New Order - Get Ready: 8 (A-)

New Order - The Best of New Order: 9.5 (high A)

New Order - Substance: 9.5 (high A)

New Order - Brotherhood: 9.5 (high A)

Bruce Springsteen: Land of Hope & Dreams [EP]: liked

Docked a notch for giving us plebes a lecture on politics. Always hate it when the most powerful people on earth complain about the power structure that they embody and benefit enormously from, as if it came from somewhere else and they are not complicit in keeping 99% of the country and world down. What a blind, pretentious jackass. Such a fake "everyman." Cries about his dad's plight and everything, as if he doesn't have everything he wants now and doesn't fly private jets. Music's decent though, thanks to his band.

Various - The Perfect Beats: New York Electro Hip Hop + Underground Dance Classics 1980-1985/Volume 2: 7 (B+)

# [multi-artist comp] I played this because it is one of the few compilations in the New Rolling Stone Album Guide to receive a 5-star rating. I’m not sure why it received that rating. I do love the cover though.

Kate Bush - The Dreaming: 7 (B+)

There appear to be only first-generation un-remastered CD transfers, and remastered editions on the artist's own label, selling for a small fortune new and/or used. In fact, all NM copies of this in any edition seem to be selling for a small fortune. Not sure why there isn't a $15 remaster easily available anywhere. Anyway, the album is very experimental and takes some getting used to. It grows on you though.

X-Ray Spex - Germfree Adolescents: 8 (A-)

I have the version with the track order revised from the original album, plus 4 additional songs: "Age," "Highly Inflammable," "I Am a Cliche," and, of course, "Oh Bondage Up Yours!". I think some people got worked up about that, but I think it flows well, and I'm glad to have that last song on something of theirs.

Lil Wayne - Tha Carter VI: liked

Not nearly as bad as everyone seems to be saying. Docked a notch for bloat and for the relentless use of words I cannot say.

Les Abranis - Album No. 1 (Id Ed Was): 7.5 (high B+)

This is a vinyl-only re-issue. Could be an 8 (A-), but the original vinyl is ridiculously expensive, and I'm not going to play it again to make sure.

Tom T. Hall - The Essential Tom T. Hall: Twentieth Anniversary Collection/The Story Songs: 9 (A)

Woody Guthrie - Dust Bowl Ballads [Rounder]: X (X)

I am not qualified to critically assess.

Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll: 8.5 (high A-)

This is the 1987 release on vinyl by Demon. I once owned the same-titled 1992 release on CD by Rhino but sold it off. It has all the songs on this, plus more, which I think I thought was too much. It also has this regrettable cover:

Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor [2005]: 7.5 (high B+)

George Jones - The Best of George Jones (1955-1967): X (X)

I am not qualified to critically assess.

George Jones & Tammy Wynette: Greatest Hits: 8.5 (high A-)

George Jones - Anniversary: Ten Years of Hits: 8.5 (high A-)

George Jones - All-Time Greatest Hits - Volume 1: 8.5 (high A-)

George Jones & Tammy Wynette - Greatest Hits Vol. 2: 8 (A-)

Top Albums of 2025 [very spotty and incomplete effort on my part this year so far]

10 (A+)

None

9.5 (high A)

None

9 (A)

Soul Coughing - Live 2024

8.5 (high A-)

None

8 (A-)

None

7.5 (high B+)

None

7 (B+)

None

Soul Coughing - Live 2024: 9 (A)

The show I saw on this tour was one of the best I've ever seen by any band. I might subconsciously be upping this a notch as a document of that, but I don't think so. I've enjoyed playing and replaying it many times on its own merits, even with a 90 minute running time.

Billy Woods - Golliwog [disliked]

 :-(

The Dils - Studio Tracks [EP]: 8 (A-)

The Kinman brothers' band before they formed Rank and File. This doesn't actually seem to exist, so I just made a playlist on Spotify. I only learned about these guys from the Comet Gain song "The Ballad of a Mix Tape" from their album City Fallen Leaves. These are the songs, and the total running time is 18 minutes. Put out an EP already! It's not that hard to do. I'll do it for you if you want, for free, and give you all the proceeds!

