R. Stevie Moore

Invites Comparison (1973): The "1st" album (by my book, THIS book, wait this is a book? I thought it was a website); ft. early renditions of "Dates" and "Sort of Way."

SCORE: B+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

NUN2 (Innuendos) (1973): All instrumental jams/improvs in a kind of Zappa-esque style; some interesting moments but nothing really stands out.

SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Monotheism / Atheism / Iconoclasm (1973): A long set of instrumentals, mostly solo synthy stuff, good background music youtube chillout beats for studying.

SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B-

Next (1974): Way too much filler but a couple under-the-radar tunes plus a handful of good ones that will resurface later in better form.

SCORE: B+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Apologies to Mr. Gottlieb (1974): The main theme's a keeper but not much else here aside from a few notable instrumentals and a handful of very borderline TOP tracks.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Stevie Moore Often / Pica Elite (1975): He's really starting to hit his stride here: highly eclectic without too much filler plus one or two S.C.C. bangers.

SCORE: A-

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Stevie Moore or Less (1975): Picking up right where he left off with a borderline A-tier, super fun record featuring a couple all-timers.

SCORE: A-

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B-

R. Stevie Moore Does The Beatles (1973): This is a fucking cool-ass album (all instrumental covers of Beatles tunes) but I am not counting it towards the final album ranks - kapeesh?

SCORE: A

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Returns (1976): He's getting extremely close to the apex with this first legit A record, with several Top 25/Top 10 songs appearing here in their best iteration.

SCORE: A

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A

Play (1976): While a large swath of the middle is devoted to out-there, spoken non-songs, there's some good stuff here and there, especially in and around the bookends.

SCORE: B+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Instrumentality / Aviation (1975): The first disc is what you might expect: a collection of instrumentals, harboring a few gems; the second is also littered with sans-vocal tracks, but a bit more improvised, uneven.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Phonography (1976) *: Here it is, the most well-known album by a mile. That it's essentially a compilation is neither here nor there; it's the perfect summation of this essential early lo-fi period: a classic record.

SCORE: A+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Thoroughly Years: Phonography II (1976)^: Comp released in 2016, collecting the rest of the "best of" from this very fertile era; nearly the rival of its more famous counterpart.

SCORE: A

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Piano Lessons (1977): Jovial, simple, stripped down set with a couple stand-outs morphs into sneaky experimentations/jams like the theme song mash-up ("Gilligan Match Game"); an underrated record.

SCORE: A-

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Swing and a Miss (1977): The first standalone perfect record; a step forward in almost every way: more adventurous sonically, lyrically, littered with hits.

SCORE: A+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A+

Sheetrock (1977): Maybe just a shade lesser than its predecessor: this is pretty damn awesome (the punkish second half is a harbinger of things to come); the final album before the fated move to northern New Jersey.

SCORE: A+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

The North (1978): Another strong effort as RSM is unfazed by a move up "North." Including a suite of Beach Boys covers, and generally more somber, introspective tone I remain "nevertheless optimistic" for what these NJ years will bring.

SCORE: A

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Pow Wow (1978): One of the most fruitful years in Moore's career gets into full swing with another, mostly great and highly eclectic collection.

SCORE: A

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Delicate Tension/Moore Stuff (1979): Packed with a lil more filler than usual, this is still home to some all-time bangers (like "Same") and some more under-the-radar gems (like the krautrock disco jam "Automatic Understanding").

SCORE: A-

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Games and Groceries (1978): Just a wonderfully paced record interwoven with complex compositions, hooks galore and everything in between; a new leader in the clubhouse for top Stevie record of all-time.

SCORE: A+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Sample for Approval (1978): Definitely getting more out there and a bit too much filler but still features a few bangers ("Jump Out in Front of a Car," an early rendition of "Teen Routines") and some off-the-beaten-path hits ("Technical Difficulties," "Frenchorn").

SCORE: A-

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Delicate Tension (1978) *: The second "official" record is very much in the vein of Phonography in that it is a defacto 'best of' featuring countless standouts from the last few amazing records, especially Games and Groceries and Swing and a Miss.

