One of those independent releases selling in physical only at highly inflated prices and not through normal distribution channels, so I’m passing.
Saturday, August 31, 2019
People Under the Stairs - Sincerely, the P: 3.5 stars
One of those independent releases selling in physical only at highly inflated prices and not through normal distribution channels, so I’m passing.
Thomas Mapfumo - Shumba: Vital Hits of Zimbabwe: 3.5 stars
Won’t be buying because too much overlap with the other comps, although I’m tempted to because it has more of Gwindingwi Rine Shumba than any other album (5 out of 8 songs). However, it is ridiculously expensive used and I have three of those 5 already anyway (see review of that album).
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open [honorable mention]
:-) [Couple great songs, particularly “Learning to Fly,” which is on Greatest Hits]
Ablaye Ndiaye Thiossane - Thiossane: 3.5 stars
Going to skip this at import prices. Might be more of an honorable mention, but the distinction is not worth being made. Very salsa. “Siket” is a great song.
Sonny Boy Williamson - Keep It to Ourselves
[Not sure what Christgau and Hull hear in this. I find it boring. Downgraded from 7 (B+) on fourth listen.]
Teddy Pendergrass - TP [honorable mention]
:-) [I owned this on vinyl once. Not sure I still have it, but I will keep it if I do, just because it is his most loved and respected work as far as I can tell.]
Fontaines D.C. - Dogrel: 7.5 (high B+)
[Upped way up from neutral after Skinty Fia opened me up to the band]
G-Eazy - The Beautiful & Damned
:-| [Goes on forever. With serious editing, maybe even down to EP size, might qualify as honorable mention.]
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Babylon by Bus: 3.5 stars
I listened to this alot in college. Not sure why certain critics deride it. I think it sounds good. But I'm going to use my live album exception, coupled with how much I overplayed this in college, to justify not shelving it.
Friday, August 23, 2019
Eric Clapton - Another Ticket: 3.5 stars
I find this to be way better than almost anyone else thinks. I might even give it 4 stars. The only totally classic song is "I Can't Stand It" though, which is on The Cream of Clapton. Normally, I would buy this, but it's strangely OOP in the US. And the used version that I would want, the 1996 remaster, is way over-priced on the used market, so I'm going to pass. That will leave me with Slowhand (his most well-regarded), 461 Ocean Boulevard, and No Reason to Cry (with Dylan and The Band) for his solo work.
Orchestra Baobab - La Belle Epoque 1971-1977 [honorable mention]
:-) [Most of this early music is pretty rudimentary. Disc 2 contains all of On Verra Ca, which I own and rate 7 (B+) and is clearly the best stuff on the 2 discs. Even if I wanted to get it, I wouldn’t pay the inflated prices being asked. $100???]
Sunday, August 18, 2019
The Rolling Stones - The Party Down Under [honorable mention]
Posted cover to keep the Stones bootlegs straight.
Kass Kass - Kass Tout: 3.5 stars
This was put out on a dual-CD with their self-titled debut, Kass Kass. If that were available for a fair price, I would get that. If this and the debut were available individually for a fair price, I would get them both. But since they're not (this is only available on a "DC area" reprint for a reasonable price -- and I've become a little picky about editions), I will stick with the debut, which is on Stern's.
Super Rail Band de Bamako - Super Rail Band de Bamako: 4 stars
This is the 1992 release on Indigo. Actually, this is the CD version, which has no date associated with it. Apparently, it was released on cassette in 1992 though, on Label Bleu (another name for Indigo?). Anyway, that release had the following cover, and was named Djougouya Magni after the first song;
Orchestre Rail-Band de Bamako - Orchestre Rail-Band de Bamako: X stars
This is their first, 1970 release on Bärenreiter. I would buy it for sheer historic value, if it weren't ludicrously expensive. All songs are on the first two volumes of the 2-CD Stern's comps. So this entry is really just a placeholder/reminder.
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Psychic TV - Towards Thee Infinite Beat: 3.5 stars
# [industrial] Completely unavailable at anything approaching a reasonable price.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Various Artists - Black Stars: Ghana's Hiplife Generation: 3.5 stars
See review of BLNRB: Welcome to the Madhouse.
Various Artists - Urban Africa Club: Hip Hop Dancehall and Kwaito: 3.5 stars
See review of BLNRB: Welcome to the Madhouse.
Various Artists - BLNRB: Welcome to the Madhouse: 3.5 stars
Perhaps I should have done this as a batch review, with Urban Africa Club and Black Stars: Ghana's Hiplife Generation, because I made a batch buying decision. They are all strong at B+, perhaps even A-, but they tend not to stick with you so I went with the lower grade. Anyway, I can't accept having one of these releases (all German import compilations on Out Here Records) at B+ without the other two, and I can't get all three at a reasonable price, so I will end up with none.
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Sunday, August 11, 2019
Saturday, August 10, 2019
The Rolling Stones - Made in the Shade: 4.5 stars
The best Stones comp, and the only one worth having. Hot Rocks is for dumb shites that don't know shite about the Stones.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Dub Syndicate - Classic Selection, Volume 1: 8 (A-)
Spin gives this a 9 out of 10. I could have splurged for the On-U Sound box, like I did for African Head Charge, but I just don't want or need all that Dub Syndicate, unlike with AHC, where it was somewhat justified by all the great reviews of each of the albums. Interestingly, the Spin guide gives the first four albums in the AHC box a combined grade of 33, while the DS box's four get 31. Plus, I got the AHC box for $27, while the DS box, which is less good, goes for more at $35 or more. So this will be the entirety of my DS collection. It's better than any of the individual releases in the box, and only contains four tracks from those four albums, two of which may have been remixed for this.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Public Image Ltd - Paris au Printemps: 4 stars
Technically by Image Publique S.A. And title means Paris in the Spring.
The Handsome Family - Down in the Valley [honorable mention]
:-) [Compilation of cuts mainly from Milk and Scissors and Through the Trees. Really a grade for the Milk and Scissors cuts. Separately grading Through the Trees, since it’s their best-rated album on AllMusic.]
Eric Clapton - From the Cradle [honorable mention]
:-) [Pretty traditional blues, which is # [blues] anyway]
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