Suicide - Ghost Riders: liked

Recorded live on September 19, 1981

Michael Hampton - Into the Public Domain: 7.5 (high B+)

Really grew on me, but #limitededition, and probably #jazz too.

Veruca Salt - American Thighs: 7.5 (high B+)

#indiepop

Lucinda Williams - World's Gone Wrong: 8 (A-)

Love the cover.

Sly & Robbie - Dubs for Tubs: A Tribute to King Tubby [Rohit, 1990]: neutral

:-|

Sly & Robbie - Meet King Tubby: 7.5 (high B+)

Might be an 8 (A-), but #import anyway. This original UK release with the orange cover and 10 tracks is the only one to get. Other import releases are first generation CD transfers or un-remastered CDs with bonus and/or alternate tracks.

Ronald Shannon Jackson & The Decoding Society - Mandance: 8 (A-)

Husker Du - 1985: The Miracle Year: 7.5 (high B+)

The grade is an average: the complete show January 30, 1985 set is a 9 (A) to me, while the 20 selected songs from other shows in 1985 is a 7 (B+). So, the entire thing rounds up to 8 (A-), and then I dock it a notch for bloat, which makes it #live and #limited edition. The truth is that even at 8 (A-), I wouldn’t bother because the prices being asked by the lucky few consumers who snatched up copies early are ridiculous. Maybe the label will get smart and do another run, but probably not. Notably, there is no overlap between the two discs, and the better songs are not only from the complete show, but the better performances are too. I wish they would release that first complete show separately (they did release digital-only EPs of some tracks). Update (March 2026): I got the digital tracks of the complete show and burned it to disc. How it should have been released in the first place. Absolutely classic live show.

Al Green - To Love Somebody [EP] - 7 (B+)

Digital-only. They’ll sell you a To Love Somebody t-shirt, but not the music.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Classic Tracks: 7 (B+)

#mbube/bestof

Flamin Groovies - Groovies Greatest Grooves: 7 (B+)

Outstanding track: “Shake Some Action” (obviously). #garage/bestof

Sir Douglas Quintet - Border Wave: 7 (B+)

#texmex

George Harrison - Living in the Material World: liked

:-)

Tav Falco & Panther Burns - Life Sentence: liked

:-)

Tav Falco's Panther Burns - Behind the Magnolia Curtain: 7 (B+)

#junkrock

Mad Professor - Dub Me Crazy: liked

:-)

Mad Professor - Beyond the Realms of Dub: liked

:-)

Rod Stewart - The Best of Rod Stewart: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: notation

I usually love these, but there’s no way to justify this one. Four tracks from Every Picture Tells a Story, five from Never a Dull Moment, two from Gasoline Alley, and one from the debut. These are all strong albums worth having in their own right. The debut is probably the least strong, but it’s still good, and there’s only one song here from that. It’s obviously good enough that I played it four times. Musically, I’d give it a 9 (A), which I guess means I dock it three whole notches for complete inutility.

Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Mr. Love Pants: liked

:-)

The Modern Lovers - Live [Beserkley, 1977]: neutral

Starring Jonathan Richman

The Alpha Band - A Spark in the Dark: liked

Outstanding track: “East of East”

Tapper Zukie - From the Archives: notation

This contains all the songs on MPLA, except “Stop the Gun Shooting” and “Don't Deal with Babylon.” This also contains “Tapper [Tappa] Roots” and “Oh Lord” from Tapper Roots. See separate post on that album. Finally, this has “Peace and Love” and “The Bum,” which are good songs, but not good enough to make this necessary, in my opinion.

Various - Kickin Mental Detergent [Kickin, 1992]: 7.5 (high B+)

#electronic/dance

Sweet Thursday - Sweet Thursday [Tetragrammaton, 1969]: liked

With the great Nicky Hopkins

Bebe Buell - Covers Girl [EP]: liked

:-)

Johnny Paycheck - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: 7.5 (high B+)

#country/bestof

The Dickies - Great Dictations: The Definitive Dickies Collection [A&M, 1989]: liked

Not the cover though.

Bootsy Collins - Back in the Day: The Best of Bootsy: 9 (A)

Bettie Serveert - Palomine [CD single] - notation

The US and UK issues of this contain a demo of the Lamprey track "Silent Spring" and the two versions of the song "Palomine" that appear on the album Palomine. AllMusic lists this as an EP, which appears to be inaccurate. I listened to the unremarkable demo once. The Dutch version of this has this cover:

This contains the title track, plus the songs "Get the Bird" and "Watch That Pleasure." The latter, which is a live track, I couldn't find anywhere to stream. I did play the former once. It also appears on the deluxe version of Palomine. (That deluxe version also contains The Palomine Demos and two other songs, "Smile" and "Maggot," both of which also appear on the "Tom Boy" CD single released in the US in 1992. See separate post on that release.)

