I fiddled with it a little and decided that an update was in order. Actually just an addition. I'm leaving the original list alone, but expanding the overall list to 24 with the conditions that the additional nine all have to be either from the last nine years or from artists I didn't know before then. The only way artists from before can be included is if they were in a group and now are performing on their own.
So 1-15 are the same, 16-24 are new.
Enjoy:
1. "The Pretender," Jackson Browne -- Before the abuse allegations, before he became obsessed with politics, there was this great 1977 album. Lots of terrific songs -- Linda Paloma, Daddy's Song, Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate -- but it's the title song that still speaks to me 32 years later. "I'm gonna be a happy idiot, and struggle for the legal tender ..."
2. "Buffalo Springfield," Buffalo Springfield -- This 1967 album was the earliest incarnation of guys who would later go on to be some of the biggest stars in rock 'n' roll, foremost Stephen Stills and Neil Young. Others from the group would go on to form Poco, and Jim Messina, who wasn't on this album, would be half of Loggins & Messina. Everybody remembers "For What It's Worth," but other haunting songs like "Mr. Soul" spoke to the angst of the late '60s. The group only did three albums, but their work still sounds fresh.
3. "Abbey Road," the Beatles -- A tough call for the greatest of them all, but this final Beatles collaboration, released in the fall of '69, really did have everything. "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
4. "The River," Bruce Springsteen -- Another tough call, because Springsteen has done so many wonderful albums, but this 1982 effort -- coming in the middle of a major recession -- said so much about the disappearing American Dream and the folks who got left out of it.
5. "Music From Big Pink," the Band -- They started as Dylan's backup band, but became major stars -- and major influences -- all by themselves. It's impossible to listen to this album and not be moved.
6. "Pleasures of the Harbor," Phil Ochs -- He started as a protest singer and was always sort of the poor man's Bob Dylan, but this lovely 1968 (?) album showed that in addition to writing angry songs, he could also deliver some beautiful music. It still makes me sad to listen to it, knowing that Ochs committed suicide in the mid '70s because he felt he could no longer write.
7. "Blonde on Blonde," Bob Dylan -- 1965, I think, although it might have been '66. Dylan's double album, with some of his finest work. "Just Like a Woman" remains a wonderful song, but I still get a kick out of listening to those Dylanesque lyrics in songs like "Stuck Inside of Mobile With Those Memphis Blues Again."
8. "Hotel California," the Eagles -- Their next-to-last album before breaking up for 20 years, this 1978 effort was without question the peak effort for the most popular band of the 1970s. "You can check out any time you want, but you can never leave."
9. "Shooting Straight in the Dark," Mary-Chapin Carpenter -- A wonderful singer who is a real person, not some media creation. She started in the clubs of Washington, D.C., and has been successful both in country and folk genres. This album makes the cut mostly for the wonderful "Down at the Twist and Shout."
10. "Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me The Pliers," Firesign Theatre -- Not music, but a 1971 album nonetheless, maybe the funniest, most complex comedy album ever made. It's so layered that I swear I was still hearing new stuff the 20th time I listened to it. "And there's hamburger all over the highway in Mystic, Connecticut." Nearly 40 years and no one has matched it, let alone surpassed it.
11. "Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads," Jimmy Buffett -- I've tried to stay away from greatest hits collections, but Buffett's box set is one of the best. So many amazing, wonderful songs, including many that were simply forgotten album cuts like "California Promises." The guy has made a damn good living as a cult figure and probably has had a better life than if he had been playing stadiums.
12. "All Summer Long," the Beach Boys -- Of course "Pet Sounds" was a better album, but the one that really affected me the most was this 1964 collection that told the world just how wonderful it was to be young in the California summertime. And I don't know that there was ever a more serendipitous song placement in a movie than the title track over the closing credits of "American Graffiti."
13. "Stax: the Singles Collection, 1959-68," various artists -- The Motown bands with their slick sound made a lot more money, but it was the Memphis sound of Stax that was rawer and more soulful. This 1989 collection had it all, from Carla Thomas to Otis Redding, and it was wonderful to see the remaining Stax artists do a 50th anniversary show at the Hollywood Bowl two years ago. I still love "Private Number," and William Bell sounded great.
14. "In Search of the Lost Chord," the Moody Blues -- This 1968 album took rock to a new place, a place filled with beauty and mystical songs. "Timothy Leary's dead ..." A wonderful album that could never be recreated on stage.
15."Sticky Fingers," 1971 -- My favorite Stones album, not just for the zipper on the album cover (too bad, CD owners), but for wonderful songs like "Dead Flowers" and "Moonlight Mile," not to mention of course the happy, bouncy "Brown Sugar." Jagger at his best.
***
16. "Back to Black," Amy Winehouse -- An old-time torch singer who cashed in her chips way too soon. In the late '60s, some major stars -- Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and others -- died at 28. Winehouse died at 27, and it was the usual cause. Living too hard. She only did a few albums, and this was the best of them. A real shame.
17."No Pier Pressure," Brian Wilson -- Who knew? It was just three years ago that I discovered the man who was the soul of the Beach Boys had done nearly a dozen solo albums. I've bought them all since, and two years ago saw Brian and his band perform on stage in St. Petersburg, Fla. For nearly 24 months now, Wilson's "Sail Away" has been just about my favorite song.
18. "It's the Girls," Bette Midler -- This 2014 release is an amazing tribute to the girl groups of the early '60s, with songs like "One Fine Day," "Baby it's You" and the underrated "He's Sure the Boy I Love" getting the Divine Miss M treatment. A joy to listen to.
19. "Southern Style," Darius Rucker -- Hootie is pretty good solo too. Darius Rucker's 2015 makes you want to be southern, from "Half Full Dixie Cup" to 14 others. A classic.
20. "Songs from the Silver Screen," Jackie Evancho -- Evancho was 11 when she recorded most of these songs, but her voice is so much more mature -- and lovely.
21. "1989," Taylor Swift -- My first exposure came a few years back when I saw Jackie Evancho performing "Blank Space" off Swift's megahit album. I checked out the original, liked it a lot, and liked "Stay Stay Stay" from "red" even more. A great album.
22. "Wildlife," Rachel Platten -- Within the space of a few years, Platten's "Fight Song" has become an anthem for all sorts of purposes, from cancer patients to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. She said she wrote it to keep herself plugging ahead in the music business. Whatever, it's the highlight of a nice album.
23. "Three Ring Circus," Tim Flannery and Lunatic Fringe -- I tell people Flannery is the coolest guy I know. He's the only person I know to play more than a decade of major league baseball AND have his own band and do half a dozen CDs. The three rings in the title refer to World Series rings he won in 2010, 2012 and 2014 as the San Francisco Giants' third base coach.
24. "Provoked," Sunny Sweeney -- A lot of the recent albums I really like have been girl singers, and Sweeney is a country singer. She's got an attitude and something to say. "Front Row Seats"is one of the best satiric songs I've heard in a while.
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