With all this free time, why not lend my opinions on things? Gentle reader, I offer you a respite from news that matters, and invite you to peruse my record collection.
This is not a review of the albums as abstract works of art - this would require a much more thoughtful and coherent approach than I'm willing to employ. No, this is a a review of the seventy nine actual objects that currently sit, alphabetically by artist, on the shelf in my living room. The criteria are arbitrary and inconsistent, because I made them up as I went along and made no effort to apply them with consistency or rigor. Roughly speaking, they are being evaluated by how much I enjoy having them there, on this day, the ninth day of April in the year 2020.
For the record, I like all of these albums. Some I like in different ways and many I like more than others, but each one has its charms and I'd encourage every one to give each one a listen, if they were so inclined. Except maybe #78 - that's kind of a special case.
There's no stakes here, except the temporary relief of boredom and the appreciation of a motley collection of new-ish and older vinyl. Nevertheless, I revise the list repeatedly throughout the process, and probably would do so even more if I didn't know when to quit. Let's get into it, shall we?
#79. The Long Run - Eagles
This album was a generous gift from a former student of mine, who found it in an old barn, badly warped from poor storage conditions. It was basically unplayable when I first got it, but it seems to have corrected itself somewhat after being stored properly on the shelf, pressed between its new neighbors. It played all the way through on a recent listen, but the needle wobbled so much near the outer edges that it gave me an anxiety.
#78. Songs Of Western Birds - Donald J. Borror
I bought this disc for two reasons: the novelty of owning a collection of recorded bird calls, and the hope that it would give my two pet lovebirds something to squawk at. Regrettably, they remain mostly unimpressed.
#77. Hotel California - Eagles
This one has exactly the same story as #79, but the songs are better. Arguably, so is the album art.
#76. The Best Of Nat King Cole - Nat King Cole
Some of the songs are really nice, but the disc came without a protective inner sleeve and it's pretty scratched up. It'll play all the way through though, and it's a nice diversion on a lazy morning. But one wonders if a performer with Cole's reputation is really defined by this collection as his "best".
#75. Windy - Astrud Gilberto
Some of
these songs hint at the kind of cool Gilberto embodies on better songs like "The Girl
From Ipanema" or "Take It Easy My Brother Charlie". But on this disc, it's mostly
covers of songs by The Association, who were... alright. We'll say it
drops a few points more for the wrong-kind-of-cuteness of "The Bare
Necessities", but makes them back up with a beautifully colorful cover
art.
#74. Hello, Dolly! - Louis Armstrong
Well, Louis is clearly having fun (when is he not?) and this was a gift from my fiancée. But it's not exactly a heavyweight effort. I put it on sometimes for that relentlessly jolly "Hello, Dolly!" vibe, though.
#73. Welcome Sweet Pleasure - The Festival Players
Brought to us by the merry theater kids and renaissance nerds at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a nice jaunt through some folky tunes of the English Golden Age. It appeals to the part of me that likes unconventional stuff, and makes me yearn to visit England (or Ashland) again some day.
#72. The Opulent Era - Various Orchestras
It's a Big Box from Time Life Records, with four discs inside, filled with works by such opulent composers as Wagner, Brahms, Offenbach, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Saint-Saëns, and Bruckner. The paper sleeves inside are nearly torn to shreds, but the discs themselves are in good form, and the box also includes a helpful listening guide and a historical booklet with pictures. And all of that is really, unironically awesome, but I seldom have the energy to spin eight sides of classical music. That is a demand on my resources.
#71. Dionne Warwick in the Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
I have great affection for 60s pop for grown-ups, especially of the Bacharach persuasion.This disc came from an antique store in Washington, and like #76 it lacks a protective inner sleeve. But it's in much better condition, and the tunes are hard to resist. I've never been there, but now I'm forever wondering how I can get to San Jose...
