ZZ Top - ZZ Top's First Album: 7.5 (high B+)

#bluesrock

The O'Jays - Back Stabbers: 8 (A-)

XTC - Upsy Daisy Assortment: liked

Goes on a bit too long for my taste. Waxworks would be the way to go for me, but see separate post on that.

Various - The Philly Sound: Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff & The Story of Brotherly Love (1966-1976): 8.5 (high A-)

Would be 9 (A) except it flags a little at the end. I somehow can't find this. Did I sell this off in a fit of stupidity and/or desperation??? I honestly don't remember doing that.

Warren G - Regulate... G Funk Era: 8 (A-)

Warren G - Regulate... G Funk Era Part II [EP]: 7 (B+)

Digital-only

Embrace - Embrace [Dischord, 1987]: 7.5 (high B+)

Interesting release history. Originally issued only on vinyl in 1987, when CDs had been in production for a few years, but it wasn’t released on CD until 1992, without a remaster. It was later remastered and reissued in 2002 and 2012, but annoyingly has two bonus tracks after the last song, “Last Song.” This seems like a mistake to me for an arguably hardcore release. Anyway, those remastered CDs go for a fortune, and I won’t buy original vinyl usually if there was a remastered CD. I guess I would make an exception if these were selling for reasonable prices, because of the historical importance of this, but they are not. In this case, I went for the 1992 release, even though it appears to be a first-generation CD analog transfer, because it has no bonus tracks, is essentially a companion release to the 1987 vinyl, and one was available for a reasonable price. Of course, Dischord has a habit of re-releasing things, and I predict that as soon as I receive my 1992 release, they will do just that with this.

Middle Class - Scavenged Luxury [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

Second EP, and a good one, from this unjustly obscure band. Copies are priced too high to worry about, just like the first.

Middle Class - Out of Vogue [EP]: 8 (A-)

Great early CA hardcore EP. Sells for ridiculous amounts, so I won’t even bother looking out. Upped a notch for the presence of the title song, which some say is the first hardcore song. I have that one on a compilation or two, which also argues against paying a small fortune for this. It’s also four songs in five minutes.

Wavves - Life Sux [EP]: liked

They want to meet Dave Grohl.

Sunny Sweeney - Sunny Sweeney [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

Digital-only

Middle Class - Homeland: 7.5 (high B+)

Might be an 8 (A-) but I’m not going to sweat that call unless someone undertakes a reissue program for the band, because anything they ever released (this and two EPs) costs a fortune. Actually, the two EPs are on Spotify, on a reissue with some demos and session work that is physicalized, although it also sells for a little too much, given the quality of those EPs and that it is cluttered with demos and session work. Anyway, see separate posts on the EPs.

Belle and Sebastian - Books [EP]: liked

:-)

Dijon - Baby: liked

:-)

Leaving Trains - Drowned and Dragged [EP]: 7.5 (high B+)

Too expensive used for a 12-minute EP at this grade to even put up an alert.

David Greenberger & The Hi-Ho Barbers - Ginger Ale: liked

:-)

Jimmy Page - Outrider: neutral

First side is "liked," and second side is "disliked," so it averages out to neutral.

Holy Modal Rounders - 1 & 2: 8 (A-)

Jimmy Cliff - The Best of Jimmy Cliff: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: 7.5 (high B+)

I love these generally short comps, but because they’re short, if you even include one dud of a track (“Bongo Man," this means you), it docks the whole collection a notch, especially when there are other choices out there. #bestof

Herbie Hancock - Crossings: 7.5 (high B+)

#jazz/fusion

Various - DIY: We're Desperate: The L.A. Scene (1976-79) [Rhino, 1993]: 7.5 (high B+)

The least of the three compilations I was able to find on the early LA punk scene, in my view. The other two -- (Jon Savage presents) Black Hole: Californian Punk 1977-80 [Domino, 2010] and Punk 45: Chaos in the City of Angels and Devils: Hollywood From X to Zero & Hardcore on the Beaches: Punk in Los Angeles 1977-81 [Soul Jazz, 2016] -- are worth having. This one’s not bad -- it’s just not as good and seems to stray from “punk” in some places. Strange for Rhino not to get this exactly right, since they started in the midst of all this. Of course, maybe I’m taking the outsider’s (British) view of the scene. #mulitartistcomp

The O'Jays - The Ultimate O'Jays [2001]: [grade to come]

I wanted to update from the Love Train [1994] compilation, which was not only skimpy but was an early-CD era compilation, and it was either this or The Essential O'Jays [2005]. All of them are on Legacy.

