Nirvana:

Bleach:(1989)

When Nirvana were at the peak of their popularity, I didn't like 'em. I'm the odd duck that shuns most things that get too popular. It's like my brain just shuts down, and says, "Nope, we're not liking that, just because." So while Alt-Rock of the Nineties reigned supreme, I was listening to old blues. It was my way of being rebellious, Punk, if you will. After all the fury over the music died down, I could go back, and admit that there was good stuff there, like Nirvana. Bleach, contains one of my all time favorite Nirvana songs, Negative Creep. It's just so unrelenting, in the best possible way. Only recently did I come by a vinyl copy of this album, which just has so much more bottom end than a CD. 

Men At Work:

Business As Usual:(1981)

I consider this a classic album. That said, I didn't pay much attention to it until my Grandfather's neighbor impressed it's value on me. I was fourteen/fifteen, and getting way into music. A new family moved into the house next door to my Grandparents, and I would often hear music blasting from the work shop they had out back. The first time I met Calvin, he invited me to come check out his record collection. There in that metal building of a work shop he had a pool table, and all four walls lined with records. He told me he had been collecting records since 1968, and he told me how he'd made his living for a decade in Chicago as a pool shark. So we played pool, and listened to records. Now, I'd heard the hits of this album on the radio, but always just relegated it out of hand to the bin of cheesy 1980's music, that I (at the time) had no use for. Calvin said, no man You've got to check this out. This guy Colin Hay is a really good songwriter, just listen. So I did. And, right there, that day I became a fan of Men At Work. As I stated, this is a classic album.

The Kinks:

Greatest Hits:(1966)

Greatest Hits:(1971)

While so many bands in the 1960s tried to sound like some versions of the Beatles or The Stones, there were a contingent of bands that truly had an original voice, and none was more original than the Kinks. From slashed speakers bring us some of the first distorted guitar tones, to verbal and physical fights within the band, they couldn't have been more Rock'n'Roll. To top it all off you have an amazing songwriter like Ray Davies fronting the whole outfit. While I don't have it on vinyl, my favorite Kinks song is Apeman, so I'm going to go ahead and leave it here...

Joy Division:

Unknown Pleasures:(1979)

Closer:(1980)

I love both of these records. They seem to come out of nowhere, possibly from some other realm. They sounded new, still sound new. And like a lot of new things, they burned bright, and flickered out with the death of Ian Curtis. I discovered Joy Division by way of U2. Hearing them cite Joy Division as a big influence made he dig back to find their records, which weren't widely repressed at the time. Like a lot of post punk, this isn't casual listening music, it demands your attention, and for me, it demands that I be alone to truly devote the attention required. Unlike most post punk, their is a real humanness to the writing of Ian Curtis that is sadly relatable. His was a great loss. It's also worth mentioning that it was through Joy Division that I began to really take notice of the photographic artistry of Anton Corbijn.

Paul Kantner (Jefferson Starship)

Blows Against The Empire:(1970)

OK, so it would seem that this album is out of alphabetical order, but I have my reasons. You see, I would forget I had this album if I didn't keep it next to Jefferson Airplane. For years I kept this album simply for the album art, very psychedelic era. But, as I listen to it now, there's some trippy stuff to recommend it, mostly on side two. Check out Hijack and Have You Seen The Stars Tonite (featuring Crosby and Nash). Now, this isn't the lineup that would ultimately be Jefferson Starship, but it is the first time the name was used. I was also interested to learn that this was the first album to win a Hugo Award.

Jefferson Airplane:

The Worst of:(1970)

Outside of the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane probably conjures up the most vivid images of dirty hippie kids on Haight Ashbury. White Rabbit has such an irresistible bass line that it is the reason I keep this album around. Sure Somebody To Love, and Volunteers are killer sixties anthems, but for the most part Jefferson Airplane has always seemed like a bit of a relic that couldn't quite make the jump out of 1969. I had the chance to hang with Jorma Kaukonen, who's guitar playing I really like, and Jack Cassidy at a Hot Tuna show in Fort Collins, CO when I was helping out a buddy's band that was opening for them. They were both super nice, but pretty burned out. Jorma talked a lot about his ranch, and guns. Jack Cassidy asked me for a smoke. When I said, I don't smoke, he responded, "well, you sound like you do."  

Iron Butterfly:

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida:(1968)

Ball:(1969)

Sometimes I wonder why I keep these records. If it weren't for the psychedelic classic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, I wouldn't own them in the first place. In fact, everything else on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida that isn't In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida isn't that good. And Ball, well... It's not that Iron Butterfly were terrible, it's just that, in the grand scheme of psychedelic records, there's better stuff out there, in my opinion. I guess these albums are just relics.  