#70. Best Of, Volume 1 - The Beach Boys
This record has a lot of really fun energy, which is what the Beach Boys really excelled at in the years when they were still growing into artistic maturity. And it's another gift from my fiancée, so it's got plenty of sentiment wrapped up in it.
#69. STN MTN/Kauai - Childish Gambino
The STN MTN disc is a little weaker, and some of the songs are repetitive in a way that doesn't make me want to dance. But the Kauai disc is as thoughtful and interesting as it's fun. Jaden Smith makes me smile too.
#68. Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack
It's really chill and pleasant, and the title track is an all-time classic, and the front cover does a cool thing like a grand piano opening. There are other songs too, and they all sound nice, like a warm hug.
#67. John Williams: The Star Wars Trilogy - Utah Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Varujan Kajian
It doesn't give that precise frisson that the original soundtrack versions would have, but the selections are choice and the vinyl is light saber red. I was hoping for green though.
#66. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Soundtrack
A surprise gift from a friend - I've never played the game, but I had a lot of fun listening to the album. It sets a mood which I imagine is perfect for stalking werewolves through the pines. Maybe like a better version of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow? Four discs is, again, kind of long. But I've spun them twice, and I'll probably spin them again on Halloween this year.
#65. Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Opus 68 - Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Herbert Von Karajan
A lovely symphony, perfect for a Saturday afternoon with tea and a book. Also, I'm intrigued by the slight coarseness of the album cover. A real sensory experience.
#64. The Copland Album - New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein
I dig the western aesthetic and I've never been let down by a Bernstein performance, but I feel like I'm still getting to know this one. Needs more listens.
#63. The Cole Porter Songbook - Charlie Parker
Kind of a strange collection, this one. Side one is an assortment of arrangements, with big bands, small groups, and even a vocal group backing the Bird on his flights of fancy. Side two, however, is all small group stuff. I like side two a lot better, but in the end it's all Bird.
#62. Spirit Phone - Lemon Demon
This
is another record that's good for playing on Halloween, but before it
gets dark. It's the silly kind of spooky, and it strongly appeals to a
sense of humor that grew up on the internet in the early twenty first
century. The riff on the "Thriller" video disclaimer is also good for a
chuckle.
#61. I Was The One - Elvis Presley
This came
out of the same abandoned barn as those Eagles records, but somehow no
worse for the experience. I'm pretty sure it's a European import, which
is neat. It's also the best example of the early Presley's sheer
dynamism on record that I've got in my collection, across all media. I
could have done without the unfortunate "Baby Let's Play House" though.
#60. Cathy's Clown - The Everly Brothers
Another
European import, with an oddly flimsy cover that is rather unmemorable
in appearance. But the songs sound bright and corny, just like they're
supposed to. Sometimes, you've just got to do your crying in the rain.
#59. Tom Lehrer Revisited - Tom Lehrer
I have
The Remains Of Tom Lehrer box set on my hard drive, so maybe I didn't
"need" this. But I got excited when I saw an original Lehrer album in
the wild, and this version has performances from his Australian tour, so
I got to hear some new-to-me stage banter. Plus, owning this album
probably communicates my level of urbane sophistication more accurately
than any other.
#58. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Once More With Feeling - Original TV Cast
The colors of the cover art caught my eye even before I realized this was the Buffy musical, and nostalgia carried me the rest of the way. Some of the vocal performances are less than compelling without the visual element of television, but at least it's an official release, so it sounds way better than the $1 bootleg CD I got at a thrift store once. All in all, a fine conversation starter for nerds.
#57. Murder Ballads - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
I
like this album a lot, but I also feel like it's haunted and that just
listening to some of these songs will lead to my absorbing their sins. Needless to say, this is one I usually do play on
Halloween. Despite its grisly aura, it reminds me personally of a dear
friendship, and it fascinates me endlessly because it is the only album I
have ever seen that has only three (3) sides of music. I even showed it
to my dad, and he'd never seen anything like it either. Fucking weird.
