Franco & OK Jazz - Originalite: 7 (B+)

Physicals are stupidly expensive.

Various Artists - The Concert for Bangladesh: 3.5 stars

Unlike many, I think this concert is fairly good, but not because of the 5 Dylan songs, which I find a little on the boring side. I also am not a huge fan of the Shankar piece. What I really like are the Harrison performances, with Clapton on guitar. And I would even shitcan the Abbey road songs “Something” and “Here Comes the Sun.” I’m talking about the Harrison solo originals, above all Wah-Wah. What I would really do is take Sides 2 and 3, delete the track “Band Introduction,” and swap in “Bangla Desh.” That would be a very good single album from the night. All in all, I'm not going to spring for the remastered CD of this when all I want is the equivalent of two sides. And I'm definitely not going for the old school expensive vinyl on this. This one will have to live in my memory of the vinyl my parents had when I was young. The only good album they ever had, and they only had about 3 or 4.

Eba Aka Jerome - Saa Ko Faa, Vol. 1: 3.5 stars

No physicals; no shelving for this.

Parliament - Osmium

:-|

Tricky - Nearly God

:-|

Pepe Kalle & Nyboma - Empire Bakuba: 3.5 stars

Not sure what the exact title of this album is, but it is strong. Way too expensive used though to put on the shelves.

The Chills - Somewhere Beautiful: 8 (A-)

Childish Gambino - Camp: 3.5 stars

I accidentally bought two copies of this, and am selling both back (!). Trying to consolidate shelf space and his rapping is just so irritating. Some good tracks though.

MC Hawking - A Brief History of Rhyme: MC Hawking's Greatest Hits: 3.5 stars

Not bad, but a novelty record's got to be more nuanced than this to make it to the shelves.

Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription: 7 (B+)

#

Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album

:-|

Diblo Dibala - Evolution (New Style): 3.5 stars

I don't know, maybe it's a straight B. Probably -- I have some lack of objectivity with Diblo. But if you listen past the cheesy keybs and other questionable elements, you hear those sparkling leads. Anyway, no real physicals.

Childish Gambino - Culdesac: 7 (B+)

Digital-only mixtape

Blow-Up - Easy Knowledge: 3.5 stars

Good mid-'80s Hollywood garage-type band. Download only at this point, and overpriced on vinyl, so not going on the shelves.

Rich Krueger - Life Ain't That Long: 3.5 stars

Bucking the recent trend, this hugely indie release is actually available on CD, but at inflated prices. Not personally opting to spring for it instead of simply streaming when I want to hear it, not at B plus (borderline honorable mention) anyway, but others might.

Various Artists - AfroColombia Remix Vol​. ​2: 3.5 stars

Not as good as the first, and more than twice as long. What they needed to do was combine the two volumes into one CD, edit it down to 60 minutes or so, and sell that.

The Chills - Kaleidoscope World: 8 (A-)

This is the 18-track version released on Flying Nun in 1989 (FNE 13CD). I'll listen to the 6 extra bonus tracks on the 2016 re-release, but don't expect to post anything about them, unless they somehow make or break the collection. Note, this contains the entirety of The Lost EP, as well as the original 8-track Kaleidoscope World, plus some other tracks. Not all great, but necessary for any kind of fan of the band. [Upped from 7.5 (high B+). Upped grade is for the 2016 re-release, which I ended up getting of course. Beautiful package and great sound. And the 6 extra bonus tracks are worth having.]

Gestu de Dakar - Diabar: 4.5 stars

The first track, Djirime, might be my favorite song of all time. In fact, I'm pretty sure it is. Used copy for sale at almost a grand. I'd probably pay a couple hundred for a near mint copy. As it is, I printed this one out and put it on the shelves. [Re-issued on vinyl-only in 2020! Made an exception to my general rule and bought a copy for $40. Supposedly "remastered" although it doesn't sound like it much. I certainly am not noticing anything I hadn't before, maybe slightly more detail. Still happy to have it.]

Taylor Swift - Reputation [liked]

Downgraded from 7 (B+) (# [country]) on 4th listen. But I'll keep cover because it's Taylor Swift.

Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree

😐

Bubba Sparxxx - The Charm: 4 stars

I feel so much like one hand clapping in the forest with this rapper that I'm stopping here. Maybe one day I'll investigate more, but right now it would make me feel like a outcast (no pun intended given that this is executive produced by Big Boi).

Shopping - The Official Body [honorable mention]

You can’t read a review of this female-fronted band's albums without the reviewer comparing them to several post-punk bands from the '80s. Sounds good for nostalgia, but a little derivative. Also played Consumer Complaints and Why Choose at least three times and am stopping there.

Black Uhuru - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner: 9.5 (high A)

a/k/a Showcase and Black Uhuru, with these covers:

I'm in the market for the remastered version of Showcase on CD, which has the discomixes. It was released on Taxi in 2021 and already appears very hard to find. [Obtained in 2024]

Black Uhuru - Red: 10 (A+)

Black Uhuru - Anthem: 7 (B+)

Listened extensively over the decades to both the US and Jamaican versions (in fact, own them both in physical), trying to like it as much as everyone else seems to. But to me it pales next to Red and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I've hung on to both those physicals though.

Batch review of various bootlegs - single listens

I went on a bootleg research and downloading kick awhile ago. I'd always dismissed bootlegs as curios, but decided I should give some of the best-regarded ones a decent chance. If and when I get to them, I will list the ones I could only manage to listen to once or twice here.

Bob Marley and the Wailers - Boarding House, San Francisco, CA, July 7, 1975

White Reaper - The World's Best American Band

😐

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

:-|

Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance: 4 stars

Pepe Kalle - Pepe Kalle [Not sure what it's called]: 3.5 stars

Very nice, but I'm not sweating physicals.

Buck 65 - Live on Brave New Waves [as "Stinkin Rich"]: 8 (A-)

My own cover creation on this one. Essentially a mixtape or bootleg or something like that.

The Rolling Stones - Nasty Music [bootleg] [placeholder]

:-| [Most of this is on other bootlegs from the era, so not worrying about it]