Dillinger - Ultimate Collection: 8.5 (high A-)

 

See review of The Prime of Dillinger. Contains 4 tracks each from CB200 and Bionic Dread, and 3 from Cornbread. Also contains the title track from Marijuana in My Brain. All other tracks are singles.

Various Artists - Viva! Zimbabwe: 8 (A-)

Dillinger - The Prime of Dillinger: Gangster, Prankster and Rasta

 

Placeholder. I have Ultimate Collection, and I'm sticking with that. The 15 track US version of this (as opposed to the 20 track UK version) has the following songs which are not on Ultimate Collection:

Marcus Garvey - great, but see separate view of album Cornbread, upon which it appeared
Killer Man Jaro - not good
Caymanas Park/Dub - not good
Natty Kung Fu - fine
Three Piece Suit and a Thing - good
Left With a Broken Heart - okay
Blackboard Jungle - great
Don't Take Another Man's Life - okay

Ultimate Collection also obviously has songs on it that this doesn't have. I'm not going to make the effort to compare those. Overall, UC seems like the better comp, although this one is shorter and so generally I would prefer that. However, in this case, Dillinger has no truly great albums, but a large catalog of great songs, so the longer comp is probably preferable. Plus, I already have it, so I'll stop there. Certainly not going to pick this up for one good and one great song.

Various Artists - 30 Ans de Musique Africaine: 7.5 (high B+)

At B+ I probably would not now buy an all-continent various artists comp (especially one that is equally broad over time), but this one has some historical significance, and Ronnie Graham recommended it, so I'll keep it. It's also on Sonodisc.

Girls Against Boys - Cruise Yourself: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Tabu Ley Rochereau & Orchestre Afrisa International ‎– Seigneur Ley on Tour: 8 (A-)

 

Prohibitively expensive for a live album at A- (probably not actually live, but I have to have some excuse - at least it's pretending to be).

Toni Braxton - Secrets: 7 (B+)

 

# [R&B] [I could also try the self-titled debut, but it gets essentially the same grades, so I won't.]

Chemical Brothers - Brotherhood: 7 (B+)

  

Grade is for first disc - singles collection - which I generally don't buy at B+. Second disc - dance remixes, is endless and neutral at best.

Drake - Take Care (Deluxe) [honorable mention]

:-) [Some good tracks. Best one is the Jamie xx/Scott-Heron retread (ie, the title track). Which sounds almost exactly the same as the original. Yet another hip hop album that would have been improved by being half its 80 minute length.]

Neil Young - Way Down in the Rust Bucket [honorable mention]

:-) [Might be a 7 (B+) or even a 7.5 (high B+), in which case I would buy it, especially since Xgau gave it an A-. But I don't go for vault dig programs like this comes from (or Dylan's similar program), so I will skip it. The same reasoning should probably go for A Treasure, which I bought but probably shouldn't have and will therefore probably sell back. My other thought is, do we really need this, Weld, Year of the Horse, and Road Rock?]

Tina Turner - Private Dancer: 7 (B+)

# [R&B]

Various Artists - Tuatara: 7.5 (high B+)

 

I don't collect various artists at B+, although this one tempted me. It is ridiculously expensive though, so I will pass.

M'Bilia Bel with Seigneur [Tabu] Ley Rochereau - Faux Pas

Placeholder only. Gary Stewart names this as a notable Rochereau release. As originally configured, three of its four songs are on her compilation Bel Canto, which I will review. The other song, "Motema Ekopona," I listened to three times on Youtube.

Archers of Loaf - Curse of the Loaf: 8.5 (high A-)

Vinyl-only silliness, but I bought it anyway, for several reasons: I was buying a shirt from them anyway; I love the band and want to support them; and it's the finest career summation.

Spillage Village - Spilligion: 7 (B+)

Upped dramatically from downface. 5 or 6 listens. Digital/vinyl only.

The Replacements - All for Nothing/Nothing for All: 8 (A-) [for second disc]

First disc is a greatest hits from Tim to the end. I listened to this once to see if it rehabilitated that run and turned in an A grade comp. It didn't. The second disc is previously unreleased songs. Christgau was right that it makes a great album. Reprise released each disc as CD1 and CD2 in a j-card case in Europe only. I looked into buying CD2 but it was too expensive. So I burned CD2 to disc and put it in a slim case on the shelves. Cover like this:

R.A. the Rugged Man - All My Hereos Are Dead [honorable mention]

:-) [Almost a B+. Beats are good, and some good cameos. Wu especially. But his spitting is literally spitting, and the sentiments are trite (mother should never have to bury children? life began when my daughter was born? (wait until she's 13 and hates you)...]

