Wednesday, February 22, 2006

20 Favorite CDs

Damn those music buffs at NYCD. Their list invariably got me thinking about my list. Needless to say, these are NOT the 20 best albums of all time -- not in the least. They're not my 20 favorite or the 20 I play the most. They're not a lot of things. So what are they? Twenty CDs that a quick perusal of my shelves deemed essential, necessary and most of all meaningful -- 20 CDs that blew my mind or led me to other CDs or exemplify a particular passion. No jazz or gospel of blues or folk or classical or world music or soundtracks or cast albums -- so no Frank, no Ella, no Billie, no Coltrane, no Miles, no Philip Glass, no "Camelot" or "Blade Runner" or a million other categories because I could do 20 of all of them. Very little rap and hip hop because I was a bit older when they exploded, no Motown because they came at me via the radio and movies and TV and a million varied compilations rather than a certain album so no Supremes or Temptations or Aretha. No Elvis Costello because I came late to the game. No Stevie Wonder for the same reason. No Bowie because he "belonged" to my friend Jesse. And on and on. A million excuses for what's missing. But here they are: 20 CDs that mean a lot to me.

THE BEACH BOYS -- Pet Sounds
BEASTIE BOYS -- Paul's Boutique
THE BEATLES -- Revolver
THE BLUE NILE -- A Walk Across The Rooftops
BOB DYLAN -- Highway 61 Revisited
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL -- Idlewild
MARVIN GAYE -- What's Going On/Let's Get It On two-fer CD
MADNESS -- Keep Moving
JONI MITCHELL -- Blue/VAN MORRISON -- Moondance
RANDY NEWMAN -- Sail Away
PREFAB SPROUT -- Swoon
PRINCE -- Purple Rain
RADIOHEAD -- OK Computer
R.E.M. -- Murmur
PAUL SIMON -- Graceland
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN -- Nebraska
RICHARD AND LINDA THOMPSON -- Shoot Out The Lights
U2 -- The Joshua Tree
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT -- Want One
DIONNE WARWICK -- The Dionne Warwick Collection -- Her All-Time Greatest Hits

Click here to read more about these CDs and why they matter to me.

No comments: