Scientist/Prince Jammy - Big Showdown [honorable mention]

 :-) [Very repetitive, even the disc of bonus tracks. Also a combo with Prince Jammy, so not regular issue, and hence the repetition.]

Cloud Nothings - The Shadow I Remember [honorable mention]

 :-) [A little bit of same album over and over syndrome.]

The Revolutionaries ‎– Drum Sound: More Gems from the Channel One Dub Room - 1974 to 1980: 7 (B+)

 

Completely unavailable on CD. Contains a great Kunta Kinte version (featured in a memorable scene in the Lovers Rock episode of the Small Axe series on Prime Video).

Blondie - Blondie [honorable mention]

 :-) [Four listens]

Jimi Hendrix - Live at Woodstock: 7 (B+)

 

Not a huge Hendrix fan, definitely not a huge live Hendrix fan, and especially not a Hendrix at Woodstock fan. Don't collect live Hendrix at B+. And, honestly, this is more of an honorable mention, upped a notch for historical importance. Very grating after a while. [I suppose I could listen to the edited 1994 version on MCA, but I obviously heard it all here and didn't like much of any of it.]

Eminem - Music to Be Murdered By - Side B (Deluxe Edition): 7 (B+)

 

Normally would get this, but the new songs, on the second disc, can only be got if you rebuy the regular-issue album, which is on the first disc. Not rebuying that for a 7 (B+) second disc.

Prince Alla - Best of: 8.5 (high A-)

 

Not really a best of, but it is great. Made an exception to my usual rule and bought re-issued vinyl. I might get the Blood & Fire release Only Love Can Conquer, which has all 8 tracks on here, plus six more. But I'll need to find it for a good price.

Sly & Robbie - Blackwood Dub [honorable mention]

 :-)

Todd Rundgren - Runt [honorable mention]

 :-)

Paris - Safe Space Invader [honorable mention]

 :-) [Another Christgau rap fail. Dis Trump and that Trump-deranged neolib will give you a high rating.]

Lithics - Tower of Age [honorable mention]

 :-) [A little derivative.]

Stella Chiweshe - Ambuya: 7 (B+)

 

# [mbira/folkloric]

Emerson, Lake & Palmer — Brain Salad Surgery [honorable mention]

:-) [Prog: Yes (2); Genesis (1); Jethro Tull (0); all others (n/a). I thought I might try the debut also, but this is way more famous, and it ranks as their best everywhere except Allmusic users, who rank it slightly higher (although that site's ranking system is skewed in some way).]

Richard Hell - Another World [EP]: 8 (A-)

 

I almost succumbed to my completist tendencies and bought a used copy of this. And maybe in the end I will. It is the only "important" Ork single I don't have. In other words I have "Little Johnny Jewel" and "Let it Blurt." But those two weren't re-rerecorded and re-released on later albums, like 2 out of 3 songs on this. I do have all three songs on the Ork compilation now, so if I bought this, it would be as a $100-$200 collector's item.

Various Artists - Ork Records: New York, New York: 8.5 (high A-)

 

I really want to give this a full A, but I can't manage it. While all the singles on Ork seem historically important, and the box set is lovingly and amazingly done, definitely less than all the songs are A level. The best "unheard" one is "It Was So Funny" by the Erasers. So I'm settling for 8.5 (high A-). I know in my heart that in pure musical terms, this is probably no more than 8 (A-).

Eminem - Music to Be Murdered By: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Scientist/Hempress Sativa: Scientist Meets Hempress Sativa in Dub: 8 (A-)

 

Digital and vinyl only, so thanks for letting me keep my money!

Siouxsie and the Banshees - A Kiss in the Dreamhouse [honorable mention]

 :-)

Thurston Moore - By the Fire [honorable mention]

:-)

Digital Underground - Sons of the P [honorable mention]

 :-) [Too many of the songs are too repetitive.]

Atmosphere - The Day Before Halloween

 :-|

Tall Dwarfs - Hello Cruel World: 7 (B+)

Contains their first four EPs: Three Songs, Louis Likes His Daily Dip, Canned Music, and Slugbucket Hairybreath Monster. Some seriously annoying songs are mixed with some good ones. I would pick up a copy, but not for the prices being charged at B+.

The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??!

 :-(

Mikey Dread - World War III: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Also put out as Beyond World War III (I think with some bonus tracks). Would definitely pick this up if it were selling for reasonable prices. Might even be 8 (A-). But not paying $60+ for it, so not worth making that distinction.

Unsung Heroes - Unleashed [honorable mention]

:-) [Docked a notch for overstaying its welcome. De-shelved in 2021. Also # [UK hip hop/grime]]

Muddy Waters - His Best, 1947 to 1955: X stars

This will end up being the only Muddy compilation I will retain. It contains all the tracks from The Best of Muddy Waters. I could supplement it with the 1956-1964 companion, or replace it with The Anthology, which amounts to the same thing, but the latter day singles just aren't as essential. I know it's sacrilegious to say this, but with the second set, or The Anthology, do I really need 2:30 of Muddy? I could also keep Trouble No More, but the only essential songs on that I would be missing are "Got My Mojo Working" and "Forty Days" ("Sugar Sweet" and "Trouble No More" are on this). Likewise, I will lose the 20th Century Masters compilation. The only songs that would give me are the ones I note for Trouble No More, with the rest overlapping with this. I'm also selling Real Folk Blues, which is not a 5 star album on Allmusic and Hull gives a B+. [Update, decided to keep Trouble No More, because it's a properly shorter disc of his later period (35 minutes vs. His Best's 60), I should have at least this small amount of that, Tom Hull gives it an A+ (his only one for Muddy), Rolling Stone gave it 5 stars, and Christgau put it in his 80s library.]

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak [honorable mention]

 :-) [Way better than Christgau's ridiculous grade led me to believe all these years.]

Mott the Hoople - Mott the Hoople [honorable mention]

 :-)

Astor Piazzolla - Tango: Zero Hour: X stars

Not really qualified to rate this. Owned it once and sold it back, so listened at least 6 times. Really just not my area.

R.A.P. Ferreira - Purple Moonlight Pages

 :-| [Another Christgau rap full A miss. Digital only.] [four listens - upped to neutral]

Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! [honorable mention]

 :-)

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Once Upon a Time: The Singles [placeholder]

Listened 3 times to the tracks not on The Scream or Juju. Probably give this a 7.5 (high B+) and # [best of].

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Juju [honorable mention]

 :-)

Big Youth - A Reggae Collection [placeholder]

[Tom Hull gave this an A minus, so I looked into it. I have all its songs, with the exception of two from Hit the Road Jack! ("Hit The Road Jack" and "What's Going On"), which I already reviewed, plus "Medicine Doctor" and "A So We Stay" -- which are fine.]

Mott the Hoople - The Hoople 7.5 (high B+)

Might be an 8 (A-), but CDs that aren't cluttered with almost as many bonus tracks as original tracks are unavailable. There was one issued in 2000 with only 3, but it costs a fortune. In any event, 2/3 of the original tracks are on the 2 CD compilation (Trudi's Song, Alice, and Pearl 'N' Roy (England) are the ones that didn't make the cut), so I'm passing on a physical.

Atmosphere - Southsiders: 8 (A-)

 

Brandy Clark - Big Day in a Small Town: 7 (B+)

 

# [country]

Super Mama Djombo - Mandjuana: 8.5 (high A-)

 

Currently one copy on Discogs, selling for $420. Not printing out at 8.5.

Dinosaur Jr. - Where You Been [honorable mention]

:-)

Public Image Ltd - Happy? [liked]

:-)

Startisha - Naeem

:-|