Thursday, December 20, 2012
Y2KT10 September 1999
Y2K T10
(Y2K Top Ten Lists)
Curtis Lynch
Professor of Millennium Musicology
Playgrounds Division
OK, now that the term "Y2K" has been permanently seared upon everyone's retinas, the time has come to answer the question: what the hell is Y2K, anyway?
History lesson: In the nascent computing era of the 1950s, storage and memory were prohibitively expensive, so programmers adopted a convention using a two-digit field for years, with the programs automatically inserting the "19." Evidently, they figured we'd be using some Star Trek type computers by now, 'cause nobody had a problem with that then. The big problem in the here and now is that literally billions of microchips embedded in everything from the nation's powergrids to Mom's microwave won't be able to distinguish between 1900 and 2000. Now, if you have to eat a cold Pop Tart because your toaster has PMS (that's Post-Millennium Syndrome, y'all), that's one thing; if Georgia Power's computer systems crash, then you might have to plan your day a little differently.
According to Family PC magazine, $600 billion will be spent by year-end to fix or replace computer systems, and even that won't guarantee 100% compliance and nobody really knows which systems will keep on truckin' and which ones will go flatline.
Let's check in with the Federal Government, shall we? As always, it's the old "what I say" vs. "what I do" affliction. On the one hand, they say there could be scattered disruptions, no worse than a severe snowstorm or hurricane. (Never mind the fact that those are random occurrences, this is something we've known about for a while now...) On the other hand, legislators have passed bills limiting Y2K liability from lawsuits, as well as creating a Y2K "bunker," a government agency which ominously, will "be the framework for future disasters."
Amazing as it may seem, our Federal Government has not acknowledged the Y2KT10 problem. After consulting with the Conspiracy Division of Playgrounds Magazine, it has been determined that this is a deliberate cover-up in order to avoid widespread panic (meaning rioting in the streets, not the band) and to discourage the rampant stockpiling of music.
Now without furthur adieu (a French word meaning, literally, "more crap"), let's bring on this month's selections. First up, the poet laudanum of Shadowville, Will Dockery:
Gadzooks! Only ten? OK, lessee...
1)Bob Dylan/Empire Burlesque- overlooked masterpiece from 1985.
2)John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band- yow! the finest, working class hero,
indeed.
3)Lou Reed/Berlin- this'll rip your soul out, the most
depressing/uplifting record ever made.
4)Patti Smith Group/Horses- she was America's greatest poet at one
time.
5)Rolling Stones/Exile on Main Street- gotta have this one.
6)Liz Phair/Exile In Guyville- this little lady gives me the "schwing."
7)Hole/Live Through This- ditto.
8)Nirvana/Unplugged in New York- the cry of the ages.
9)Pavement/Slanted & Enchanted- and it is.
10)Bob Nuewirth/99 Monkeys- if you don't have this, I'll tape you a
copy.
(I'll clone myself to keep 10 or 20 more such as... Henry Conley, Uncle
Grumpy, Digital Cricket, Blonde on Blonde, Desire, Smashing
Pumpkins, REM Murmur, Patti's Radio Ethiopia, The Velvets, Eno,
Cale, Nico, Beatles Rubber Soul, Henry Parker, The Clash London
Calling, Woody Guthrie, Billie Holliday, Miles Davis...ahh, this is
impossible, just gimmie the green Kool-Aid...) Will
(Whatever you say, Will. Would you like that in a commemorative Y2K souvenir cup? - Curtis.)
Next is Brian Fowler, who says "I would like to plug my record, I should have it ready by October/November. It's called San Francisco Blue and features Bob Harvey, the original bassist of Jefferson Airplane, Robert and Rebecca Richardson and your own Mr. Mike Childree, I (Brian Fowler), will be on mandolins and gtrs."
1. West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band Child's Guide to Good and Evil. 1968 Psychedelic album, well written and cohesive. Michael Lloyd went on to
become one of LA's top producers with the platinum album Footloose. This gem
defined the era, although very rare and contained no big hits, this is the
holy grail for collectors. Luckily, I have it.
