It is all about the music - the 7 bands or artists that mean the most to you AND why?

[Carlos269]

In this crazy, audio hobby of ours, most of us claim that at the end of the day it is all about the music and that we make the crazy expenditures and assemble the many home audio systems that we do and the reason why we are involved in this hobby is because of the music we love to listen to. So with that thought in mind, tell us about the seven bands, artists or musical performers that mean the most to YOU. I don’t want to hear about historical significance or achievements or commercial success, tell us which groups or artist mean the most to you and why or how they impacted your life.

In my way of doing things different than others, I didn’t want to ask for your top five, because that is too limited, or the traditional top ten, because that starts to dilute their impact to you. So lucky seven (7) it is and they don’t have to be in any particular order.

The difference between this thread and list to other similar threads and lists is that I ask you to give us WHY. This is very important because it is for very personal reasons.

I will go first as these bands mean the most to me, helped shaped my life, and are a reflection of who I am as a person, to different degrees obviously:

1. Heresy (UKHC) - musically relentless raging ultra high speed hardcore that created a musical style that many after them imitated. Lyrically Heresy, along with their sister bands Concrete Sox and Ripcord, exposed me to activism, individuality, antiestablishment, and counterculture. It’s okay to be yourself, to go against the grain, and to not conform to standards that you don’t accept or to not long for acceptance. Heresy had/has it all raging, blistering, driving ultra fast tunes with heady lyrics.
2. Youth of Today - The spiritual awaking that came from seeing them play live back in 1987, reading their lyrics and hanging out with the guys for three days changed my life and till this day those songs continue to resonate with me. Can’t close my eyes, take a stand, and think of others not just of yourself mean more to me today perhaps more than ever. Musically and lyrically a real beacon of a band, not just for myself but for countless others.
3. Slayer - The non compromising band that got me into listening to extreme music. They saw Metallica gain commercial success and fame, but they never compromised their sound and stayed underground and true to their sound and music. Hell Awaits has an almost symphonic sound and later on their lyrics became more serious. They combined elements of hardcore punk and never sold out when there were plenty of opportunities.
4. The Cure - Their dark and moody cocktail of music and lyrics is a great soundtrack to life, and to movies like Wild At Heart. Depth musically and lyrically with a style of their own that honestly is one of kind. Again they never sold out for fame and commercial success, even if they have achieved both.
5. The Prodigy - Big Beat/Break Beat electronic energy that makes for a great road trip into the club life of the 90’s and 2000’s. Simply awesome music from their first songs to their lasts. Always different, always unique, always bombastic energy to the ceiling, and always fun until the sun comes up the following morning.
6. Lucinda Williams - Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, specially the live second CD in the deluxe version, is so raw, personal, and cuts right through you with deep emotion and authenticity of pain, love lost, angst, desire, and reflection. Lucinda’s songs always seem to be right in time for any situation you are going through in life. A real treat to see her perform live, but her recording capture her real essence and the lyrics are so personal and intimate that she shares similar moments in time with you that you can relate to.
7. Chris Cornell - Sad to see him go the way that he did. A tortured soul that even commercial success, fame and fortune could not heal. He expressed so much with his voice that the lyrics just gave the songs meaning. Showed me that happiness is the real goal and not what society measures you by. Meant everything he ever stood for and his sorrow was real. Keeps the priorities in proper perspective and in check. It didn’t matter who the supporting musicians were around him or if he was playing acoustic solo, you got the genuine article each and every time.

What or which are your top seven (7) and why? After all this is about the music, right????

 

[asilker]

I only have time this morning for a few, but here are some of mine. BTW, @Carlos269 , Youth of Today is a fantastic origin story. Those records are HUUUUGE.

1. Hold Steady (In particular Separation Sunday and Boys and Girls in America) -- Craig Finn is a generation older than me, but I grew up in the rust belt when opioid and amphetamine abuse was rampant. Freshman year in a little middle-class public school in a sleepy midwest town also meant my classmates ate literal handfuls of vicodin, oxy, codeine, etc. I think for a long time, the folks in my parents' age bracket really just did not understand what was happening. I left for Chicago and stayed, and as I got sucked deeper into shelter networks and high acuity people work, it was extremely helpful for me to hear songs about people like me sliding into the environments that I felt were still HIDDEN (purposely or otherwise).

