Musically Speaking

Not that much has been happening of late, so I thought I'd write about something that plays an important role in my life- music. I'm not a musician (though I'd love to play the guitar one of these days), but as with many other people, music has left an indelible mark on me many times throughout my life. Music can affect you in so many ways- it can make you sad, happy, pensive, excited or relaxed. It can be romantic, aggressive, fun, deep, light, sentimental or energizing. Music can range from the beautiful to the disgusting to the ridiculous, and everything in between.

The first songs I can ever remember liking were "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", "Hound Dog" and the theme from the Pink Panther. Some of my first memories of listening to music are from the days before I even went to school, when Mom would take us around on her errands, and we'd listen to the radio in our Toyota Corona. Songs like "Let 'em In" by Paul McCartney, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" by Tony Orlando and "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band were some of the songs I remember from those days. I think the first group I ever really liked was the Bee Gees. In fact, the first record I ever bought was a 45 of "Stayin' Alive". I even remember seeing them on the Merv Griffin show at my grandma's house when I was probably 8 years old. I've probably lost the younger readers by now.

We also had an 8-track tape player at home and in my dad's truck. My parents had stuff like Linda Ronstadt, Kenny Rogers and Oldies But Goodies. Of course, we also listened to what would become one of my all-time favorite albums on 8-track, Parallel Lines by Blondie.

I was in fifth grade when I bought my first album, Crimes of Passion by Pat Benetar. That album still holds up pretty well- she rocked. My second album was Escape by Journey. I bought records- 45s, 12" singles and albums- till I was about 17. Actually, from about 15 to 17 I probably bought more cassettes than records. Then I got my first CD player- a Discman (I still have it!) that I could plug into my car dash with a cassette adapter. I remember I couldn't believe how clear and great CDs sounded. I think my first CD was Black Celebration or possibly Catching Up With by Depeche Mode; I can't remember for sure. Of course, I then wanted all my favorite albums on CD, but that took awhile.

Currently, I only have one foot on the MP3 bandwagon. I've been downloading songs from iTunes for about a year, around one per week. At $.99 per song, they're cheaper than singles were 25 years ago, and iTunes is really convenient. It's a great way to get just those one or two songs that you really like, instead of buying the entire album. However, I notice a definite decrease in sound quality with MP3s; they sound "thinner" to me. So, while they're great for that one song, if it's an album I want, I still go with the CD.

The first radio station I really remember listening to was on AM, and it was called The Mighty 690. It was out of San Diego, and it was basically a Top 40 station. That's back when the Top 40 actually had some good music. After that, I remember listening to KIQQ FM in L.A., where I first started to hear "New Wave" (currently referred to as "Alternative")- Depeche Mode, Human League, Berlin, Missing Persons, etc. I was in junior high at the time. Once I got into high school, it was KROQ all the way. In junior high and high school I was New Wave, as opposed to Heavy Metal- those were the two basic groups you fell into back then. Funny how the music you listened to determined how you'd be described, and to a degree, what clothes you wore. I remember being into groups like Frankie Goes to Hollywood, General Public, The Cure, Dead or Alive, New Order, Love and Rockets and many others.

Hip-Hop starting becoming popular when I was a junior in high school, much to my chagrin. With the rare exception, I still think Hip-Hop sucks. In fact, I think Rap/Hip-Hop "culture" in general is pathetic- but I'll save that for another post.

Right out of high school, I went through a brief Techno phase. But through the 90s I sort of lost interest in most new music. There was some good stuff- Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Bjork, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sublime and some good Electronica- but overall, I found it lacking. For me, it was mostly a time to delve into foundation of Rock- the Stones, Beatles, Doors, Chuck Berry, etc., and become more of a student of Rock history.

I think there's been some better stuff coming out in the last 5 or 6 years- Coldplay, White Stripes, The Strokes, Groove Armada, Franz Ferdinand, Sufjan Stevens, Secret Machines. But even the stuff that's heralded as some great return to rock/pop, like The Killers, Arctic Monkeys and Bright Eyes, falls short in my opinion. They don't compare to their predecessors from the late 60s through early 80s.

