The Dave Brubeck Quartet:

Countdown Time In Outer Space:(1962)

If you're looking for Cool Jazz, Dave Brubeck had it in spades, this just happens to be the only piece I have on vinyl. His records, especially from this time period, are impeccable. I always felt that whoever was choosing the art for these albums was doing a pretty awesome job, because they seem to go together perfectly, even though they were created independently. Just go listen.

Buffalo Springfield:

Buffalo Springfield: (1967)

Stephen Stills and Neil Young have no doubt had a big influence in my life as musicians, mainly through CSN&Y, and Neil's solo albums, but the story kind of starts here with the first Buffalo Springfield album. The band weren't happy with this album, believing it to be less intense than their live shows. It is fairly mellow. Originally released in '66, this is the rereleased version from '67. After For What It's Worth became a hit the record company figured they'd better rerelease this album with the hit tacked on. If I could only hear two songs from this album, I'd go with Burned, and Out of My Mind.

Last Time Around: (1968)

Any album that starts with such a great folk-rock take on a Motown riff like this album does with On The Way Home, has to be good. Though this was the last Buffalo Springfield album, it clearly foreshadows the vibe that would later be perfected by CSN&Y. In fact, this album was really just contract fulfillment. Not one of these tracks features full band performances, because, they weren't a group at this time. They couldn't even be bothered to all show up for a cover photo. So one had to be collaged together. My two track pick for this one; I Am A Child, and Kind Woman.

Retrospective:The Best of Buffalo Springfield: (1969) 

Buckingham Nicks:

Buckingham Nicks:(1973)

I could never understand why this album was never rereleased, because, it's pretty awesome, in a 70's studio pretty voice kind of way. Ok, I love this album, I'll say it. Sure they later recut some of these songs for Fleetwood Mac records, but the versions on this album are the ones I think are stronger. These tunes seem more honest, and certainly less decadent than what would go down in Fleetwood Mac. Now, when I was first digging through my parents' record collection, it was not the music that drew me to this album... This kids, is why cover art is important. *wink,wink* Anyway, this album is hard to find. I've been looking for a second copy for a while, but finding a clean copy is tantamount to finding ant's teeth. 

Jackson Browne:

Jackson Browne (a.k.a Saturate Before Using): (1972)

Late For The Sky:(1974)

While I have almost every Jackson Browne album in the house in some form or another, these are the only two I have on vinyl, well, I have two copies of Jackson Browne on vinyl, so these three. Anyway, these are my two favorites. When I first got in to songwriting, my Dad asked if I'd ever listened to Jackson Browne, and when I said, no not really, he dug out his copy of Jackson's first record. Instantly I mistook, like so many others before me, the title of the record to be, Saturate Before Using. (It would be a few years before I corrected my mistake.) In it I heard lyrics that spoke to the searching feeling I had in my own teenage self, and painted a different songwriting path than I had known from Bob Dylan records. When I got a copy of Late For The Sky, I was floored. It was a masterpiece. Lyrically richer, more world weary, and cinematic than his first two records. Not to mention a cover that contained as much mystery as you could ask for, especially when you hear the car door slam at the end of The Late Show. That moment blurred the lines between the music, and the cover in such a beautiful way. Late for the Sky remains in my all time Top Ten album list.

James Brown:

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag:(1965)

I think this was the eleventh album James Brown released. In any case, good god! what a showman, both on and off record. You just really can't go wrong with any James Brown record. He seemed to be pushing boundaries every chance he got. Sure he pushed his musicians in inhumane ways, sure he was an asshole, sure he was abusive to everyone, including himself, but damn did the man see results. Name another person who's every name defines a genre of music like, James Brown. Mozart? 

Arthur Brown:

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown:(1968)

This album contains the irresistible "Fire", enough said. It's not everyday you get an album where one song is worth the price of admission, but here it is. And the rest of the album is super cool as well. Including a killer cover of James Brown's I've Got Money, done like only Arthur Brown could. It was also produced by Kit Lambert, manager for The Who. Long story short, if you dig rock'n'roll, and don't have this album, go get it.

Fire in the 60's:

 

Fire in 2005:

David Bowie:

Lodger: (1979)

Bowie is one of the great Rock'n'Roll changelings, and usually everyone has their favorite Bowie incarnation. Mine was the Berlin period, and Lodger was the last of this period. In fact of the three albums he made during this period, Lodger feels like the one he gave the least damn about having a hit on. Which is possibly why I love this album. The closest this record gets is DJ. Check out Red Money.

Le Grande Storia del Rock: (1981)

This Italian collection of songs from Bowie first album, and B-Sides highlights the period of the Bowie story where he was trying, sometime desperately to fit in with European psychedelic scene, a la Syd Barrett era Floyd. I'm sure there are some of these songs the artist wishes weren't out there. 

Let's Dance:(1983)

Well, he had a few hits on this album, didn't he? However, for the record, I prefer the Iggy Pop Version of China Girl, but I understand why Bowie wanted to cut his on version of the collaboration, and in fairness, his version was bigger. I own this album because of my love of Steve Ray Vaughan's playing, and his involvement with this album. His guitar solo on Let's Dance adds a wonderful juxtaposition the slicker sound of the Bowie/Nile Rodgers production. Overall, this is a pretty classic album.

Tin Machine:(1989)

Bowie has made some interesting side trips in his career, and this is one of those. In fact it yielded two albums. It starts out as Bowie fronting an 80's style hard rock band, complete with thin shreddery guitars, but then it's starts morphing into a true bowie weird album. I Can't Read is a key track on this one.