King Crimson - In the Wake of Poseidon: neutral

This completes my study of this band. I would listen to the comp Young Person's Guide, but it's not on Napster, and was never released on CD other than in Japan. Plus, in my listens I would have heard 11 out of its 15 tracks, and of those other four, only one track was on a regular issue album - "Ladies of the Road" from Islands.

Jimi Hendrix - Experience Hendrix: The Best of Jimi Hendrix: 9.5 (high A)

Generally considered the best latter-day one-disc comp, this has nothing not on Voodoo Child and the regular issue albums, except the studio version of "Red House" from the UK edition of the debut. I stupidly marked this as "liked" after listening once, and didn't realize what a fine update it is to Smash Hits. After giving it four more listens years later (on another Hendrix kick), and liking it greatly, and since it's on the family's label/imprint, I picked up a copy. It's beautiful.

Robert Earl Keen - A Bigger Piece of Sky: 7.5 (high B+)

 

# [country]

Derek Senn - How Could a Man: 7.5 (high B+)

 

# [indie folk]

Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka [honorable mention]

:-)

Merle Travis - Songs of the Coal Mines: liked

:-)

Merle Travis - Folk Songs of the Hills: neutral

:-|

Guru - Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1: 7 (B+)

#jazz

American Music Club - Everclear

:-|

Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman: liked

:-)

Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz: liked

:-)

Muddy Waters - Blues Sky: 7.5 (high B+)

Contains three tracks from each of his first two Blue Sky late-period studio albums and four from the third, plus two okay live tracks from the live one. #blues/bestof

Pussy Galore - EPs batch review

Feel Good About Your Body - liked

Groovy Hate Fuck - 7 (B+) (not available for reasonable prices) (Spin "Essential Punk Album")

Pussy Gold 5000 - liked

Sugarshit Sharp - liked (non-Shove "later" EP)

All of these except for the last are on the Corpse Love comp (ie, all of the Shove EPs). Unfortunately, that's no way to hear this band (also includes snippets of their version of Exile and some other random things). Good for archival purposes, but good luck listening to 78 minutes straight of their caterwauling. Band needs to be taken in small doses.

Shove label had its headquarters about a mile and a half from where I now live. I walked over there and looked at it. Actually looks like a really nice place. Maybe it wasn't then, or maybe that just reflects a privileged upbringing for their Ivy-educated frontman?

Various Artists - Jack Ruby Presents the Black Foundation: 8 (A-)

OOP and selling used for far too much for a VA comp at A minus.

The Plastic People of the Universe - Magical Nights: 7.5 (high B+)

Normally, I would not buy a best-of at this level, but I'll make an exception for this band.

Blueprint - Two-Headed Monster: 8 (A-)

Voz Di Sanicolau - Fundo De Mare Palinha: 8 (A-)

I am grading the 10” vinyl-only reissue version pictured here. I'm not buying a vinyl-only reissue. I also listened once to the original album (from which this is a selection), but it's selling for too much used, and it also seems like the reissuers did a selection for good reason -- the other tracks don't seem nearly as good.

Richard Thompson - Live! (more or less): notation

 

Second disc is unavailable to stream even on YouTube. So if I wanted to hear it, I’d have to buy the vinyl unheard, and I already have the first disc (which is just Bright Lights). Plus, it's #miscarticles/live.

Los Guanches - The Corpse Went Dancing Rumba: 7 (B+)

# [son]

ESG - Come Away with ESG: 7 (B+)

#electronica/dance

Ashford & Simpson - So So Satisfied: liked

:-)

FKA Twigs - Magdalene

:-|

Blondie - Plastic Letters: liked

Four listens. Docked a notched for tinkly keyboards throughout; although, come to think of it, I don't really need that to settle at "liked." Maybe just acknowledge that it's on the border of that and 7 (B+), but this is where I land.

Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes

:-(

Lokassa Ya Mbongo - Adiza: 8 (A-)

Totally unavailable at reasonable prices. Dally Kimoko on guitar. On wantlist.