VA - Monsters (1979)

Monsters’ opening track offers a pleasant reminder of how refreshingly inviting Rickie Lee Jones was when she first came onto the scene in the late 70s. Her “Danny’s All-Star Joint” is always a joy to hear. As with many later Loss Leaders, all of the tracks here come from albums already available in the Warner Bros. catalog. But there are some new names here that were recently added to the WB family roster, including George Harrison, performing a song that was previously rejected by The Beatles in the late 60s, “Not Guilty.” According to the included quote, George was glad the song wasn’t released in 1967-68, “because it wouldn’t have been as good as it is now.” It’s not hard to imagine what his sentiment was back then, when The Beatles were frustratingly racking up 100 takes of the tune. Also new… Osiris, a funky 9-piece DC outfit; Mary Russell, from her debut solo album apart from hubby Leon; Chaka Khan from her first solo LP; The American Standard Band (Joe Cocker’s backing band); Wornell Jones, whose credits include Koko Taylor, Eddie Kendricks, Sly Stone & Nils Lofgren; and Tin Huey, featuring Chris Butler, who would later pen the infectious, “I Know What Boys Like,” as a member of The Waitresses in 1980. If nothing else, you’ve gotta love the self-penned theme song The Roches wrote for themselves, entitled “We.” This is the last Loss Leader “programmed by Dr. Demento,” who reveals he’s one of a thousand of Alice Cooper’s friends yelling “We’re All Crazy” on the album, From The Inside.