Buffalo Springfield - Again: 8 (A-)

See post on their self-titled compilation, which is a perfect summation of this band, for my take on them. As noted, I considered getting this individually, since it apparently was issued as an HDCD in 1997 on Atco, but it seems like the 1990 version is what is typically offered for some reason. At least six plays. Update (June 2026): Found a VG+ copy of the HDCD for a good price and went for it. Upped a notch in the process.

Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield: 9.5 (high A) + batch review

Clearly, there should be a two CD re-release with all 100 minutes of the music on their three studio albums. I have also listened to the 25 minutes of songs from each of those three albums that are not on this compilation. They did a good job boiling this down to what would fit on two LPs. Here are my grades for the three albums, which I have never bothered getting -- too much shelf space for that 25 minutes of music, although I have considered getting Again individually, as the best of them:

Buffalo Springfield - 7 (B+)

Again - 8 (A-)

Last Time Around - 7 (B+)

I also listened to Retrospective, thinking maybe a single, 40 minute disc with great audio would be nice. But it was re-issued in 1987 and never remastered, so I'll stick with this classic compilation on vinyl, which I treasure.

Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band - Greatest Hits: 7.5 (high B+)

I can't imagine being over a certain age and not having heard almost all of these songs many times. Low Diamond numbers (10 million). #bestof/heartland

Rosanne Cash - Hits 1979-1989: 4 stars

I'm not getting this, in favor of the newer The Very Best of Rosanne Cash. The latter has all of this, other than two previously unreleaseds and "I Wonder" from Somewhere in the Stars, each of which I listened to 3 times.

Peter Gabriel - So: 7 (B+)

There's nothing wrong with this album. I consider Christgau's B minus grade for this ridiculous. On the other hand, I heard it constantly in college when it came out, and never quite fell for it. Anyway, I purloined a copy from my wife's collection.

The Who - The Who by Numbers: 3.5 stars

[Glyn Johns produced]

ZZ Top - Eliminator: 7 (B+)

Upped a notch on sheer numbers. Must be something wrong with my ears.

Burial - Truant/Rough Sleeper: 4 stars

Burial - Rival Dealer: 4 stars

The Who - Who Are You [honorable mention]

:-)

The Who - Face Dances

:-|

Urge Overkill - Saturation: neutral

:-|

Kool A.D. - 63: 7 (B+)

Digital-only

The Who - Quadrophenia: 3.5 stars

Have this one in physical as a nod to it's importance and how beloved it is by many.

The Who - Who's Next: 10 (A+)

Not a huge fan of this band, but this album is perfect.

Burial - Street Halo/Kindred: 7 (B+)

I've got two other EPs by him (Truant and Rival Dealer). Update: I realized thi is essentially a full-length (~50 minutes) and so now have a copy.

Lil Wayne - The Leak: 7 (B+)

Digital only, although a deluxe edition of Tha Carter III had this as a bonus disc. For whatever reason, I don't have that deluxe version (only the standard), but I do have a download of this, which is the only other way it was officially released. Not going to correct the error and trade up to deluxe, for a 7 (B+) bonus disc that I already have in digital.

Chic - Believer: 7 (B+)

Billy Joel - The Stranger: 7 (B+)

# [pop] I still know every word of this, 40 years after it first came out. I can't bring myself to rebuy it though, even given its Diamond status (just squeaked in at 10x Platinum). [Caved and bought it when I saw it selling for around $9. Added for personal significance, as well as in honor of its Diamond status.]

Various Artists - African Music: 4 stars

Way too expensive to add to the collection (even if it wasn't highlife, one of the African music styles I don't relate to that well).

Various - The Sound of Kinshasa: Guitar Classics from Zaire [aka The Kinshasa Sound]: 8.5 (high A-)

This is one of those comps that ranges over a very long period of time. From the liner notes: "from the semi-traditional acoustic guitar of the early 50s ... to the full maturity of the 1970s." Less of an "album" than an historical study/survey. I have only the digital files of this one because of that. Outstanding track, anthologized elsewhere and well known to us all by now: "Kiri Kiri Mabina Ya Sika." Here's the single cover for that one:

Def Leppard - Hysteria: 8 (A-)

One of two of their Diamond status albums. I rate Pyromania at 7 (B+) and would put it on the shelves for its Diamond status, but they need to remaster it for CD. It was released before the CD era proper, so I'm not buying a first generation transfer.

The Who - Tommy: 7 (B+)

A little bloated. I listened to this many times when I was young and it was still relatively fresh, and I could never get into it. Just re-listened for the first time in 40 years or so and it sounded familiar and still inessential. #rockoperas

George Strait - Greatest Hits: 7.5 (high B+)

One of the biggest-selling music artists of all time. More than Madonna, Springsteen, the Stones, Metallica, U2, Eminem, etc. It's hard not to respect that, and this album for being quadruple platinum as of this writing. Upped from "liked" after several more than three plays. Ten songs in ~28 minutes. Just a little bland in my view. #country/bestof

David Thomas - More Places Forever: liked

:-)