Argybargy - I think Squeeze is more of a singles band for me, but their album tracks usually aren't bad and that's true here, so I'll put this in first.
Rhythm Nation 1814 - not my favorite of hers (I prefer Janet and Velvet Rope, and probably Control too) - the songs are all too long, the sound is a little too percussive, and the sequencing does it no favors - "Livin' in a World (They Didn't Make)" is a perfect way to kill the momentum after "Love Will Never Do (Without You)". Still, the latter and "Escapade" are a couple of her best singles.
Horses - I think the order is a little arbitrary from here down. I don't love this, largely because it starts to get repetitive after a bit (or maybe it's just that the long "Land" isn't very good), but the starting and ending tracks are strong, I think I like the other long song "Birdland" okay, and it's certainly striking overall. I might prefer Wave or Easter though it's been a while since I listened to those so I can't say for sure. As a side note, I'll never hear the word "horses" without wanting to repeat "horses! horses! horses!" as Smith does in "Land" in my head.
The Shape of Jazz to Come - I played this today and liked it more than I expected. It's uncluttered in an appealing way - makes a good argument that nobody needs pianos. Could imagine it rewarding the future listens I probably won't get around to giving it.
Ege Bamyasi - I've been listening to The Faust Tapes a bunch lately (forgot it in What's Spinning), so maybe that's clouding my judgment, but this kind of strikes me as that sort of thing but with the ideas drawn out so that they're overly repetitive. Suzuki's never been a vocalist I've been drawn to, and this isn't pretty like Future Days. So I have little use for it even if it's not bad.
Brown Sugar - this has fine grooves but it's never really done anything for me.
Freak Out! - I played this yesterday for the first time in years, and I almost like it - but the more comedic bits tend to drag me out of it. And Zappa's not really a good enough singer to make the doowop pastiche stuff work. Still, it's better than I would have expected and I'd take it over his other '60s albums, based on my memory of them.
Foxtrot - I don't really like any of this besides the first two tracks, and even those aren't that good. Probably their weakest Gabriel-era album.
Relationship of Command - I could imagine being in the mood for this sometime, but I wasn't when I played it today.
Agaetis Byrjun - I don't like this at all. The vocals are annoying, the chord progressions are boring, the strings are treacly, and the melodies are uninteresting.
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