No one except the Spin guide seems to like this above the 7 (B+) level. I grant it might be that, but it can't be found for a reasonable price anyway. Four plays.
What you get here is not a greatest hits, but rather, 80% of her Compass Point trilogy, plus some other things. You get all this in a single case, for $10. No-brainer, although you don't get the original formations. Here are the songs you don't get (out of 24):
A Rolling Stone (Warm Leatherette)
Bullshit (Warm Leatherette)
Art Groupie (Nightclubbing)
Everybody Hold Still (Living My Life)
Inspiration (Living My Life)
Listened to the last two 3x, because I will not be separately grading that album. All 5 of these are clearly leave-off-able. And the only additional song from the regular greatest hits currently available that I wouldn't have would be La Vie en Rose, which is a good song, but I can do without it in physical - kind of an outlier. And here's what additionally I wouldn't have from Island Life:
I Need a Man (mediocre)
Do or Die (a little better, but not a must have)
Bottom line: I'm not shelving this as a best-of per se, but as a slim collection of almost all of her three best works.
As the cover says, this contains Uhuru in Dub and Osbourne in Dub - both featuring Sly & Robbie. I have the former on my copy of Uhuru's Black Sounds of Freedom, so maybe I'll grade it separately when I grade Black Sounds. I would give Osbourne in Dub a 7 (B+) or an honorable mention. At the first grade, I would buy it, if it were available for a reasonable price, which it's not. I could get a copy of this two-fer for a reasonable price, but I'm not going rebuy the Uhuru one just to get the 7 (B+) Osbourne.
:-) [Listened because Tom Hull gave it an A-.]
:-) [Contains most but not all of the albums Seizure and Croaker.]
:-( [Terrible. Also did not like the part where he gloats at the thought of Trump supporters dying. I'm sure Christgau upped it a notch for that while giggling along.]
:-) [Sounds pretty okay. Christgau once again over-rates it because Carll has some anti-Trump lyrics. Guaranteed A-level grade from him if you do that, fyi.]
:-) [Definitely better than the other one. Digital only.]
One long track on side 1, which goes on a little too long. The best song on here by far ("Guiné-Cabral") leads off side 2, and is on the essential comp, along with "Djuana." One more non-notable song on side 2 ("Flnala"). Since this is just as unavailable as all of their work, I'm going to skip it.
I spent way too much time looking for a file of this online and came up empty. I spent this time because it is the only thing rated 8 or above in the Spin guide that I haven't heard. I did find two or three songs online, and they did sound good. And I did find copies for normal import prices (~$25 or so), but decided not to spring for it without hearing it first.
Update (2025): Found a new copy for $20 shipped and went for it. Grade to come later, but it's shaping up to be an 8 (A-). [On final listen shelf]
I'm with AllMusic users (and the last Rolling Stone album guide) on this rapper: Blueprint; Reasonable Doubt; The Black Album; and this. Also, the Watch the Throne collaboration with Kanye.
There are so many of these Taxi comps that you can't have them all. They are essentially best ofs. I think I've heard at least all the major ones, and the Present Taxi one from 1981 still seems like the best to me, so I'm sticking with that one. This is #bestof anyway. And this one does go on for a very long time. ps, None of the longer, more recent ones seem to contain all of Present Taxi either.
Outstanding track: "Don't Like You Talking"
:-( [That Fantano character thinks this is a perfect album?]
Not qualified to rate this, but I feel comfortable with just "liking" it.
:-| [They only issues their physical output on vinyl and cassette! They has no talent.]
Good toasting. Scientist and Roots Radics involved. Good luck finding it for a non-fortune, other than on re-issued vinyl.
