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BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS: “Smiling Phases” Play this track

This is one of my favorite tracks from one of my favorite jazz rock albums. I rank the first two BST and Chicago albums at the top of that list. We’re talking first class songwriting, arranging, and performance. The original Traffic song kills. It’s a rocker. The BST version rocks and the trek into jazz is full throated and swings. Did you know that BST played Woodstock? Of course not. They weren’t in the movie or on the LPs. But at the time of the festival they were the biggest band on the charts. In 2019 they finally released the live recording from the BST set at Woodstock. If you are a fan of the band from this era, you will be thrilled. —John Stix

SLY & THE FAMILY STONE: “Everyday People” Play this track

Is this song perfect? Yes. Could I listen to it for 24 hours straight? Yes. —Rock Stamberg

Great song from a great album. Stand! is almost a Greatest Hits all by itself. “Everyday People” has hooks in the vocal, hooks in the horn chart, hooks in a bass lick, great lyrics of social importance and so on and so on and scooby dooby doo. All in 2:20. —JS

PETER TOSH AND MICK JAGGER: “(You Gotta Walk) Don’t Look Back” Play this track

I almost can’t stand how groovy this take on the Motown classic is. A different flavor of catchy. Kinda definitive to me. Seriously. —RS

I didn’t know it was a cover of a Temptations song. I saw Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations on Broadway and there it was. So I went back to the original and I prefer the Tosh/Jagger take. How often does that happen? Sounds like a segment for NHT. —JS

PETE TOWNSHEND: “Let My Love Open the Door” Play this track

Pete Townshend performed several one-man solo shows in the 1990s and 2000s where he played lots of Who and solo material. Here’s a great one. —RS

This could have been a great Who song. Instead it’s a great Townshend song. Pete remains one of my favorite vocalists. Not a natural singer with a beautiful voice, but, like Joe Walsh, he always sounds authentic while delivering the emotion of the lyric and the hook of the melody. —JS

THE ROLLING STONES: “Memo from Turner” Play this track

This is The Stones’ take of what eventually morphed into Jagger’s recording for the Performance soundtrack. Recorded during the sessions for Let It Bleed. Ragged but right. —RS

MICK JAGGER: “Memo from Turner” Play this track

Jagger’s first-ever solo recording features Ry Cooder’s incendiary slide guitar throughout. A 180 turn compared to The Rolling Stones’ version. Which one do you prefer? —RS

FLEETWOOD MAC: “Sentimental Lady” Play this track

The original version from 1972’s Bare Trees should’ve been a hit … —RS

BOB WELCH: “Sentimental Lady” Play this track

… and then the former Fleetwood Mac guitarist/singer/songwriter had a hit with the song in 1977. This version features longtime Fleetwood Mac keyboardist Christine McVie and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham (who replaced Welch in 1974). —RS

DAVE EDMUNDS: Interview Play this track

In 1979, Edmunds released one of my favorite records with Repeat When Necessary. He was and remains one of the great rock-and-rollers. A song was always king for him, but he also knew to put in killer guitar solos. That’s what we talked about here. He mentioned Elvis and Hound Dog. So of course we had to share it with you. —JS

ELVIS PRESLEY: “Hound Dog” Play this track

My daughter Jacqui’s first ever favorite artist in elementary school was Elvis. This was soon followed by the Beach Boys. Can’t argue with that. —JS

Yessiree, “Hound Dog.” Elvis’ 1950s trailblazer still shocks in its inspired carelessness and focused abandon. —RS

EAGLES: “Victim of Love” Play this track

My favorite Eagles track, this taut rocker is both mesmerizing and serious as a heart attack and is just about perfect. —RS

STEELY DAN: “Bodhisattva (live)” Play this track

Up until 1995’s Alive in America, Steely Dan had only ever released one live track in their entire recorded history. This is it. Recorded live in 1974, this “Bodhisattva” was the B side of “Hey Nineteen.” One suspects the Dan put this out just to share the introduction by the band’s inebriated (?) announcer, Jerome Aniton.  This is a pretty hot version, so my question is where is the rest of the show? —JS

Worth listening to for the intro alone. Mr. Steely Dan, The Beautiful One indeed. A+ —RS

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE: “Volunteers” Play this track

This live version of “Volunteers” (recorded at Woodstock but released on the 2400 Fulton Street compendium) is my go-to version. So Grace Slick’s spoken intro is flown in from another song from the festival but I don’t care. The band roars here and means every word. Goosebump stuff. —RS

THE ROLLING STONES: “Tumbling Dice” Play this track

This loose take off 1995’s unexpectedly excellent Stripped half live/half studio project comes close to bettering the original, but fact is they’re leagues apart in style. Even Charlie Watts loves Stripped, so there you go. —RS

LITTLE FEAT: “Ain’t Had Enough Fun” Play this track

Here’s a Feat song I think should be considered among their classics because it feels so good, the hooks are clear and the piano playing is giddy. Whatdoyouthink? —JS

I think it’s a gem. How’d I forget about this one? —RS

BOB DYLAN: “Blind Willie McTell” Play this track

Wow. Bob Dylan goes to another level with this spare work of brilliance. Why he left this one off 1983’s undervalued Infidels album is beyond me. Finally released to massive acclaim on his The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 in 1991. Bob added it to his live repertoire soon after. —RS

THE ELECTRIC FLAG: “Easy Rider” Play this track

Fifty seconds of Mike Bloomfield sweetly singing the blues. A perfect ending to a perfect album. —JS.