Dub Syndicate - Pure Thrillseekers: 7 (B+)

# [comp] [Tracks mainly from later releases on Lion and Roots, Lincoln Scott's own label.]

The Shirelles - Anthology 1959-1964: 7.5 (high B+)

This post is for the 16-track CD version from Rhino issued in 1986. The LP version with the same name and cover, from the same label, issued in 1984, had 28 tracks. No doubt all, if not almost all, of those extra tracks could have fit on the CD, but for some reason Rhino did not include them on the CD.

Call me a cad, but girl groups just don't do it for me. I looked into the 16-track The Very Best of the Shirelles CD issued by Rhino in 1994, beloved of Christgau and Hull, on the theory that it might have better sound, which might enable me to get into it easier. It has the same number of tracks, but swaps two songs as set forth below. In any event, it is not available at a good price, and since it has almost the same tracks, I skipped it. Just to be thorough, I also played the 1999 on Varese Sarabande called 25 All-Time Greatest Hits once.

Anthology - "Sha La La" and "Maybe Tonight"

Very Best - "I Met Him On A Sunday (Ronde-Ronde)" and "Welcome Home Baby"

[De-shelved in 2022]

The Human Hearts - Viable: 7 (B+)

# [comp] Vinyl-only anyway.

Elvis Presley - Reconsider Baby: 7.5 (high B+)

# [blues; comp]

Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Club Hits 2: 7.5 (high B+)

# [multi-artist comp; dance/electronica]

Sly & Robbie - Silent Assassin: 7.5 (high B+)

Afghan Whigs - How Do You Burn?: 7.5 (high B+)

Shakira - Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran [honorable mention]

:-) [Bought a copy anyway because I worship her.]

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes

:-(

Sly & Robbie - Rhythm Killers: 8 (A-)

Sly & Robbie - Sly and Robbie Present Taxi: 8 (A-)

The Stills-Young Band - Long May You Run: 7 (B+)

Sly & Robbie - Underwater Dub: 7 (B+)

# [import]

Joe Henderson - Power to the People: 7.5 (high B+)

# [jazz]

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Deja Vu: 8.5 (high A-)

Christgau really screwed the pooch on this one. Kept me from listening to it for years.

Elvis Presley - Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old): 7 (B+)

# [country]

The Dukes of Stratosphear [XTC] - Chips from the Chocolate Fireball

:-) [Compilation of album Psonic Psunspot and 25 O'Clock [EP]]

Altin Gun - Ask [honorable mention]

:-)

Tierra Whack - World Wide Whack [honorable mention]

:-)

Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven [honorable mention]

:-)

Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive [honorable mention]

:-)

Sheer Mag - Playing Favorites [honorable mention]

:-)

Donna Summer - Another Place and Time: 7 (B+)

# [r&b]

Section 25 - Always Now

:-(

Trouble Funk - Live [1981]: 7 (B+)

# [live; go-go] Cover image is from the 1996 CD re-issue on Infinite Zero. The original release was "white label" and so did not have a cover, apparently.

Mofungo - End of the World: 7 (B+)

Cassette only from 1981. I don't collect cassettes, really, although I've retained a few. So, even though I usually don't do this for albums at this grade, I did purchase the digital files on Bandcamp and had Kunaki make me up a CD.

Burning Spear - Live in Paris: 7 (B+)

Burning Spear - Reggae Greats [placeholder]

As a major fan, I already have all these tracks, and won't be taking the time to rate the gestalt.

Burning Spear - Hail H.I.M.: 7 (B+)

Burning Spear - Resistance: 7 (B+)

The Stylistics - Rockin' Roll Baby: 7 (B+)

Copies of this used are prohibitively expensive for an album of this grade, so I'll skip it, even though there was a remastered CD issued in 2001. Not sure why the hate from Christgau on this one.

The Stylistics - The Stylistics: 8.5 (high A-)

I have this on vinyl.

The Stylistics - The Best of The Stylistics: 9 (A)

Tabu Ley Rochereau - Kaful Mayay (Maze I Love You): 7.5 (high B+)

Songs are listed on "cover." This is one of those seemingly streamable-only Tamasha releases, with no entry I could find on Discogs. The outstanding lead track "Maze" is on the comp African Pearls - Congo 70: Rumba Rock. The latter is not to be confused with the comp African Pearls 1 - Congo: Rumba on the River. I have both. The other outstanding track is the final (two) "Kaful Mayay," which is on the first The Voice of Lightness comp, which I obviously also have. As for the other tracks: The other three of the first four tracks are on this album (with the track "Mr. Malonga" also being on The Voice of Lightness Vol. 2, which I have, as "Monsieur Malonga"):

Obviously, I'm not going to buy the above for the high prices it goes for, especially when I already have the two best tracks out of four. The only other track I have not discussed is "Fololo," which is from the Belgian-only vinyl release from 1981 called Tanga Tanga. The title track was apparently a single-only release, and I reproduce the cover here only because it is so cool:

And I wouldn't buy the release that is the subject of this post, even if it were available other than streaming, when I already have the majority of it.

