Red Horse, White Mule: 5 out of 5

Opium Musick: 3 out of 5

Label: VHF Records

Produced by: Bill Kellum, Jack Rose, Mike Chaffin (recorded by)

“There are more than two songs on here!” said me, however many years ago. …Because this is a compilation of two albums: Red Horse, White Mule, and Opium Musick, at the time – and still – only available on vinyl, and not on VHF, though re-released by the label a decade+ later on wax.

My later reviews of the two separate albums apply, although I will say that I think owning this CD compilation is perfectly fine if you’re not an audiophile who needs LP. To my ear, the recordings are great, and, at least before VHF had a bandcamp presence, the convenience of this form factor was nice. I also think the albums play well together, with Red Horse’s tracks a bit more structured and comparatively upbeat to Opium’s more open-ended, darker tunes, giving the disc an A-side / B-side feel.