Tom Waits, Franks Wild Years

Years back in college, I'd been reading lots of music press and the critics were all extolling the virtues of Tom Waits. Never having heard any of it (it's not like he gets a lot of radio air-play!), I went out and bought Franks Wild Years. It was one of those "where has this guy been all my life" moments. I immediately wore out the record and started buying everything else he ever did.

It's a "crumbling beauty" of a record - full of disonance, odd instrumentation, growling vocals but packed with beautiful moments. Its a challenge to listen to but moments like "Blow Wind Blow", "I'll Be Gone", "Yesterday Is Here" all make for spine-tingling moments if you can get past the oddness of it all.

Personally, I think Wait's albums after this went a bit over-the-top in wierdness - sometimes too hard to listen to without enough beauty. The trio formed by Rain Dogs, Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years make for an unparalleled afternoon if you ever get the time.

Nirvana, MTV Unplugged in New York

When I was a teenager, I loved live albums. Rush "Exit Stage Left", The Kinks "One For The Road", Zeppelin's "Song Remains the Same", Genesis "Seconds Out" and others - they seemed, at the time, a great way to hear the best songs of a band and I got a kick out of the "live sound".

As I got older, I lost the interest. Live albums seemed to lose their shine as I started to see that there was a reason that a lot of bands spend a lot of time in the studio doing re-takes, overdubs, etc. In the studio, bands could get it right whereas live, you get what you get.

That changed with this one. The "unplugged" series as a whole was a fun idea giving performers a chance to spin their hits a different way. This one though shines. First, Nirvana chose a relatively obscure set list including Meat Puppets and Bowie songs and choosing to leave out their biggest hits (no Teen Spirit here). But, the raw sound of Kurt Cobain is truly mesmerizing. Listen to the climax of "Where did you sleep last night" - if ever someone sang from a "tortured soul", this is it.

It's not perfect - the band screws up here and there but I've never heard a live album with so many spine-chilling musical moments. RIP Kurt and Nirvana. For all your greatness in the studio, this live album is your greatest recorded moment.

Elliot Smith, XO

So I watched Good Will Hunting a few years ago and absolutely loved the soundtrack. It was downhill from there - I was hooked on Elliott Smith, got everything he ever released and love it all. To me, he's become one of those "changed the world" kind of performers to me. The powerful lyrics, beautiful melodies, unique arrangements and guitar work - it's so right.

Anyway, picked up XO today for background listening at work. It's more polished than his earlier "voice, guitar, sounds like it was recorded in a basement" CD's but not as over-orchestrated as the later "Figure 8" tends to be.

It does have some of my favorite Elliot moments: "I'm never gonna know you now but I'm gonna love you anyhow" from Waltz #2 still ranks as one of the great lines in music to me. "Tomorrow, tomorrow" is simply beautiful. "Pitseleh" - powerful. Basically love it all.

If you want to discover Elliot, this may not be the best CD to start with (maybe "Either/Or" - is has more of the "hits" such as they are) but to me, this one may be his best work!

Radiohead, OK Computer

So I kind of missed the last 15 years music wise- busy being a husband and a dad and was overwhelmed by nursery ryhmes and country music. That's changed now.

Reading various press, looking over various "most influential", "most important" and "greatest of all time" lists you see Radiohead everywhere. I missed the boat on them but it's time to take a hard look at what the fuss is all about. I knew "Creep" (a great song) but that was about it.

Listening to OK Computer for the first time in earnest. I've dipped into it before but never really given it a proper chance. I'm still not sure I see what all the fuss is about. The music is creative, slightly Beatle-esque, clever but I don't see the whole alure yet. Maybe after a few listens.

Paranoid Android is a great song though, no question - something I will add to a "favorites" playlist sometime. The rest of the album - well, it's good but I'm not sure it's "that" good. Time will tell.

Oh - I must remember to wait until I have finished listening before posting! In the end, it was a good listen - I found myself really enjoying the last track "The Tourist" as well. To me, it's always a good indication when I don't want a track to end!

First post

OK, so my uncle is a classical music nut. Whenever he listens to a CD or whatever, he posts on his blog letting the world know what he things of it. Here's my attempt at the same thing, although, not from a classical perspective.

My tastes are pretty wide-ranging. When I finally get my mp3's organized properly, I will post an album list so you can see what I mean. In the meantime, let me critique the music I am listening too.

All comments welcome...