Billy Idol:

Billy Idol: (1982)

I think the first time I saw a Billy Idol video was on Friday Night Videos, we never had MTV or cable. And, of course I remember the scene in the movie Big where they're watching him do Rebel Yell. I found this copy of Idol's debut solo album at a yard sale in Fort Collins, CO in about 1999 when I was just starting to collect vinyl. Say what you will about Billy Idol, the guy is a great performer, and you actually feel it on this album. 

Ian Hunter:

All-American Alien Boy:(1976)

Having come up in a time when people thought vinyl was dead, a lot of people were just willing to give me there collection, or at least let me dig through, and take a couple pieces. Usually there was one or two albums that they insisted I take because they just 'knew' I was going to love it. Such is the case with this album. Now, I dig some Mott The Hoople, but I've never been able to fully get into Ian Hunter. Mostly his music comes across as a second rate Bowie. That said, I do like the open track on this album, Letter To Brittania From Union Jack. And, the song, You Nearly Did Me In, which features the fellas from Queen singing back-up, is pretty decent. This album has a serious 70's British rock vibe. 

Buddy Holly:

Buddy Holly:(1958)

If you're not familiar with Charles Hardin Holley "Buddy Holly", then you're missing out on one of the first wave of Rock'n'Roll innovators. Buddy was one of the first Rock'n'Roll singer/songwriter/producers. Which is why his importance can not be overstated. And all that is here on his debut solo album, having seen the need to leave the Crickets behind. The cover, which looks like a Sears posed portrait that could've made up for being absent on senior picture day, belies the explosive music that's about to leap from the grooves. Bringing together his vast influences of Country, Blues, Gospel, and R&B, Holly creates a new sound that would inspire The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and just about everyone after him, and he did all that in a career that only lasted a couple of years. Talk about burning bright.

John Hiatt:

Slug Line:(1979)

All Of A Sudden:(1982)

Warming Up To The Ice Age:(1985)

John Hiatt is an amazing songwriter, but there is a serious divide in his catalog. His early albums, from Hanging Around The Observatory to Warming Up To The Ice Age, share a lot with Elvis Costello & The Attractions albums of that time. It's this era of Hiatt's career that is represented in these three pieces of vinyl. They have a youthful bounce to them, that at times, overshadows the lyric. In any case these are fun albums that hint at the greatness that would arrive in 1987 with Bring The Family. I enjoy hearing the full catalog of an artist I dig, it helps tell the full story of their work.

Jimi Hendrix:

Are You Experienced:(1967)

Band of Gypsys:(1970)

Jimi Hendrix Vol 2:(1976)

The Essential:(1978)

Extremely few people have expanded the boundaries of music in the way Jimi Hendrix accomplished. Fewer still have been able to maintain fame after such a tragically short career. For all those reasons and more it's important to keep a few Hendrix albums around at all times. That said, if I was picking favorite Hendrix songs, I tend to gravitate toward the more melodic less bombastic guitar driven stuff, i.e. May This Be Love, Have You Ever Been (to Electric Ladyland), and The Wind Cries Mary. But the tune of his that gets stuck in my head most is Gypsy Eyes.  OK, enough naming songs...time to go listen to some Jimi Hendrix!

Grateful Dead:

Workingman's Dead:(1970)

American Beauty:(1970)

Grateful Dead:(1971) "Skull and Roses"

From The Mars Hotel:(1974)

Old & In The Way:(1975)

Steal Your Face:(1976)

Shakedown Street:(1978)

Go To Heaven:(1980)

In The Dark:(1987)

Oh man... I can't stand the Grateful Dead. I mean, they really bug the shit out of me. I'm not worried about this upsetting friends of mine, who I know love them, they know how I feel. I've had heated discussions with some of them about the Dead. Hey, I have some music in my collection that they can't stand. So why do I have so many Dead records? Well, my godfather was/is a huge fan. He was also someone who took really good care of all his vinyl. When I started getting into records at 13, I noticed the cool records he had, Stevie Wonder etc... Anyway, when he gave me his records to me he made a special point of telling me about his Dead records, and said don't get rid of them. I have such respect for him, and the deal struck that day that I keep these in my collection, even though I don't listen to them. In fact now as I write this, I'm listening to some of them for the first time in a long time, and I'm remembering why I have the loathe in my heart for the Dead. Out of all these albums there's probably only four songs I can stand. So, there you go...my Grateful Dead records.

