Music that's out there waiting for you
or
CDs you need

Perhaps this page is presumptuous. I don't feel that movie and book recommendation pages are necessarily knotty because of the type/nature of the art form. Good stories can appeal universally; everyone can acknowledge a fine narrative. However, music seems to speak to a different, more elemental part of our soul, so our reactions to it are more visceral and varied. One person's opus is another person's offal. Also, we seem to want to tie someone's intellectual and esthetical opinion's worthiness to what they enjoy in music. People who like classical music primarily assume they are moving on a higher plain than those who like, ahem, "popular" music. Oddly, folks who prefer popular music to classical feel the same way, that somehow their musical preference is the lesser of the two. Lord knows why. Both are a string of notes and percussion that either speak to us or they don't. One doesn't INHERENTLY have more worth than the other.

But, since our tastes in music are so personal, such a part of who we are, often only someone who has similar tastes to yours can be of any use for recommendations on what else to look for, listen to, and consider as a possible inclusion in your dear collection. Therefore, for this recommendation list I'm about to lay on ya to be of any value, you'll have to see if our tastes are aligned enough that you might like what I'm suggesting.

The first part of this list is stuff that anyone who has similar tastes to mine would like. So, if you find my "getting to know you" lists are beneath contempt, clearly the ranting of a tone-deaf pleeb, surf on dear digital voyager - I wish you solace in greener digital pastures beyond. If you like some or all of it, then you can probably trust that you'll like what I mention later. With that, here're the lists:

Everyone who likes popular rock and roll, and has at least one classic rock station programmed on their car stereo, has most of these albums:

Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
Billy Joel - The Stranger
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Legend (Greatest Hits)
Boston - Boston (1st)
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA
Carole King - Tapestry
Eagles - Greatest Hits (1st)
Elton John - Greatest Hits (1st)
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
Led Zeppelin [no title/IV/Zoso - the one with "Stairway to Heaven"]
Nirvana - Nevermind
Paul Simon - Graceland
Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Steve Miller - Greatest Hits 1974-1978
Tom Petty - Greatest Hits (some variant thereof, he has many collections now)

The following list contains selections that are not as common, but you probably have them if you're dedicated:

AC/DC - Back in Black
Aerosmith - Rocks
Beatles - 1962-1966 (Red) and 1967-1970 (Blue)
Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
Bob Seger - Night Moves, Stranger in Town and Against the Wind
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run
Dire Straights - Making Movies, Love Over Gold, and Brothers in Arms
Elvis Costello - My Aim is True
Heart - Dreamboat Annie
Police - Synchronicity
Pretenders - Learning to Crawl
Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks (early hits), Tattoo You and Some Girls
Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water and/or Greatest Hits
Steely Dan - Aja and Can't Buy a Thrill
U2 - Achtung Baby and Joshua Tree
Who - Who's Next?

A lot of people are allergic to Bob Dylan. I think Dylan makes more sense once you've got some miles on you. "Blood on the Tracks" is THE album to get after your heart's been broken, and I mean crushed like a grape beneath the cruel tires of a produce delivery truck. Dylan's voice and delivery on this classic are not the aural cheese grater they can be on lesser performances of his. He truly has it together on this work.

At any rate, here we are, at the intended end of our "getting to know you" journey. Here is the list of CDs you'll probably like, if you like those listed above:

The Refreshments - Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy
This is one of the funnest CDs to come out in a long long long time. Great solid rock and roll with lyrics that rival Bob Seger's "Betty Lou's Getting Out Tonight", "Her Strut" and Aerosmith's "Big Ten Inch." Pay attention to the guitar. Great, no? This album is the aural equivalent of a day at the beach, drinking a few cold ones while watching the girls (or boys) go by. These guys made one more album and broke up, sadly. They had lots of promise. Perhaps they were smart enough not to want a rock star's life.

Gerry Rafferty - City to City
I wondered whether this one belongs in one of the lists above, but I don't know of many folks who like rock who have this in their collections. And what a miss. Everyone knows the transcendent "Baker Street" with that sax riff that can melt the ice in anyone's drink within 100 yards, causing it to be outlawed in several Southern counties during times of energy conservation. Most of the rest of this work are as good. "Whatever's Written in Your Heart" is a classic. Also, on the official hits collection of Rafferty's stuff, they changed the speed of the track so it doesn't sound the same, so you'll want the original.