#56. Songs in the Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder
In a better world, this album would be way higher on the list. But the grooves are pretty worn, seemingly past their sonic prime. It's also lacking the bonus EP, and that's a big deal, because it's got me missing Saturn and Ebony Eyes. The state of the cover reflects this record's history, but it's still a funky thing of beauty This is one of those special albums that creates a world when you listen to it.
#55. Speaking In Tongues - Talking Heads
This album should be higher up as well, and it's an even bigger tragedy that it's not. I bought this one new, and was utterly unprepared to find that track one on side one skipped so badly as to cut over a minute out of the song's playing time. Gutting as classic a starter as "Burning Down The House" puts an unfortunate pall over the rest of what is a very fine record.
#54. Get Happy!! - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
This album also has a skipping problem on track one, and "Love For Tender" is basically lost to us. But at least this one has the excuse of being a used record, and the rest of the songs don't suffer quite as much for it.
#53. To Love Somebody - Nina Simone
Nina makes nice work of the Beegees, as well as an inimitable rendering of "Suzanne" and a more politically satisfying rewrite of the Beatles' "Revolution". I just hope she gave an earful to whoever it was that forgot to put the actual album version of that track on the album, instead of just the two halves of the single edit. It's a serious flow killer.
#52. Muddy and the Wolf - Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf
Another gift from my fiancée, with a great title and an unfortunate unfulfilled promise. I want Muddy and the Wolf on the same songs, dammit!
#51. Mingus Dynasty - Charles Mingus
This
is a really cool sounding album, and Mingus himself looks appropriately
grand and imperial on the cover. It all looks and sounds like the most
interesting parts of the 1960s, with the bass solos and flutes. This was
also a gift from a friend, a colleague of mine, and it reminds me of
the joys of creativity.
#50. Greatest Hits - Martha and the Vandellas
You could never capture the energy of Motown in a single act, but you could come close if you put "Dancing in the Street", "Heatwave", and "Nowhere to Run" on the same disc. If they were all on the same side, you would have a side of unfathomable power, but the other side would be the poorer for it. Fortunately, this collection doesn't make that mistake.
#49. Marry Me - St. Vincent
I really like her
style. The songs have a kind of theatricality to them, like the
soundtrack of an avant-gardish drama with fancy costumes. However, I
knocked this one down several points because whenever I put it on, I
always misunderstand the label and play side two before side one. Every.
Single. Time. Consequently, I bear this album a highly personal (but
ultimately mild) grudge.
#48. Why? - They Might Be Giants
A souvenir from a TMBG concert, one of the most amazing shows I've ever been to. The songs are for kids because it's one of their children's records, but you don't become a fan of TMBG if you've lost your sense of whimsy.
#47. Party! - The Beach Boys
My fiancée likes this one a lot, and it's always fun to chill with the Boys and their make-believe party. The ambience may be less than authentic, but the illusion is unbroken and the song choices are cute.
#46. Before the Flood - Bob Dylan and the Band
You've got Dylan, you've got the Band, and you've got two discs of compelling live music. But undeniable as the musicianship and songcraft is, it excites my passion less than my admiration. I figure I should have a Dylan album in my collection, and a Band album, and it's really very convenient that they went ahead and made one together.
#45. Tumbleweed Connection - Elton John
There's something kind of weird about an Elton John album without any color on the cover, but the songs themselves are not lacking in it. This is a good album for appreciating the sheer songwriting prowess of the partnership of John and Bernie Taupin, without getting distracted by their endless string of well-known hits.
#44. Broken English - Marianne Faithful
I wish the disc itself wasn't so scratched when I bought it, because side one goes "thump" every revolution for about three songs. But when you consider the life and times of the artist, it makes the kind of sense you can't begrudge. Broken English is both artistic and profane, and the cover gives a weird kind of recovering-from-cocaine vibe that I can't properly describe, having never been in recovery from cocaine. So really, the thump kind of belongs here.
