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.

The Dream Syndicate - The Days of Wine and Roses: 8 (A-)

I have the remastered CD version with the first EP (The Dream Syndicate [Down There, 1982]) appended as bonus tracks.

Clem Snide - End of Love: liked

De-shelved

Clem Snide - The Ghost of Fashion: liked

De-shelved

John Lennon - Power to the People: The Hits [Capitol, 2010]: 9.5 (high A)

The best Lennon best of in my opinion. And I think he really does need one, given all the little treasures scattered throughout his foreshortened solo career. Not overlong (15 tracks in 58 minutes), with spectacular remastering, flow, etc. This makes for a very powerful and enjoyable listen, although will I always be a little sad when listening to his music? Anyway, here's the breakdown of studio album tracks (other than the covers one). Notice anything?

3 Imagine

3 Double Fantasy

2 Walls and Bridges

1 Mind Games

Al Green - Greatest Hits, Vol. 2: 8 (A-)

This one's on vinyl.

Al Green - Greatest Hits: 10 (A+)

I have the "Expanded Version," as well as the original.

Al Green - Gets Next to You: 8 (A-)

Al Green - Let's Stay Together: 8.5 (high A-)

Al Green - Livin' for You: 9 (A)

Al Green - One in a Million: 8.5 (high A-)

Al Green - Love Ritual: Rare & Unreleased 1968-76: 8 (A-)

Al Green - Don't Look Back: 8 (A-)

Al Green - I Can't Stop: 8 (A-)

Al Green - Higher Plane: 9 (A)

Outkast - Idlewild: 7 (B+)

Upped a notch for general regard. And because I have it and don't feel like letting it go, which says something.

Outkast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below: 8 (A-)

Outkast - Stankonia: 9 (A)

For some reason I have the release with this alternative cover, instead of the "standard" one:

Outkast - Aquemini: 8 (A-)

Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager: 8 (A-)

N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton: 7 (B+)

Cannibal Ox - The Cold Vein: 7.5 (high B+)

XTC - King for a Day [maxi-single]: liked

This has two mixes of the title song, plus "Toys" and "Desert Island."

Diblo Dibala - Amour et Souvenir: notation

This is on Discogs and Spotify with different covers, like this, respectively:

This is the French issue of Super Soukous, although the Spotify version has an extra song, “Mabele Simarro,” which is unremarkable.

M.I.A. - Kala: 8 (A-)

M.I.A. - Arular: 8 (A-)

Rod Stewart - The Rod Stewart Album: 8 (A-)

Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley: 8 (A-)

Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story: 9.5 (high A)

The Rolling Stones - Live/Compilations: batch review and notation

As I've posted before, I think the Stones are the greatest band in rock history, although this is mainly on the strength of their Taylor-era work. I like their early and later work, but to me it pales in comparison. For this reason, I guess I am not a Stones completist (although I obviously have all their studio albums). Also because they release so many titles -- same thing with Dylan and Neil Young. Anyway, these are the live ones I have and have not yet posted about:

Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!

Stripped

Live Licks

Brussels Affair: Live 1973

Some Girls: Live in Texas '78 [Blu-ray]

Ladies & Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones [Blu-ray and bootleg DVD]

These are the live ones I do not have but am still evaluating or have evaluated in the past but haven't posted about:

Got Live If You Want It!

Love You Live

Still Life

Flashpoint

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus [saw video; only six Stones tracks]

No Security

Shine a Light [saw ideo - I would stream the audio, but I'm not seeing it on Spotify]

I also have You-Know-What Blues on bootleg DVD.

These are the compilations I have:

Big Hits: High Tide and Green Grass

Flowers

Through the Past, Darkly: Big Hits Vol. 2

More Hot Rocks: Big Hits & Fazed Cookies

Metamorphosis [I have this on vinyl]

Sucking in the Seventies

Rewind: 1971–1984

Jump Back: The Best of the Rolling Stones

Forty Licks

Randy Newman - Bad Love: 7.5 (high B+)

Randy Newman - Harps and Angels: 7 (B+)

Randy Newman - Trouble in Paradise: 8.5 (high A-)

John Lennon - Rock 'n' Roll: 7.5 (high B+)

#covers

The Rolling Stones - GRRR!: notation

I thought about buying the three-CD digipack version of this 50th anniversary collection, just as the collector's piece that it is, but decided against it. Even though their my favorite band, I'm not a completist with respect to them. (I skipped several live albums, the dreaded and awful Hot Rocks, that singles collection, etc.) But I couldn't find it for a good price anywhere at this late stage and just lost interest. And it's not on Spotify so I couldn't even check out the flow.

Shabazz Palaces - Exotic Birds of Prey [EP]: liked

:-)

Imperial Teen - Seasick: liked

At least four plays

Imperial Teen - The Hair the TV the Baby & the Band: liked

:-)

Imperial Teen - What Is Not to Love: liked

:-)

Super Rail Band de Bamako - Kongo Sigui: 8.5 (high A-)

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton - Play the Blues: Live From Jazz at Lincoln Center: 7.5 (high B+)

#live/jazz/blues

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Party - The Supreme Collection, Vol. 1 [Caroline, 1997]: placeholder

As noted on Discogs, this is a combined reissue of Greatest and Latest Hits, Vol. 1 [Sirocco, 1988] (minus track "Milate Rahen") and Greatest and Latest Hits Vol. 2 [Sirocco, 1988].

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Rapture [Music Club, 1997]: 8 (A-)

Underwritten as "An essential selection from the genius of Qawwali". Music Club is a fantastic reissue label.

Howlin' Wolf - Ain't Gonna Be Your Dog [Chess, 1994]: 8 (A-)

Volume 2 in the Chess Collectibles series. I stupidly had this in the de-shelve box. Then I pulled it out, gave it another listen, de-fatboxxed it, put it back on the shelf and am now even checking out the first volume in this series, One More Mile, by Muddy Waters. Just this side of what I like to call the early CD era, still fatboxxed as noted but at least digitally remastered.

The Mighty Diamonds - Speak the Truth: liked

:-)

Ray Charles - Genius + Soul = Jazz [Impulse, 1961]: X (X)

Sometimes (often?) paired with My Kind of Jazz [Tangerine, 1970]. I did not listen to that one. This one is definitely not my kind of jazz, so if that one is in the same category.... #jazz

Paul Simon: Graceland: 9 (A)

Various - No Thanks! The '70s Punk Rebellion [Rhino, 2003]: 9 (A)

I love this compilation. For some reason, it seems to have been somewhat ignored by the critical community when it came out, but eventually, it came to my attention. I love it because it made me search up some of the more obscure punk bands, like Penetration, Subway Sect, the Boys, 999, Rezillos, the Ruts, Sham 69, and the Skids. It's just great, and they had the wisdom to keep it to four discs. I consider it on a par with the other great four-disc genre /era compilations like The Funk Box, Tougher Than Tough: The Story of Jamaican Music, and The Sound of the Suburbs. I regret that I do not have the booklet that came with it, just the discs, in original jewel boxes, which I got for relatively cheap because of that. But there is something punk about not having the accoutrements. I did go up on eBay to see if anyone was selling the booklet but was disappointed to see the price gouging and so passed.

Eric Clapton - No Reason to Cry [RSO, 1976]: 8 (A-)

I think it became fashionable for rock sophisticates to hate on Clapton in the mid-1970s for some reason. This one has the Band on alot of it, and Dylan on one track. What's not to like? Okay, the lyrics aren't profound, but it sounds good. Clapton's guitar solos are classy and restrained throughout, and it's got a nice groove to it. I stayed away from it for years because of the bad reviews, and spent my listening time elsewhere, but I get to enjoy it now in my old age I guess. And it has "Hello Old Friend" on it.

Shakira - Donde Estan Los Ladrones?: 8 (A-)

Shakira - Laundry Service: 8.5 (high A-)

Shakira - Oral Fixation, Vol. 2: 8.5 (high A-)

Shakira - She Wolf: 8 (A-)

Ray Charles - The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years: X (X)

I never wanted the Birth of Soul box set. It's too complete (everything he recorded for Atlantic), and it's too long. Unlike others, I do like the fact that it's on three discs even though it could fit on two, but it's still too long. I struggled alot with his Atlantic albums, but eventually got this one, and individually evaluated these four:

Ray Charles (aka Hallelujah I Love Her So) (1957)

The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)

What'd I Say (1959)

The Genius Sings the Blues (1961)

I listened to them all at least four times. See separate post on What'd I Say. I'm passing on The Genius of Ray Charles as #bigband/popvocals. If one has the best of under review, one has nine of the 13 tracks on Ray Charles (1957), so no need to consider that one separately. That leaves The Genius Sings the Blues, which I will evaluate separately. For reference here are the album breakdowns on this one:

9 from Ray Charles (1957) (13 total)

5 from Yes Indeed! (14 total)

2 from What'd I Say (10 total)

2 from The Genius of Ray Charles (12 total)

1 from Ray Charles in Person (live)

1 single

Orchestra Super Mazembe - Giants of East Africa: 8.5 (high A-)

Random Notation

I spent alot of this fine Fall day evaluating two three-album runs that could not be more different:

Ray Charles

Ray Charles (1957)

Genius of Ray Charles (1959)

Genius Sings the Blues (1961)

Pere Ubu

St. Arkansas (2002)

Lady From Shanghai (2013)

Carnival of Souls (2014)

I know, they're only semi-contiguous in each case, but still.... One big difference is that the Ray Charles albums are near the top of his catalog, critically, while the Pere Ubu ones are near the bottom of theirs. These exercises felt strangely similar enough on some level to make a note of it though.

Jimmy Reed - The Best of Jimmy Reed [GNP Crescendo, 1973]: notation

The Rolling Stone guide has this at five stars and therefore the best non-box set collection of Reed's work. However, according to AllMusic, it is a needle drop and sounds awful. In any event, almost all of its tracks are on The Very Best of Jimmy Reed [Rhino, 2000], which I have a copy of and has long been under review. I will get to it eventually. I will also note here that this one has the majority of the tracks appearing on Bright Lights, Big City [Chameleon, 1988], an early CD-era compilation which I de-shelved, presumably in favor of the Rhino set.