In your CD player
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Well All Right - Buddy Holly
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The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle - Bruce Springsteen Love this album. His second from 1973. It may not be his most representative, but this is the young Bruce, at his wildest poetic and stream of consiousness. It's musically progressive and searching (for a style) that he found with "Born to Run" in 1975 and cutting things down to the bone. He may not have been as widely popular if he continued with this, but musically it's adventurous and fun to listen to. It's his 'jazz' album.
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Born the Run - Bruce Springsteen The 1975 album that starts the feverish period of classic Springsteen albums; Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge Town, The River, Nerbraska, Born in the USA. 1975-1984. There is not one song on these 5 albums in a row which is not a classic. One of the most incredible races in rock history ever
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Darkness on the Edge of Town - Bruce Springsteen It took Springsteen three years to follow "Born to Run", because of a legal twist. Three years was a long time in the 70s. It's also an album with a much darker mood. Where Born to Run was dreamy are Darkness a place where dreams are dreams; a moment of escape from reality.
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The River - Bruce Springsteen 1980. The first Springsteen album I ever heard. On a cassette when I was 13. Perhaps I could not understand English one hundred percent, but there was something about his voice that spoke to me, and the incredible sound of The E Street Band... It's a double album and I still consider it my Springsteen favorite. Not because it's better but you can find everything Bruce on it. From pensive ballads to mindless rockers. Serious and fun go hand in hand.
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Nebraska - Bruce Springsteen I remember I bought this when it came out, in 1982. I loved "The River" so much. But I can't remember that I played it much until I've played the much more catchy next album "Born in the USA" to death in 1984-85. My understanding of "Nebraska" probably peaked in 1987-89, when I listened to much darker music than I did in the early 80s. I remember I listened intensely to "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" at the time and I disovered The Doors and played a lot of contemporary underground records; R.E.M, The Smiths, Violent Femmes... Springsteen also had this kind of mid-life crises album with "Tunnel of Love" in 1987.
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That Thing You Do - Wonders [size=7] (fake band from movie)
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Ys - Joanna Newsom 2006. I remember I read a review where "Ys" was compared to Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" (196. The sheer otherworldyness. It's an album that is its own world completely. Both innovative and centuries old at the same time. Van Dyke Parks, who collaborated on "Smile" with Brian Wilson (and Ringo...) is the string arranger on "Ys". One of my favorite albums in recent years.
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Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll - Chuck Berry LP. Original motion picture soundtrack. 1987. Live recording from the film featuring Keith Richards in the band. I've seen backstage films from rehearsals where Chuck takes on the primadonna and treats Keith like he is nobody. And Keith is so overbearing with his idol. You just have to laugh. I saw Chuck Berry live in Oslo in 1987 myself. Backed by the Norgwegian rock&roll band New Jordal Swingers. He is a piece of music history. Especially his recordings in the late 50s, it was so influential... In 1971 he had his last hit single with the silly "My Ding-a-Ling". He didn't have the creativity to go on like a McCartney and create masterpieces through the decades. But then agian, how many does...
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Homo Erraticus - Ian Anderson 2014 release. Ian Anderson had an intense creative period with Jethro Tull in the 70s. The 80s-90s was a difficult period for progressive rock bands to exist. One had to work towards the flow. I've always found it listenable although there is a different energy to later Jethro Tull. Also, Ian Anderson had problems with his voice in this period and sounded like a hoarse brother of Mark Knophler. He made some enjoyable folkish solo albums in the 00's. Lots of flute. In 2012, he made a sequel to the 1972 prog-classic "Thick as a Brick" which was surprisingly good, followed by "Homo Erraticus", another concept-album and even more musically exiting. There leave no doubt; Ian Anderson is enjoying a late career renaissance, making some of the best music of his recording career.
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Ship Of Fools - Doors
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The Mask And The Mirror ~ Loreena Mckennitt
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Solar Flares Burn for You - Robert Wyatt 2003. Odds and sods compilation. Recorded during the period of 1972 to 1974. So much good here that I almost count it as a studio album. At least essential Robert Wyatt. His cover of Danny Kaye's "Little Child" makes me laugh every time I hear it. Wyatt has never been afraid to experiment so far out that it sounds like it is made at the cuckoo's nest. Where all great art comes from, if you think about it.
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Straight, No Chaser - Thelonius Monk 1967. I'm on and off with jazz. But as a pop, rock listener mostly, I've more than often been put the record straight by jazz listeners that the 60s was not only The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, it was Miles Davis and John Coltrane too. And Thelonius Monk. I don't know what he do tecnhically on the piano but I am able to hear that it is very creative and not 'by the book'. It's a challenging listen, every time, because it interferes with conception of what music is, 'the logistics', like "Trout Mask Replica" by Captain Beefheart and other 'avant-garde music'.
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David Bowie - David Bowie 1967. His first selftitled debut album. That Bowie has a sense of humor is apparent in interviews, he is laughing and joking all the time, but he's not always transformed it to music. He's got one foot in 'serious art', the other in 'catchy'. Except in 1967, when he recorded "The Laughing Gnome" and his novelty debut. For many years it was considered outside his canon and his real debut the 1969 "David Bowie" that contained his first hit "Space Oddity". But I think this is a fun album, created by a young Bowie in a 'good mood'. Like a Syd Barrett on candy instead of acid.
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Dust In The Wind - Kansas
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Arcade Fire -no cars go
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Poliushko Polie ~ Andre Rieu
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West 2010 release. This must be the first hip hop album I've purchased because of Paul McCartney. I've read/heard about Kanye West the last ten years but the hip hop scene is not a scene I follow up close. I need to listen more, I got it today, I think It's a bit different to the gangsta rap of the 90s, more varied and closer to pop maybe. Maybe it won't become the most played record my collection but it's still nice to document modern day hip hop in my record collection. Right now I hear a sample from King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man". Hm...
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FourFiveSeconds - Paul & a few friends