Daniel Johnston - Yip/Jump Music

:-|

Tricky - Knowle West Boy [honorable mention]

:-) [Downgraded to honorable mention on fourth listen]

Willie Nelson - Last Man Standing: 4 stars

Okay, I'll give this an A minus and shelve it, but please no one ever sing about bad breath again.

Noura Mint Seymali - Arbina: 4 stars

Pere Ubu - 20 Years in a Montana Missile Silo: 4 stars

Miles Davis - Water Babies: 3.5 stars

Although I'm a fan of the second quintet, I'm not shelving this. Too many long, cheesy parts. Ie, it's spotty. Plus, I generally don't collect jazz at B plus, especially outtakes-type albums.

Miles Davis - At Plugged Nickel, Chicago: 9 (A)

Even a jazz ignoramus such as I can tell that this is a masterpiece. Probably should be graded higher, but I don't have the confidence with jazz to be doling out an actual "masterpiece" (10 (A+)) or "near-masterpiece" (9.5 (high A)) grade.

Wreckless Eric - The Whole Wide World: 4 stars

The Rolling Stones - On Air (Deluxe Edition): 3.5 stars

The Stones are my favorite band of all time, but I will not be buying this. Not a huge fan of their early blues work (although I own and am thoroughly familiar with all their early studio albums). It's just that I can't bring myself to drop the money on something this basic, plus I'm biased against the overabundant "BBC session" type collections.

Godwin Kabaka Opara's Oriental Brothers International - Do Better If You Can/Onye Ikekwere Mekeya: 7.5 (high B+)

This might be an 8 (A-), but some of the songs way overstay their welcome (ie, 17 minutes plus). Still, I might buy a physical if they were reasonably priced. [Original Music release OMCD 034]

Various Artists - Sorano Singers: 4 stars

Truly rare, aka Dakar Sound volume two. I have one, three and four, so I'm inclined to get this since I see a physical for $16 shipped from Germany. I will play it one more time and decide. [Update: Decided to save some money.]

Tracey Thorn - Record: 8 (A-)

Wreckless Eric - Construction Time and Demolition: 3.5 stars

Too marginal to my ears to go on the shelves – I’ll just stick with the purity of the early singles collection.

Various Artists - Universal Love [EP]

😐

Jinx Lennon - Grow a Pair!!!

:-| [Possibly a 7 (B+), but not worrying about it because # [anti-folk] anyway.]

Miles Davis - Aura [might be 3.5 stars, but not worrying about it too much because it's late-period Miles (and see Star People review on that topic)]

😐

Miles Davis - Tutu: 3.5 stars

Not going to add it because overall too fusiony and cheesy for my tastes and skipping on late-period Miles at B plus.

Miles Davis - Star People: 3.5 stars

Never issued domestically on CD, and vinyl is too expensive for late period miles at B plus. I've got to keep from going down the rabbit hole of Miles completism, and post-retirement is a good place to draw a line, especially when this is the best of the bunch.

Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete: 4 stars

The Cars - Heartbeat City: 3.5 stars

Ponytail - Kamehameha: 3.5 stars

Normally, I would not keep this kind of shrieking punk, but I bought a copy in the CD era, and it has innovative packaging (hence the odd-sized cover art above). I'll also keep it because it's a first album, and it seemed moderately important at the time (2007).

Celestine Ukwu - Greatest Hits [Another Muzikifan Africa Top 50 I'm just not that into]

😐

Various Artists - It's Still Workin': Tommy Boy's Classic Cuts: 4 stars

Hard to give something this varied, musically and temporally, a straight A, let alone an A+, but this collection seems to me to be pretty necessary on its own terms and hangs together very well actually.

Royal Trux - Accelerator: 7 (B+)

The Suburbs - In Combo: 4 stars

Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica: 4 stars

Eskmo - Eskmo: 3.5 stars

As others have said, borders on background music. I could see someone giving this an A-, but not for me, and somewhat outside my collecting sphere, so I will probably put this in the sell pile.

Ponytail - Ice Cream Spiritual: 3.5 stars

Your basic female-fronted rant & scream album. I bought this before my higher standards for shelving set in, and probably wouldn't do so today. Probably see if I can sell it.

Fashion - Product Perfect: 3.5 stars

Sounds okay. Not searching for an OOP B+ in physical though.

Syran M'Benza [Mbenza] - Symbiose: 7 (B+)

Syran's playing is definitely in the 9 (A) range on this one, but he synths it up and adds other cheesy elements which ding it to 7 (B+). Sebenes are just not prominent enough to overcome the noted flaws. In any event, I'd probably buy it in physical if the prices were not so laughable.

The Weeknd - House of Balloons; Thursday [the kind of R&B that sounds perfectly fine when it's on and is instantly forgettable when it's off]

😐

The Cars – Panorama: 7 (B+)

I'm knowingly over-rating this because I loved it as a young listener.

The Cars - Shake It Up: 7 (B+)

Laskino et le Groupe Matchatcha - Laskino et le Groupe Matchatcha: 4 stars

There's Diblo in the top row off to the left in a denim jacket. No physicals, and not good enough to manufacture one, but one of the good Diblo moonlights.

Tom Waits - Small Change [honorable mention]

:-)

Franco et Sam Mangwana - Cooperation: 4 stars

Muzikifan Africa Top 50, but not getting it because not available in physical. "Zala Sportif" has to be one of the greatest soukous tracks of all time though.

Sonny Rollins - Way Out West: X stars

# [early jazz] I don't trust myself to rate jazz this early.

Yo La Tengo - There's a Riot Going On: 7 (B+)

Upgraded from neutral.

Mast - Thelonious Sphere Monk [honorable mention]

:-) [Six listens]

Miles Davis - Miles in the Sky

😐

Father John Misty - Pure Comedy

😐

Half Japanese - 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts [honorable mention]

[Have to give this an honorable mention just for the effort and audacity]

Electric Light Orchestra - Out of the Blue

:-| [Stephin Merritt favorite. Possible B+ but I'm not going to sweat the distinction, because a greatest hits album would have all the good songs on here and is the best way to approach this band in my opinion.]

BaianaSystem - Duas Cidades: 3.5 stars

Might be A-, but no physicals anyway, so not sweating the distinction.

Alvvays - Antisocialites: 7 (B+)

# [Five listens]

Alan Vega - IT [might be 3.5 stars, but not for me -- very droney and repetitive]

😐

Alan Vega - Collision Drive: 3.5 stars

Never released in US on CD. Prices for original vinyl too crazy to buy.