L7 - Pretend We're Dead [Warner, 2019]: notation

Digital-only, 25-track comp. From Tom Hull: "10/11 tracks from Bricks Are Heavy, 8/12 from Hungry for Sink, and 7/12 from The Beauty Process." No reason to even listen, as all those albums are easily available and essential in my book.

L7 - Hungry for Stink: 8 (A-)

L7 - The Beauty Process: Triple Platinum: 8 (A-)

L7 - Smell the Magic: 9 (A)

Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind: 7.5 (high B+)

Elvis Costello - batch review

All the following have been shelved for years. I will grade them as I play them in the future, but they would range from 7 (B+) to possibly 9 (A):

    My Aim Is True

    This Year's Model

    Armed Forces

    Get Happy!

    Trust

    Imperial Bedroom

I also have had Blood and Chocolate on the final listen shelf for years and posted separately about King of America. Never been a big fan, personally. He was a bit of a snot to me once at Tower Records in LA in the 1990s, but I swear I'm not holding it against him. We were both picking through some recent Dylan re-issues.

Jubal Lee Young - Squirrels: 7 (B+)

Guy's got a real squirrel problem. #country

The Only Ones - The Peel Sessions Album: 8.5 (high A-)

Aka simply The Peel Sessions on some releases.

Pablo Moses - Reggae Greats: 7.5 (high B+)

Normally, I would skip this as #bestof, and because I have five out of eight tracks (the ones from A Song), so it only gives me three from Pave the Way. I should have just gotten Pave the Way. But I have a copy and will retain it for now.

Swamp Dogg - Best of 25 Years... Or F*** the Bomb, Stop the Drugs: 7.5 (high B+)

Had this when it came out and eventually sold it off. #r&b/oldies/bestof

Todd Snider - High, Lonesome and Then Some: 7 (B+)

Upped a notch and collected in memoriam, despite being #folk.

Body Type - Expired Candy: 7.5 (high B+)

Very close to 8 (A-), but #import even if so. #indiepop

Go-Betweens - Metal and Shells: notation

Seven songs from Spring Hill Fair and five from Before Hollywood. Never issued on CD. Listened once for flow. See separate posts re: each of the constituent albums.

Sabrina Carpenter - Short n' Sweet: 7.5 (high B+)

Normally this should be #dance, but I ended up with a copy and will keep it for now. It's right on the border of 8 (A-) anyway, which is what I provisionally rated it when it was on the final listen shelf.

Macka B - Natural Suntan: 8 (A-)

Macka B - Looks Are Deceiving: 8 (A-)

Sabrina Carpenter - Man’s Best Friend: 7 (B+)

#dance

Dingonek Street Band - Primal Economics: 7 (B+)

#neworleans

S.G. Goodman - Planting by the Signs: 7 (B+)

#folk/country/roots

Pablo Moses - A Song: 9.5 (high A)

Love this album cover.

The Delines - Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom: 7 (B+)

#americana/folk

Mission of Burma - Mission of Burma [Rykodisc, 1988]: notation

Interesting artifact. Contains Signals, Calls and Marches and Vs. in their entirety, both of which I obviously have, "Academy Fight Song" (which I have elsewhere), three Vs.-era unreleased tracks that appear on my version of that album, and two cuts from Horrible Truth, which I will post about separately. What a terrible way to hear this band anyway - smaller doses are better. But it was 1988, and a different world.

I also looked into Accomplished, and it's only got tracks from Signals, Vs., and Horrible, although six from the latter this time, which is a plurality here!

Tyler Childers - Snipe Hunter: 7 (B+)

#country

Rancid - batch review

Have had these for decades and will post separately if I ever play them again. Never been a huge fan, but I respect their work:

    ...And Out Come the Wolves

    Life Won't Wait

    Indestructible

Rhett Miller - A Lifetime of Riding by Night: disliked

Four plays

The Undertones - The Undertones: 7.5 (high B+)

I have the Rykodisc version on CD, with seven bonus tracks that last less than 13 minutes total, lol. For some reason I'm not inspired to look into, it was also issued with this cover:

A cooler cover if you ask me.

Suicide - The Second Album + The First Rehearsal Tapes: 8.5 (high A-)

Grade is for the actual second album (I won't grade the tapes). I also have the same album, usually titled as Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev, on vinyl with this cover:

Suicide - Suicide: 9 (A)

Classic album cover. I have the two-disc version with Live at CBGB's 1977 on disc two with the classic "23 Minutes Over Brussels."

