson: The Blues and the Abstract Truth.

Grateful Dead: Grateful Dead, Scritti Politti: Cupid & Psyche 85 and Stone Temple Pilots: Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop.

Capitol/UMe 3565238 (5 CD, 1 Blu-ray). 2021. George Harrison, Phil Spector, Harrison, David Zonshine, prods.; Ken Scott, Philip McDonald, Paul Hicks, engs.
Performance *****
Sonics *****

Six weeks after the world's biggest pop group broke up, the "Quiet Beatle" began work on a monumental three-LP album that stands tall a half-century later. George Harrison's first solo album (his third if you count a movie soundtrack and an experimental-music record) is a masterpiece, a musical minestrone of influences and timestamps. For the artist, it was a sprawling release of creative energy too often pent up in the context of the Beatles.

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection, Gang Of Four: 77–81 and Japan: Quiet Life.

The central question behind Déjà Vu was "How do you top a classic?" The eponymous debut album by Crosby, Stills & Nash was a case of magic musical synergy meeting the perfect moment. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200, won the Grammy for Best New Artist, and opened the door for the trio's legendary performance at Woodstock.