2. Jethro Tull Roots to Branches This is their last studio album. Although rock radio (at least here in Columbus) does not play anything from this album, It contains some of the best gtr work imaginable and the tracks Roots to Branches and Dangerous Veils are some of the best rock ever recorded.
3. Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn 1967 This album was recorded in Abbey Road studio at the same time Sgt. Pepper was being recorded. I hear a little Beatles in this and vice-versa. The scoop is Barrett would trip w/ Lennon and listen to each other's playbacks. A must in your collection.
4. David Grisman Mondo Mando One of the hottest jazz-grass albums made w/ Tony Rice and Mark O'Connor. It makes me want to nail my mandolin case shut.
5. Gong Angels Egg. David Allen's songwriting and gtr work shone on this jazz-rock classic.
6. It's a Beautiful Day (I saw another Y2KT10 w/ this album mentioned. This was a classic and the violin just soared in this. I love this album.
7. Hawkwind In Search of Space This is my "drive fast" album, crunching gtrs,
Lemmy's pounding bass, the cuts Master of the Universe and Shouldn't Do That are classics. I went to NY last year to see these folks and they are worth the
ride. They have a wild light show. Good fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8. Jefferson Airplane Bark Lawman, Wild Turkey, Pretty as You Feel, although the band was falling apart, they got it together enough to do this classic.
9. Nektar- Remember the Future. One of the best progressive albums ever made. I have 3 LPs of this one. The sleeve art is pretty imaginative.
10. New Grass Revival-Barren County. I love this record. It is pre-Bela Fleck and some of the best albums ever made of acoustic music.
You readers are probably thinking this dude has some pretty weird CDs. Maybe so but, there is a lot out there and music is diverse...
Thanks, Brian
(No, Brian, Playgrounds readers are probably wondering what " (insert something from it pays to enhance your word power) " means. -Curtis.)
NME, England's preeminent music magazine has compiled a list of the top 100 rock'n'roll albums "since 4/4 time began," but they did it back in October 1993, "the last time we got around to doing it." The list is predictably Anglo-heavy, yet The Beach Boys snag number one, followed by Marvin Gaye (four), The Velvet Underground (six), and Public Enemy (nine). You can find the whole list at http://www.nme.com/reviews/top100.html, but here's the top ten:
1 Pet Sounds THE BEACH BOYS (Capitol, 1966)
2 Revolver THE BEATLES (Parlophone, 1966)
3 Never Mind the Bollocks THE SEX PISTOLS (Virgin, 1977)
4 What's Going On MARVIN GAYE (Tamla Motown, 1971)
5 The Stone Roses THE STONE ROSES (Silvertone, 1989)
6 The Velvet Underground & Nico THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (Verve, 1967)
7 London Calling THE CLASH (CBS, 1979)
8 The Beatles THE BEATLES (Apple, 1968)
9 It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back PUBLIC ENEMY (Def Jam, 1988)
10 The Queen Is Dead THE SMITHS (Rough Trade, 1986)
So, four months left before the clocks all roll over to two-triple-ought...till next month, I'll leave y'all with a bumper sticker..."Time is the best teacher; Unfortunately it kills all its students!" Y'all study on your favorite musical selections, and send your top ten lists to:
Playgrounds Magazine
P.O.Box 8154
Columbus GA 31908
Y2KT10 July 1999
Y2KT10 (Y2K TOP TEN LISTS)
by: Curtis
Lynch
Professor of
Millennium Musicology
PlaygroundsMagazine Division
In case you ain’t heard, a heretofore
unknown computer “bug” will wipe out all recorded music at the stroke of midnight,
December 31, 1999. Fortunately, the
crack staff of scientists at Playgrounds
Magazine have unearthed a method of saving ten, and only ten, pieces of
music. The way you do this is to send
your selections to the address found at the end of this article. Choose wisely, choose carefully, because we
all will have to live with your selections.
