Monday, January 29, 2024
Sunday, January 28, 2024
Culture - Trod On [honorable mention]
:-) [A/k/a Black Rose. Might be a notch higher at 7 (B+), but copies are selling for too much to bother making that distinction here. Also could do without the 2 grounation tracks tacked on at the end, which take this long past the 46-minute mark, which is already in excess of the ideal. In other words, as a collection of tracks, while some of them are very good, the collection is overall critically flawed.]
Saturday, January 27, 2024
Various Artists - Human Music: 8.5 (high A-)
Very good "lost" compilation of late '80s indie. Future big names involved, both artists and techs: Yo La Tengo, The Chills, Great Plains, Half Japanese, Tall Dwarfs, The Clean, The Embarrassment, on one hand, Georgia Hubley (as visual artist), Gerard Cosloy, Craig Marks, on the other. I know it's a cliche, but this is a keeper and I'm very glad to know it, even though it took me until 2023 to become aware of it.
Saturday, January 13, 2024
Danny Brown - Quaranta: 7.5 (high B+)
If they end up actually releasing this on CD, I will get it. I wish he would just rap in his regular voice though.
Sunday, January 7, 2024
Culture - At Joe Gibbs [placeholder]
This has Two Sevens Clash, Baldhead Bridge, and More Culture. See separate reviews for each of those. If I had been aware at the time, I would have perhaps bought this just to have More Culture and the fourth disc of "extras" just to hear them, it was selling for so cheap. But now of course it costs too much to spring for that. I did listen twice to the fourth disc, entitled As Hard as the Rest.
Culture - The Nighthawk Recordings [placeholder]
Contains the three Culture tracks that were included on Calling Rastafari, which I have. And then there are two new songs -- "Can They Run" and "Mister Music." Each of those is presented with its "version," for a total of 7 tracks, at 31 minutes. Selling on Amazon for $12 shipped. I'll probably end up buying it, because the two new tracks are actually pretty good. And the two versions ain't that bad either. Plus I'm a suckah. But for now I'm resisting, because it's just strange.
Culture - Too Long in Slavery [placeholder]
Contains tracks from Harder Than the Rest, Cumbolo, and International Herb, all of which I have.
Bunny Wailer - Rock-n-Groove: 8 (A-)
Tracks on here are also on Rootsman Skanking, released in 1986. Not sure if they were re-recorded for Rootsman Skanking, but they were definitely shortened to make room for 3 new songs. On this one, each song stretches out with a mini-dub version at the end, which is what they cut out for the later release, obviously.
Saturday, January 6, 2024
The Abyssinians - Satta Massagana: 7 (B+)
I'm almost certain I once owned the original Heartbeat release of this, with a different cover, but now have the "deluxe edition" issued by Heartbeat in 2006, with the original cover photo, pictured above, of them standing on a rock, presumably somewhere in Jamaica.
Friday, January 5, 2024
Africa Unite - In Dub [placeholder]
Italian reggae band, with many dubs by Mad Professor. Graded A- by Tom Hull, but it appears to be a German-only release in limited edition, so impossible to find. I would listen if I ever see it. Cover looks like this:
UB40 - The Best of UB40 - Volume 1 [placeholder]
Contains only the following songs not on albums I already own:
"My Way of Thinking" from The Singles Album
"I Got You Babe" from Baggariddim
"Don't Break My Heart" from Baggariddim
"Maybe Tomorrow" previously unreleased
All decent songs, but not worth the album.
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Monday, January 1, 2024
Gregory Isaacs - Red Rose for Gregory: 8 (A-)
Used prices are ridiculous, otherwise I would pick this up.
Lucinda Williams - West [honorable mention]
:-) [De-shelved in 2024. At this point, all I've kept are the trio that Christgau and Hull each gave a full A or above. I think this is because I despise the little affected vocal tick she adopted from Essence onward. Also, on this one, no need to go on for 70-80 minutes.]
Blondie - Greatest Hits: 8.5 (high A-)
I have this in place of The Best of Blondie, which it contains all of, plus more.
Purchased, but not necessarily shelved or graded yet [some have provisional grades] 2024
List made in 2024, purchases could have been many years ago ... decades, a half a century, even:
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Various - African Connection, Vol. 1: Zaire Choc!
