Introduction:

I've been accumulating records since the mid-1970s, and have sporadically written about semi-popular music since then. For more details on my past and current writing projects, click here. The database evolved from simple lists just to keep track of stuff -- originally records that I had listened to, later adding (to the Master Database) records that other people rate highly. (Those graded U are ones that I own but somehow never got around to rating. The Master Database records with no grades are ones I don't own and have never heard. Their listings give me a picture of what I know I don't know, as well as hints for further exploration. But note that I don't update prospecting lists regularly (most of them date from the early 2000s, when I spent a lot of time with my nose in record guides).

By the way, even if I do own a record I don't sell records or make copies, so please don't ask.) The grades probably say more about me than about the music.

The ratings are letter grades, similar to Robert Christgau's Consumer Guides. The taste is much the same, although I cover a lot more jazz, and I often go my own way. Thus far, a total of 43185 records have been rated. (Numbers for each category in parentheses; the percentage is a slightly weighted metric indicating how many artists in the database have at least one rated record.)

A couple of other lists exist for maintenance purposes:

• Unrated (29): records in hand but not yet rated. (Random Unrated List)
• All A/A+ (1420).

Other Lists

See index.