Tonio K. - Life in the Foodchain
One of the great lost treasures of rock and roll. I was very fortunate to have a friend put it on during a party once. I pretty much stopped everything I was doing - schmoozing and drinking games - just to listen to this thang. I found out when trying to purchase it, only about 4 years after its release, that it was out of print. It was out of print because its sales were squashed when some gender feminist critics thought two of the songs were misogynist (they aren't). This may be one of the first albums to suffer from the PC police. Of all the entries in this list, this and the next one are the only two CDs I can say with confidence that anyone who likes rock will truly enjoy them.

Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw (1st) and/or The Best of Marshall Crenshaw: This Is Easy
Power pop deluxe. This man is THE master of orgasmically hooky and melodic pop/rock songs. One of his first gigs in the entertainment biz was playing John Lennon in "Beatlemania." Yes, he does sound like him. He's also played Buddy Holly in the movie "La Bamba." Sounds like Buddy Holly too. Why this guy didn't have a huge career is often wondered about in most of articles I've read on the guy.

Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left to Lose
The most consistently great work from any rock band in a while. This baby rocks, man. Not one dud on the disc. "Learning to Fly" is a new classic, and "Generator" is too cool with its Peter Frampton/Aerosmith voxbox guitars. Not that it means much, but it even took the Grammy for the best rock album of 2000.

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Yeah, "Rumours" is their classic, but this eclectic double-album was quite the opus. It's almost a record collection unto itself with the variety of songs on it. It's a little unapproachable upon the initial listen, but stick with it and see if it's not one of those you put on and never skip a song. Moody and haunting.

SR71 - Now You See Inside
A little bubble-gummy, but still rocks out like it means it. Contains the great song "Politically Correct." Check out "Last Man on the Moon" for a decent ballad.

Spin Doctors - Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Those drums! Aaron Comess is one of the best drummers in rock, ever. However, this band is defunct as the lead singer lost his voice. Evidently "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" was actually a witch who cursed the guy into silence. Solid effort. Like I say about a lot of CDs on this list, not a bud cut on the whole thing.

Lone Justice - Lone Justice - w/ Maria McKee
Driving country rock with the wondrous Maria McKee. This woman's voice is a wonder of nature. You might recall a hit from that Tom Cruise race car movie called "Show Me Heaven." That was Maria. This CD is her first effort. A classic.

Los Lobos - Will the Wolf Survive?
The first full-length album from a little band from east LA. Like a reviewer said upon its release: I put it on the turntable, hit play and started to walk away. Some of the nastiest rock and roll I'd heard in a while snorted out of my speakers. 'Gee,' I thought, pulling my socks back up, 'these guys are pretty good.'

Collective Soul - Collective Soul (1st)
If you have listened to rock radio at all within the last few years, you'll be surprised to find out you've heard most of the songs in this CD. It plays like a greatest hits even though it's their debut album.

Del Amitri - Hatful of Rain: The Best of Del Amitri
One for my fellow fans of beautifully crafted, hooky pop songs. Great voice. Cool songs.

Joe Jackson - Greatest Hits
There are about 3 versions of this. All of them are good. One is a double-CD. More is always better with Joe. Another eclectic, talented person, so these greatest hits feel like a collection unto themselves. "I'm the Man" and "Be My Number Two" are personal faves.

Van Halen - Diver Down
Their best album. Not one bad cut. "Little Guitars" is the best. Recently remastered, too.

Pearl Jam - vs
A spastic, wailing rock album. "Go" is just too good.

Van Morrison - The Best of Van Morrison
The music on the compilation is as varied as Van Morrison's career. Even if you've never heard a VM song before, you'll love this CD immediately. I make that claim because I know at least 3 people who bought it cold, not knowing who he was, and they didn't take it out of their player for a month.

The Presidents of the United States of America - The Presidents of the United States of America (1st)
What a transcendently weird album. I'm mostly sure this CD came from that place in childhood where you KIND OF understand the world, but still are going on bits and pieces of parental guidance and phobia. Take "Kitty." Clearly Chris Ballew, singer and songwriter for POTUSA, was told not to pet a stray cat, as many of us were instructed by our parents. My particular experience with that came after I carried home an orange tabby stray. As I was standing there doing the "mom can we keep him" cha cha, the cat released a volcanic stream of diarrhea that spattered the side of our house in a nine foot streak. Shocked by this fierce eruption, I turned to see what was going on, thereby turning the cat as he gushed. I dropped the cat, still in mid-purge, and it dashed of in a trailing splatter of cat waste. As the phenomenal odor washed over us, my mom began the "don't pick up strays" cha cha. So, I chuckle through "Kitty." However, I guffaw through "Body." "Body" is about a kid eventually coming upon the little corpses of his various amphibious pets, and like a medical examiner, reports their condition and probable cause of demise. Frinstance: "Little Salamander, where did you go? / Edge of the yard / I found you, you know / all brown and hard." And then the chorus goes: "I can't get your body out of my mind." I remember being horrified by the abandoned mortal coils of various pets and local insects myself, especially since the sister of a buddy couldn't grasp the concept of not storing her pet rabbit in her dollhouse in the hot sun in the backyard. How can you go wrong with a CD that contains a song with the line: "You seem cool for a naked chick in a booth"?