The Abyssinians - The Best of the Abyssinians: 7.5 (high B+)

# [comp] Note same cover photo shoot as photo on my edition of Satta Massagana.

DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist - Product Placement: 7 (B+)

# [studio DJ mixtapes]

Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers - Bustin' Loose: 7.5 (high B+)

# [go-go] See review of comp Go Go Crankin'. [6 listens]

E.U. - Livin' Large: 7.5 (high B+)

# [go-go] See review of comp Go Go Crankin'.

Dwight Yoakam - Guitars Cadillacs Etc. Etc.: 7 (B+)

# [country]

Elvis Presley - 30 #1 Hits: 9.5 (high A)

Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus - Kibir Am Lak (Glory To God): 7.5 (high B+)

I have this on the comp None a Jah Jah Children, which also contains the album Rastafari.

U-Roy - Your Ace from Space: 7 (B+)

# [comp; toasting]

The Time - What Time Is It?: 7 (B+)

# [r&b; disco]

Abdullah Ibrahim [Dollar Brand] - Water from an Ancient Well: X stars

I’m tempted to give it a 7.5 (high B+). # [jazz] anyway.

Dollar Brand [Abdullah Ibrahim] - African Marketplace: X stars

I’m tempted to give it 7.5 (high B+). # [jazz] anyway.

Masters of Illusion [Kool Keith/KutMasta Kurt/Motion Man] - Masters of Illusion [honorable mention]

:-)

Deep Wound - Almost Complete [honorable mention]

:-) [Appears to contain entire self-titled EP, entire self-titled LP comp (which contained the entire EP), plus extra tracks. Did not listen to the extra tracks that were marked “demo.”]

The Butterfield Blues Band - Keep on Moving: 7.5 (high B+)

# [blues]

David Lindley - Win This Record: 7 (B+)

# [roots rock]

David Lindley - El Rayo-X: 7.5 (high B+)

# [roots rock]

Cory Daye - Cory and Me [honorable mention]

:-)

Yard Act - Where’s My Utopia [honorable mention]

:-) [May reconsider as year goes on] [4 listens]

The Salt Collective - Life [honorable mention]

:-) [5 listens - trying to get a handle on it. Never did.]

Kool Keith - Black Elvis/Lost in Space: 8 (A-)

The Plastic People - Leading Horses: 7 (B+)

Upped a notch for being a "stirring document." Normally this would be # [agitprop] but I have it and am not selling.

Talib Kweli & Madlib - Liberation 2 [honorable mention]

:-) [The last few tracks are so great they make you think you underappreciated the first 2/3 of the album, but after you go back and play those again and again, you realize that you didn't. Raps like the scion of privilege most of the time.]

Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound: 8 (A-)

Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else: 8 (A-)

Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory: 8.5 (high A-)

DJ Shadow/Cut Chemist - Brainfreeze: 7 (B+)

# [live DJ mixtapes]

The Brides of Funkenstein - Never Buy Texas from a Cowboy: 8.5 (high A-)

One of my favorite P-Funk releases.

Various Artists - Go Go Crankin': 8 (A-)

Never been a huge fan of go-go. In fact, this is all I have. I have this on vinyl. There is a CDr with remastered tracks available as an official CDr (pictured above), which I will think about purchasing. I don't think I've ever knowingly purchased a legit "CDr" (meaning one that is not bootleg), so that might be interesting. Either way, I'll keep the vinyl. Christgau gave this what I would call an 8.5 (high A-), and I've lived in DC for almost two decades now, so I feel obligated. Finally, I believe it's considered the definitive go-go comp. Well, there is a various artists comp called The Beat: Go-Go's Fusion of Funk and Hip Hop, but it's ridiculously expensive used and not streaming anywhere.

Definitive albums seem to be Livin' Large by E.U., Bustin' Loose by Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, and Drop the Bomb by Trouble Funk. All these artists are represented here, presumably by their best tracks.

True West - Hollywood Holiday: 7 (B+)

This compiles their self-titled debut EP with 3 other tracks. Here's what the EP cover looked like (Christgau gave the EP what I would call an 8.5 (high A-)):

This was a 12" EP -- I wish they had put it on a 7". As it is, I have the comp on vinyl and will just keep that. [Correction: Found the EP at a good price and just got that. The cover above is terrible, and there's no need for the extra songs.]