2. Grateful Dead -- I came into the dead through Tony Rice and the Pizza Tapes, closer to age 30. I did not grow up with hippie shit or jam bands, and like many people regarded the Dead community like an anime community: blessings, weirdos. On a personal basis I agree with almost none of the Dead's lived philosophy (my criticisms are around: alignment with the HA; participation in human trafficking; misuse of medically high risk substances / no differentiation between physically dependent vs "silly" intake; "deconstruction" without "reconstruction"). However, when I reached a place in my own life where I was ready to say "I do not give a shit what anyone else says, I am building my own", THEN it because deeply comforting to know that someone felt that way before me.

3. Kendrick Lamar -- I don't come from the same community as Kendrick and I don't want to superimpose my white kid bullshit over larger societal discussions. On the other hand, as someone just about the same age as Kenny, I was absolutely stunned by the verses on the last record. He just moved through a coming of age moment where he stood up, pointed at every man holding authority, and said to every one of them "sit down. It's me now". And then aligned himself with Pac. AND THEN had the skill mastery to pull all of this off based on the merit of his work (merit is a troubling topic but that's a different discussion). In my professional field, I am a Kendrick and my weeks typically include extremely high conflict in interpersonal settings where I am the youngster standing up and saying "I do not care what anyone tells me, open your eyes and look".

Having typed that out, this would be an interesting journal topic to return to in 20 years. See what's changed and what sticks.

 

[Carlos269]

I only have time this morning for a few, but here are some of mine. BTW, @Carlos269 , Youth of Today is a fantastic origin story. Those records are HUUUUGE.

1. Hold Steady (In particular Separation Sunday and Boys and Girls in America) -- Craig Finn is a generation older than me, but I grew up in the rust belt when opioid and amphetamine abuse was rampant. Freshman year in a little middle-class public school in a sleepy midwest town also meant my classmates ate literal handfuls of vicodin, oxy, codeine, etc. I think for a long time, the folks in my parents' age bracket really just did not understand what was happening. I left for Chicago and stayed, and as I got sucked deeper into shelter networks and high acuity people work, it was extremely helpful for me to hear songs about people like me sliding into the environments that I felt were still HIDDEN (purposely or otherwise).

2. Grateful Dead -- I came into the dead through Tony Rice and the Pizza Tapes, closer to age 30. I did not grow up with hippie shit or jam bands, and like many people regarded the Dead community like an anime community: blessings, weirdos. On a personal basis I agree with almost none of the Dead's lived philosophy (my criticisms are around: alignment with the HA; participation in human trafficking; misuse of medically high risk substances / no differentiation between physically dependent vs "silly" intake; "deconstruction" without "reconstruction"). However, when I reached a place in my own life where I was ready to say "I do not give a shit what anyone else says, I am building my own", THEN it because deeply comforting to know that someone felt that way before me.

3. Kendrick Lamar -- I don't come from the same community as Kendrick and I don't want to superimpose my white kid bullshit over larger societal discussions. On the other hand, as someone just about the same age as Kenny, I was absolutely stunned by the verses on the last record. He just moved through a coming of age moment where he stood up, pointed at every man holding authority, and said to every one of them "sit down. It's me now". And then aligned himself with Pac. AND THEN had the skill mastery to pull all of this off based on the merit of his work (merit is a troubling topic but that's a different discussion). In my professional field, I am a Kendrick and my weeks typically include extremely high conflict in interpersonal settings where I am the youngster standing up and saying "I do not care what anyone tells me, open your eyes and look".

Having typed that out, this would be an interesting journal topic to return to in 20 years. See what's changed and what sticks.

@asilker what a great insight into how you relate to your music and how it impacts you. Music has that power. You are passionate about your music and it shows by what you wrote. To me music is everything, the glue to life that links me and the people around me together in one way or another. Thank you for sharing this great and personal write up.

 

[gable]

@Carlos269 re: Youth of Today, you're absolutely spot on. While they didn't have the same impact on me, I absolutely get why it did for you.

@asilker Very well stated all around. I loved reading your list.