PERUSING
THE PERIODICALS:
The year 2000 is still six months away,
but people with much more forethought than I are already making arrangements
for the dawn of the new millennium. (hey, my idea of advance planning is
ordering pizza from Papa John’s.) Never
mind that the 21st century doesn’t actually start until 1/1/2001; facts don’t
stand a chance in the face of rampant capitalism. To prove my point, turn of the century
soirees are filling up in a hurry. I hear you can’t get a room within an
overnight hike of Disneyworld, and Rolling
Stone magazine reports Barbara Streisand’s Vegas concert packages are going
for $1 million per. Other musical blowouts include The Eagles (masters of the
overpriced concert ticket), who are teaming up with fellow 70s California
mellow-rockers Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt to command $50-$1000 a throw,
Spingsteen in New Jersey, Bowie, Phish, a Metallica/Ted Nugent Detroit double
bill, and Michael Jackson, who will take advantage of the International Date
Line (not to mention fans) by actually playing two New Years Eve shows. I don’t know where I’m going to be
December 31st, but you can bet that if our entire civilization fails when that
big ball falls, a Michael Jackson concert will not be the safest place to be.
Oh, and PC Computing magazine reminds us that we’ve already missing the
conception date for a 01/01/00 baby.
Better luck next century, y’all.
Next month, we’ll discuss exotic
millennium travel destinations for those of us with more dollars than sense,
but let’s move on the July’s soundtrack choices for the 21st century:
CHRIS FORSHEE
Currently snowboarding , tending bar, and
following the Portland Trailblazers in the Great Northwest.
Here it is: in no particular
order, my top-10-can't-live-without
CDs......
·
Sublime 40 OZ. TO FREEDOM
·
Van Halen FAIR WARNING
·
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
·
Harry Connick Jr. 20
·
Beck ODELAY
·
Journey ESCAPE
·
Black Crowes SOUTHERN HARMONY AND MUSICAL COMPANION
·
Tom Petty WILDFLOWERS
·
Red Hot Chili Peppers BLOOD,SUGAR,SEX,MAGIK
·
Jane's Addiction NOTHING'S SHOCKING
Chris’ selections don’t include anything prior to
1980, which should give you some idea of his age, but one thing’s for sure, the
21st century will be rockin’... (By
the way Chris, your prediction of the Blazers over the Spurs in the playoffs
proved to be WRONG!!!) Chris turned
me on to Sublime, so thanks for that, but I can’t believe he has Journey
surviving Y2K!
BILL CLINTON’S TOP TEN LIST
Don’t Stop - Fleetwood Mac --It was
originally our campaign song, but after I met Monica, it took on a whole new
meaning...
Legalize It - Peter Tosh -- Let me
make this perfectly clear. I am only in favor of it if a majority of Americans
are in favor of it. My convictions are
firm.
Fixin’ to Die Rag - Country Joe & The Fish -- I
just hope Country Joe doesn’t write a Kosovo protest song...
Why Don’t We Get Drunk and... - Jimmy Buffett -- Jennifer
Flowers and I refer to this as “our song.”
Why Don’t We Do It in the Road - The Beatles -- Hillary
and I refer to this as “our song.”
Me and Mrs. Jones - Billy Paul -- “We got a thing goin’ on...” Need I say
more?
Afternoon Delight - Starland Vocal Band -- Monica
and I refer to this as “our song.”
Let’s Get It On - Marvin Gaye -- Me and
that one chick, what’s her name, refer to this as “our song.”
Anything
by James Brown -- The depth of his
lyrics, songs like The Times They are
a-changin were anthems of our generation...”oh, that was Bob Dylan? You’re kidding!”
( I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction - Rolling Stones
-- Ironic, isn’t it?
The preceding list was supplied to the Department
of Millennium Musicology through a highly confidential, unnamed source which
shall be protected fully under the First Amendment...unless you ask nicely.
This
next list comes to us courtesy of Harold Ham, marketing specialist for Prime
Financial Group.
