Black Flag - Nervous Breakdown: 8 (A-)

Bad Brains - Bad Brains: 8.5 (high A-)

Issa Juma & Les Wanyika Stars - Sigalame 2: 7 (B+)

As noted in my post on World Defeats the Grandfathers, that one goes on too long. Given that Muzikifan said this shorter compilation was "phenomenally great" I thought I would give it a try, since it's two-thirds the length. However, of its 6 tracks, 4 are on World Defeats, one ("Ateka") is on the Piconema compilation, and the last "Pole Pole" is on volume 2 of World Defeats. So I made a playlist of the 4 repeat songs plus "Pole Pole" (and listened to "Pole Pole" 3 times, which is 30 minutes, or an album in itself). Anyway, no physicals to be found anywhere.

Black Flag - In My Head

:-| [Listened to the CD version once, and then the LP version two times (it has two less tracks). You'd think punks would realize less is more. Neutral either way though.]

The Pixies - Dig for Fire [single]

This gets tagged as a "single" everywhere, which gives me an out for grading/acquiring it, even though it seems like more of an EP and is around 7 (B+) level. The version of "Dig for Fire" on here is different from the one on Bossanova (a remix), the instrumental version is okay, and the two other songs are fine. All three of the "extras" are on Complete 'B' Sides, which I will evaluate separately.

The Pixies - Surfer Rosa: 9 (A)

"Where Is my Mind?" is outstanding, of course.

Cypress Hill - Cypress Hill: 9.5 (high A)

New Model Army - Original Album Series - batch review

No Rest for the Wicked (1985) - 7 (B+) [4 listens]

The Ghost of Cain (1986) - 7.5 (high B+)

Thunder and Consolation (1989) - 7 (B+) [4 listens]

Impurity (1990) - 8 (A-)

Raw Melody Men (1991) [Live] - grade to come

Aerosmith - Classics Live II: 7 (B+)

# [live]

Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill: 9 (A)

Cypress Hill - Black Sunday: 9 (A)

The Pixies - Doolittle: 9.5 (high A)

The Pixies - Trompe Le Monde: 8 (A-)

This Kind of Punishment - 5 by Four [EP]: 7 (B+)

Almost completely unavailable, which I can handle because it's a 12 inch. If it were a 7 inch, I would be on the hunt.

Sonic Youth - Silver Session for Jason Knuth: 7.5 (B+)

# [feedback] (Might buy because it's a benefit album for suicide prevention)

The New Pornographers - Electric Version

:-|

The Pixies - Pixies: 7 (B+)

The Pixies - Come on Pilgrim [EP]: 8 (A-)

The Pixies - Doggerel [honorable mention]

:-)

Ice-T - Rhyme Pays [honorable mention]

:-)

Ian Hunter - Ian Hunter: 7 (B+)

Only available in first generation CD transfer and bloated remasters. Also would not make sense to have this and not You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic. [4 listens]

The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema [honorable mention]

:-)

Daniel Owino Misiani and Shirati Band - Benga Blast!: 7.5 (high B+)

# [benga]

Obed Ngobeni - My Wife Bought a Taxi [Shanachie, 1989] [placeholder]

I remember playing this at least once in full on YouTube, and liking it, but when I went back to play it again, it had been taken down. Now all I can do is sample the 3 or 4 individual tracks that are still posted, because this is not on Napster or Spotify and I can't find a rar file on the internet either. I'm seeing a copy sealed in original longbox (!) for $20 shipped on Discogs, but I'm just thinking this would end up being a 7 (B+) or 7.5 (high B+) and then # [Shangaan jive]. I hope it goes back up on YouTube one day or is streaming somewhere.

Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his Nigerian Soundmakers - Sound Time [IndigeDisc, 2001]: 8 (A-)

Compilation of tracks recorded between 1970-1985. Christgau appears to have given this what I would call an 8.5 (high A-), so as usual with highlife I am at least a half notch lower. I got this when it came out and shelved it long ago. I recently rescued it from my de-shelved pile where I had put it in my second attempt to thin the herd. Highlife's extreme repetitiveness, within and between songs, has always been a sticking point for me. But I had put this on the wrong side of the crucial but thin dividing line between 7.5 (high B+) and 8 (A-) when deshelving it.

Dobie - Nothing to Fear/...But Fear Itself [EPs]: 7.5 (high B+)

Promo CDs only, first one also 12" vinyl; otherwise digital (# [techno] anyway).

Ice-T - Home Invasion [honorable mention]

:-) [Docked a notch for bloat]

African Head Charge - A Trip to Bolgatanga [honorable mention]

:-)

Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm: 8 (A-)

The Meditations - Greatest Hits: 8 (A-)

Upped from 7.5 (high B+). I also listened to Deeper Roots: The Best of the Meditations (Heartbeat) and Reggae Crazy: Anthology 1971-1979 (Nighthawk) three times each. Both great reggae labels (as is Shanachie), but this one seems to be the best of the three by a hair, plus, it was available at a reasonable price, so I went with it.

Aram Bajakian - There Were Flowers Also in Hell: 7 (B+)

# [jazz]

Dawn Oberg - Bring: 7 (B+)

# [folk]

Various - Zambush Vol. 1: Zambian Hits from the 80s: 7.5 (high B+)

# [multi-artist comp]

Freedy Johnston - The Way I Were: 4-Track Demos 1986-1992: 7 (B+)

I'm not a fan of demo collections (# [demos]), but I have this one and will hang on to it.

