Sunday, December 29, 2019
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Friday, December 27, 2019
Death Grips - The Money Store: 3.5 stars
Their only major label release, and the only one on my shelves.
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Randy Newman - Land of Dreams [honorable mention]
:-) [His “rap” song is one of the most ludicrous tracks I’ve ever heard.]
Randy Newman - Randy Newman's Faust [honorable mention]
:-) [Might be B+ but # [Broadway] anyway. Listened many more than 3 times – I used to own it and vaguely remember selling it back.]
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Time Zone - "World Destruction": 3.5 stars
7" and 12" single, so clearly not buying. [Bill Laswell/Material and Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon]
Afrika Bambaataa - Looking for the Perfect Beat 1980-1985 [honorable mention]
:-) [HM mainly for historical significance. Really a neutral. This has all the tracks on Planet Rock - The Album, but two, which two I will not be tracking down since they were add-ons to that album anyway.]
Various Artists - The Rough Guide to the Music of the Sahara [honorable mention]
:-) [With bonus disc Introducing Mamane Barka - in single listens - very repetitive]
Friday, December 13, 2019
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Big Star - Live at Lafayette's Music Room: 3.5 stars
As great as can be expected for a live trio. But given that it's live and a trio and, like all Omnivore releases, it's overpriced, I'm going to skip it and save shelf space. This is the same show that's on the odds and ends box set, Keep an Eye on the Sky. I could get that, a four disc box set, for less than twice what this is going for.
Tom Verlaine - The Miller's Tale: 3.5 stars
I downloaded this to hear the live concert on disc 1. CDs are ridiculously expensive. Read that the live show was "one of the best live albums of all time." It's absolutely not. I give it an A minus, and the "greatest hits" disc a B plus. So docked a quarter star to 3.5 stars for this strange compromise. They should release the live album on its own on disc. I'm not printing out an A minus live album.
Miranda Lambert - Wildcard: 7.5 (high B+)
# [country] Maybe listen again and upgrade if Xgau endorses it. [Bought it. Must re-evaluate grade.]
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Buck 65 - Weirdo Magnet: 8 (A-)
Upped from honorable mention. Perhaps I was not listening very well when I designated it as that. This is the Warner's CD reissue version. The original cassette version is very long, and not as good in my estimation (I have the digital files). I may have been playing the original cassette version in fact when I gave it an honorable mention, I don't remember. At that time, I don't think I was aware of the whole "totally different Warner's reissue version" problem with Buck 65. That would make sense because I do think that original cassette version is only an honorable mention. This is in contrast with Synesthesia, where the original version (in that case also on CD) is better than the Warner's CD reissue version. Although, to my mind, the Warner's CD reissue version of Synesthesia is also worth having in its own right.
Patti Smith - Horses/Horses: 4.5 stars
Got this not only for the remaster of the studio album, but also for the live set with Tom Verlaine.
Bill Callahan - Apocalypse [honorable mention]
:-) [Number 39 on Pitchfork's "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s."]
Abba - The Visitors
:-( [Listened because it's on Pitchfork's "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s." Not sure how they came to that conclusion, but it calls the list into serious question.]
Ian Hunter - You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic: 7.5 (high B+)
Only available in a bloated, 2-disc "special edition" -- with used copies of single disc versions being ridiculously over-priced, or first generation CD transfers, etc. For instance, there's a nice remastered version from 1999 with no bonus tracks. Sells for around $25 in decent condition. [4 listens]
Magazine - Real Life: 3.5 stars
Originally thought this might be an A minus, but I realized that this was due to the out sized influence of “Shot by Both Sides.” Anyway, I would buy it even at B plus obviously, but it is ridiculously over-priced on CD and I can’t see buying vinyl when it was remastered for CD.
Sleater-Kinney - All Hands on the Bad One
:-| [Bottom line with them is that I have their first two releases on Chainsaw, and everything after those that Christgau gave a full A.]
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy and the Poor Boys: 7.5 (high B+)
"Effigy" is their best song in my opinion.
Future Bible Heroes - Memories of Love, Eternal Youth, and Partygoing [honorable mention]
:-) [Entire original FBH catalog. In addition to the three full-length albums, includes fourth disc that compiles the band’s three EPs—The Lonely Robot, I'm Lonely (And I Love It), and Lonely Days—plus several tracks from outside compilations.]
Lana Del Rey - Norman F-ing Rockwell! [honorable mention]
:-) [At least 4 listens. Upped from neutral. Ended up buying because it placed so high in year-end lists.]
Lori McKenna - Unglamorous: 3.5 stars
# [folk/country] Not as crazy for her as, for instance, Christgau. I'm more in Tom Hull territory with her. Anyway, I have this from the pre-Napster era, otherwise I never would have bought it if I had streamed it first. So I will put this in the deshelve pile.
Friday, November 29, 2019
Tom Verlaine - Flash Light: 9 (A)
It took a very long time for this to grow on me. But over the years it's gone from a sell-back to a full A.
Tom Verlaine - Tom Verlaine: 4.5 stars
It goes Marquee Moon, Adventure, and then this, with a brief final flicker with Flash Light. I happen to have this on beautiful vinyl, as well as the Collectors' Choice reissue. I shouldn't have bothered with the latter, since it wasn't even remastered. I guess I just wanted the small thrill of acquiring it again in a fresh format.
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Sunday, November 24, 2019
Kanda Bongo Man - Kwassa Kwassa: 4 stars
Diblo Dibala on lead (with Rigo Star). Contains all tracks from the following two releases:
Kanda Bongo Man - Non Stop Non Stop: 4 stars
Kanda Bongo Man - Amour Fou/Crazy Love: 4 stars
Diblo Diabala on lead. Contains all tracks from the following two releases (except the track "O. Eternal" from the second, yellow one, which I dutifully listened to three times on YouTube):
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Funkadelic - Free Your Mind. . . and Your Ass Will Follow [honorable mention]
:-) [5 listens] [Some sources praise this (Allmusic critics and users, Spin guide, Pitchfork) but others pan it (Christgau, Hull, Rolling Stone guide). I could be completist and get it, but that would mean I'd end up getting America Eats Its Young and god knows what else. The undeniable songs are on the compilations.]
Gene Clark - No Other [honorable mention]
:-) [Could be a 7 ( B+) but I'm not really sure. It's # [folk] anyway, so I'm not going to worry about it. "Lady of the North" is a great song.]
The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium [honorable mention]
:-) [Almost bought this, mostly because I saw them on this tour, I think on August 18,1992 at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, with my brother. That would have been about two months before this recording. I remember thinking they were a huge disappointment live. But it was an important moment in my life with my brother, and so I was tempted. This album kind of supports the idea that the show was bad, because this is bad, although by the last few songs they end up killing it. It is also the only full-show live album by the band, and it's kind of a historic event, opening for The Who. But even after all that, I'm trying to keep down the physicals, I can stream this anytime, and it's really not an essential document. Not going to buy it just for nostalgic reasons.]
Sam Mangwana - Aladji: 3.5 stars
Will buy this if I ever see it for a reasonable price. [And I did.]
Kanda Bongo Man - Zing Zong: 3.5 stars
Here's where I stop with him (other than the live Soukous in Central Park). Sango appears to be a remix album. This album has all the tracks from Isambe-Monie and more. That one looks like the following, and is the last of the many albums he put out with two songs as the title (see my other reviews of this artist):
The Rapture - In the Grace of Your Love [honorable mention]
:-) [Generally seems to be regarded as the least good of their three studio albums. I agree.]
Jon Hassell - Power Spot: 8 (A-)
Have a great vinyl copy, even though it was originally issued on CD too (1986). I think at that point I was still primarily collecting vinyl.
Max Romeo - Open the Iron Gate: 8 (A-)
[a/k/a Revelation Time] I have the vinyl with the cover depicted. I also have the CD called Open the Iron Gate 1973-1977, which has a few bonus tracks. Here is the alternative cover:
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