Prince - Hits 1 + 2
This recommendation is based on whether you like Prince or not. This guy seems to be one of those binary types where you love him or hate him. If you love him, you at least have to have these two compilations. "Peach" is my favorite song here. And ain't "Kiss" still one of the most unique sounding songs ever?

The Cure - Two hits compilations: Staring at the Sea: The Singles AND Galore
Like with Prince, you either like the Cure or you don't. If you do, you need both of these compilations. The fact that they could do this many varied and beautiful songs with Robert Smith's limited voice is nothing short of amazing.

Warren Zevon - The Best of Warren Zevon
Warren kind of inhabits his own, unique world within the music scene. Like Neil Young, he's one of a kind, with a sound that identifies him immediately. Warren has a deep baritone voice and rich arrangements. Also, nearly every one of his songs is played by a superstar band. The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne and Neil Young are just a few of his backing musicians and singers. A warning about Warren though, his topics are often adult and disturbing. Yet the songs are so cool, you forget you're listening to a song about a serial killer, or a werewolf.

England Dan and John Ford Coley
Best of (Atlantic)
The Very Best of (Rhino)
These guys made some of the prettiest ballads ever. However, they are so sweet, they are not for everyone. I'd recommend giving them a preview listen on one of the web CD stores before you buy. If you like what you hear, you'll love having these mellow masterpieces in your collection.

David Wilcox - How Did You Find Me Here?
If you think of the fact that this guy picked up a guitar for the first time in his late twenties when you're listening to him play, you will probably be filled with optimism about achieving anything regardless of your age. Then you'll notice how good the songs are. David is sorta kinda like James Taylor in sound and approach, though you'll notice what makes him unique right away. "Eye of the Hurricane" is his most well-know song; a touching story song about a woman who says "when you lay your dreams to rest / you can get what's second best / but it's hard to get enough."

Joni Mitchell - Hits and Misses
Perhaps the most brilliant compilation packages ever. One is the hits you know, the other is the hits that should have been. Joni is often cited by many other artists, many on this page, as one of their primary influences. Both of these discs deliver classics you know and some that will be.

Jim Croce - Photographs and Memories, His Greatest Hits
Another artist who claimed his own unique sonic territory in music. You know "Operator" and "Don't Mess Around with Jim." Get to know the rest of his gems.

Sam Cooke - The Best of Sam Cooke
I'm referring to the RCA compilation, with a black and white picture of Sam on a yellow background. A terrible album cover design that's almost as bad as the music is good. Classics wall to wall here from one of the best voices and stylists of all time. Perhaps only Nat King Cole, Elvis Presely, and Bing Crosby had comparable pipes and deliveries. "Bring it on Home" and "Summertime" are personal faves.

Emmylou Harris - Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town
A seminal country album. Gold from front to back with perhaps one of the prettiest songs of all time: "Easy from Now On."

Soundtracks

These are the best soundtrack albums ever released. Like greatest hits compilations, these are filled with great songs and probably have only a couple you won't like, if that.

Heavy Metal
Repo Man
Chasers (including link to make sure you get the right one: Chasers)
41 Original Hits From The Soundtrack Of American Graffiti (Yes, it's really called that)
Dumb and Dumber

Personal favorites

If you like the majority of what I've put on this list, then perhaps these that follow will interest you as well. I can't put these on the main list because the reactions to these from my spectrum of friends and acquaintances have been mixed, and so they are not as universally loved as those on the lists above. However, if our tastes align enough, you might want to search these out.

Paul Simon - Hearts and Bones
Electric Light Orchestra - A New World Record
Charlie Rich - Behind Closed Doors
Anything by Dwight Yoakam - However he has two hits albums for those who don't want the whole catalogue: Just Lookin' for a Hit and Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Greatest Hits

Oh, hey, and if you didn't know they were available, Rhino has made these great compilations:

Have a Nice Day 70s - the best one hit wonders from the seventies (and some of the worst - yes, "feelings" is in here)
New Wave Hits 80s - the best one hit wonders from the eighties

Box Sets worth the money

Box sets assume you are a fan, and if you are a fan of the following, they do have perhaps the best box sets out there.