Ten Favorite CDs to take into Y2K:
BOSTON:
Boston - Just great music, drums.
DOORS:
The Doors - Totally trippin’ 70s
music
RUSH: Roll The Bones - an unbelievable land
with only three members. Unprecedented percussion.
BASIA:
Illusions - smooth, sweet jazz with
a flare.
MADONNA:
Immaculate Collection - This is a
sampling of the young and emerging Madonna & her earliest hits. She really
changed after this collection.
FLEETWOOD
MAC: The
Dance - A collection of their greatest hits. They reassembled to do this. The live concert was the best. Tusk with
the USC marching band-awesome!
CHICAGO:
Greatest Hits - because they are
Chicago.
BILLY
JOEL: River of Dreams - because he is “the man.”
He has a passion and a fire for what he does.
VAN
HALEN: 0U812 or 5150 or Best of Van Halen
Vol. I- because they make great music from vocals to bass to Eddie Van
Halen to drums!
HOOTIE
AND THE BLOWFISH: Cracked Rear View
- because they are from South Carolina, love sports, are down to earth guys,
and because their music is about real life ballads.
Well, at least everyone will have heard these
tunes. I think we’re looking at a
combined sixty-two kazillion units of sales from this list. Ten bonus points
for including Basia, however. Smooth Jazz must survive, otherwise, how will I
get to sleep at night?
OK, your turn: Send your lists, such as
they are, to :
Playgrounds Magazine
P.O.Box 8154
Columbus Ga 31908
Y2KT10 June 1999
Y2KT10
(Y2K Top Ten)
Greetings
class, and welcome to this month’s dissertation on Millennium Musicology. We are honored to have as guest lecturer
singer /songwriter/guitarist /poet and all-around good guy, Frank Saunders of
Digital Cricket. (Warning! Unabashed
plug follows: Digital Cricket’s CD Perilous
Times can be found in Columbus at Riff’s, The Loft, Toad’s Books and the
Columbus Museum and is available in Auburn at Wildman Steve’s, Passaround
Sound, and Bigshot Records. Catch ‘em
live at Rae’s Pub 7/23, Rock A Moly Cafe 7/30 and 8/28.) Let’s go over the ground rules first: A previously unknown Y2K computer “bug” will
erase nearly all recorded forms of music at the stroke of midnight, December
31, 1999. Fortunately, the crack staff
of scientists at Playgrounds Magazine have discovered a method of saving
exactly ten pieces of music. You are charged with the duty of preserving our
musical legacy for the 21st Century...and I promise, if you send me a list with
KC & the Sunshine Band, Milli Vanilli, or the Spice Girls on it, I will
trash every shred of music that has a BPM
faster than my resting heart rate! Regardless, send your lists to the
address below...
And
now, please welcome Frank Saunders to the Millennium podium...
Terry
Schaeffer, perhaps my closest childhood friend
and a programming wiz kid at TSYS, compiled this list as a purist, using
no box sets or greatest hits compilations.
Terry was my best man and he has great taste in music. Here’s his list in alphabetical order:
1.
Allman Brothers-At Fillmore East
2.
Beatles-Abbey Road
3.
Cake-Fashion Nugget
4. Gin
Blossoms- New Miserable Experience
5.
Grateful Dead-Workingman's Dead
6.
Iron Maiden- Killers
7.
Judas Priest- Unleashed In The East
8. Led
Zeppelin- I
9.
Ozzy Osbourne- Blizzard Of Ozz
10.
Rush -Moving Pictures
(Here’s
a guy who starts out with the Beatles, slides into the Allmans and The Dead,
and Led Zep, then slams through Maiden, Priest and Ozzy, before coming up on
Cake and the Gin Blossoms. The most
eclectic list yet. Thanks, Terry. --Curtis.)
I met Vince Roses at the first Lollapalooza
and we have been friends ever since.
Vince has around 900 CDs, but he knocked off this list in about ten
minutes.