Music for me helps me keep in touch with reality, with dreams, and it helps me understand the world just a little bit better. It helps me accept my emotions, accept myself as best I can. It helps me _feel_, and process.

A few of mine, shooting from the hip here.

1- Johnny Cash: I grew up listening to, among _many_ other genres, classic country with my dad. When the CASH albums started coming out, my world was absolutely changed for the better. The truth in these albums is... well, sometimes overwhelming. He found again his truth, the good and the bad, and he shared it with all of us. We should be so lucky to experience the output of true courage.

2 - Rancid: I grew up with a lot of punk and metal in my sphere, and I am eternally grateful for that. Rancid is my high school soundtrack. The energy, the messages, the clever hooks and _all_ the attitude. This reached me at a time when I was an absolutely f&*#ing weird kid (still am), and always brought me joy and inspiration.

3- Dave Brubeck: Another one that my dad introduced to me, with a ton of Brubeck's peers from the era. It's a comfort, and a challenge for me, especially since dad is no longer here to enjoy it with me. His style of playing, song writing, etc. always impresses me, it has a somewhat more 'down to earth' feel that some of the more prodigal players of that era. Maybe more raw?

4 - Necrophagist: As a half assed guitar player, Muhammed Suicmez is truly an incredible musician. The more music theory I learn, the more I enjoy their two albums. Listen to the first album, the re-release, 'Onset of Putrifaction'. He was 23 years old when he wrote, played and recorded the entire album. Their follow up album has even more beautiful pieces, the solo in 'Ignominous and Pale' still blows my mind. It starts about 2min in, and finishes out the song. The, I think, Phrygian dominant harmonic minor exploration is quite powerful, and intensely beautiful, IMO.



5 - Bad Religion: Another one from my youth, who I listen to a lot still. The music had me, but once I started reading the lyrics more closely it really opened my mind. Helped motivate me to read more, and work hard to understand those around me.


Great thread @Carlos269 , thank you for starting such an intriguing discussion and thought exercise.

Cheers~
Gable

 

[Carlos269]

@Carlos269 re: Youth of Today, you're absolutely spot on. While they didn't have the same impact on me, I absolutely get why it did for you.

@asilker Very well stated all around. I loved reading your list.

Music for me helps me keep in touch with reality, with dreams, and it helps me understand the world just a little bit better. It helps me accept my emotions, accept myself as best I can. It helps me _feel_, and process.

A few of mine, shooting from the hip here.

1- Johnny Cash: I grew up listening to, among _many_ other genres, classic country with my dad. When the CASH albums started coming out, my world was absolutely changed for the better. The truth in these albums is... well, sometimes overwhelming. He found again his truth, the good and the bad, and he shared it with all of us. We should be so lucky to experience the output of true courage.

2 - Rancid: I grew up with a lot of punk and metal in my sphere, and I am eternally grateful for that. Rancid is my high school soundtrack. The energy, the messages, the clever hooks and _all_ the attitude. This reached me at a time when I was an absolutely f&*#ing weird kid (still am), and always brought me joy and inspiration.

3- Dave Brubeck: Another one that my dad introduced to me, with a ton of Brubeck's peers from the era. It's a comfort, and a challenge for me, especially since dad is no longer here to enjoy it with me. His style of playing, song writing, etc. always impresses me, it has a somewhat more 'down to earth' feel that some of the more prodigal players of that era. Maybe more raw?

4 - Necrophagist: As a half assed guitar player, Muhammed Suicmez is truly an incredible musician. The more music theory I learn, the more I enjoy their two albums. Listen to the first album, the re-release, 'Onset of Putrifaction'. He was 23 years old when he wrote, played and recorded the entire album. Their follow up album has even more beautiful pieces, the solo in 'Ignominous and Pale' still blows my mind. It starts about 2min in, and finishes out the song. The, I think, Phrygian dominant harmonic minor exploration is quite powerful, and intensely beautiful, IMO.



5 - Bad Religion: Another one from my youth, who I listen to a lot still. The music had me, but once I started reading the lyrics more closely it really opened my mind. Helped motivate me to read more, and work hard to understand those around me.