Pere Ubu - Trouble on Big Beat Street

:-( [One of the worst albums I have ever heard]

PJ Harvey - I Inside the Old Year Dying [honorable mention]

:-) [4 listens, after seeing Christgau's (very low) A-] [Hull B+(*)]

Various - Sacred Soul of North Carolina: X (X)

Definitely not qualified to grade this.

Royal Crescent Mob - Omerta [honorable mention]

:-)

Freedy Johnston - Neon Repairman

"Recording was funded via PledgeMusic and initially available as a pledger-only exclusive, but it is now available via iTunes and CDbaby." Ie, an official semi-release.

Freedy Johnston - This Perfect World: 9 (A)

 

Never Home has also been on the shelves for decades. Need to listen again to assign a grade to that one, but somewhere from 7 (B+) to 8 (A-). I consider this and Can You Fly to be his peak, which is not a daring position.

East of Venus - Memory Box: 7.5 (high B+)

Starts out slow but does gain steam. Features Michael Carlucci (Winter Hours), Glenn Mercer (The Feelies), Stan Demeski (The Feelies, Luna), and Rob Norris (The Bongos).

Bonnie Raitt - Fundamental: 8 (A-)

Saint Etienne - So Tough: 8 (A-)

Amy LaVere - Runaway's Diary: 7 (B+)

# [folk/country/singer-songwriter]

Chumped - Teenage Retirement: 7 (B+)

# [pop punk] [Thought I bought this at one point anyway, but apparently not] [4 listens]

The Lounge Lizards - Live 79-81: 7 (B+)

# [(fake) jazz/live] [Great track: "Epistrophy"]

John Hassell - Dream Theory in Malaya: Fourth World Volume Two [honorable mention]

:-)

Ghostface Killah - Fish 'n' Chips: 7.5 (high B+)

Digital-only mixtape. Best Gangsta Grillz that I've heard anyway, not that I've heard alot. Shout out to Philly. Ghost is also my favorite Wu-Tang, if a grown man can have one of those. Probably not, but there it is. So jump me. It's been done before and I'm still here.

James McMurtry - It Had to Happen [honorable mention]

:-)

Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets [honorable mention]

:-) 

Toto - Toto IV [honorable mention]

:-) [Not as bad as all that]

Tom Verlaine - The Wonder: 7 (B+)

I'm willing to agree that this is the least of his solo albums, but I still like it. Totally unavailable at anything approaching a reasonable price though (like $30 minimum used). Most people consider this his "lost" album, so I'm going to leave it lost.

Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets [honorable mention]

:-) [Possibly a 7 (B+). The remastered version is cluttered with junk, although it does have the In a Car EP, but it sells for a fortune. In any event, as noted, I have skipped the debut studio albums (ie, not EPs (2 by the Minutemen, 1 by the Meat Puppets) or live ones (Husker Du)) by the Minutemen (The Punch Line), Meat Puppets (Meat Puppets), and Husker Du (Everything Falls Apart). All 15-20 minute basically hardcore blurs, in one way or the other.]

Kendrick Lamar - O.verly D.edicated: 7 (B+)

Digital-only mixtape

P.S. Eliot - 2007-2011 [explained]

# [indiepop] Very tempted to buy this, with Introverted Romance in our Troubled Minds and Sadie on disc 1 and the Living in Squalor EP on disc 2 with a veritable shitload of useless demos. I would give the EP a 7.5 (high B+), Introverted a 7 (B+), and Sadie a 7.5 (high B+). Good deal for $17. I'll probably regret not going for it when it's OOP and selling for $50. Sadie is vinyl only, otherwise I might get just that. I did listen to the demos once to confirm that they're shite.

Jon Hassell - Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street [honorable mention]

:-)

The Roches - Another World [honorable mention]

:-)

Beck - Morning Phase [honorable mention]

:-) 

Various - Bowling Balls II: 7 (B+)

# [multi-artist comp]

Fokn Bois - Fokn Wit Ewe: 7 (B+)

Digital only

Flipper - Live at CBGB's [honorable mention]

I'm reviewing this as a show, rather than a recording, so it gets only one listen, which frankly is all I can take. Every fan of punk should hear this hour of off-key shrieking, feedback, and background "music" at least once. This recording is one long track, and it does make you feel like you were there. Will Shatter was not involved.

Eminem - Slim Shady EP: 7 (B+)

As a 6-song EP at ~25 minutes (minus the skits), an interesting historical document. They go for around $5k at the moment.

The Gladiators - Trench Town Mix Up: 8 (A-)

The Gladiators - Dreadlocks the Time Is Now [explained]

This contains 9 of the 11 tracks on Trench Town Mixup (skipping "Know Yourself Mankind" and "Thief in the Night"), 3 from Proverbial Reggae, 4 from Naturality, 2 from Sweet So Till, and a 12" single ("Pocket Money").

Albert Griffiths and the Gladiators - Country Living: 7.5 (high B+)

I like this cover, for some reason, although I have this album combined with In Store for You on a single CD. In Store for You I would grade 7 (B+), maybe more of an honorable mention if I'm being truthful. It is marred by some cheesy synths, which is probably due to it being released two years later than Country Living in 1987, when synths were legally required to be on all albums. The cover looks like this:

The combined release is called A Whole Heap and looks like this: