King Sunny Ade and His African Beats - Ajoo: 7 (B+)

 

# [juju]

Papa Wemba, Modogo Gian Franco Ferre et L'Orchestre Viva La Musica - Le Jour J (Nouvelle Generation A Paris) [liked]

:-)

Modogo Gian Franco Ferre & Papa Wemba & L'Orchestre Viva La Musica - Place Vendome La Nouvelle Generation: 8 (A-)

Shockabilly - Greatest Hits [EP] [placeholder]

I wouldn't mind hearing this if it ever surfaces anywhere. The first four tracks are live (two covers and two originals), and the last two tracks are recorded versions previously available. I listened to the latter, and don't much care about them. But this EP is apparently known for those first four live tracks, which I cannot find anywhere to stream. Well, I did find one of the tracks, and it convinced me not to lay out any money just to evaluate the rest of them. But if I see it anywhere, I'll check it out.

Taylor Swift - Fearless: 8 (A-)

Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded - The Re-Up: 7 (B+)

Grade is for the 7-song, 30 minute EP which this adds to Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, which I already own. I'm not buying the album again to get the new EP at this grade, especially at full price. Release it as an EP.

Robert Sarazin Blake - Let the Longing Run Wild & Free: 7.5 (high B+)

# [folk; artisanal release]

Nicki Minaj - Pinkprint: 8 (A-)

This is the standard edition. Christgau maintains that the 3 extra songs on the deluxe edition are “album-defining” – I listened to them 3x each and don’t agree. The standard edition is fine.

Neil Young - Prairie Wind: 7 (B+)

Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology [liked]

:-) [Same designation for either disc, although the second disk does seem a hair better]

Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta - Mapambazuko: 7 (B+)

Vinyl-only [Only 6 tracks (3 remixes are tacked on at the end) and 23 minutes long, so actually an EP]

Sleater-Kinney - Little Rope [liked]

:-)

Ben Watt with Robert Wyatt - Summer into Winter [EP] [liked]

:-)

Rosie Tucker - Never Not Never Not Never Not: 7 (B+)

Limited edition vinyl-only

King Sunny Ade - Odu: 7 (B+)

# [juju]

Takkak Takkak - Takkak Takkak [liked]

:-)

Julie Brown - Goddess in Progress [EP] [liked]

# [comedy] Included cover and justification anyway, not sure why.

Slim Harpo - The Best of Slim Harpo: X stars

I won't try to grade this, because I feel unqualified, but I have it because of the Stones connection, and I like it.

Mike Cooley/Patterson Hood/Jason Isbell: Live at the Shoals Theater: 7 (B+)

# [live]

The Jacksons - Triumph: 8 (A-)

I have this as part of the Original Album Classics box.

The Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine: 8 (A-)

I have this as part of the 4 Original Albums box.

The Jacksons - Victory: 8 (A-)

I have this as part of the Original Album Classics box.

The Jacksons - Destiny: 8 (A-)

I have this as part of the Original Album Classics box.

The Jackson 5 - ABC: 8 (A-)

I have this as part of the 4 Original Albums box.

Robert Wyatt - Rock Bottom: 8 (A-)

Louis Armstrong - Live in London: X stars

# [jazz; live]

Wildernauts [Peter Stampfel] - Wildernauts [liked]

:-)

Pony - Velveteen [liked]

:-)

De La Soul - The Grind Date

:-| [I would buy this anyway, for completeness’ sake, because I have every other studio album by this group, but it is so expensive I am not going to.]

Dead Moon - Echoes of the Past: 8.5 (high A-)

Boldy James/RichGains - Murder During Drug Traffic [liked]

:-)

Various - Senegambia Rebel: 7.5 (high B+)

# [electronic] Digital-only anyway (streaming on SoundCloud)

Michael Jackson - Invincible: 7 (B+)

# [r&b] [Docked a notch for bloat]

The Band - Northern Lights--Southern Cross: 7.5 (high B+)

The Band - Stage Fright: 8 (A-)

The Band - Rock of Ages: 8.5 (high A-)

The Band - To Kingdom Come: The Definitive Collection: 9 (A)

The Band - The Last Waltz: 8 (A-)

Michael Jackson - Off the Wall: 9 (A)

Michael Jackson - Thriller: 9 (A)

King Sunny Ade - The Best of the Classic Years: 8 (A-)

King Sunny Ade - King of Juju: 8 (A-)

King Sunny Ade - Aura: 8 (A-)

King Sunny Ade - The Message: 7.5 (high B+)

# [juju] Even if this were upped to 8 (A-), I wouldn't get it, because it's overpriced.

The Weeknd - Thursday [liked]

:-) 

Jeffrey Lewis - Ghosterbusters [EP]: 8 (A-)

Streaming-only, apparently. And not even that, actually. I heard it by playing Preconditions Include, which has all 5 of the tracks on this, plus, at the beginning, a track called "Preconditions Include." Its cover looks like this:

This also does not appear to exist in the physical realm. Must-hear track: "The History of the Development of Punk on the Lower East Side, 1950-1975"

Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music: 7.5 (high B+)

For some reason, this is ridiculously out of print right now (2025), even though it is only 13 years old. Not sure why that is. I'm also pretty sure I bought a copy once, although I haven't seen it for years. There is a chance that in a fit of stupidity, I sold it off. Anyway, unless it gets reissued, it doesn't appear that any of the existing copies will be selling for anything even approaching a reasonable price, so I will not bother with an alert. But maybe one day I will stumble upon a copy anyway.

Erykah Badu - Mama's Gun [liked]

:-) [Docked a notch for bloat, but # [r&b] even if not] [De-shelved]

Jon Langford - Gubbins: 7 (B+)

# No physicals

Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for my Halo: 7 (B+)

Aesop Rock - Music for Earthworms [liked]

:-)

The Sex Pistols - Filthy Lucre Live: 8 (A-)

The Sex Pistols - The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle: 7 (B+)

I usually don't get this kind of odds and ends collection at this grade, but I made an exception for this for historical importance.

The Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols: 9.5 (high A)

The Sex Pistols - Kiss This [placeholder]

I briefly looked into this compilation, but everything on this that is not on either the debut or The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, both of which I obviously already have, is on Original Recordings. So I will look into that one. I also looked into Flogging a Dead Horse. That comp has all their singles and b-sides. And everything on that is also either on the debut or Original Recordings, except for "No One is Innocent" and "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle," which are on The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. You might ask then: Why Original Recordings? From what I can tell, there are 3 songs on that comp that are not on the debut or Swindle: 'No Fun," "Satellite," and "Did You No Wrong."

Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster: 8 (A-)

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights: 7 (B+)

The Postal Service - Give Up: 8 (A-)

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

:-| [Purchased and apparently sold off in the pre-streaming era]

The Killers - Hot Fuss: 7 (B+)

Jay-Z - The Black Album: 7 (B+)

Pink - Missundaztood: 8 (A-)