Great thread @Carlos269 , thank you for starting such an intriguing discussion and thought exercise.

Cheers~
Gable

@gable what a great write up. Extremely insightful. Music is a connection to the past, whether it be people, places, events, or things. Your music connection to your dad is a great example. Music has the power to cure and heal but it also has the power to reminisce not only good times but about the sour times that open up old wounds. You have done a really excellent job of conveying what your music means to you. Thank you for sharing these very personal things with the rest of us.

 

[MrEd]

I've been pondering this since you posted.
I am not sure how to qualify it for my life, I will start with the Rolling Stones, think 70s and 80s here.

 

[Carlos269]

I've been pondering this since you posted.
I am not sure how to qualify it for my life, I will start with the Rolling Stones, think 70s and 80s here.

@MrEd please share more when you have the time. It is always nice to hear about other’s music and why it’s special to them.

 

[Faust3D]

It’s hard to pick favorite and most impactful albums and artists from the thousands I’ve accumulated over my lifetime. As happens with all of us, my musical tastes have changed and evolved, but looking back, some albums did shape my musical life. I’m not an emotional person and don’t listen with my heart, so to speak for me, it’s somewhat of an intellectual pursuit. With that said, there were times in my life when music resonated with me on an emotional level very deeply; it just doesn’t happen too often. With this boring segue out of the way, here we go:

1. When I was a kid, my dad used to play LPs very loud sometimes. He wasn’t an audiophile or melomaniac, but he loved playing shit loud, mostly to irk my mom, I think. One of the albums he played that I actually liked was Deep Purple’s Machine Head. I was 11 and didn’t understand a word of English, but I loved every song on that album. This started my lifelong love for hard rock and all things Deep Purple-related.
2. Fast-forward a few years. I’m 14 now, and everyone around me is listening to stuff like Modern Talking, Bad Boys Blue, and Chris de Burgh. It all seems so lame to me. I complained to my uncle, who was and still is an audiophile. He said, “Forget about that stuff listen to this,” and played Jean-Michel Jarre for me. I was instantly hooked. I remember listening to Jean-Michel Jarre “Zoolook” and being totally blown away by it. I love this album to this day. I was never dismissive of electronic music after that. At the time, my uncle had these huge Sansui 4-way speakers and a DIY Class A MOSFET amp that would get so hot you couldn’t touch it. It would put me right in the sweet spot, and boy oh boy, the speakers would disappear.
3. I’m 16 and living in Brooklyn now. I realize I can get any LP, CD, or cassette tape I want. If you grew up behind the Iron Curtain in a relative musical desert, being in ‘90s NYC is the equivalent of musical paradise. MTV and the BMG Music Club are the shit; all these cheap CDs are amazing. A friend drags me to a Megadeth concert. I’m getting into metal and hardcore now: GnR, Metallica, Brutal Truth, and Megadeth are big for me. CBGBs had a lot of cheap shows, and now I’m discovering the Knitting Factory and the NYC experimental jazz scene. This is how I first heard John Zorn’s Naked City and how I got into jazz. If it wasn’t for John Zorn, I probably wouldn’t listen to experimental music and jazz.
4. College for most folks is where they get into their first serious relationship, and it was the same for me. It was also where I discovered Krautrock. A hippie friend of mine gave me a copy of Guru Guru’s UFO. This got me into buying every single Krautrock album I could find. I still buy them and have over 600 now.
5. Fast-forward several years: I’m deep into prog of all kinds now. The Soft Machine album leaves a deep impression, and I start getting into jazz-rock and fusion. Residents, Magma, and all this RIO stuff is rocking my world.
6. I’m making some money, working hard, and now can get a proper system going: Apogees with an N.E.W. Pass-designed amp. An audiophile friend mentions the Jan Garbarek / Bobo Stenson / Terje Rypdal / Arild Andersen / Jon Christensen album Sart (1971) to me. I pick it up, and that ECM sound captures my imagination.
7. I don’t remember where probably at Tower Records during my lunch break, I’m looking through the bins of discounted imports and pick up Kazumi Watanabe’s Mobo Club. When I put it on that evening after getting home, I’m blown away. This discovery got me looking for Japanese jazz, Gramavision records, CMP Records, and other slickly produced jazz that I used to hate but now love.