SCORE: A+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

R (1979): The beginning of a transitionary period for RSM, branching out into more downbeat experimental longform recordings.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A

RSM and the Litterbugs (1979): A funky, loose affair, this on-air radio performance features nary a hit or jam in exchange for an array of improvs, odd takes on rarities and half-covers; an interesting outlier in the collection.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: C+

Quits (1979): It's right there in the title: this is the most depressive and depressed ("Can't Afford No Food") effort to date as Stevie contemplates his life as a musician with little to know R.O.I.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

"Live" at Maxwell's (1979): A live record wherein RSM does quasi-karaoke versions of some of his recent bangers to pre-recorded tape; a neat oddity but not much more

SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Clack! (1980): The first record of the 80s is a burst of punky fresh air, recorded in a professional studio taboot; several re-do's of recent hits provide for their definitive versions on this, one of R. Stevie Moore's best collections of music, hands down.

SCORE: A+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Drumdrops (1980): A unique and quite cohesive record (for a change), built off the backs of a series of instrumentals (the "Cognoscenti" movements, etc.) and featuring a couple legit Grade A tunes ("I Hate People," "Try to Die") and some squeamishly horny ones ("Are You Gonna Thank Me?," "Female Sexual Response").

SCORE: A-

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A

Urgent/XVII (1980): Mostly inessential record, though it does feature one of the most ambitious tracks in the catalog: the fascinating 13+ minute, multilayered song suite, "Where Do I Come From?"

SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

"Almost Live" WFMU 1980 (1980): An nice acoustic set of some favorites + interview segments recorded for/at the famous NJ radio station (also featured as bonus tracks on Drumdrops).

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B-

R. Stevie Moore (1952-19??) (1980): The indulgent experiments are starting to equate to pure filler here on this one (not to be confused with the greatest hits release with the same title released in 1987 on Cordelia Records); a few intriguing, out-there tunes ("No Body," "Love Has Doubt") get lost in the sea of too many "field recording" type tracks in the end.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Dumb Philosophy / Criterions (1981): A weird, loose and VERY long double record with far too much filler (especially on Criterions); the nihilistic "Buying a Gun" and the brooding "The Grave" are among the highlights.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Basic (1981): Featuring vox from a lady credited as "Margaux" on many tracks, this is a highly experimental, sometimes political post-punk record (clearly inspired by PiL); the sprawling 13-minute bonus track "Survey In Vial" is a standout and the closest to that classic RSM sound.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: C

Pop Pain (1981): Apparently recorded in a single week, Pop Pain is a rather contained effort (for this era anyway) of shortish, mostly synth-driven experiments & quirks (eg "Full of Ambition") and insular tunes ("Birds in My Tree" is a standout).

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B-

Column 88 (1981): This record is a microcosm of all the good and the bad RSM has to offer; before it descends into experimentation hell/filler, there's some really nice bright spots (the overtly great "I Miss My Girl" and sneaky great "Air Traffic Control" and "State of Affairs," for example), as well as a must-hear "Moon River" cover. 

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A

FNI (1981): Another inscrutable effort (they're stacking up, eh?); some quirky quasi hidden gems with new-sounding, bass-driven sonics ("So Be It Soviet," "Request Line") but WAY too much filler (stop me if you've heard this one before).

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Pathos / Pioneer Paramus (1982): At this point in the discog, to avoid sounding like a broken record, please just assume Stevie is still in a deeply weird phase; I personally like it — Stewart Mason wrote that the songs this double double record were "like sketches waiting for a vocal melody" — but it's certainly not for everyone; although the shear volume of this (almost 3 hours on the dot) is impressive in its own right.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Themes / Logarithms (1982): The sound of frustration mounting; there are a couple of moments (the found sound collage "Vitally Needed Aid," the lovely instrumental "Rural Rhapsody" and the simple/ contemplative "Well, I Don't Know, I Can't Explain It," which seems to capture the essence of this better than anything) but at over 50 tracks and 3 more hours (!), this two-LP combo set is the very embodiment of a man compelled to record sounds with little to no inspiration and, honestly, there is something fascinating in that - even if it is a slog to get through.

SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

We Love You Boxheads (1 & 2) (1982): There's something to be said for coherency; Boxheads 1 & 2 is a pretty tight instrumental double album recorded live in the room with a full band: grooves become jams over the framework of simple but effective improvisation pieces, and you can forget about the schizophrenic experimentation (for a little while, at least).

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Privacy / When (1982): Oh look, it's another double double album, chalk full of some wonderfully wacky stuff, offhand experiments and —  of course —throwaway tracks that wouldn't sniff even the most cash-grabby of rarities comps for most artists, but that's the beauty of this entire catalog innit? it's just another album (although When's "Love is for the Birds" is the best single banger we've heard in a while); it's probably the best record of '82, an insanely prolific year even by Stevie's standards.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

You and Your Employees (1982): Maybe the best thing I can say about this one is that it clocks in at under an hour. In a sea of seemingly never-ending, experimental, ultra-longform double, triple and quadruple discs of this era, that's a plus, but there are also a few stand-out tracks ("Time to Leave" and "Autopsy Party").

SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Pleasant Tents / Toxic Shock Syndrome (1982): This is the most "nothing" of a release in some time: most of it's just a collage of what feels like band practice cut up with found sounds, quirkly 1/2-covers and other noises — some of it works better than it has any right to (like building an 7-minute track solely over the sound of a skipping record ABOUT a skipping record that's miraculously decent) but the majority is unlistenable (I was hoping the second disc might offer something different but it's more of the same). 

SCORE: *

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

No Reason (1982): This is definitely more interesting than its predecessor (the first to have essentially no good/real song-type songs): it has at least one real (good) song ("Freedom vs. Fate"); even the 27-minute track ("The Case Of The Goofed Up Wedding Gig") is worthwhile and not just a noisy experiment for the sake of noisy experiments — still, this is a rough patch of the discog, for sure.

 SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Trial and Error / How Can You Resist? (1982): What's this? We seem to be turning a corner: this double double record is still filler-packed at almost 2.5 hours long, but there are several notable moments and tunes, like the first version of what would become a live staple "The Garbage State," and more poppy but still pop-punk efforts like "Little Boys Little Girls," "Nice Pastel Shades" and "Bad Posture."

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Subject to Change (1982): What's this? An R. Stevie Moore album that's only 60 minutes long and has just 12 tracks?!? This mostly instrumental effort is definitely more considered (or at least more contained); the end of the final song is wonderful, especially in the digital age: almost a plea (is anyone still listening?)

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

W.O.M.A.N. (1983): This is a fairly connected record (and much less horny than the cover art would indicate); it devolves into ramshackle, seemingly impromptu voice-and-guitar country-adjacent lo-fi in the back half, but even that's a welcome changeup (the best song of this batch is easily "Took My Baby").

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Repertoire (1983): There's definitely even more cohesion developing across here despite not having many standout songs (the experimental tracks like "Repercussions Of Bloodshed" seem more tuneful and/or more thought-out); it does feature at least one top banger ("First Hand") which is juxtaposed with a demo version very neatly.

 SCORE: **

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Under the Covers (1983): Cover versions of mostly oldies and 70s tracks, not exactly the fodder one might expect based on the recent post-punk leanings in the discography (what stands out is how true to form most of them all).

