Diary of a Melomaniac

Before 11/2020, grades range from 5 to 3.5 stars. After that, grade range is: 10 (A+), 9.5 (high A), 9 (A), 8.5 (high A-), 8 (A-), 7.5 (high B+), and 7 (B+). Ungraded albums are noted as liked :-) (honorable mention), neutral :-|, and disliked :-(. At least 4 listens per graded album and 3 listens per ungraded album. Search "Grade Post" for more info. I sold/shelved ~10,000 albums after at least 3 or 4 listens, respectively, before starting this blog and will add entries for those as they arise.

Friday, August 28, 2026

Lorde - Virgin: 7 (B+)

#indiepop

Dolly Parton - The Essential Dolly Parton, Vol. 2 [RCA, 1997]: notation

No subtitle on this second volume from RCA, issued two years after the first. It strangely seems to focus on earlier years than the first volume. Am I tired, is this wrong, or am I mistaken that it's usually done the other way around? Anyway, this one's even easier to dismiss in favor of the 2005 Essential, in that 18 of its 20 tracks are on that later issue. "Me and Little Andy" and "Wings of a Dove" are the missing tracks. I will listen to this once or twice just because I went through the trouble to make a playlist for purposes of this post. But I'm going to focus on the 2005 one.

Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You: The Essential Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 [RCA, 1995]: notation

I could find 19 out of 20 songs on Spotify ("To Daddy" (1976) is the one I could not find). Of those 19, a full 13 are on The Essential Dolly Parton [RCA/Legacy 2005]. Of the remaining six, a full four of them are from the 1985 album Real Love, one is from Great Balls of Fire, and one is from Heartbreak Express. (I did not scientifically double-check all this, so there may be some small errors. Sue me, non-existent readers.) I listened to the 19 songs a couple times to get the flow, but there seems to be nothing to recommend this over the 2005 The Essential and a copy of Real Love, which would get you 85% of the way there. Nice cleavage, as everyone knows. I'm a major, and proud, assman myself, just for the record. I know Dolly would sympathize. :-)

Thursday, August 27, 2026

George Clinton - The Best of George Clinton [EMI-Capitol, 2000]: 8 (A-)

I ultimately went with this, as an essential update to the almost as good 1986 release on Capitol with the same title. You lose "Quickie" (from You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish), but you gain "Get Dressed" (from Computer Games), "Bullet Proof" (from Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends), and a decent "Atomic Dog" remix.

Various - Reggae Dance Hall Classics [Sleeping Bag, 1987]: 8.5 (high A-)

I think most write "dancehall" as one word. Anyway, my favorite dancehall compilation. Never reissued on CD.

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Les Amazones d’Afrique - Musow Dance: 8 (A-)

Monday, August 24, 2026

Miles Davis - Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970) [Columbia/Legacy, 2001]: 7 (B+)

#jazz/live

Friday, August 21, 2026

Linval Thompson - Ride on Dreadlocks 1975-77 [Blood & Fire, 2000]: 8.5 (high A-)

Twisted Teens - Blame the Clown: liked

:-)

Los Lobos - This Time: liked

I may have owned this at one point; possibly still do.

Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips: liked

I was wavering between "liked" and 7 (B+) on a fourth play and decided to round down on account of what I perceived of as some bloat and/or a few seriously weak tracks. Was a double album really necessary in this case? Physicals are available however, for semi-reasonable prices.