Various - The Daisy Age
Various - ESPN Presents Slam Jams, Vol. 1
Various - Girl Group Greats
Various - Motown: The Classic Years [same as Motown Classics Gold]
Thomas Anderson - Hello, I'm From the Future
Charlie Parker - The Genius of Charlie Parker [Savoy, 2005]
Metallica - Metallica; Master of Puppets; ... And Justice for All
Funkadelic - Standing on the Verge of Getting It On
Various - Deconstructing Beck
Kacey Musgraves - Same Trailer Different Park
Parliament - Gold
Marvin Gaye - Here My Dear/In Our Lifetime
Rockpile - Seconds of Pleasure
Sonny Rollins - Tenor Madness
Various - High Explosion: DJ Sounds From 1970 to 1976 [9 (A)]
Lou Reed - Rock and Roll Heart; Growing Up in Public [part of Original Album Classics box]
Pet Shop Boys - Introspective; Behavior; Please
U-Roy - Rasta Ambassador
XTC - English Settlement [8 (A-)]
Shakira - Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Placebo - Black Market Music; Sleeping with Ghosts
The Libertines - All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us [7.5 (high B+)]
Amanda Shires - Down Fell the Doves
The Embarrassment - Heyday 1979-83
African Head Charge - Environmental Holes & Drastic Tracks 1981–1986 (My Life in a Hole in the Ground; Environmental Studies; Drastic Season; Off the Beaten Track)
Goodie Mob - Soul Food
Chic - Chic-ism
Queen - A Night at the Opera [honorable mention - already posted]
Queen - Greatest Hits [8 (A-)]
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood [8 (A-)]
Various Artists - Ragga Ragga Ragga! 2003 [8 (A-)]
Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future [7 (B+)] [Normally, this would be # [folk/country], but since she’s actually more alt-rock with Big Thief, I bought it.]
Dwight Yoakam - The Very Best of Dwight Yoakam [8 (A-)]
Four Tet - Three [8.5 (high A-)]
The Eagles - Hotel California and Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) [swiped from my spouse]
Donna Summer - Endless Summer [weird one, in that I have not heard it]
Kool Keith/Big Sche Eastwood - Magnetic Pimp Force Field
Analog Brothers [Kool Keith/Ice-T] - Pimp to Eat [8 (A-)]
Mr. Nogatco [Dr. Octagon [Kool Keith]] - Nogatco Rd. [8 (A-)]
Various Artists - Latin Thing, Dakar Sound Volume 3
The Church - Under the Milky Way: The Best of the Church [8 (A-)]
Megan Moroney - Lucky [8 (A-)]
Best Coast - Fade Away [EP] [7.5 (high B+)]
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Weathervanes [9 (A)]
Dr. Dooom - Dr. Dooom 2 [7.5 (high B+)]
Cracker - Kerosene Hat [8 (A-)]
John Prine - Crooked Piece of Time: The Atlantic & Asylum Albums (1971-1980)
Horace Andy - In the Light
Naughty by Nature - Nature's Fury
Scientist - Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires
Kool Keith - Feature Magnetic
Cracker - Kerosene Hat [7.5 (high B+)]
Blondie - Eat to the Beat
Young Fathers - Tape One/Tape Two [EPs]
The Flying Burrito Brothers - The Flying Burrito Brothers: 7.5 (high B+)
Christgau’s C+ for this album kept me from buying it, in the pre-streaming era, and from even listening to it, in the streaming era. The grade is stupid. I now have it as part of the Hot Burritos comp. Yes, the new singer is not Gram Parsons, but this is not a C+ album. I do know he seems to have hatred in his heart for Chris Hillman, so maybe that colored his response.
Lucinda Williams - Stories from a Rock-n-Roll Heart
:-| [Really starts to drag after awhile, especially with that affected country “twang” she started using around the time of Essence.]
Azuka Moweta & His Anioma Brothers Band - Nwanne bu Ife: 7 (B+)
Digital-only, but # [highlife] anyway [a couple different covers for this one I believe]
Emperor X - Suggested Improvements to Transportation Infrastructure in the Northeast Corridor [EP]: 7 (B+)
Digital-only [6 tracks; 18:14]
Sleepy John Estes - The Legend of Sleepy John Estes: 8 (A-)
Not really sure why this one speaks to me more than most other blues albums. Perhaps I upped it a notch for being 12 songs and 36 minutes, for being remastered without adding a bunch of crap at the end, and for being easily available for a reasonable price. More likely I'm predisposed to it because he's accompanied, unlike any other bluesman from the period I can think of.
Catalog Scrubs Complete 2024
James Carter
Thomas Anderson
Death Cab for Cutie
Metallica
Minor Threat
Rites of Spring
Fugazi
Fishmans
Eminem
Ini Kamoze
50 Cent
Jefferson Airplane/Starship
Taj Mahal
James Brown [most laborious scrub of all time]
The Byrds
Linkin Park
Withered Hand
Junior Wells
Buddy Guy
Buffalo Springfield
Wussy
Jeb Loy Nichols/Fellow Travellers
Young Dolph
Girl Talk
Hole/Courtney Love
Silkworm
Los Campesinos
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Be Your Own Pet
Nick Lowe/Rockpile
7 Year Bitch
The Baseball Project
Radiohead
Sonny Rollins
Arca
Paul Kelly (Australian singer-songwriter)
Tool
Smashing Pumpkins
George Clinton
Parliament/Funkadelic/P-Funk All Stars
Lou Reed
Pet Shop Boys
Blue Oyster Cult
Robert Cray
Harold Budd
Dave Alvin
Ted Nugent
King Tubby
Tricky
Massive Attack
Big Youth
The Libertines
The Cucumbers
Steve Earle
Swans
Elvis Presley
Goodie Mob
Cee-Lo/CeeLo
African Head Charge
Chic
The Shirelles
Dwight Yoakam
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Stephen Stills/Manassas
The Stills-Young Band
The Eagles
Burning Spear
The Stylistics
Dub Syndicate
The Time
Parlet
Donna Summer
Cut Chemist
Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers
E.U.
