Some things interested me in this latest digest...
ROCK SOLID
IN THE TWILIGHT DAYS OF THE '90S, HERE ARE 50 REASONS WHY IT HAS BEEN
A GREAT DECADE FOR MUSIC
I own 12 of those albums, have heard 7 more, have heard of 28 beyond that,
and have never heard of only 3 of those records. I don't see the list as
particularly snobby as some do. Many of those records were in the Top 40 at
one point or another. I'm sure if *I* made a list the snobbiness factor
would be way way above this guy. I don't even think his choices were that
bad; taking a huge genre (such as EVERYTHING from the 90s!) it isn't
surprising that his personal tastes would match up with mine from one to
fifty.
And since I'm a listlover I'm glad he made it. I'll read almost anything in
list form (including digest headings.)
And since I've just outted myself as a listlover here is my alltime desert
island disc list.
1. Billy Bragg - Talking with the Taxman About Poetry
2. Townes Van Zandt - Live at the Old Quarter in Houston, TX
3. Hank Williams - The Complete Hank Williams
4. Damned - Damned Damned Damned
5. Stanley Brothers - Complete Columbia Recordings
6. Uncle Tupelo - Still Feel Gone
7. Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
8. Pogues - Rum, Sodomy and the Lash
9. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones
10. Bob Wills - The Tiffany Transcriptions
(I'll sneak this one on the island too...)
11. Highwoods String Band - Feed Your Babies Onions
Just missing the cut was Husker Du "New Day Rising", the Replacements "Tim",
the Descendents "Milo Goes to College", Miracle Legion "Drenched" and a few
others.
Phil clipped:
25. Wilco, "Summerteeth" (Reprise)
Young roots-rock band makes its own version of the Beach Boys'
"Pet Sounds" (to be released March 9).
Jamie said:
Heresy! Heresy! No one can touch the spooky intensity and giddy weirdness
of
"Pet Sounds", dammit!
Don't get me started on the Beach Boys!
From: Don Yates [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Tom Russell's new one
Didn't someone refer to this as the best album ever, or some such
hyperbole? After one listen, I'd give it an award for one of the more
sleep-inducing albums I've heard in quite awhile, but that's about it
I like how Don doesn't hold back. :^) Here's what I think about this album
(and many of Tom's others): I love the idea of making an album about your
roots, I love the musicians on the album, I love the songs, and I love the
guests. And as much as I love Tom, I have to say that I love him more like
a father. A father who is really nice and talented, but sometimes does
things that make you say "Aww dad, stop it. You're embarassing me!"
It's the singing voice. I've never liked that kind of sound. And when you
couple that with him singing about some woman taking off her red dress (like
on his Rose album) it gives me THE SHIVERS.
I've seen Tom quite a few times in concert and I always enjoy myself. I
think he's incredibly talented...I'd just rather hear and watch Dave Alvin
singing his songsor Iris Dement. :^)
Say, any folk fans out there hear John Wesley Harding's new record of
(retired English folk singer/guitarist) Nic Jones songs? I've never
been much of a Harding fan, but he does a really nice job with Jones's
repetoire. Just him singing, with Robert Lloyd helping out on acoustic
guitar. While I await Kelly Willis's new one, this will keep my ears
happy (for a few hours at least).
Once again John Wesley harding gives folk a good name. I just got this one
this morning and I really like it. I knew I would, though, because I really
like Nic Jones and I didn't see how Wes could screw up any of his songs.
This is his best album since that one with Kill the Messenger on it. Whoo,
that was a great one.
Jon said:
"IN THE TWILIGHT DAYS OF THE '90S, HERE
ARE 50 REASONS WHY IT HAS BEEN A GREAT DECADE FOR MUSIC" - a leap has been
made from "rock, pop and hip hop" to "music," and the former doesn't cover
a
number of streams of "music," including at least one, i.e., country, that
certainly appears to have some appeal to a general/mainstream audience.
It's the title's implicit equation of r,phh with all of music, or even all
of popular music (i.e., excluding classical), that frosts me.
Lighten up, Francis. g Of course an article is going to be based on the
personal experience of the writer. And if I remember correctly, Greg Kot is
the music writer for the Chicago tribune that writes about the type of music
in his list. The article is written by a human, therefore personal taste
will be implicit. *I* could say that the 90s have been a great decade for
music because of the records by Uncle Tupelo, Snuff, Gillian Welch,
Varnaline, Jerry Holland, etc etc and just because I didn't list avant garde
classical, hip hop, mathrock or emocore doesn't mean my statement isn't
true. If Greg Kot says that the 90s were a great decade of music because of
those 50 albums he listed then more power to him. If Jon Weisberger says the
90s