As a final note, I think there was also a promo CD single with the "Palomine" title, which apparently contains a different version of the title track which I have not heard, and then the two other tracks on the US CD single. Not sure why I ended up going down this particular rabbit hole, but I do think Palomine is a great album, underrated by some important critics.

Living Colour - Stain: 7.5 (high B+)

Living Colour - Time's Up: 8 (A-)

The Alpha Band - The Alpha Band: 7 (B+)

#ccm/roots

The "Chirping" Crickets [Buddy Holly] - The "Chirping" Crickets: X (X)

Not qualified to grade, but this first album is a great listen and more like an EP (12 tracks; 25m 59s). Never re-issued on remastered CD without bonus tracks, and original vinyl is too expensive, so I don't have a copy. I never realized Ronald Reagan was a Cricket until I examined this album cover closely.

Buddy Holly & The Crickets - 20 Golden Greats: X (X)

Not qualified to grade, but obviously an essential classic. Never released domestically on CD.

Al Green - The Absolute Best: 9 (A)

Christgau rates this five stars in one location and four in another. I come out in the middle.

Flamin Groovies - Teenage Head: 8 (A-)

This was never issued on remastered CD without a slew of bonus tracks. This generally means I also would not go back and buy the original vinyl, which in this case is too expensive anyway. Great album though. Outstanding track: "Whiskey Woman"

Tapper Zukie - MPLA: 8 (A-)

The Modern Lovers [Jonathan Richman] - Precise Modern Lovers Order: Live in Berkeley and Boston: liked

:-)

The Manhattans - Super Hits [Sony/BMG, 2007]: 8.5 (high A-)

I don't know why I like this a couple notches better than Greatest Hits (1980). Could it be as simple as sound quality? Here are the only track differences (same number of tracks, but with two swapped songs):

Super Hits:

"Wish That You Were Mine"

"Am I Losing You"

Greatest Hits:

"I'll Never Find Another (Find Another Like You)"

"Do You Really Mean Goodbye?"

Various - Azagas & Archibogs: The Sixties Sound of Lagos Highlife [Original Music, 1991]: 7 (B+)

#multiartistcomp/folkloric/highlife

Al Green - The Definitive Greatest Hits [Capitol/Hi, 2007]: notation

This is the third edition of the man's Greatest Hits, from what I can tell. The first in 1975 with 10 tracks (vinyl-only), the second in 1995 with five additional tracks (CD-only), and this in 2007 with six additional tracks to the 15 in 1995. Here are the six:

"Take Me to the River"

"Keep Me Cryin'"

"Oh Me, Oh My (Dreams in My Arms)"

"Back Up Train" - from Back Up Train

"I Can't Stop" - from I Can't Stop

"Perfect to Me"- from Everything's OK

The last three are not on the two-disc The Absolute Best. I have noted above where those three are taken from. I have the latter two. I am evaluating the first album, Back Up Train, but will obviously not upgrade to this for that track alone, no matter where I come out on the album.

[Ronald] Shannon Jackson & The Decoding Society - Nasty: 7.5 (high B+)

Might be an 8 (A-), but #import anyway, so I'm not going to make the distinction. Five plays.

Ronald Shannon Jackson & The Decoding Society - Barbeque Dog: 8 (A-)

Vernon Reid on guitar.

Bettie Serveert - Palomine: 8.5 (high A-)

New Order - Low-Life: 7.5 (high B+)

The Delfonics - Platinum & Gold Collection [Arista/BMG Heritage, 2003]: 8.5 (high A-)

Aka The Very Best of the Delfonics [Arista/Legacy, 2005]. I like the cover of that one much better, but Gold & Platinum is the one I could find for the best price. The Very Best cover looks like this:

Th Faith Healers - Lido: 8 (A-)

Brian Eno - Before and after Science: 7.5 (high B+)

Dry Cleaning - New Long Leg: 8 (A-)

Pavement - Hecklers Choice: Big Gums and Heavy Lifters - A Pavement Collection: 9 (A)

Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force - Lost Generation: 7.5 (high B+)

#electro

Dry Cleaning - Secret Love: 7 (B+)

Upped from "liked" on fourth listen. In cart, awaiting a fair price.

Little Willie John - Fever: The Best of Little Willie John [Rhino, 1993]: X (X)

Christgau has this compilation dated 1995, which I believe is incorrect. #r&b

Various - Africa Dances: 8 (A-)

Al Green - The Lord Will Make a Way: 7.5 (high B+)

#gospel (while I'll override #r&b for Al, I won’t override #gospel for him)

The Pixies - Bossanova: 8.5 (high A-)

New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies: 8 (A-)

New York Dolls - New York Dolls [Mercury, 1977]: notation

Official UK, vinyl two-fer release of first two studio albums. As a Dolls semi-completist, I do have a copy.

Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers - Rock 'n' Roll With the Modern Lovers: 7.5 (high B+)