Seefeel - Quique [honorable mention]

:-)

Milo [R.A.P. Ferreira] - Who Told You to Think??!!?!?!?! [honorable mention]

:-)

Milo [R.A.P. Ferreira] - So the Flies Don’t Come

:-(

The Cucumbers - The Cucumbers [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

 

# [power pop] I would probably buy this anyway, if it were a 7 inch.

Arto Lindsay - Mundo Civilizado: 8.5 (high A-)

 

Cavanaugh (Open Mike Eagle + Serengeti) - Quarantine Recordings [honorable mention]

:-)

Serengeti - keep winning (film tv and weddings I) [honorable mention]

:-)

Tom Ze - Brazil Classics 4: The Best of Tom Ze: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Xgau gives this an A+ and thinks it's one of the best albums ever. I see it more like Tom Hull, who gave it a B+.

Chris Knox - Songs of You & Me

:-|

The Shocker - Up Your Ass Tray [honorable mention]

:-)

Anthrax - Persistence of Time

:-|

Kimya Dawson - Hidden Vagenda: 7.5 (high B+)

 

# [anti-folk] Plus, so expensive it's ridiculous.

Khaira Arby - Live in New York 2010: 7.5 (high B+)

 

# [live/Wassoulou]

Jose Carlos Schwarz & Le Cobiana Djazz - Lua Ki Di Nos: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Vinyl and digital only.

Gregory Isaacs - Lonely Lover: 7.5 (high B+)

 

Could be 8 (A-), but I'm not going to worry about it. First, it's way too expensive used and has never been officially reissued on CD. Second, see review of his comp Mr. Love.

Etoile de Dakar - Volume 5: Maleo [honorable mention]

:-)

Etoile de Dakar: Volume 2: Thiapathioly [honorable mention]

:-)

Serengeti - Ajai Epilogue [EP] [honorable mention]

:-) [Digital only, but appended to vinyl reissue of Ajai.]

Serengeti w/Advance Base - Happy Family [EP] [honorable mention]

:-) [Digital only]

Sly & Robbie - Reggae Masterpieces Vol. 1: 7 (B+)

 

Strangely, this is largely unavailable, despite only being a year or two old. Not paying extremely high import prices for yet another Taxi, greatest hits collection. I'll stay with the 1981 one.

The Lounge Lizards - The Lounge Lizards: 7.5 (high B+)

 

# [(fake) jazz] I would buy it anyway, just for Arto's guitar, but it's not available at a reasonable price. Plus, I'm 95% sure I owned it once and sold it back, so I don't want to go out-of-pocket for it again. [Saw a reasonably-priced copy and went for it.]

Fine Young Cannibals - The Finest: 8 (A-)

 

I ended up with this instead of the 2 regular issue albums, the first of which is only okay in my view and the second of which I have owned in the past and will not be re-buying (see review of that one for more info).

Fine Young Cannibals - The Raw & The Cooked: 7 (B+)

 

I had this when it came out (or a girlfriend did, or someone). It's no longer with me in any event, and I will be skipping this, which is overly familiar at this point, for the Finest comp. Says Tom Hull about the comp: "Not sure this improves on the second album, but it suffices." I think it does improve on it, very slightly. Also, the second album is probably the most ubiquitous album I have ever seen on the used sites. It's like everyone who ever bought one wants to sell it. :-)

Eric Clapton - E. C. Was Here

 :-|

Rod Stewart - Atlantic Crossing: 7 (B+)

 

Not getting this for the same reason I did not get Joni Mitchell's Hejira. I am sticking with his classic four album run before this one. Plus, it's on Warners and so is not part of "The Rod Stewart Remasters" series, and so it is very hard to find a remastered version online. In fact, if it were obvious what to get, for a reasonable price, I would probably just do it. [Four listens]

Guided by Voices - Earth Man Blues

:-|

Leonard Cohen - More Best of [placeholder]

 

I got the first one because of historical importance or as a keepsake but am skipping this. It's basically half I'm Your Man and half The Future. Four tracks from each and then three from Cohen Live: "Dance Me to the End of Love," "Hallelujah," and "Suzanne." Finally, there's one new track ("Never Any Good"). I don't know why there are live songs, one of which was on the first collection in its studio version, on a best-of.

Serengeti - Beautyman [EP] [honorable mention]

:-) [Appended to the vinyl reissue of Dennehy, one of the greatest albums of all time.]

Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide [honorable mention]

:-)