#43. Melodrama - Lorde
I bought this as a gift for my
fiancée,and as much as I like the music I'm also really impressed by the art direction of the cover and liner notes. Together, they perfectly describe the sound and feeling of being young and pretending to be glamorous while you wait for an asteroid to crash into the Earth. At least I think that's what she's going for.
#42. If You Knew Suzi - Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro needs to rock, and this record doesn't always present her in her ideal ecosystem. It's all a little too seventies mainstream with the cover photo and the big single. But when she rocks, she rocks. I wish her records were easier to find, and (resignedly) I figured this would be the one I ended up finding first, but even if she's a little toned down here, she's still got a marvelous sincerity.
#41. Dreamboat Annie - Heart
This is basically the platonic ideal of the classic rock album - the cover gently worn with the passage of time, the monster radio hits alongside the prettier, artier tracks, the grooves still lively after sitting for god knows how long in a bin at a used record store. Playing it is like traveling back in time to before my birth, when people still believed in rock n' roll, of all things.
#40. P'ansori/Korea's Epic Vocal Art + Instrumental Music - Kim So-hee, with Kim Yoon-duk, Chi Young-hee, and Sung Keum-yun
Esoteric, yes. Pretentious, very probably. But playing this record reminds me of the time I lived in Korea for nine months, and I like being a little pretentious sometimes. It can, believe it or not, be a lot of fun to listen to traditional music that sounds nothing like what you're accustomed to. I don't speak Korean, but I still enjoy the storytelling.
#39. Free As The Wind - The Crusaders
This record pulses with the spirit of fun. I like to play it when company is over, and I like to play it just to dance like a dork with my fiancée. I do that with a lot of albums, but this one is very much for that.
#38. Between The Buttons - The Rolling Stones
This
one worked its way into my collection out of a friend's, and it has his
name scrawled on a corner of the cover. I like that sort of thing in an
album, and I also really like "Let's Spend the Night Together".
#37. Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac
This one came from my mom's collection, which is part of its charm and also beside the point.Some records are haunted, but this one is enchanted, and I'm pretty sure it's mostly because of Stevie Nicks.
#36. Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest
I
went searching specifically to find People's Instinctive Travels on
vinyl, but discovered Midnight Marauders along the way. I love this laid
back, jazzy style of hip hop, and I like this album's cover art more
than I like most hip hop covers
#35. Johto Legends: Music From Pokemon Gold and Silver - Arranged by Braxton Burks
This
was a gift from a friend, and playing it hits me right in the part of
my brain that remembers feeling like the world inside an 8 MB cartridge
was unimaginably huge. Turning old midi arrangements into orchestral
ones is kind of gimmicky, but it turns out I am exactly the audience for
that sort of gimmick (I have other such albums in different media) and you can't really complain when it's done so well. The bright and shiny colors of the cover design also tickle the pleasure center of my brain.
.
#34. Bush Lady - Alanis Obomsawin
My fiancée chanced on this record, and we found it was incredibly moving as both a historical document and an artistic work. The liner notes are very informative about the status of indigenous people in Canada, and the use of multiple languages in the music is effective.
#33. Porgy and Bess - Ray Charles and Cleo Laine
Perhaps not the definitive recording of Gershwin's opera, or even one of the recordings with its own wikipedia page. But it's got Ray Charles on it, and it's good. Despite the rundown state of the box when I found it in a used record store, it plays beautifully, suggesting perhaps it got passed around more than it got listened to. The liner notes are also fascinating.
#32. Ahmad Jamal Volume IV - Ahmad Jamal Trio
There's something magical about being in a jazz club, when people are there for the sounds and less concerned with the booze and smoke. When I play this record, I can feel a strong club kind of vibe coming off of Jamal's band (and not just because it was actually recorded in a club). The album cover is starting to come apart, but that's alright because this is a time capsule from a bygone age, and I've still got a little piece of it. Anyway, they don't let you smoke in clubs any more, and that's all for the best.
