Ask The Music Doctor

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Peeping Tom's drummer and man-about-town Dr Cam answers your music questions, solves your rock conundrums and guides you safely back into the realm of good taste.

Doc,

The tractor beam sucked me into Greville Records again yesterday, and this time I was thrown into a state o' confusion with what Creedence Clearwater Revival album to buy.

While there's no shortage of Time Life-style compilations you can buy for $4.95 plus postage and handling, I wanted to get a proper album.

So I bought Willy & The Poor Boys mostly because it included the track Fortunate Son. I saw the clip to that on Rage the other night, and it blew me away. The last track Effigy is also incredible.

I'm keen to buy in further. Although these guys seem like squares and pretty mainstream, they are consumate songwriters.

Where to from here?

Aw, I dunno how square those boys are? Creedence are about as cool as they come. How many bands sound like them? No one else has captured that steamy southern swamp stomp quite like CCR (I guess there's Tony Joe White. Anyone else care to add?)

John Fogerty's a legend. He even managed to crank out a cool 80's album (no mean feat), Eye of the Zombie.

Album-wise you can't really go wrong, each album has it's own handful of bona fide winners. Cosmos Factory, I think, is generally regarded as their best (it has that wonderful Heard it through the Grapevine jam - if only they hadn't used that in the Sultana Bran commercial), but for my money you can't go past Bayou Country or Green River.

I'm sure they're 'Nice Price' too.

Doctor, 

I've just begun to appreciate the greatness of The Who. I have a few MP3s. Is it a case of their earliest work being the best? What albums do you recommend? Are you and fan and what do you like about them the most?

Sorry for my belated response. I'm useless. I'm only an occasional net-user at best.

I find there's a bit of a gulf between The Who from the 60s and The Who of the 70s. I guess it all changed after the release of Tommy. Up until that point they were the kings of mod-pop.

Personally, I dig their early 70s period (what a surprise!) - Who's Next, Quadrophenia, and Live at Leeds are five-star. And one really can't go past Tommy.

Always feel I have to listen to it from start to finish though. Rock opera can have that effect.

By the way, Keith Moon has chops that kill.

Devo: prepared for any weather conditions.

Doc,

I've been enjoying quite a bit of Devo lately. Beautiful World and Homo Jocko are awesome songs.

I hear tell that Kraftwerk are quite a cool and influential band. But what I've seen on Rage hasn't really blown me away. But I'd still like to buy in, but don't know where to start.

Which record would you recommend I get to start with, that's got the good songs but won't scare me away?

Sorry. A late response as usual.

My tip is stick to Devo. Can't really say I've ever really been a big Kraftwerk fan. Never quite got their mechanical kookiness. Maybe it's a German thing.

By all accounts, though, I've heard Autobahn is their must-have. You should however grab all of Devo's stuff right up to Oh no, It's Devo.

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