Vince has a wide range of tastes, and he has
really expanded my musical horizons.
Vince added brief notes for each selection
and in the order they came to him:
1. Ray Charles - Ray Charles It converted
white people.
2. Rufus Thomas- with the MG's makes classic rock songs his own-Mustang Sally, Midnight Hour, Land of 1000
Dances, etc...
3. The Rolling Stones- Exile On Main Street- Legend says they pirated electricity from
Paris Metro to make this while in Tax Exile.
4. Beatles- White Album Why Don’t We Do
It In The Road?
5. Replacements- Hootenanny Take Me Down To
the Hospital Vince bumped the Tom Waits album Sword Fish Trombones for this seminal Replacements album. (The
comment for the Waits album: "The crack of dawn has to be careful around
this man.")
6. Johnny Thunders-Hurt Me The last great rock-n-roller- So Alone.
7. Alex Chilton-19 Years: A Collection The High White Priest-Lost My Job (“guess I'm gonna have to steal and rob")
8. Roky Erickson- You’re Gonna Miss Me: The Best of Roky Erickson "The best
stuff is on the Pink Dust label."
9. Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band -Safe as Milk She's a Hothead.
10. The Velvet Underground & Nico-Banana album "Lou Reed and John
Cale can't decide on how much time between songs-great tension, great
songs."
(Another
very cool list...Ry Cooder played on the Safe
as Milk album...Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top cites Roky Erickson & the 13th
Floor Elevators as an early influence...while Alex Chilton’s band Big Star
found it’s way into the sound of 80s bands like REM and the
Replacements...(trivia bonus question: Alex named the band after the
supermarket chain...) Vince has made excellent choices that bring modern music
into focus --Curtis)
Jim
Steers is another friend I found at the first Lollapalooza- a great chef,
artist and a budding songwriter. Jim is
an excellent graphic design artist and he designed the Digital Cricket album Perilous Times. Here is Jim's outstanding list presented in no particular order
1.
REM-Lifes Rich Pageant “Great REM records preceded and followed it,
but this is the one that did it for me."
2.
Uncle Tupelo- Anodyne "A
perfect blend of rock, country, great writing, and a band in dissolution."
3.
Replacements-All Shook Down "You could call it a last ditch effort
or a solo album, but if great songwriting were a crime, Paul Westerberg would
be doing life."
4.
Rolling Stones-Let it Bleed
"When the Rolling Stones could truly call themselves 'The world's greatest
rock-n-roll band.'"
5.
The Beatles- Revolver "Under
the influence of Bob Dylan, among other things, the Beatles still wrote great
3-minute pop songs."
6.
Bob Dylan-Desire "Bob Dylan
could easily occupy all ten spots on my list, but since I can only pick
one..."
7.
Miles Davis- Bitches Brew "Equally
beautiful and frightening-the only jazz
fusion anyone really needs"
8.
The Velvet Underground- The Velvet
Underground “Not as groundbreaking as The
Velvet Underground & Nico, but for some reason, I still listen to this
at least once a month.”
9.
Neil Young-Zuma "Neil Young and
Crazy Horse, you can't ask for more than that."
10.
Janes Addiction- Nothing's Shocking
"Quiet, loud, and creepy."
(The
Replacements comment is killer, but Jim, who says you can only pick one Dylan
CD? --Curtis)
And finally...the list we all waited for...
Well here is my list, damn it! Creating a top ten list to preserve musical
history as I see fit is not a duty I took lightly. I have struggled and struggled, dude. At first, I just picked bands that I listened
to a great deal in my formative years, but, as Zack put it, “They don’t all
hold up now.” So here it is, my list
sans Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rush, the Stones, even the
Beatles (sacrilege?). I decided to go
with the music that I both love and have a deep, spiritual reverence. I tried to be considerate of others,
especially my wife. I picked some great
albums that some people would not normally listen to voluntarily...(hey, I will
have a captive audience so I could conduct some teaching/indoctrination!) I picked a few albums that I consider
essential to everyone’s collection and these picks happen to hold up like an
adolescent boy would at one of Hugh Hefner’s parties (see track 3 of Chuck
Berry’s set).