#31. Live At The Hollywood Bowl - The Beatles
Already possessing their complete set of studio albums on CD, I saw the release of this disc as the perfect way to add the Beatles into my vinyl collection. A row of LPs without a Beatles album is just missing a certain Beatley crunch, you know? The lads do their rock n' roll thing, the crowd noise is engineered down so you can hear them do it, and the liner notes promote that documentary Ron Howard made a few years ago. It's no Sgt. Pepper or anything, but it is exciting.
#30. Quadrophenia - The Who
More than most of my used records, this one looks and sounds like it got in a fight. The more-than-typical pops and hisses detract slightly from the Who's music, but it is the Who after all, and the sheer grandeur of "Love Reign O'er Me" is not something that necessarily declines just because it's rough around the edges. This was another gift from my fiancée, and boy did she pick well.
#29. Songs From The Attic - Billy Joel
Most of what I consider Billy Joel's finest songs are on this album, and I've concluded that he is much better live any way. The piano playing man has a gift for inhabiting his crowd. The title and cover design give off an eerie feeling that this album was never actually new, and just spontaneously appeared pre-owned in used record stores all over the world. I'm not going to follow up on that hypothesis though, because it's probably wrong and I don't want to know that.
#28. A Christmas Together - John Denver and the Muppets
Awash in nostalgia for Christmas, and Muppets, and seventies singer-songwriters, we all know exactly why this record is here. We cuddle up under the mistletoe with this one every year in our house. Unfortunately, we're not zoned for a fireplace.
#27. Season Of Glass - Yoko Ono
It's unfortunate that a couple of tracks skip in spots, because this is a beautiful, if dark, piece of work, and you hate to have it interrupted. Good albums can give you a sense of what the artist was really feeling when they made it, but even if you didn't know that Ono recorded this just after the death of her husband, you would know instantly that she really had endured a great loss. The stained glasses (not stained glass) on the cover are the least of it.
#26. Jamie - Brittany Howard
This was a Christmas gift for my fiancée. The music is beautiful, and so is everything that comes with it - the cover portrait, the cream colored vinyl, the childhood photographs on the back of the liner notes. Everything about this album feels openly personal. It combines grace with rhythm in ideal proportion for delivering truth and making the people feel it.
#25. Hypnotic Eye - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Before his death, I often called Tom Petty America's single greatest rock n' roller. I don't think I was wrong and I don't think anything has changed since then. I bought this album last year because I hadn't heard it before. It's not necessarily his magnum opus, but I'm just really excited all the time to have him around.
#24. Eponymous - R.E.M.
Owning Eponymous on CD, or in intangible digital format, would not really make sense for me. But as a chance find at a record store? That's what albums like this are for. Hearing the original single version of "Radio Free Europe" blast out of my set up is a treat, to say nothing of the other rare tracks. A package like this is the reason I bother with analog media.
#23. Joan Baez, Volume 2 - Joan Baez
It's a simple record - folk songs, sung by a woman accompanying herself on a guitar. And it turned out to be a lot better than I expected. There's a quality to Baez's voice that makes me wish I'd appreciated her work earlier. Also, the cover has an message written on it, from a girl named Susie who (apparently) really liked "The Banks of the Ohio". I'm such a sucker for things like that.
#22. Greatest Hits - Linda Ronstadt
Another fine acquisition from my mom's collection. They're all hits, they're all classics, and they're all driven by a great rock voice. It's not complicated, but in my opinion it's essential.
#21. Jesus Christ Superstar - Original Album Cast
In my mind, there's a recorded version of Jesus Christ Superstar that exists in a state of perfection. But while there's never been a better version of "Heaven On Their Minds" than the one from the movie, but for the most part I prefer this album. The exterior presentation is suitably biblical, and the libretto (fancy word for liner notes) is suitably rock-operatic. Another choice selection from my mom.