"I Hate the Rich"

"You're Not Blank"

"Blow Up"

"Class War"

"Mr. Big"

"Sound of the Rain"

"It's Not Worth It"

"Red Rockers"

Astor Piazzolla - The Rough Guide to Astor Piazzolla: X (X)

Not sure I hear in this what the great critics hear. I guess I'm just a lowbrow at heart (maybe a middlebrow)? # [Roma]

Comet Gain - City Fallen Leaves: 8.5 (high A-)

New York Dolls - Night of the Living Dolls: 9 (A)

First official domestic New York Dolls compilation. Contains "Give Her a Great Big Kiss," in a version that I can't easily identify. It doesn't sound as rudimentary as the one on the 1973 Planet Studio demos. Maybe they fixed that one up and faded it out early?

New York Dolls - Red Patent Leather: liked

Famous live set recorded at the Little Hippodrome in NYC in 1975. I was living nearby in the city at the time (UES), but not at the show unfortunately, given my young age at the time. Of course this is a must listen for any fan of the Dolls because of all the songs that are unavailable anywhere else. I don't actually think the sound is as bad as people make it out to be, but of course I'm probably listening to later versions where the label tried to clean up and improve the sound at least somewhat from the original release. At least 4 listens.

Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson/The Midnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day: 7 (B+)

# [poetry w/jazz?/r&b?]

Trinity - Three Piece Suit [liked]

:-)

The Verve - Storm in Heaven: liked

:-)

John Anderson - 2: 7 (B+)

# [country]

Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw: 8 (A-)

Marshall Crenshaw - Field Day: 9 (A)

Listened to the remaster of this once and did not hear an appreciable difference.

The Verve - Urban Hymns: 8 (A-)

Pinhead - Where Are You? [EP] [liked]

:-) [I looked for their other EP, You Don't Like Me, Do Ya?, just to give it a listen, but it’s nowhere to be found.]

The Verve - All in the Mind [EP]: 8.5 (high A-)

Commonly designated as a "single," but I consider that a mis-characterization. This is the band's first release in any event, and it's fairly brilliant. "A Man Called Sun" is an outstanding track. Apparently the band was tripping when they recorded this, and that sounds about right.

The Verve - A Northern Soul: liked

Docked a notch for bloat

Wide Boy Awake - Wide Boy Awake [EP] [liked]

:-)

Mott the Hoople - The Ballad of Mott: A Retrospective: 9 (A)

Tony Scott - Music for Zen Meditation: X (X)

Not qualified to grade. Tony Scott was a legitimate American jazz clarinetist and this is on Verve, but my primary motivation for getting a copy is that it's generally regarded as “the first new age album.” Some might consider that a dubious distinction, but I don't. Basically a Japanese flute, Japanese zither, and clarinet album. I actually like it, and would generally consider it an 8 (A-), but again, I don't consider myself qualified to grade this. I'm glad to own a nice vinyl copy though.

KC and the Sunshine Band - The Best of KC and the Sunshine Band: 9 (A)

Sleaford Mods - T.C.R. [EP]: 8 (A-)

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band: 7 (B+)

I must be a dirtbag, because I do not hear these guys. Upped a notch for critical regard.

Public Enemy - The Evil Empire of Everything: 7.5 (high B+)

Public Enemy - New Whirl Odor: 7 (B+)

Public Enemy - Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp: 8 (A-)

Public Enemy - How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul???: 8 (A-)

Public Enemy - Rebirth of a Nation: 8 (A-)

Public Enemy - There's a Poison Goin' On...: 7 (B+)

Public Enemy - He Got Game [soundtrack]: 9 (A)

Public Enemy - Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age: 8.5 (high A-)

Public Enemy - Greatest Misses: 7 (B+)

Public Enemy - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black: 9 (A)

Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back: 9.5 (high A)

Public Enemy - Yo! Bum Rush the Show: 7.5 (high B+)

David Johansen - Here Comes the Night: 8 (A-)

The David Johansen Group - Live: 8 (A-)

David Johansen - David Johansen: 8 (A-)

The only CD remaster is one of those Culture Factory "vinyl-replica" reissues. I did not "upgrade" to that.

Divinyls - Desperate: 7 (B+)

# [indie pop]