Various - The African Typic Collection: 8 (A-)

Couldn't find an image of my copy's cover in the correct size on the internet, so the above is what you get. This has three out of six tracks by Sam Fan Thomas. The title track is from an album of his called Makassi, which I will post about separately. The other two of his tracks are from a self-titled album called, obviously, Sam Fan Thomas, which is listed by its lead track on AllMusic as Si Ticha, which is one of its two tracks on this compilation. Ya get me?

Miles Davis - Agharta: 8 (A-)

See post re: Pangaea. De-fatboxed as well.

Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters - Battle of Armagideon (Millionaire Liquidator) [Trojan, 1986]: 7 (B+)

Very spotty album. Anyway, copies are way too expensive. Basically #import, even though it does seem to have been reissued once in the US.

Black Eyes - Cough: liked

:-)

Willi Carlisle - Too Nice to Mean Much [self-released EP, 2016]: liked

6 songs, 24 min 28 sec. Might be a 7 (B+), but I'm not raring to play it again to make the distinction, so I settled on this. Even at that grade, it's #country/folk anyway. And even if not, or I wanted to have a rare country/folk EP, physicals are ridiculously pricey.

Meat Beat Manifesto - 99% [Mute, 1990]: 7.5 (high B+)

Speaking of 99%, I'm at least that sure that I had this once and sold it back (which is consistent with my current inability to locate it). I have a pretty solid memory of doing that, probably on the basis that it's #electronic/dance and comes in at this grade in my estimation. Anyway, I played it four more times at present in order to ensure that this is not a phantom grade, so I've almost certainly actually played it at least eight times.

William S. Burroughs/Kurt Cobain - "The 'Priest' They Called Him" [Tim/Kerr, 1993]: liked

This is a single (9 min 42 sec), with Burroughs intoning his spoken word narrative over guitar noodling by Cobain. Posted cover because of the novelty of the project. Apparently, that's Novoselic on the cover.

Allen Ginsberg - The Ballad of the Skeletons [EP]: 7 (B+)

Listed/marketed as an EP, but this is really a single. It contains the title track, with extra edited and clean versions, and a "B-side" cover of "Amazing Grace." I played this because of what I now think is the extremely overstated assessment of the title track made by the AllMusic editor ("one of the most passionate, powerful, and articulate performances in the history of rock" (emphasis added)). #singles

Various - That's the Way I Feel Now: A Tribute to Thelonious Monk [A&M, 1984]: 7.5 (high B+)

A Hal Willner production. Normally, this would be #multiartistcomp, but I bought a nice copy for a fantastic price because there was no other easy way to hear it, and I feel like keeping it, which maybe indicates I should move it a notch higher. Most critics seem to put this at about my grade or below though, with the exception of Christgau, who gives it an 8 (A-).

Garth Brooks - The Hits: 8 (A-)

The Ex - Too Many Cowboys: liked

So long and bloated, it became a little bit of a chore to listen to. A “see also” in the Rolling Stone 2026 list of the 100 Greatest Punk Albums of All Time.

The La's - The La's: 8 (A-)

Too Much Joy - Cereal Killers: 8 (A-)

Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun: liked

:-)

Downtown Science - Downtown Science: 9 (A)

Slept-on classic

Serengeti - Kenny Dennis LP: 8 (A-)

Serengeti - KennyV: 8 (A-)

Digital-only. Kenny Dennis V

Judas Priest - Stained Class: liked

Might be 7 (B+), but #metal anyway. I'm tempted, because copies are cheap.

Ice Cube - Lethal Weapon: liked

Docked a notch for bloat/weak second half/long Parliament rip.

Boredoms - Soul Discharge: neutral

:-|

Various - Black Havana: 7.5 (high B+)

#dance/electronica/house

Garland Jeffreys - Escape Artist: 7 (B+)

I like the songs on this a little more than on Ghost Writer, but it's slightly more derivative (he sounds like he's trying to do his best Elvis Costello impersonation), so it evens out at the same grade. I like the EP that came with this, Escapades, a little more, and would give it 7.5 (high B+), mainly for the two reggae songs on the second side, but it's still #singersongwriter/folk/blues like the album proper. Too bad, because it looks like it sold as a separate seven-inch EP as its own separate release, at least in the UK/Europe. I'll probably cave on this and/or Ghost Writer one day, because it seems wrong to only have King of In Between by this artist.

Moe Tucker - Playin' Possum: neutral

:-|

John Lennon - Mind Games: 8 (A-)

Yet another one where Christgau's ridiculous grade (C+) kept me away unreasonably for decades.

Graham Parker - The Mona Lisa's Sister: 8.5 (high A-)

A very fine album. Not sure why Christgau crapped on it when it came out, but that terrible review kept me away for decades. I can't really find a thing about it not to like. There were always indications that there was something here (eg, it was in that little Rolling Stone album guide on the 1980s, the new Rolling Stone album guide grade), but I took the lazy way out and relied on the "Dean," to my detriment. The kind of album I'm always happy to play again after it ends.