Various Artists [mostly Folk Implosion] - Kids (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack): 8 (A-)

Lou Barlow is a mensch. This also has Sebadoh's "Spoiled," which is a great song.

I also made a playlist of the songs that are not on this but were in the movie, and listened to it three times (excluding songs I already knew, or that weren't "modern"). It ended up being EP length with 6 tracks:

Whutcha Want? - Nine
Word Is Bond - Brand Nubian
Crooklyn (Instrumental) - Crooklyn Dodgers
Wrong Side of the Tracks - Artifacts
Listen Up - Erule
Time's Up - O.C.

I would give the EP a 7 (B+).

Yugen Blakrok - Anima Mysterium: 4 stars

Very good album, but not paying high import prices for a CD that is Bandcamp-only. [Also, I can't have this one and not the next, which is better in my opinion.]

Les Amazones d'Afrique - Amazones Power [honorable mention]

:-)

Taylor Swift - Speak Now: 4 stars

Taylor Swift - 1989: 4 stars

Pere Ubu - Lady from Shanghai [honorable mention]

:-) [Possible that this is a B plus, but it's marred by at least a couple of long, dirge-like songs that aren't any good, so I think I'll go with Christgau's and Hull's assessments on this one. As it turns out, I've gone with everything by this band that Christgau rated three stars and up. (He and Hull rated this two stars.)]

Pere Ubu - Story of My Life

:-|

David Johansen - In Style: 3.5 stars

Normally, I would get this. However, I'm not getting the vinyl when there's a perfectly good non-first generation CD transfer available -- the 2007 American Beat reissue. I have Here Comes the Night in that version, and would like to have a matching one on this, but they are only available used and are priced too high. The Culture Factory reissue is a "vinyl replica," which I would only buy under duress for something higher than B plus, so I am going to skip this.

Hope Masike - The Exorcism of a Spinster: 4 stars

Shakira - Pies Descalzos: 3.5 stars

Owned once but must have sold it back because I don't see it on the shelves. That was a mistake given how much I've grown to love her, so I'll rebuy. She can have my money.

Peter Perrett - In the One: Woke Up Sticky: 4 stars

Would buy this if it was available for a decent price used. Original Demon CD selling for too much, and "Plus" reissue from only 13 years ago totally unavailable. I'll stick with his second comeback period.

The Eagles - On the Border: 7 (B+)

Upped from honorable mention on a fourth listen. Glyn Johns producing on two tracks gave me just the impetus. Plus, it sells cheap on a remastered CD, as it should.

The Who - It's Hard [honorable mention]

:-) [“Athena” and, of course, “Eminence Front” are outstanding tracks. Glyn Johns produced.]

Harald Grosskopf - Synthesist: 3.5 stars

# [krautrock]

Czarface - The Odd Czar Against Us [honorable mention]

:-)

Buddy and Julie Miller - Love Snuck Up [honorable mention]

:-)

Cream - Wheels of Fire [honorable mention]

:-) [Disc 2 (Live at the Fillmore) once only.]

Franco & Le TP OK Jazz - Likambo Ya Ngana [1971/1972]: 3.5 stars

Ridiculously expensive.

Various Artists - Mogadisco: Dancing Mogadishu (Somalia 1972​-​1991) [honorable mention]

:-)

Various Artists - Jambu (E Os Miticos Sons Da Amazonia): 3.5 stars

Typically fine Analog Africa release, but won’t be paying import prices for it at B plus.

Juffureh Band - Abaraka Bake: 4 stars

Digital-only, so no shelving.

Buddy Miller - Universal United House of Prayer: 3.5 stars

# [country/folk]

Popul Vuh - Hosianna Mantra: 3.5 stars

# [krautrock]

Snap - World Power

:-|

Dr. John - Dr. John's Gumbo: 3.5 stars

# [New Orleans] [plus, I’m pretty certain I owned it at one time and sold it back].

Le Nimba De N'Zerekore - Gon Bia Bia: 3.5 stars

Very old (1980) expensive LP or digital-only modern file, so no go.