The Most Essential CDs For the Preservation of Music
According to Frank Saunders:
1.Neil Young-Live Rust- Neil Young is the greatest guitarist/songwriter ever,
ever.
2.Frank Zappa- Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation-Jazz Fusion Rock with nasty
sometimes sexy satire. Frank was a
genius and he would have been President in my vision of Utopia. “Is that a real
poncho or a Sears poncho?”
3.Captain Beefheart (a.k.a. Don VanVliet)- Shiny Beast- “Tropical Hot Dog Night
like two flamingo’s in a fruit fight.
Everything’s wrong at the same time it’s right.”
4.Uncle Tupelo-Still Feel Gone-Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Neil Young, Johnny Cash,
and D.Boone(TheMinutemen) beam down from The Starship Enterprise to earth and
their electrons get all irretrievably mixed up and that is Uncle Tupelo. This, to me, is their breakthrough
album. It is also a great break up
record. If you ever need to get through
a breakup, I highly recommend this album.
Uncle Tupelo inspired this alternative country thing we have now.
5.Roky Erickson-You’re Gonna Miss Me-Roky is like an absolutely insane Buddy Holly
with a really hot guitar player filtered through a Black Sabbath
sensibility. ‘If you have ghosts, you
have everything…if you call it, surprise there it is…” Roky reminds me that it is all in ones
perception.
6.Allman Brothers Band-Eat A Peach- Me and Terry Schaeffer were camping out with Lance and
Sam beside a north Georgia river waiting for Panic to play when someone popped
this magical CD in their player. I wish
I could go back and forth to that time as I felt like it. Great soulful rock and slide guitar...how
does a white man sing like that?
7.Hank Williams-40 Greatest Hits- Hank was the first great songwriter in
America. He has influenced me and that
is enough. Haunting ballads and gleeful
waltzes; Hank still is the man. “I love
you baby, but you gotta understand, when the Lord made me, he made a ramblin’ man.”
“Praise the Lord! I saw the light”
8.Chuck Berry- The Best of Chuck Berry-How can you leave out the man that created
rock-n-roll guitar? I can’t. Chuck’s licks and lyrics must be
archived! “My ding a ling, everybody
sing…”
9.Bob Dylan- The Bootleg Series (1961-1991)- I could not decide on one Dylan
album. “Dylan changed everything.” I think Springsteen said that.
10.Steve Earle- I Ain’t Ever Satisfied: The Steve Earle Collection-Country with
brass ones.
(Frank obviously leans toward great songwriters
and creative guitarists, and who could fault any selection here? This also
marks the first time the words “Black Sabbath” and “sensibility” were used in
the same sentence!--Curtis)
Well
class, this has been a highly educational and informative session, especially
since I had to do little but enjoy it...the most interesting thing I’ve found
about this exercise of choosing only ten CDs is that choosing only ten CDs is
virtually impossible...people really perk up when discussing what they would
include...if nothing else, I’ve stimulated some lively conversations! Mucho nachos to Frank Saunders for his
contributions this month, and those of Terry, Vince and Steve.
Ahem...everyone
please rise...at this time, It gives me great pleasure to bestow upon Frank the
title of Associate Professor of Millennium Musicology, Performing Artist
Category. Good luck in the 21st Century!
