Music is essential

My friend, George, started a list (because the world is crazy for "best of" lists) of his 50 favorite albums. This got me thinking about a list of my own. I gathered cds into stacks. Listed my vinyl and tapes. Got distracted. Played a computer game. And realized that I don't have the attention span for a list. Besides, it's just too hard to play the favorites game. While one album might be brilliant for a road trip, another might be a soundtrack for utter depression.

The album itself is a fading art form. In a generation of iPod shuffling and per-song downloads, it isn't often that people listen to an album from start to finish anymore. And that's a shame. The best albums are intended to be heard as a whole. They have a common thread between the songs, be it a sound or a theme. The songs have a logical progression, a flow between fast songs and ballads. On the best albums, every aspect of the album comes together cohesively. The songs themselves are well written, the musicianship unparalleled, the singers voice an instrument blending with the music, and the production… here's my thing about production. The best producers are the ones that do their job so well, that you don't even think about the mix or the instruments being played. They let the songs exist with odd little noises in the background, they don't add in unnecessary flourishes, they have a light touch and let the music just be.

Back to my friend, George. I'm afraid I don't have his eloquence for describing music, or even share the depth of his musical collection. I encourage you to check out his blog to see his ongoing list of his top 50, and to read the prose of someone who can actually write. The guy has incredible music taste. I will quote him on this "I don't own every album. I only own what I own." I don't buy every cd that comes out. I don't rank amongst the upper echelons of music elitism that own every album by every "influential" and "essential" artist that exists. I have a hard enough time keeping up with the new music that is blowing my face off, without trying to play catch up with the back catalogue of every legend on the planet. Besides, nobody needs someone telling them that they need to be listening to Bob Dylan, or Neil Young. That's really kind of a given, isn't it?

So, instead of a top whatever list, I'm just going to randomly talk about some albums that I really think everyone should own. They are beautiful – some achingly so. Some are old, some new. I am a creature of habit, obsession, and repetition so you will undoubtedly see multiple albums by certain artists listed. Stay tuned if you're interested. Fuck off if you're not. (Just kidding. Sort of.)

Up first: Dulcinea

Edit: This post was originally written on 10/19/06, but I never finished my list. I'm bumping this to force myself to continue with my list. We'll see how that works out...