Mary Margaret O'Hara - Miss America: 8.5 (high A-)

How did the critical community at-large miss this one? Great guitar. Unfortunately, it's deeply out-of-print. I will definitely buy this if they ever re-release it, or if I can find a reasonably-priced copy. [Found a reasonably-priced copy in 2024. Has the same cover but in blue and black instead of tan and black.]

Warren Zevon - The Envoy: 7 (B+)

I think Hull and Christgau overrate this slightly at A minus. My grade is more in line with Rolling Stone Album Guide and AllMusic critics and users. [Ultimately ended up with this as part of the Original Album Series set. I love those things.]

Future - Beastmode 2: 3.5 stars

Digital only.

Placebo - Without You I'm Nothing [honorable mention]

:-) [Dropped from 7 (B+) upon a 4th listen more than 5 years later (didn’t recognize a single song except the 4 from the singles comp)]

Dexter Gordon - Go: 7 (B+)

# [jazz] I do not even value my own opinion on jazz.

Björk - Post

:-(

Wilco - Being There [honorable mention]

:-) [docked a notch for bloat] [four listens]

Lifter Puller - Fiestas and Fiascos: 7.5 (high B+)

In the market for a fairly-priced used copy. [Note: when relistening, I played the digital-only rerelease, including the live tracks, which I note are fine and also at the 7 (B+) level.]

Hookworms - Microshift [honorable mention]

:-)

Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque [honorable mention]

:-|

Supergrass - I Should Coco [honorable mention]

:-|

Samba Mapangala & Orch. Virunga - Mabiala [honorable mention]

Four songs, each averaging around 9 minutes. Selected this for evaluation because of a plug by Muzikifan (not top 50).

Gary Stewart - Best of the Hightone Years: 4 stars

Only three songs on here overlap with Gary's Greatest, which, while also on Hightone, includes material from his RCA catalog. So an easy way to think of these is that this is the Hightone best of, while Gary's Greatest is the RCA best of. Ie, you need them both, but the first one more. And then there's the two-fer of Out of Hand plus Your Place or Mine, which I will grade some other day. That two-fer is necessary because only 5 of the songs on those RCA albums are on Gary's Greatest (to make room for some of the Hightone cuts, obviously).

Sophie - Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides: 8 (A-)

Digital-only

Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II: 7.5 (high B+)

First of all, I only actually listened to this once or twice. But unless you are a pre-teen, or older but lived under a rock all of your life, you've heard all of these songs dozens of times, so I'm just evaluating the gestalt. It's impossible to do that without noting at least subconsciously that this is the 3rd highest selling album of all time. But given that the RIAA counts each sale of this as two sales, it would drop off to below 50th in real life. Bottom line, I'm not going to shelve the fatbox my wife has in the house. Still not sure what to do about The Stranger, which I loved when it came out.

The Gladiators - Symbol of Reality: 8 (A-)

Purchased Nighthawk re-release used. [upgraded to A minus]

Lionel Benjamin & Les Freres Dejean - Lionel Benjamin & Les Freres Dejean

Too expensive on used vinyl. I have the digital version with several bonus tracks. A little bland and repetitive at times, and goes on a little too long, but sweet.

Imperial Teen - On: 3.5 stars

I've never been a big fan of these critics' darlings. I once owned Seasick and sold it back. I also played What Is Not to Love [honorable mention] and The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band [honorable mention] three times each, but this is the only one I shelved (mainly because both Christgau and Hull gave it a straight A).

Homeboy Sandman - Subject: Matter: 3.5 stars

Digital only.

George Clinton - Hey Man... Smell My Finger: 7.5 (high B+)

Upped from honorable mention after numerous listens. I believe I purchased this around 30 years ago when it came out and then sold it off. That was probably a mistake. I do think it's bloated, but it's still a worthwhile release. Picked up a beautiful copy for peanuts in 2024 to rectify the situation.

Pablo Lubadika - Ma Coco: 4 stars

Ridiculously over-priced used vinyl for this great early soukous.

Lil Wayne - The Drought Is Over 2: The Carter 3 Sessions

:-| [digital-only mixtape]

Lil Wayne - Tha Fix

:-|

Menya - The Ol' Reach-Around

😝

The Donner Party - Donner Party [Cryptovision, 1987]: 3.5 stars

Another good one, but not buying used. There's also Complete Recordings 1987-1989, which has this, the Pitch-A-Tent release, and a third, previously unreleased album, all of which are good, none of which are great, and none of which is selling at a price that is worth the content. But a band worth knowing. I will listen the the third album another couple times, but doubt I will love that one any more than the first two. I like this one marginally better than the second one. Might even be an A minus.