The Gardenheads:

Growing Season:(2013)

In 2014 we played a show in Kansas City with The Gardenheads... We played like shit that night, I've got secret video to prove it. Anyway, the Gardenheads were killer, and I picked up this album after the show. Since then it's become one of my favorite records to throw on. It's a wonderful ramshackle slice of rock'n'roll that reminds me a bit of The Replacements with a tunefulness that calls to mind a bit of the Gin Blossoms. The song that I heard that night at Vandals in Kansas City that pushed me to want to own the album was Adderall. Anyway, check out the album at: Gardenheads Growing Season

Peter Gabriel:

Peter Gabriel (Car):(1977)

Peter Gabriel (Scratch):(1978)

Peter Gabriel (Melt):(1980)

Peter Gabriel (Security):(1982)

So:(1986)

Yes, the first four solo albums by Peter Gabriel were titled simply, Peter Gabriel. It seems he chose to see each album as an exhibit and an extension of an artist's work, and as such they didn't need titles. But they did have great artwork, which made them instantly identifiable. For years I avoided Peter Gabriel's work simply because I associated it with a period of music I just didn't care for. Yes, it was silly, and unfair to generalize in that way. Then one day I caught the tail end of Solsbury Hill coming out of some TV or Radio or something, and wanted to hear more of it, and because we live in the age of instant gratification I pulled it up online. There in that 4 minute song I found an artist as inventive as he was sentimental and meaningful, and fell in love with the work of Peter Gabriel. This guy is an incredible songwriter, and seemingly very open to musical adventure with his arrangements and concepts. 

Fleetwood Mac:

Then Play On:(1969)

Fleetwood Mac In Chicago:(1969)

Fleetwood Mac:(1975)

Tusk:(1979)

Mirage:(1982)

Few bands survive the huge artistic/stylistic changes Fleetwood Mac went through, and The Mac did it and came out with their biggest hits. We all know the fabled story. But for my money, Then Play On is my favorite Fleetwood Mac studio album that features just the band. But, my all time favorite Fleetwood Mac album is Fleetwood Mac in Chicago. Did I mention this is back when they were a blues rock band? On this album they jam through four vinyl sides with the likes of Willie Dixon, Honeyboy Edwards, Otis Span and others in the legendary Chess Studio. This album is hell and gone from the pop music the future would bring to their table after Peter Green checked out. Key track for me is Black Jack Blues. 

Now that's not to discredit the Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac, I still sing along in the car to those Classic Rock gems, but you really can't talk about the two major incarnations of this band in the same paragraph. So, onto the pop side... 1975's Fleetwood Mac yielded, what, three top twenty hits? And became a Classic. Tusk is an album I'm torn over. I dig the titled track, and a handful of other songs on this sprawling double album, but a lot of it feels like soft fluff. Like maybe there should have been less coke and more editing going on in the studio. Mirage is when things really start falling off for me as the band succumbs to some overly smooth late 70's early 80's production techniques that just grate on my nerves. In fact as I'm listening to this now, I'm not sure why I've kept this album. 

Go back to the Fleetwood Mac In Chicago album, quickly. 

Flaming Lips:

Oh My Gawd!!!...:(1987)

Telepathic Surgery:(1989)

In A Priest Driven Ambulance:(1990)

The Terror:(2013)

You have to appreciate a band that can keep evolving like the Lips, or at least I do. That said, maybe, just maybe, my favorite period of theirs is the early one with their second, third, and fourth albums above. I dig the punky edge. But then, I also really like the Terror with it's Eno-esque atmospherics. Above and beyond all else, I just dig the on going DIY esthetic that Flaming Lips have always championed. It's a bonus that the music has been so good for so long.

Eurythmics:

Be Yourself Tonight:(1985)

The Eurythmics' best selling album. 80's pop at its best. Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves. Mostly I remember, as a child of the 80's, the song, There Must Be An Angel, being used in a Disney MTV send-up called DTV where they combined Top 40 hits with some of their old cartoons.  

Karen Elson:

The Ghost Who Walks:(2010)

This is a really great, seemingly one-off, record. The storytelling in the songwriting is dark and Earthy in the best possible way. This is also one of the best production jobs, outside of his own albums, that I've heard from Jack White. I'm pleasantly surprised how many times I've reached for this album since 2010. It really has become a favorite. 

Echo & The Bunnymen

Ocean Rain:(1984)

Crocodiles is my favorite Echo & the Bunnymen album, but Ocean Rain is the one I have on vinyl. ...Yard sales... Actually, I picked this record up at a radio station vinyl sale in Grand Junction, CO. Anyway, this is the album where the band decided to go with more orchestration, and less straight rockin'. Still, there's good moments here like Thorn of Crowns, and Killing Moon.