Hama Sankare - Niafunke [honorable mention]

:-)

Love/Hate - Blackout in the Red Room [honorable mention]

:-)

Lee Scratch Perry - Heavy Rain

:-| [Four listens]

French Montana and Max B - Coke Wave [honorable mention]

:-)

The Goats - Live at Khyber Pass: 3.5 stars

I saw them at a bar on South Street (the name escapes me), might have been that same year, or more likely the next, because they sounded way more polished than this show. It was probably the best live show I've ever seen. This is probably more of an honorable mention, but I love the band so much I upped it a notch. Digital only, so I will not be putting this on the shelves.

Taylor Swift - Red: 4 stars

Blue Oyster Cult - Secret Treaties [honorable mention]

:-) [4 listens]

Railroad Jerk - The Third Rail [honorable mention]

:-)

Baobab-Gouye-Gui De Dakar [Orchestra Baobab] - Mouhamadou Bamba

Five of the six tracks on here were re-issued on this:

I will rate this separately. The sixth track is on La Belle Epoque, which I have already reviewed.

Jimmie Rodgers - The Essential: X stars

I realize he's a legend, but it's just way too far out of my bailiwick for me to rate, or even keep.

Franco et Josky Kiambukuta du T.P.O.K. Jazz - Tout Feu Tout Flamme [a/k/a Franco, Josky, Matalanza du T.P. O.K. Jazz: A Paris 1983 Missile]: 4 stars

Two covers (and titles) on this one. The second one is a 1996 Sonodisc reissue of the 1983 original. Some truly beautiful songs on this one, some (all?) of which have been compiled on collections. But not really available in physical in this form.

Eric Clapton - Just One Night: 3.5 stars

Not going to add a B plus live one to the collection.

Mose FanFan [Mose Se Sengo "Fan Fan"] - The Congo Acoustic [honorable mention]

:-)

M.I.A. - AIM: 4 stars

Throwing Muses - Throwing Muses [honorable mention]

:-)

Chai - Punk [honorable mention]

:-)

Taylor Swift - Lover: 7 (B+)

# [country]

Ariana Grande - Thank U, Next: 3.5 stars

# [R&B]

The Coathangers - Scramble

:-|

Various Artists - The Rough Guide to Country Blues: X stars

I'm not qualified to judge this kind of thing. It could very well be an A plus. I certainly liked it more than most country blues collections I have heard. But ultimately not the kind of thing I collect.

Grant "G.W." McLennan - Watershed: 4.5 stars

Desaparecidos - Payola [honorable mention]

:-) [Overall, somewhat strident and one-note. Christgau liked its politics and mentions Trump in the review (?).]

Eric Clapton - Money and Cigarettes [honorable mention]

:-) [Might be a B plus, but # [blues] anyway.]

Silver Jews - Early Times [honorable mention]

:-)

Joe Higgs - Unity is Power

:-|

DJ Shadow - Our Pathetic Age [honorable mention]

:-) [First disc is around a B minus, second disc is 8 (A-).]

Mr. Lif - Don't Look Down [honorable mention]

:-) [Music is more of a B plus or even A minus, but the adenoidal/stentorian raps are a little headache-inducing after awhile.]

Shakira - Grandes Exitos: 3.5 stars

I love Shakira, but I have more than half these songs. In other words, only the tracks from MTV Unplugged are not in my collection. Plus, it doesn't hang together that well. I have all her studio albums anyway (other than the first two "underground" ones).

Lee "Scratch" Perry - Rainford: 4 stars

New Order - Waiting for the Sirens' Call [honorable mention]

:-)

Shakira - Shakira.: 9 (A)

Bon Iver - I,I [honorable mention]

:-)

Big Thief - U.F.O.F.: 8 (A-)

Rachid Taha - Je Suis Africain: 4 stars

Atmosphere - Whenever [honorable mention]

:-) [If Christgau gives this at least ***, I'll probably cave and buy this too. His records can seem a little rote -- although they're pretty much all good. It's like he just keeps making the same one over and over.]

Joe Higgs with the Wailers: Blackman Know Yourself

:-(

The Gladiators - Serious Thing [honorable mention]

:-) [Four listens]

The Band - The King Biscuit Flower [Flour] Hour/Carter Barron [Baron] Amphitheater/Washington, DC/1976: 3.5 stars [bootleg]

I think these are alternate covers for the same bootleg taken from the FM source for King Biscuit. People say it's important because it was around the same time as The Last Waltz, but is just the band without famous friends. I think it's fine, but won't be shelving it.