Afghan Whigs - Soft Control: 8.5 (high A-)

Chuck D as Mistachuck: Celebration of Ignorance: 8.5 (high A-)

Why is no one noticing that this genius is doing some of his best work ever as he approaches seventy?

Unholy Modal Rounders - Unholier Than Thou 7/7/77 [Don Giovanni, 2024]: 8 (A-)

 

The Fall - Cerebral Caustic: 8 (A-)

Albert Hammond Jr. - AHP [EP]: liked

:-)

Galaxie 500 - On Fire: 8 (A-)

Galaxie 500 - Today: 7.5 (high B+)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Manfred Mann's Earth Band [Polydor, 1972]: 8 (A-)

Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Sings Walkin' and Talkin' and Other Smash Hits! (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) [2025, Yep Roc]: liked

Twelve-track original issue came out in 2005. This is the reissue with 27 tracks (ie, 15 bonus cuts). The "deluxe" isn't always there in the title. I was actually not up to "liked" after the third play, but on the fourth, I found it growing on me very slightly. But not enough to keep listening - fairly certain it would never go above one, at the absolute most two, notches, and it would still be #blues/r&b.

Rory Block - Heavy on the Blues: 7 (B+)

#blues

Dolly Parton - Ultimate Dolly Parton: 7.5 (high B+)

#country/bestof

Tipps and Obermiller - Little-Kid Heart: 7 (B+)

#folk/country/americana

Willie Nelson - Workin' Man: Willie Sings Merle [Legacy, 2025]: 8 (A-)

Boogie Down Productions - Edutainment [Jive, 1990]: 7.5 (high B+)

Speaking of not being able to fathom a Christgau grade (which is extremely rare with me), his "bomb" designation for this is a mystery to me. Hull's B+ is much more like it. There are definitely some duds on this, but overall, it works. Docked a notch for bloat.

The Coup - batch review

I have had the following on the shelf for many years, which means they range from 7 (B+) to 8 (A-) (I don't think I ever thought any of them were above that grade). I will grade them one day if and when I listen to them again:

     Genocide & Juice

     Steal This Album

     Party Music

     Pick a Bigger Weapon

Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts - As Time Explodes: 7 (B+)

I cannot fathom how Christgau got to 10 (A+) on this. Normally, this would be #live, but it's Neil, and of course I am always hesitant to second-guess Christgau.

Fairport Convention - Fairport Chronicles: notation

Ignoring one trifle, Fairport Chronicles has the following unique songs not on Meet on the Ledge:

     "Listen, Listen" (a Sandy Denny song)

     "Bridge Over the River Ash" (without Richard Thompson)

     "My Girl the Month of May"

     "Million Dollar Bash"

     "The Way I Feel"

     "Learning the Game"

Versus the following unique songs on Meet on the Ledge that are not on Fairport Chronicles:

     "Chelsea Morning"

     "Mr. Lacey"

     "Book Song"

     "A Sailor's Life"

     "Matty Groves"

     "Crazy Man Michael"

     "Bonny Bunch of Roses"

     "Poor Will and the Jolly Hangman"

     "Journeyman's Grace"

     "John Lee"

     "Rosie"

     "The Plainsman"

     "The Hexhamshire Lass"

     "Polly on the Shore"

     "Bring 'Em Down"

     "Rising for the Moon"

     "White Dress"

     "Stranger to Himself"

     "One More Chance"

I wanted to listen to the unique songs on Chronicles four times, just to be thorough, but I couldn't find most of them, and since there are so few of them, I just skipped that. Separate post on Ledge to come eventually. Very nice copies of Chronicles are available for excellent prices, but I had to resist the temptation, for just six songs.

Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking: 8 (A-)

Bootsy Collins - What's Bootsy Doin'?: 8 (A-)

Yohimbe Brothers - The Tao of Yo: 8 (A-)

Yohimbe Brothers - Front End Lifter: 8 (A-)

Dolly Parton - My Tennessee Mountain Home: 7 (B+)

#country

Mary Lee's Corvette - Blood on the Tracks (Arlene Grocery, NYC) [Bar/None, 2002]: 7 (B+)

Not only did I listen to this the requisite four times before arriving at this grade, I saw a January 21, 2025 re-performance of the entire album by her and a band (I don't think it's the same guys) on YouTube and listened to that once too. This 2001 performance definitely has more to recommend it. #live/covers

Dolly Parton - Jolene: 7.5 (high B+)

#country

Madonna - Confessions II: 8.5 (high A-)

Ramones - Halfway to Sanity: liked

Doesn’t seem nearly as bad as most sources make it out to be.

Miles Davis - You’re Under Arrest: 7 (B+)

Very mid-eighties, with shiny synthesizers and slick production. Graced by some pretty good guitar from John McLaughlin though. I think it’s he, but it could be John Scofield, who plays on it too. Either way, some good guitar. #jazz

Thomas Anderson - Letters From the Hermit Kingdom: 7.5 (high B+)

Exception from #singersongwriter/folk/country for him.

Rostam - American Stories: 8 (A-)

Emperor X - Unified Field: 8.5 (high A-)

Margaret Glaspy - I Am Both: 8 (A-)

Boogie Down Productions - Criminal Minded [B-Boy, 1987]: 7 (B+)

Never reissued on remastered CD domestically (well, I think there was a deluxe two-disc version, which I tend not to like). Since it was issued in the early CD era, I looked into getting a CD copy just for fun, but they sell for way too much money to be fun, so my vinyl copy will stay where it is.

KRS-One - Life [Antagonist, 2006]: 7.5 (high B+)

KRS-One - Return of the Boom Bap [Jive, 1993]: 8 (A-)

Boogie Down Productions - Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip Hop [Jive, 1989]: 7 (B+)

Boogie Down Productions - By All Means Necessary [Jive, 1988]: 7.5 (high B+)

Pablo Moses - Pave the Way Dub [Tabou, 1998]: 8.5 (high A-)

See post re Pave the Way. I believe these are the same tracks that are on the second disc of Pave the Way + Dubs [Young Tree, 2004], just in a different order, and with "Dub the Way" titled as "Pave the Way Dub."

Steinski - Nothing to Fear: A Rough Mix: 8 (A-)

As noted in the post on his Retrospective, I thought I had this separately, but apparently I sold it off when I got Retrospective.

KRS-One - Temple of Hip Hop: Global Awareness: 8 (A-)

#nophysicals

Various - African Scream Contest: Raw & Psychedelic Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo 70s: 7.5 (high B+)

Very slight chance I might up it a notch upon further listening, but even so it would be #import, and also just too expensive used at this point. #multiartistcomp

Orchestra Baboma - Volume One: The Lansdowne Recordings: 8 (A-)

#vinylonly

Glenn Morrow's Cry for Help - Our Final Album, Vol. 1: neutral

Upped a notch for having a great record label.

Mike D - Thank You: liked

Definitely sounds like one-third of a Beastie Boys album; like the other two-thirds got chopped off.

The Fall - Bingo-Master's Break-Out! [EP]: 7 (B+)

I guess I've referred to this elsewhere as a single. I don't collect singles, generally, but I do collect EPs. This is probably more correctly characterized as an EP, but either way, it goes for a fortune now, so I'll have to do without at this grade. Their very first offering, anyway.

Rush - Power Windows: liked

:-)

Pablo Moses - Best of Pablo Moses [Baco, 2026]: liked

Listened to this newly-released French compilation to see if it hit the sweet spot for compilations. It doesn’t, either for flow or song selection.