Trouble Funk
Fanny
Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim [Hull likes Voice of Africa and Ekaya (Home) at A and others at A-]
David Lindley
Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus
Cloud Nothings
The Brides of Funkenstein
True West
Birdsongs of the Mesozoic
Ali Farka Toure
The Abyssinians
Amanda Shires
Maxwell
XTC/Dukes of Stratosphear
Creation Rebel
R.E.M.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
DJ Shadow
The Gladiators
Wolf Parade
Mercury Rev
Q-Tip
10cc
Talib Kweli/Reflection Eternal [w/Hi-Tek]/[w/Madlib]
Madlib/[w/Madlib]
Hi-Tek
Culture
Bunny Wailer [tough one to scrub]
U-Roy
UB40
Megadeth
Lucinda Williams
Best Coast
Sleepy John Estes
2024 Single Listens (unless otherwise noted)
1200 Hobos - Tapes • Skills • Techniques
Gumbo - Stir the Pot
Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard - Skinwalker
Various - Atlantic Jazz Legends, Vol. 1 [5 stars in the RS Jazz & Blues guide]
Jeb Loy Nichols - Season of Decline [EP]
Various - Now That’s What I Call Yacht Rock
Fellow Travellers - A Few Good Dubs
Various - Congo Funk! - Sound Madness from the Shores of the Mighty Congo River (Kinshasa/Brazzaville 1969-1982)
Bopol Mansiamina - Belinda
The Dicks - Kill From the Heart + Hate the Police [EP]; These People + Peace? [EP]
Babehoven - Water's Here in You
Hovvdy - Hovvdy
Neil Young with Crazy Horse - Fu##in' Up [this again?]
Bruce Springsteen - The Best of Bruce Springsteen (1CD version)
ZZ Top - Goin' 50 (1CD version)
Big Youth - Reggae Phenomenon (single-disc original Jamaican release)
Various Artists - The Soul of Congo - Treasures of the Ngoma Label (1948-1963)
Kool Keith - The Commi$$ioner 2
Mixmaster Morris/Jonah Sharp/Haruomi Hosono - Quiet Logic
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
Trouble Funk - Trouble Over Here, Trouble Over There
Lola Kirk - Country Curious [EP]
Donna Summer - Love to Love You Baby
Various Artists - Punky Reggae Party: New Wave Jamaica 1975-1980 [2 listens]
The Shirelles - 25 All-Time Greatest Hits
1010Benja - Ten Total
Photek - Modus Operandi
Ministry - Hopium for the Masses
Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da
Kool Keith - The Personal Album
Various Artists - The Abyssinians and Friends: Tree of Satta [two listens] [single riddim]
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru [solo Ethiopian classical piano]
The Chantels - The Best of the Chantels
Kool Keith - World Area
La Perla - Callejera
The Upsetters - Return of Django [1969 instrumentals]
Various Artists - The Book of Clarence (The Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Bright Eyes - The People’s Key
The Caretaker - A Stairway to the Stars [2 listens]
Okwy Osadebe and Highlife Soundmakers International - Igbo Amaka [highlife]
Kimi Djabate - Dindin
That Petrol Emotion - Chemicrazy [2 listens]
Various Artists - Note of Hope ["collaboration in [Woody Guthrie's] words and music"]
Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires - The Sound Emporium EP [two songs each]
Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign - Vultures 1
Nirvana - Live at the Paramount
Meyhem Lauren - Respect the Fly Shit
The Cenobites - The Cenobites LP [2 listens]
The Who - Odds & Sods
Jeff Mills - Live at The Liquid Room - Tokyo
Culture - As Hard as the Rest [two listens]
Sister Zo - Arcana
Bounaly - Dimanche a Bamako
Sleater-Kinney - Little Rope
Kool Keith - Dr. Octagon, Part II [is this even really him??]
Slow Pulp - Yard
Canibus - Rip the Jacker
Ras Kass - Soul on Ice
Culture - Children of Zion [3.5 hours of remixes, versions, etc.]
Stik Figa & The Expert - Ritual [two listens]
Roy Montgomery - Temple IV
Scientist - Dubs Culture into a Parallel Universe [dub of 1999 album Payday]
Johnny Clarke - Creation Rebel [Dreader Dread plus more -- ie, too much]
Various - Trojan Dub Box Set
King Tubby/Scientist - King Tubby's Meets Scientist at Dub Station
The Upsetters - The Good, the Bad and the Upsetters
Jimmy Radway/Various - Keep the Pressure Down [Rough Guide pick]
Harry Mudie/King Tubby - Harry Mudie Meet King Tubby's - In Dub Conference Volume One [Rough Guide pick]
Bushman - Nyah Man Chant [Rough Guide pick]
Pizza Hotline - Level Select
Sleepy John Estes - I Ain't Gonna Be Worried No More: 1929-1941
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