SCORE: B+

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

ASS-AULT! (1983): In the artist's own words: "Advertised sampler mess of nearly 75 tunes, excerpted for the uninitiated, & quite a quick retrospective. Daring," so the problem for me (super-fan) is that these snippets just made me want to hear the whole song.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

It's What's Happening Baby (1983): Deep into his post-punk experimental phase, a return to (song)form continues to emerge here; stand-out tracks amongst the (still very listenable — s/o "I Have the Mail! I Have the Mail!") weird stuff include "Time Stands Still," "I'm Bored" and "What's the Point?" — the latter of which reminded me of a beat-laden take on the Twin Peaks theme somehow written a half-decade before.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

Serving Suggestion (1983): One could point out the 9-minute experimental track "Tissues Honey" (a lo-fi instrumental set low into the mix of what sounds like actual audio of two real dudes paying hookers for blowjobs) and say, "here we go again," but the real songs ("Big Loss," "Headblock," "Drew University," and more) continue to shine through; R. Stevie: an enigma as always (the 17-minute "Rake Episode" is the flipside of "Tissues Honey" — found sounds that drag on and are reinterpreted in any interesting way).

 SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Stevedore (1983): Opening up with a reimagined rerecord of one his Stone Cold Classics ("I Want You in My Life") that's probably better than the original is a bold move, but the record loses steam quickly; there's a couple of nice off-kilter pop tunes ("Superiority Complex," the title track, and the excellent closer "Somewhere in the Stars") but it's not as steady as the previous two LPs. 

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

FM FM (1983): Not necessarily a concept album, but FM FM definitely has a theme of introspection running through it: from the country interpretation of Moore's own post-punk synth classic "Bloody Knuckles" to a ramshackle live version of "Compatibility Leaves" to a delicate lo-fi take on Bowie's "Rock 'n' Suicide" — throw in a couple of brand new bangers ("Lisbon Lesbian," "Master of Melody") and HARRY's your uncle (as in RSM's Uncle Harry Palmer, whom he covers on this record: his band, Ford Theatre's "Wake Up in the Morning").

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A

Curiously Enough (1983): According to Moore's website, this 3-hour and 15-minute marathon is both a "movie audio synch" (?) and "as improvised on the Roland RS-09" — both claims seems sketchy as best, but to the latter: it's kind of amazing how thought-out and varied much of this is considering the endless nature of its nearly 200-minute run-time (an instrumental cover of "I Go Into Your Mind" is hidden as "Act 1, Scene 13").

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

More Moore Versions / Rarities (1983): A vast collection of instrumental and alternative versions, including some of his biggest hits ("Teen Routines," "U R True" and many Moore) though I'm not sure a single one is better than the original (a cleaner mix of "Part of the Problem" comes close): this is an excellent listen but I'll keep it out of the running re the album ranking because it's the first one that truly feels like a comp.

 SCORE: A-

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Crises (1983): The instrumental title track is one of the more unique jumps in sound production and style we've heard in awhile; even songs I don't particularly like ("Fear of the Unknown") have a certain pizzazz/interesting sonic palette, but the meat is in the middle section: from standout "There is No God in America" through the excellent Vic Lovera collab "The Essex Coast" — also, he continues to reinterpret his previous hits (the cheekily retitled "I Won't Chew in My Life"), something that will become a long-time obsession of sorts, on this intriguing entry.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Musts /  Hostile Territory (1983): Awesome opening track ("Hope") continues the Crises energy carryover with twisting, synthetic, mysteriously groovy post-punk— it's fascinating to hear "Goodbye Piano" played on different instruments (twice!) and a "Wipeout" cover as done by The Residents: in the end it's another sprawling double double album with an almost equal amount of tunes and bullshit (capped with the nearly half-hour long experimental title track, "Hostile Territory"). 

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Country Disguises (1983): As advertised: a collection of country covers and countrified versions of his own tunes ("Bloody Knuckles") and a few older pop songs ("Red Rubber Ball"); an interesting juxtaposition for its singluar focus/theme if anything else.

SCORE: ***

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

On Standby (1983): xxx

 SCORE: ?

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B+

As If Vinyl Didn't Exist (1983): xxx

SCORE: ?

ALBUM COVER GRADE: A-

Amateur Hour (1983): xxx

SCORE: ?

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B

Solid State (1983): xxx

SCORE: ?

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B-

Boxheads 4 Broadcast (1983): xxx

 SCORE: ?

ALBUM COVER GRADE: B-

The Biggest Names in Show Biz (1984): xxx

SCORE: ?

ALBUM COVER GRADE: C+