Dolly Parton/Linda Ronstadt/Emmylou Harris - Trio: 7 (B+)

#country

Ramones - Acid Eaters: 7.5 (high B+)

Could even be 8 (A-), but ridiculously overpriced anyway. #covers

Tribute Page

I loved you all. Rest in peace. In no particular order:

Rodney Kent Wood

Daniel Imerti

Joey Giacinto

Ajay Koduri

Stan Cichinski

Mike Johnson

Sara Gillis

Mark Shuman

Tomas Levy

Miles Davis/Marcus Miller - Music from Siesta [Warner Bros., 1987]: liked

Not sure how the final Rolling Stone guide (2004) got to 4½ stars on this. I guess I could see stretching to 7 (B+) (ie, 3½ stars), but it's #soundtrack anyway.

Graham Parker - Passion Is No Ordinary Word: The Graham Parker Anthology 1976-1991: 9 (A)

 

Lorde - Virgin: 7 (B+)

#indiepop

Dolly Parton - The Essential Dolly Parton, Vol. 2 [RCA, 1997]: notation

No subtitle on this second volume from RCA, issued two years after the first. It strangely seems to focus on earlier years than the first volume. Am I tired, is this wrong, or am I mistaken that it's usually done the other way around? Anyway, this one's even easier to dismiss in favor of the 2005 Essential, in that 18 of its 20 tracks are on that later issue. "Me and Little Andy" and "Wings of a Dove" are the missing tracks. I will listen to this a two or three times just because I went through the trouble to make a playlist for purposes of this post. But I'm going to focus on the 2005 one.

Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You: The Essential Dolly Parton, Vol. 1 [RCA, 1995]: notation

I could find 19 out of 20 songs on Spotify ("To Daddy" (1976) is the one I could not find). Of those 19, a full 13 are on The Essential Dolly Parton [RCA/Legacy 2005]. Of the remaining six, a full four of them are from the 1985 album Real Love, one is from Great Balls of Fire, and one is from Heartbreak Express. (I did not scientifically double-check all this, so there may be some small errors. Sue me, non-existent readers.) I listened to the 19 songs a two or three times to get the flow, but there seems to be nothing to recommend this over the 2005 The Essential and a copy of Real Love, which would get you 85% of the way there. Nice cleavage, as everyone knows. :-)

George Clinton - The Best of George Clinton [EMI-Capitol, 2000]: 8 (A-)

I ultimately went with this, as an essential update to the almost as good 1986 release on Capitol with the same title. You lose "Quickie" (from You Shouldn't-Nuf Bit Fish), but you gain "Get Dressed" (from Computer Games), "Bullet Proof" (from Some of My Best Jokes Are Friends), and a decent "Atomic Dog" remix.

Various - Reggae Dance Hall Classics [Sleeping Bag, 1987]: 8.5 (high A-)

I think most write "dancehall" as one word. Anyway, my favorite dancehall compilation. Never reissued on CD.

Les Amazones d’Afrique - Musow Dance: 8 (A-)

Miles Davis - Live at the Fillmore East (March 7, 1970) [Columbia/Legacy, 2001]: 7 (B+)

#jazz/live

Linval Thompson - Ride on Dreadlocks 1975-77 [Blood & Fire, 2000]: 8.5 (high A-)

Twisted Teens - Blame the Clown: liked

:-)

Los Lobos - This Time: liked

I may have owned this at one point; possibly still do.

Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips: liked

I was wavering between "liked" and 7 (B+) on a fourth play and decided to round down on account of what I perceived of as some bloat and/or a few seriously weak tracks. Was a double album really necessary in this case? Physicals are available however, for semi-reasonable prices.

Nandipha808 - No Vocal Album: liked

Docked two notches for extreme bloat (2 hr 10 min -- so, a triple album) and torturous repetitiveness. Release is #nophysical anyway. Four plays.

The Fall - The Marshall Suite: liked

Definitely degrades as it goes along. Might be a 7 (B+), but so expensive used that I’m not even going to try to make that determination.

Towa Bird - American Hero: 7 (B+)

#indiepop

Nakibembe Embaire Group - Nakibembe Embaire Group: 7 (B+)

Four and a half plays; dub "treatments" barely noticeable to me. #ethnographic/folkloric