 

[MrEd]

I agree with @Faust3D that we evolve. I am going to 2# ( for adult life)
This would be Ry Cooder after seeing him open for Eric Clapton in 1982.
His music caught me and opened a window into a wider view of multiple genre.
And.. his band at the time truly amazing. 😎

 

[MrEd]

#3 I would have to list Little Feat.
Starting in high-school and running through my life for years, I still occasionally play one of their albums. Waiting for Columbus would be my current favorite.

 

[Carlos269]

I agree with @Faust3D that we evolve. I am going to 2# ( for adult life)
This would be Ry Cooder after seeing him open for Eric Clapton in 1982.
His music caught me and opened a window into a wider view of multiple genre.
And.. his band at the time truly amazing. 😎

I also enjoy Ry Cooder’s music. I started first listening to his album Jazz, then was taken in by his Buena Vista Social Club project. The documentary of the recordings of the Buena Vista Social Club musicians and the associated bands and group of musicians really shed some light on not only Ry Cooder as a musician but more importantly to me Ry as a person.

Ry Cooder is not only a musician and music conservationist but a great American story teller and activist telling the stories behind the music of and for those who were not heard, or were sidelined, marginalized, or ignored. For example the story of Chavez Ravine.

I also enjoy listening to Ry Cooder’s Live In San Francisco album quite often, because it conveys such great atmosphere, music, authenticity, Ry having fun, and Ry shares insights into the songs, his personality, and fellow musicians. I like this album a lot.

Your post on Ry Cooder added him to my playlist this past weekend. Here is an audio recording from my listening session of me listening to Ry Cooder:

 

[MrEd]

Ry Cooder leads me to Taj Mahal not from Ry's music but the influence Taj had on him.
Ry was in Taj's early band. Taj Mahal has such a vast range and he is also one that has contributed to the history of and preservation of the music that influenced him.

 

[Andyman]

My influences are probably the following, if I can come up with the Top 7.

#1 The Grateful Dead. I've been to about a dozen shows and just enjoy their music and vibe. It's a nice blend of psychedelic, rock and occasional blues, but also heavily influenced with folk, and country. I was on a long ride with my dad once and was playing maybe "American Beauty", and he asked what it was. I told him and to my surprise he replied "It's not bad".

#2 The Allman Brothers Band. I'm a big blues and guitar fan and Duane, Gregg and Dickey made some great music. I've seen them at least 7 times, but never with Duane. Derek and Warren in the end were pretty damn good too.

#3 Rod Stewart w and w/o The Faces. Rod's early stuff is really good and gets played here quite a bit, as does most of the Faces.

#4 The Rolling Stones. As a youth in the 60s and 70s they ruled the rock world. the Beatles were great too, but they didn't hit my blues jones like the Stones did. Singles like "Satsifaction", "Paint it Black" and "Honky Tonk Women" benchmarked my youth. I saw them in '72 with Mick Taylor and it was a landmark show for me. They pretty much lost my interest after "Black and Blue" but they are forever.

#5 BB King An American treasure. I've see him 3 times and took my girls to see him in their teens.

#6 Willie Nelson just because he's who he is. Always a good listen. Another American treasure.

#7 This one is tough, but I'll go with Linda Ronstadt as she ruled the 70s and rightly so. Great voice and material, she's always a joy to listen to.

Honorable mention to Eric Clapton. While his star burned bright with Cream for a while, I haven't been really moved by a lot of his stuff since. His inclusion here though is for "Crossroads" on "Wheels of Fire". His blistering licks there led me into the world of American and British blues and to the likes of Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Leadbelly and all the bands that were inspired by their work. In many ways, he was the gatekeeper for my blues journey.

 

[MrEd]

My influences are probably the following, if I can come up with the Top 7.

#1 The Grateful Dead. I've been to about a dozen shows and just enjoy their music and vibe. It's a nice blend of psychedelic, rock and occasional blues, but also heavily influenced with folk, and country. I was on a long ride with my dad once and was playing maybe "American Beauty", and he asked what it was. I told him and to my surprise he replied "It's not bad".