Essential gives you these additional songs:

"Use ta Be My Girl"

"The Big Gangster"

"Message in Our Music"

Ultimate gives you these additional songs:

"Let Me Make Love to You"

"When the World's at Peace"

"Family Reunion"

"You Got Your Hooks in Me"

I played all of these songs three of four times, and you can see which one I went with. Interestingly, neither gives you "Rich Get Richer," which they should. It names names though, and I'm sure the labels owners didn't have the nerve.

John Fahey - Of Rivers and Religion: 8 (A-)

I have this shelved but also have a two-fer with After the Ball lying around awaiting evaluation. It will probably end up displacing this.

John Fahey - The Return of the Repressed: The John Fahey Anthology: 8 (A-)

The O'Jays - Love Train: The Best of the O'Jays: 8.5 (high A-)

10cc - The Very Best of 10cc: 8 (A-)

Amelia Barratt and Bryan Ferry - Loose Talk: liked

:-)

clipping. - Dead Channel Sky: liked

 Four plays

Dream Syndicate - Tell Me When It's Over [EP]: liked

:-)

Syran Mbenza - Rumba Africa: liked

Could be a 7 (B+), or perhaps even a 7.5 (high B+), but it's digital-only, so I'm not going to play it again to make the distinction.

John Lennon - Imagine: 9 (A)

John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Double Fantasy: 9 (A)

Odyssey the Band - Reunion: 7.5 (high B+)

Might be an 8 (A-) but not really available anyway. #jazz/fusion

Victoria Eleyson [Eleison] de King Kester Emeneya - Pas de Contact: 7.5 (high B+)

What I believe is a prime example of latter-day Parisian soukous - slick production with long songs (average length six minutes), the first half of which is a decent mellow ditty, followed by a blistering second half sebene which really bears little to no relation to the first half. #import

James Blood Ulmer - Are You Glad to Be in America?: 7.5 (high B+)

#jazz

Nakibemebe Embaire Group and Naoyuki Uchida- Phantom Keys: 7 (B+)

Is the name of the band spelled incorrectly on the cover? #experimental[/live?]

Al Green - Tokyo...Live: 7 (B+)

#live

Van Morrison - The Essential Van Morrison: X (X)

I listened to the whole thing twice through, to get the gestalt. I also listened to the below 10 tracks from disc two, which I don’t otherwise have, but many of which I of course know, two more times. (I know and have everything on disc one.) So, even though the set sells for the price of a single CD, I don't rate these 10 songs above 7.5 (high B+), so #bestof..

"Tore Down a la Rimbaud" - A Sense of Wonder

"Irish Heartbeat" - Irish Heartbeat

"Why Must I Always Explain?” - Hymns to the Silence

"Days Like This" - Days Like This

"That's Life" - How Long Has This Been Going On

"Rough God Goes Riding" - The Healing Game

"Precious Time"- Back on Top

"Once in a Blue Moon" - What's Wrong With This Picture?

"Magic Time" - Magic Time

"Playhouse" - Pay the Devil

Rangers - Suburban Tours: neutral

Played per the Simon Reynolds grade of "8.6" on Pitchfork. I'm not hearing what he claims to hear at all.

Joe Ely - Honky Tonk Masquerade: 8.5 (high A-)

Joe Ely - Joe Ely: 8 (A-)

Van Morrison - No Guru, No Method, No Teacher: liked

Way more than three plays. After the ones in his classic streak that everyone seems to love, or most love, this is the highest-rated Van by AllMusic users (I exclude Wavelength from this grouping). This means something to me, so I tried and tried again, and wavered a couple times with an actual grade, but eventually landed on a simple like.