Next
month, Bill Clinton’s Top Ten, and maybe yours, if you’ll get off your butt and
send your lists to:
Playgrounds Magazine
P.O.Box 8154
Columbus, GA 31908
Y2KT10 May 1999
Y2K T10
Curtis
Lynch
Director
of Millennium Musicology
Playgrounds
Division
Greetings class, and welcome to this
month’s lecture on Millennium Musicology. As self-appointed head of this
department, I have noticed a widespread stirring of excitement and trembling
anticipation over the current musical crisis we find ourselves in, and much
discussion as to the relative merits of certain genres has resulted, so let’s
go over the rules briefly: A previously
unknown Y2K “bug” will eradicate, erase, and exterminate all forms of recorded
music precisely on 01/01/00!!! Using
modern techniques (mostly involving Juicy Fruit gum and Pixy Stix), we are able
to save exactly 10 CDs. Tim Chitwood,
ever the investigative reporter, tried to pin us down to specific genres,
singles vs. albums, etc...but we’ll have none of that, Tim! You pick ‘em: country, jazz, Albanian polka
music, it’s up to you! Pick ten songs, 10 CDs, 10 Andean prayer chants, I don’t
care, the fate of 21st century music is in your hands.
Last month’s choices were outstanding,
and so are the selections this month: Jane & Sonny from Radar Rose wade
into the fray, and Jane’s reasoning for eliminating classical music from
consideration is especially on target.
But don’t let that influence you, send your own Y2K top ten lists in!
Hello
Curtis....Sonny (of Radar Rose) here. I
love this idea. It's cool!
Here's my
list: I couldn't come up with any
particular order. It's really hard to
pick 'em, much less in any order.
1. The Allman Brothers " Live @ the Fillmore East"
2. Doc Watson
"Memories"
3. Jimi Hendrix "Are
you experienced"
4. Duke Ellington "The
Pianist"
5 . Little
Feat "Waiting for Columbus"
6. Joni Mitchell "Miles of Aisles"
7. Frank Sinatra "The
Reprise Years"
8. Paul Simon "Graceland"
9. Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young "Four
Way Street"
10. Various Artists "Will
the Circle Be Unbroken"
You
may have noticed that most of these are "LIVE" recordings. That's because I love live recordings. I always have and probably always will. :-)
Thanks
for getting this together.
Lovepeace, Sonny:-)
Who!!!!!!!!!!???????????? WHERE???? This is
nuts.
Keith Rowland, webmaster, www.artbell.com
Name: Warren Kurtz
Occupation: Volunteer
music reviewer for arts and entertainment magazines for over 20 years and an
accounting manager at General Electric for 20 years.
I was asked as a music critic (although I don't
think I'm too critical, I hope) to pick my Top 10 CDs (LPs) of All Time in case
of a Y2K deletion disaster. It was a tough assignment from Playgrounds Magazine
in Columbus, Georgia, but here it goes and it is probably different from the
next person's, but at least I picked 10 acts that everyone has heard of (I
think).
If the Y2K glitch deleted all music and I had to
pick 10 CDs out of our over 2000 choices in our home, below is my list and why.
It is somewhat chronological.
Rubber Soul - Beatles There
has to be Beatles in the Top Ten. This is the first recording after the band
stopped touring in 1965. They swore that if they stopped touring and playing
the same songs over and over and focused on songwriting and recording, things
would be better. This album is the proof. Others might choose Sgt. Pepper, The White Album, or Abbey Road, but I think song for song
this is the consistent winner.
Surrealistic Pillow - Jefferson Airplane 1967
and San Francisco. If the British Invasion wasn't enough, look what we did in
America. Like the Beatles, this group has boasted 4 lead singers from time to
time. Some might pick 1975's Red Octopus
including me, but I think Surrealistic
Pillow was the foundation for so much.
It's A Beautiful Day - It's A Beautiful Day I've
been quoting the impact of this San Francisco band for years. Electric violin
of David LaFlamme and "White Bird." I would take "White
Bird" over "Free Bird" any day and I love "Free Bird."
Aqualung - Jethro Tull British
rock had Sticky Fingers - Rolling
Stones and Who's Next - Who in this era, but this flute driven religion challenging
classic would be my pick.
Pictures At an Exhibition - Emerson, Lake &
Palmer I watched my classical music loving
friend almost die in horror listening to this. What a powerful interpretation
of classical music. If that isn't enough, "Nutrocker" is the encore. Eldorado by the Electric Light Orchestra
is more listenable but this one is truly classical…sort of.
