V/A - The Stars of Fame Records EP

Label: Kent Soul (Ace Records); Year: 2011; Format: Vinyl EP

This EP came out for RSD 2011 and contains four songs of fine Southern Soul from the mid- to late '60s. According to the liner notes none of these songs have been previously released, hence even more reason for you die-hard soul fans out there to own this limited piece of history. I am by no means an expert on soul, but I can guarantee you that I will be reviewing more records from that genre as I do like to listen to it a lot. All four songs on here are great, two of them more upbeat, whereas the other two are slow and beautiful. All of these crackers were recorded at the FAME Studios, home of the Muscle Shoals sound. I am sure someone more knowledgable could write quite a bit about this, whereas I just bought this one as I fancied it, and certainly haven't regretted my decision.

Nervous Eaters - Just Head 7"

Label: Penniman Records; Year: 1999; Format: Vinyl 7"

The Nervous Eaters from Boston, MA were one of the earliest punk'n'roll acts emerging from the 'Rat-scene' in Boston. Steve Cataldo on vocals/guitar was the main force behind this band, and originally this two-song gem was released in 1979 on Rat Records. None of the two songs are pure '77 punk, but rather a mixture of the punk-energy mixed with the raw sound of early '70s hard rock and glam rock, resulting in two hook-laden killer tracks that will blow your speakers. This is one of my favorite late '70s releases from the US, and everybody that equally loves the Real Kids or DMZ needs to have this in their collection.