Various - (Jon Savage Presents) Black Hole: Californian Punk 1977-80 [Domino, 2010]: 8.5 (high A-)

Fairly essential compilation of LA/California punk during the stated time period. The ultimate collection of this time and genre has not yet been created in my view, but this and the Soul Jazz one focusing on LA together seem to cover most of the ground in my inexpert view, although there is some overlap (four songs by my count, and even more artists). Nice that it's on Domino somehow.

Ringo Starr - Blast From Your Past [Capitol, 1975]: 7.5 (high B+)

I also listened to the extra songs beyond this that are on the later collection Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr [Capitol, 2007]. Those songs don't bump the album up to 8 (A-) in my view. In fact, I think they take it down a notch to 7 (B+). Sometimes, less is more. #bestof

The Grateful Dead - The Arista Years: 9 (A)

Great compilation.

Various - Edna Martinez Presents Pico: Sound System Culture from the Colombian Caribbean: 7 (B+)

Outstanding track: "La Toute Neige" by Zaiko Langa Langa. I am extremely tempted to pick up a copy, even if just to pay my respects for introducing me to this outstanding track, but on here, it's edited down, while other, much lesser songs in my view, are left to play out their own nine-minute lengths, and before they are over, I am begging for them to end, unlike the Zaiko track. Apparently, the track originates on an album entitled La Tout Neige by the band, which I will check out. Spotify has this dated at 1960, which has to be an error, right? On Discogs, it's dated 1983, which sounds just right. #multiartistcomp

Loretta Lynn - 20 Greatest Hits: 8.5 (high A-)

I'm probably under-rating this. I love this lady though.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono - Milk and Honey: 8 (A-)

Upped a notch for the presence of "You're the One," possibly the most beautiful love song I have ever heard. Yoko really is brilliant. I cannot even begin to understand what she is doing with the insistent chirping in the background, the rain storm sounds, all of it. "In a moment of wisdom/ We were a wizard and a witch/ In a moment of freedom/ We were Don Quixote and Sancho/ In reality/ We were just a boy and a girl." I love her, speaking of love.

New York Dolls - The Best of New York Dolls: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: 9 (A)

As a Dolls completist, of course I had to have a copy. I also love the series, so even more reason to have it.

Frank Ocean - Channel Orange: 8 (A-)

This one the delicate genius deigned to release in physical. And a beautiful one it is. :-)

Los Thuthanaka - Los Thuthanaka: 7 (B+)

Docked a notch for bloat. #electronic

Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall: X (X)

Not qualified to grade.

Thelonious Monk - Monk.: X (X)

Not qualified to grade.

Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane: X (X)

Not qualified to grade.

Thelonious Monk - Misterioso: X (X)

Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners: X (X)

Not qualified to grade.

Thelonious Monk - The Very Best: X (X)

Thelonious Monk - Standards: X (X)

I played this compilation because Christgau gave it a 10 (A+), which is obviously one's greatest endorsement. I didn’t quite fall in love with it like he seemed to. And he says in his review that it’s “not on a par” with a certain studio album by Monk. What? That makes no sense. #jazz

Docteur Nico - African Fiesta Sukisa 1966-1974: X (X)

Even if I were to grade this, I would dock it a notch for overdoing it. They could have eliminated almost the entire first LP in my view, plus a handful of other later tracks, and made this an excellent, much more affordable double LP comp, instead of the overpriced limited edition vinyl-only release it is. That would be somewhat the equivalent of eliminating all the non-Sukisa label and sub-100 Sukisa label tracks. Then it could have been a nice double LP and single CD release. I’d be tempted to just buy a selection of the digital files for the Sukisa releases numbered above 100 and burn my own, but the tracks must be bought in their entirety, and at a cost of 25 euros, which is ridiculous in my mind. #earlyrumba

The Mighty Diamonds - The Roots Is There: 7.5 (high B+)

John Lennon - Walls and Bridges: liked

All the good-to-great songs would be on any decent best of. I suppose. Maybe not.

The Mekons - The Early EPs/Singles: 8 (A-)

Obviously, or maybe not, this does not exist, except in my abode. It's a disc I created with the Mekon's first four EPs/singles (front and back covers are pictured, the disc itself has the same image as the front cover, as always). Many of these songs are available elsewhere, but not all of them, and it's nice to have them all in the same place anyway - they're of a piece.