#20. Egypt Station - Paul McCartney
I'm not sure where Paul McCartney got the idea that, well into his 70s, he had to keep proving that he is a great artist, who can write, sing, rock, and generally produce at a level beyond all expectations. Maybe he's just that great and this is just what the great ones do. He even painted the cover himself, and it looks really cool. Also, we should listen to what he has to say on "Despite Repeated Warnings".
#19. Portrait in Jazz - Bill Evans Trio
Sometimes I fantasize about living in a cleanly lit modernist home with 1960s-style furnishings, wearing fuzzy slippers all day while drinking tea and and reading great literature. In this fantasy, Bill Evans and his trio are there, playing selections from Portrait In Jazz, or whatever they want to play, I don't presume to tell them what to do. If #32 is an ideal jazz night out, this record is an ideal jazz night in.
#18. Arthur Buck - Joseph Arthur and Peter Buck
I don't even think you can get this on CD. If you couldn't stream it digitally either, would that be better? I love the red/blue vinyl and all those other hipsterish touches. And I also love the music, which I sought out of R.E.M. fandom, and then came to appreciate Joseph Arthur in his own right as a lyricist.
#17. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel
There's the title track, which is lovely, of course. We all know that. But there's something in the way this album ends side one with "So Long Frank Lloyd Wright" and (almost) ends side two with a live version of "Bye Bye Love" that tells me why it's a great album. And it's a great last album too, even if it's not actually the last thing they ever made together.
#16. West Side Story Original Movie Soundtrack
There's a good case to be made that West Side Story is America's greatest musical, and the movie is an artistic triumph. The soundtrack is obviously an indispensable part of that, melding a naturalistic look at urban turmoil with the sophisticated artifice of ballet, and finding a sincere romanticism in the depths of tragedy. It's both hip and wise, which is the best definition of a classic.
#15. Wise Up Ghost - Elvis Costello and the Roots
I only just realized that this is presently the only Blue Note record that I have on vinyl. Neither Costello nor the Roots are artists for that label, but the music they made for this album sounds modern and jazzy enough to aspire to that level of cool. Interesting fact: my old turntable can't play this album correctly, because the base makes the needle jump all over the place. I had to put a little cat figurine on there to weigh it down.
#14. Collapse Into Now - R.E.M.
As per #17, I am fascinated by final albums. I never heard this one until a few years after R.E.M. had broken up, so it's hard to hear past the context of finality. But history aside, what's not to love on an album with such a mastery of song structure? And I love everything about this disc - except that weird staticky noise that plays under the first half of track one.
#13. Seven Year Ache - Roseanne Cash
Something about the title track gave me a small musical epiphany when I rediscovered it about eight years ago. When I started collecting vinyl, I knew I needed this album to join the shelf as quickly as possible, and I'm glad I didn't have to wait long. The songs are mostly country ballads with a bit of rockin', but that's mostly what that little epiphany was about.
#12. On The Line - Jenny Lewis
On my most recent listen of this record, I was highly distressed to find that the needle was sticking near the end of "Taffy". It took me out of the moment, and that may be why On The Line didn't make the top ten. It is an otherwise excellent record, from an artist I've long admired to the point of adoration. The sum of the listening experience is liberating and rewarding, as she probes inner demons and transcends them through the joy of embracing her inner clown. And the cover art doesn't lack for appeal either.
#11. Live in London - Leonard Cohen
I
appreciate a live album that doubles as a greatest hits catalog,
because the songs always sound more cohesive than they would if you just
copied and pasted from the albums of origin. Cohen's all about cohesion
here, announcing the name of every soloist after every solo they play,
making sure none of us ever forget that it's the sublime Webb
sisters singing backup on every song. There are three discs to listen to
(which is a lot), but it's three discs of songs by Leonard Cohen,
performed by a backing band with a warm, lush sound, and punctuated by
the horny old bastard's dumb jokes.