The Donner Party - Donner Party [Pitch-A-Tent, 1988]: 3.5 stars

LP only. Worth keeping rare digital files, but not buying overpriced used vinyl or printing off for the shelves.

Mount Eerie - Now Only

😥

Dave Edmunds - batch review

Repeat When Necessary: 7 (B+)
Get It: 7 (B+)
Tracks on Wax 4: 7.5 (high B+) [out of print, too expensive, and I think I owned it once]

# [pub rock] Agonized over whether to buy the 5-CD set Original Album Series anyway, because it was dirt cheap when I was looking at it, and it contains all three of these, but I decided against it, and now it's very expensive. Repeat When Necessary is probably his key work, from what I can tell, but I like Tracks marginally better.

This also covers the 1981 best-of on Swan Song, which contains only songs from these albums, plus three from Twangin' ("The Race is On," "Almost Saturday Night," and "Singin' the Blues"). I played each of those 3 times and will not listen to the full album. [Eventually listened to the full album, see separate review.]

Rodney Crowell - The Houston Kid: 3.5 stars

A little journeyman, and I tend not to collect B+ deep country at that grade level. Also listened to Diamonds & Dirt once and stopped there.

Rodney Crowell - Ain't Living Long LIke This [honorable mention]

:-|

Pusha-T - Daytona [honorable mention]

Probably end up buying this when it ends up on the year-end best-of lists.

Kanye West/Kid Cudi - Kids See Ghosts [honorable mention]

:-) [Like Cudi way more than West, in general.]

Gift of Gab - Rejoice! Rappers Are Rapping Again! [honorable mention]

:-)

Tierra Whack - Whack World: 3.5 stars

Digital-only novelty piece, on the music side. Really a video.

Seun Kuti & Fela's Egypt80 - Sean Kuti & Fela's Egypt80

:-|

Tune-Yards - Bird Droppings [honorable mention]

😐

The Who - Sings My Generation [honorable mention]

👶

Manu Dibango - Soul Makossa: 3.5 stars

Very slightly cheesy, but I would probably buy a copy if it were available domestically.

Sam Mangwana - The Very Best of 2001: 3.5 stars

Not sure why this is called what it is, but it's pretty good. Physicals impossibly overpriced, or perhaps even bootlegged. Ie, this may be digital-only.

Gregory Isaacs - More Gregory: 7.5 (high B+)

Might be an 8 (A-), but only available at import prices etc., so not worrying too much about that distinction. Night Nurse and a good best of are what is needed. [See later discovery of compilation Mr. Love.]

Habel Kifoto - Golden Voice of Habel Kifoto & Maroon Commandos

I might be overrating this. But it's so rare that it's not even on Discogs, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Jean Grae & Quelle Chris - Everything's Fine

😏

Steve Gibbons Band - Down in the Bunker: 4 stars

Frankly too marginal at this point to purchase used, as evidenced by the fact that even a good cover image is hard to come by.

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Goes to Washington

😒

Ornette Coleman - Body Meta: 8.5 (high A-)

Would definitely buy this, but I read somewhere that the only CD reissues of this (1996) were from vinyl sources, although they are sold as "remastered." And original vinyl costs a fortune. [Snagged a copy of the 1996 CD remaster anyway - I'm not hearing this as a remaster from vinyl sources. And I just don't see a label like Verve even doing that. Either way, it sounds fantastic to me. Prize possession.]

Khaira Arby - Tchini Tchini: 3.5 stars

Almost tempted to buy this, because there's a new copy on Amazon right now, and it's a rare 3 song EP that I'll probably never see again. But for a B+ I think I'll save my $9.

The Go! Team - The Scene Between: 8 (A-)

Monguito El Unico and Laba Sosseh - In U.S.A.: Salsa Africana: 3.5 stars

Not going to buy used salsa at the B+ level.

Various Artists - Generation Bass Presents: Transnational Dubstep: 3.5 stars

I am going to sell this off -- dubstep is just not my thing, but solid.

Various Artists - Soul of Angola: 4 stars