#2 The Allman Brothers Band. I'm a big blues and guitar fan and Duane, Gregg and Dickey made some great music. I've seen them at least 7 times, but never with Duane. Derek and Warren in the end were pretty damn good too.

#3 Rod Stewart w and w/o The Faces. Rod's early stuff is really good and gets played here quite a bit, as does most of the Faces.

#4 The Rolling Stones. As a youth in the 60s and 70s they ruled the rock world. the Beatles were great too, but they didn't hit my blues jones like the Stones did. Singles like "Satsifaction", "Paint it Black" and "Honky Tonk Women" benchmarked my youth. I saw them in '72 with Mick Taylor and it was a landmark show for me. They pretty much lost my interest after "Black and Blue" but they are forever.

#5 BB King An American treasure. I've see him 3 times and took my girls to see him in their teens.

#6 Willie Nelson just because he's who he is. always a good listen. Another American treasure.

#7 This one is tough, but I'll go with Linda Ronstadt as she ruled the 70s and rightly so. Great voice and material, she's always a joy to listen to.

Honorable mention to Eric Clapton. While his star burned bright with Cream for a while, I haven't been really moved by a lot of his stuff since. His inclusion here though is for "Crossroads" on "Wheels of Fire". His blistering licks there led me into the world of American and British blues and to the likes of Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Leadbelly and all the bands that were inspired by their work. In many ways, he was the gatekeeper for my blues journey.

All those artists are definitely in my sphere of influences throughout the years.
Rod Stewart is an anomaly for me, much like Boz Scaggs.
Early stuff was great and am still a fan of the Faces and Rod's early work. After Rod got all sappy I had to step off, same for Boz Scaggs. I feel like they liked the record company's money more that the art.

 

[doglv]

1. Grateful Dead (including all of Jerry’s side projects)
Over 3,000 live shows floating around in the wild—an endless source of discovery. Truly the gift that keeps on giving. No song was ever played the same way twice. Jerry and the Dead covered an enormous bandwidth of genres: country, Texas swing, Blues, Motown, Tulsa, bluegrass, psychedelic, R&B, jazz, gospel, Bakersfield, disco… and more.

2. The Allman Brothers Band
It’s hard to fully explain, but it has a lot to do with the jazz-like structure of their songs and the massive musical chops of the band members. And, of course, great songwriting. I’m mostly talking about the mid-’70s and earlier. Music you can listen to casually—or dive into with total emotional intensity, depending on the mood.

3. Little Feat
To me, Lowell George was Paul McCartney-level talented: writer, singer, bandleader, producer, and easily on my Mount Rushmore of favorite guitarists. Equally brilliant in the studio and live. Famously a favorite of Robert Plant and Keith Richards back in the day—and yes, he dated Linda Ronstadt in her prime.

It’s funny—growing up, all of my favorite bands were British. These days, I mostly find myself listening to American artists.

 

[Jay C]

It's hard to limit it to seven but here goes:


Bach
His absolute mastery of form and harmony of his time, - is timeless.

Chopin
Incredible compositions. I also like the way he would use (this is for musicians), b9,#9, b5, #5's on his dominant chords. To me Chopin's music was an early predecessor that helped pave the way to jazz. - I just picked up some more - three Evgeny Kissin Chopin CDs last week..

Grateful Dead
There was a saying, "They're not the best at what they do, they're just the only ones that do it" Of course jazz players do it but the Dead had a good thing going. Great songs, lyrics, and a special sensitivity and listening among the band. During great performances it was evident that they were all in the moment, everything was just right because time doesn't exist when you're in the moment so there is no time to judge anything. (That goes for the jazzers listed below too of course). They brought many of us in the audience into the moment with them. I also loved their dynamic range at shows.

Pink Floyd
I started playing guitar because of David Gilmour and always loved their music.

Jim Hall
Because of his compositional approach to improvisation, his tone, and his writing.

Keith Jarrett
For his sensitivity, and his motivic development when improvising.

Joe Henderson
Same reasons as Keith.

 

[Andyman]

All those artists are definitely in my sphere of influences throughout the years.
Rod Stewart is an anomaly for me, much like Boz Scaggs.
Early stuff was great and am still a fan of the Faces and Rod's early work. After Rod got all sappy I had to step off, same for Boz Scaggs. I feel like they liked the record company's money more that the art.