#10. To Pimp A Butterfly - Kendrick Lamar
This is an album that's almost synaesthetically visual, a documentary unto itself that remains engrossing across two discs, even when the music gives way to interludes of spoken word, or exhortation. To Pimp A Butterfly rewards close attention and casual listening equally, but I don't think most listeners will be satisfied with just the latter. It's a classic on multiple levels, which raises it to the level of a masterpiece.
#9. The Great Pretenders - Mini Mansions
I would love this album anyway for its inventive melodies and lyrics - it's incredibly fun to play. And I'd also dig the homage to the Voyager Golden Record on the cover, no matter who used it. But in honestly, the thing that makes this record rank so highly is that it was brought to my attention by a good friend, who I wish I saw more of these days. Guest vocals by Brian Wilson and Alex Turner make for a pair of supremely cool tracks at the end of side one.
#8. New York Tendaberry - Laura Nyro
The cover is a mysterious black and white photo of the author, and I have no idea what a "Tendaberry" is. The music is mostly otherworldly singing accompanied by piano, crossing from whispers to wholehearted wails. This is a perfect example of a diamond in the record store rough - a singular masterpiece by an artist who left a rich legacy of song and never got half the credit she deserved for it. Listen to "Gibsom Street" and you'll know.
#7. The Execution Of All Things - Rilo Kiley
A twenty first century classic for the present moment, really - these days we're all a little upset about the disappearing ground. This album is a trusty companion for getting through darkness and the everyday absurdities of everything. I'll let other listeners find the applicability for themselves.
#6. Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player - Elton John
Every time I listen to this album - which is very often - I am stunned by how incredibly tuneful it is. I'm delighted by the full-sized booklet of lyrics and photographs. I'm blown away by the diversity of subjects and themes. I'm puzzled as to whether that bit of distortion on the high note in "Have Mercy On the Criminal" is supposed to be there or not. That's the kind of overthinking that comes from listening very closely, because you just can't not.
#5. Such Sweet Thunder - Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
A suite of Shakespeare-inspired compositions, from the pen of Duke Ellington, is simultaneously a highbrow expression of the art of music, and and a goofy expression of childlike whimsy. That might be a definition of "sublime". This is one of the records I've owned the longest, and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. I'll definitely never get tired of the way that my lovebirds always mimic the whistling high notes at the end of "Madness in Great Ones".
#4. Look Now - Elvis Costello and the Impostors
It should be clear by now who I regard as the superior Elvis - the English eclecticist with the passion for extreme wordplay and hurling his nasally vocals into every song with abandon. The young Elvis Costello was precocious and dangerous. But he was also scary in his sophistication, and the years and side projects and genre experiments have only served to reveal that in its glory. A year and a half later, I'm still very high on this record.
#3. Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys
Friends and acquaintances will know that my history with this album goes deep, and there's no real reason to extol its virtues here. Suffice to say it just misses the top spot, because my emotional attachment hews much more strongly to the Pet Sounds Sessions CD Box Set. It's just got more Pet Sounds in it.
#2. Reckoning - R.E.M.
Reckoning is a great album. It's not my favorite R.E.M. album. But this particular Reckoning is the most expensive LP I have ever bought, because it is an original pressing with a cover autographed by all the band members. This fact automatically granted it about a thousand extra arbitrary-and-inconsistent points. However, because I have it displayed proudly in a frame on my wall, and removing it from the frame is slightly inconvenient, and I feel vaguely uncomfortable actually taking a needle to a record with such a pedigree, I've only ever played it once. And an album that you can't listen to can't really be number one, can it?
#1. Between The Lines - Janis Ian
Conversely, this album is among the cheapest I've ever bought, and also among the most beautiful programs of music I have ever heard. I don't have a single record with superior sound - not in the sense that matters, any way. There is such a profound intelligence, sensitivity, and poetry to these songs, that they often feel more like ancient melodies rediscovered from the ether, than contrived inventions for something as momentary as a 70s pop record. Maybe it only looks that way from where I'm standing, but this is where I stand. Janis Ian ought to be better remembered, for this and for her other work.
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