Machine Head - Deep Purple They
were at their peak with "Highway Star" and "Smoke on the
Water." So more so than Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, or Uriah Heep, all
favorites from that time, I pick the tightness of Deep Purple at the foundation
of the "metal" movement.
Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts Folk
/ rock, acoustic guitar and mandolin, more so than the 3 guitars of the America
self titled debut, I think this one captures a great sound with
"Hummingbird," the title track and others.
Beauty and the Beat - Go-Go's We
waited from the Shangi-La's to the Go-Go's, about 20 years, for the ultimate
"all girl group" with "We Got the Beat," "Our Lips Are
Sealed," and others, this is great.
Christmas Album - Amy Grant It
is so believable. Listeners are convinced of her devotion with the tender
"Heirlooms" and powerful "Emmanuel." This is the high point
of Christian rock.
Why Not Me - Judds This
album is the foundation of what the Dixie Chicks, Deana Carter, and others
today are basing their successes on. "Love is Alive" can capture the
Linda Rondstadt crowd and the title tune can put kick in your cowboy boots.
There
have been many recordings over the past 15 years or so of greatness, but I
thought it best to go back to some roots to help understand what we are
enjoying today.
Thanks, Warren...A very comprehensive, well-thought-out
survey of music well worth taking into the 21st century!
I
posted a copy of the Y2KT10 press release on www.delphi.com, in the Pet De Kat
Forum and received this response from Craigory...
If I could only pick just 10
CD’s for the new millenium...I think I would rather face Armageddon.
(The
Pet De Kat Krewe are a motley group of dedicated festivalists.)
I was so happy to hear
that the creative folks at Playgrounds have discovered a way to save the 10 of
the greatest pieces of music for all time!
You all are always ahead of the rest of the universe.
I have eliminated
classical music as Beethoven, Mozart and others have survived centuries in
written form as all music will. What we
will miss is the absolute genius of our great singers, the great licks of our
guitarists and the blend of great bands.
Here's my list! You'll be hearing
from the rest of Radar Rose, be interesting to see our different tastes.
Love ,Jane Gabrielle, Radar Rose
1. Bridge
over Troubled Waters, Simon & Garfunkel
2. Fever,
Peggy Lee
3. Somewhere
Over the Rainbow, Judy Garland
4. White
Christmas, Bing Crosby (otherwise the holiday will have to be cancelled
5. When I
was Seventeen, Frank Sinatra
6. Me
& Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin
7. Star
Spangeled Banner, Jimi Hendrix
8. El
Paso, Marty Robbins
9. Unchained
Melody, Righteous Brothers
10. Melissa,
Allman Brothers
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Hundred Word Highlights December 2012
…when ninety-nine and a half won’t do.
Live From Alabama
This is what a live record should be. This is a
definitive look at a band at the top of their game. A moment in 4/4 time that
combines where they are with where they came from, along with a hint as to
where they’re going. Isbell writes
potent songs that mix rock, country and soulful blues and here, he blends songs
from his time with the Drive-By Truckers, more recent work, and two covers
(Muscle Shoals soul singer Candi Staton’s Love
On a String and a powerful take on Neil Young’s Like A Hurricane).
Picks: Decoration
Day, Alabama Pines.
We’re Usually A
Lot Better Than This
The title’s an inside joke, an offhand comment. But no
one could be better than Darrell Scott and Tim O’Brien, two of the most
respected and accomplished multi-instrumentalists in Nashville, sitting down in
a live environment to play acoustic music together. The thirteen tracks, culled
from two benefits in 2005 and 2006, feature originals and covers by Gordon
Lightfoot, Hank Williams, Keith Whitley and Townes Van Zandt, and are filled
with jaw-dropping, virtuoso picking and airtight harmonies. And I thought they
couldn’t be any better than 2000s Real
Time.
Picks: Scott’s Long Time Gone
and Van Zandt’s White Freightliner Blues.
Curtis Lynch
December 2012
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