Yeah, I'm not too fond of Disco Rod and later. I saw him twice; once with the Faces and a second time on his own in the early 80's. I preferred the first show. I've considered seeing him in the last few years, but watching videos of his shows left me indifferent, so I've passed. Pretty much like the Stone's recent releases. At least their shows lean heavily on the late 60s and 70s stuff to pique my interest.

 

[Anton D]

Thanks for a great topic.

To give this a try...

1) Bruce Cockburn. I stumbled across his music in the early seventies and it sits with me just perfectly. I think he's my favorite combo of music meeting lyrics. He's on our list of artists that my wife and I watch and look forward to traveling for shows. We try to catch multiple shows per tour. He seems like an old friend, yet he wouldn't know me from Adam. I think his 'best' three albums are 'Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws,' 'Charity of Night,' and, oh man, this is tough...I'll go with 'Nothing But a Burning Light.' (Each New Year's eve as the night ends, we play three songs, without fail. "Last Night of the World" is one of the three.

File him at the top of singer/songwriters, for me.

2) John Prine. I have honest love for him. Also in the singer/songwriter category, trending toward 'Americana.' In the mid-seventies, I had a Clarion car cassette player, with auto-reverse(!) I made a tape with 'Souvenirs' on one side, and 'Diamonds in the Rough' on the other. I moved from Reno, NV to Fort Collins, CO, and the taper got stuck. I simply left it in the following 12 months and didn't mind one bit. We would also travel to see him whenever he was nearby, but, sadly, he is gone now.

3) Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music. Another travel for act for us. I just love his catalog. I consider him 'mood music,' for which I am often in the mood to hear! The second song on our permanent end of New Year's eve is 'Avalon.' My love for this music is likely somewhat idiosyncratic, but it's now part of my DNA. (I m going to do a big cheat and include Eno and Manzanera in this answer. Eno's 'Another Day on Earth' is off the hook great, for me. Our third end of New Year's song is Eno's 'Just Another Day' (on Earth.)'

4) Morphine. They hit me like a thunderclap when 'Good' came out, and then 'Cure For Pain' had me permanently hooked. They were also on the travel list. Mark Sandman described their music as "rock noir," and I think that's perfect. A two string bass, a baritone sax, and drums...added up to a whole lot more. Their sound is of a dimly lit space.

5) LCD Soundsystem. When I really need to dance, I start here. Nobody can hold still to "Daft Punk is Playing at My House." Another required travel show for us when they swing through our state.

6) Vince Clark, also if I need to dance or feel uplifted. I mention him because then I can include both Yaz/Yazoo and Erasure! Andy Bell is great, too. Again, more must travel stuff! 'Upstairs at Eric's' is a landmark album.

7) The hardest one the answer, because I want to keep going! I don't really know how to sort it out...Warren Zevon, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Rolling Stones, Paul Simon, it's endless. I'm gonna cheat again and go7a and 7b...I can't live without Paul Simon or the Rolling Stones, so there they are, two picks.

Rolling Stones because they are perfect and have been there for me to enjoy as long as I can remember, with too many songs to even make a list. Rock, country, blues...they can do it all. Paul Simon for his ever-presence in my life, as well. I know his whole catalog by heart.

Thanks again for such a fun topic.

 

[Racer X]

This has all been an interesting read.

Spent many years listening to the radio, my cousins' stuff, and endless used record bins.

One day I realized I was playing the same 5 records over and over rather than refiling them in the collection. I then took a 8 year hiatus from records, stereo.

Then one day I saw a Japanese idol video on YouTube. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before. Quickly fell down a rabbit hole of Japanese idols, life changing.

My conclusion from this is it matters not what genre of music one likes, there is a 14 year old Japanese girl doing it better now.

 

[hoku]

1) Grateful Dead
2) Marylin Manson
3) Pink Floyd
4) Boston Symphony Orchestra
5) Sex Pistols
6) Led Zeppelin
7) Ledward Kaapana

In no particular order... and, like most of us, have about 20 others I could add on any given day depending on my mood, the weather, etc.