Various - Wanna Buy a Bridge?: 8.5 (high A-)

Various - No New York: 8.5 (high A-)

Margo Price - Hard Headed Woman: 7.5 (high B+)

#country

Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun: 8.5 (high A-)

Meat Puppets - Out My Way [EP]: 8 (A-)

The Undertones - Hypnotised: 8 (A-)

I happen to have the remastered CD on castle with three worthy bonus tracks.

Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II: 9.5 (high A)

The Clean - Boodle Boodle Boodle [EP]: 8.5 (high A-)

I have this in full on Anthology but wanted to give it a separate post (and numerous separate listens) since it's a seminal release. I even looked into obtaining a standalone copy but decided against it because it's a 12" EP. I will not give the Great Sounds EP similar treatment (it's also on Anthology in full).

X - Los Angeles: 8.5 (high A-)

X - Wild Gift: 9 (A)

X - Under the Big Black Sun: 7.5 (high B+)

X - More Fun in the New World: 7.5 (high B+)

The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight: 8 (A-)

Rating is from memory. It's possible it would go down a notch on relistening. I shelved it decades ago and so am giving it the benefit of the doubt, but I can't remember a thing on it, which is never a good sign. I have the two-disc version on Matador from 2001, with the second disc titled ...And How It Got There.

The Only Ones - Special View: 9 (A)

The Vibrators - Pure Mania: 8 (A-)

I have the first-generation CD transfer, acquired around the time of release, which unsurprisingly sounds like crap.

The Goats - Live at CBGB's: New York City, October 17, 1993: 7.5 (high B+)

No physicals

James McMurtry - The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy: 8.5 (high A-)

Al Green - I Get Joy: 7 (B+)

Normally, this would be #r&b, but I make an exception for Al.

Beastie Boys - Rock Hard [EP]: 8 (A-)

While I'm at it, I also have these two Beastie Boys EPs, which I might post about separately if I ever play them again:

An Exciting Evening at Home with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Love American Style

The Goats - Out-Takes, Remixes, etc.: notation

I could have sworn I had the digital files on this, but I can't find them. Oh well. This includes the following non-album tracks:

    "Bring the Beat Back" (1993 Demo)

    "I Ride da Bus Bus" (1991 Demo)

    "Rachel Rachel" (1991 Demo)

    "Peaceful Lessons"

    "Vish Vibration"

The last three songs were on a four-track promo cassette of demos, which also included a song called "See With Your Ears," which is not included here for some reason. All four songs on that cassette were before Madd joined the group, apparently.

It also contains the following Oatie Kato solo tracks:

    "Lady Boom Boom"

    "People's History"

    "Quarters (Into the Brooklyn Night)"

Bottom line, I'm not going to worry about the first two demos listed above, which appear to be the only unique Goats tracks, especially since the first is on Live at Khyber Pass. For those who are interested, the album, plus one called Live at the BBC, can be purchased here.

The Goats - Singles - batch review

I have the following singles:

Rumblefish

Typical American

?Do the Digs Dug?

Not sure why I have these, because they don't seem to have any original tracks, just remixes and live versions of album tracks (well, I guess Rumblefish has a song "Skitzo"). I also note that if I was going for completism, the only single I don't have is Aaah D Yaaa. And even if I wanted to complete the set with that one, it's selling for ridiculous prices used. Maybe that's why I didn't get it originally?

The Goats - No Goats, No Glory: 8.5 (high A)

Moonchild Sanelly - Full Moon: 7.5 (high B+)

#electronic/r&b/amapiano

Beastie Boys - Solid Gold Hits: 8 (A-)

Robert Forster - Strawberries: 7 (B+)

This is #import, but I’ve got it in my cart and will snag one if the price ever drops. Five plays.

Santana - Supernatural: liked

:-)

Beastie Boys - Some Old Bullshit - notation

Contains Polly Wog Stew EP, "Cookie Puss" single, and two demos. See separate posts on first two, and I played the demos three times for good measure.

The Kasambwe Brothers - The Kasambwe Brothers: 8 (A-)

Vinyl-only

Jeff Evans Porkestra - When Pigs Dance: 7.5 (high B+)

No physicals, and #roots anyway.

Water From Your Eyes - It's a Beautiful Place: liked

:-)

Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow: 7 (B+)

I'll probably end up getting this one day, even though it's #folk/country, given all the smart people I know who seem to like it at the 8 (A-) level or higher.