Pet Shop Boys - Nonetheless: 7.5 (high B+)

Upped from "liked." Outstanding track “Bullet for Narcissus”

Robert Cray - Strong Persuader: 9 (A)

The Commercials - Compare and Decide: liked

Docked a notch for unforgivably annoying vocals.

Morrissey - California Son [honorable mention]

:-)

Mofungo - Out of Line: 8 (A-)

Tricky - A Ruff Guide: 9 (A)

Really nice compilation. Sums up his Island years beautifully, and heavily evokes the music scene of the late 1990s. Tracks break down as follows:

Maxinquaye - 6

Nearly God - 3

Pre-Millennium Tension - 3

Angels With Dirty Faces - 2

Juxtapose - 3

Personally, one less from Maxinquaye (easily his most over-rated release in my opinion, although I'm glad everyone else loved it, otherwise who knows what would have become of his career) and one more from Angels would have improved it for me.

Stinkin' Rich [Buck 65] - Chin Music [EP]: 7 (B+)

1993, cassette-only

Hot Chocolate - Going Through the Motions: 8 (A-)

I think this is the best of their individual releases. Not sure if I will get this on vinyl, or maybe just get their Original Album Series box.

Tricky - Pre-Millennium Tension: 8 (A-)

Tricky - Angels With Dirty Faces: 8 (A-)

Cloud Nothings - Final Summer [honorable mention]

:-) [Possibly a 7(B+), but I am sure I will play this a few more times before the year is over, and I will upgrade if it strikes me that that's the right call.]

Tricky - Blowback: 9.5 (high A)

Tricky with DJ Muggs and Grease: Juxtapose: 8 (A-)

Tricky - Maxinquaye: 7.5 (high B+)

English Teacher - This Could Be Texas: 7.5 (high B+)

# [import; post-rock]

Massive Attack - Ritual Spirit [EP]: 8 (A-)

Hugely rare at this point. I'm not seeing anything less than $50, for a 4-track EP. Oh well. I also have Blue Lines, Protection, No Protection, and Mezzanine. I will get around to posting them one day.

Scientist - Dub in the Roots Tradition: liked

Four plays

Bark Psychosis - Hex [honorable mention]

:-)

Wavves/Cloud Nothings - No Life for Me: liked

:-)

Glen Brown/King Tubby - Termination Dub (1973-79): liked

:-)

Ornette Coleman - The Unprecedented Music of Ornette Coleman: X stars

I can't think of anything I'm less qualified to evaluate than live free jazz. I put this in the queue because it got a 10 in the Spin guide. Also the first half of The Love Revolution.

[Dan the] Automator - A Much Better Tomorrow: 7.5 (high B+)

Big Youth - Everyday Skank; Tell It Black; and Ride Like Lightning: The Best of Big Youth 1972-1976: notation

All tracks on Everyday Skank are on either Screaming Target or the Natty Universal Dread comp, except "S 90 Skank" and "Cool Breeze," which are on the High Explosion DJ comp. Well, there's also "Medicine Doctor" and "A So We Stay," which I listened to from A Reggae Collection.

As for the other two releases, Tell It Black contains all of Screaming Target, and the rest of the material seems very similar to what's on Ride Like Lightning. A good bit of that material is also on Natty Universal Dread.

Update (2024):

I did another evaluation of Tell It Black vs Ride Like Lightning vs Reggae Phenomenon, and all three of these vs Natty Universal Dread. There is very little overlap between the first three and NUD. And TIB is probably the least useful of the three, because as noted above it contains all of Screaming Target, which you should already be familiar with, and then songs that are repeated on the other two. In fact, its only original track appears to be "Fire Bunn." (By the way, Reggae Phenomenon was originally a 10-track one-disc release that was expanded to two discs when it was reissued in 1990.) Bottom line, the two-disc version of RP has nine original songs out of 20 if you have RLL. I did not double-check all this, so I'm sure there are mistakes, but here are the original songs from each of RLL and RP, which indicates that I should be, and now am, in the market for copy of the former, if one ever shows up for a reasonable price (unlikely).

     "Can You Keep a Secret

     "Dubble Attack
     "Opportunity Rock
     "Mooving Version
     "Cool Breeze
     "Dock of the Bay
     "Big Fight
     "Foreman vs. Frazier
     "A So We Stay
     "Chucky No Lucky
     "Waterhouse Rock
     "Half Ounce
     "Medicine Doctor
     "ABC
     "The Killer
     "Pride and Joy Rock

     "One of These Fine Days
     "Keep Your Dread
     "Natty Cultural Dread
     "I Light & I Salvation
     "Dread High Ranking
     "Jim Squeechy
     "Every Nigger Is a Star
     "Ten Against One
     "Hell Is for Heroes

     "I Am Your Man"
     "It's Not Unusual"
     "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"
     "Love and Happiness"
     "Get Up Stand Up"
     "Notty No Jester"
     "Johnny Reggae"
     "Mammy Hot Daddy Cool"
     "Dread in a Babylon"

Update (July 2026): Finally found a nice copy of Ride Like Lightning for a decent price and will post separately about that one. And of course, I am now in the market for a two-disc CD of RP at a reasonable price, if one ever shows up.

Big Youth - Natty Universal Dread 1973-1979: 8.5 (high A-)

The Libertines - Up the Bracket: 7.5 (high B+)