Of course, I think Top 40 has been virtually unlistenable for the last 15 years. Please- Outkast, 50 Cent, N'Sync, Jessica Simpson, Mariah Carey and Will Smith?! What garbage. Seventies Disco was deep compared to this stuff.

Other stuff I can't get into at all is Metal, Punk, and 99% of Country. If I had to label my favorite kinds of music, I guess I'd say Rock, Alternative, Reggae (especially Seventies and Dub), Electronica and Fifties- and Sixties-era Jazz.

I don't listen to regular radio much for music now. Probably the best station I've ever heard is Radio Paradise, which is an online station. They play an outstanding mix of old and new, Classic Rock, Alternative, Electronica, Reggae even the best of Classical and Classic Country. It's simply the best of what I consider to be the best genres. I've discovered some really good stuff there in the last year or so.

If I listen to music on regular radio, it's usually KCRW (an eclectic mix of all kinds of stuff, with a lot of new music and imports), sometimes KLOS (Classic Rock) and sometimes JACK, which is kind of a guilty pleasure. JACK is kinda cool but also kinda weird- they play a totally random mix of stuff, like an iPod on Shuffle mode. You'll hear Prince, followed by Led Zepplin, then Seal, then The Knack, then Tone-Loc, then Bjork, then Bob Seger, and so forth. I can't get into KROQ anymore- it's too much kid's stuff for me.

Besides Radio Paradise, another way for me to discover great music is Amazon.com. If there's a certain artist or CD you like, you can look it up, and you'll find customer lists of the best in similar music, with great descriptions and suggestions. Of course, you can also listen to samples of almost every track of every CD, which helps tremendously (remember when you just bought a CD without being able to listen to it first?! I can't imagine doing that now.). I've probably found more music on Amazon in the last 5 years than anywhere else. Plus, their prices and service are great, and they always have what you're looking for.

Speaking of buying music, my favorite actual stores are Hear Music in Santa Monica (impeccable selection, despite being bought by Starbucks), Amoeba in Hollywood (huge selection of used CDs) and Fingerprints in Belmont Shore (great little independent shop).

My latest musical exploration involves "Alt-Country." The word "Country" usually makes me want to run for the hills, but Country-flavored rock is something I've been getting into more and more over the last couple of years. I think it started with the Stones' Beggar's Banquet and Exile on Main St., which have a lot of Country influence. Johnny Cash has some cool stuff, and even Willie Nelson can be kinda cool. But it's the Stones and the Byrd's Sweetheart of the Rodeo which sent me in the Alt-Country direction, and I've been getting into Gram Parsons and The Flying Burrito Brothers' stuff. And I just got a CD from a band called Whiskeytown, which was a 90s band heavily influenced by Parsons. It's a pretty decent album, but I think the whole genre is somewhat limited.

Well, although it's hard to narrow down my favorite music to fit on a convenient little list, I'm going to try to list my favorite artists and albums:

All-Time Favorite Artists:

The Rolling Stones (the '68-74 Mick Taylor era, in particular)

David Bowie

Blondie

Coldplay

Sade

English Beat/General Public

The Cardigans

The Beatles

Depeche Mode

Second Tier:

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Fleetwood Mac

Chris Isaak

Beck

Steely Dan

Miles Davis

John Coltrane

Bob Marley

The White Stripes

Honorable Mention:

Bryan Ferry/Roxy Music

Steve Miller Band

Gram Parsons

The Smiths

Jane's Addiction

Chuck Berry

The Doors

The Beach Boys

Tom Petty

The Who

Chet Baker

Smashing Pumpkins

Knocking on the Door:

Air

Groove Armada

Bjork

King Tubby

U2

Chemical Brothers

Underworld

Lenny Kravitz

Ben Harper

ELO

Nirvana

Jimi Hendrix

Peter Tosh

The Black Crowes

John Lennon

Paul McCartney

Adam and the Ants

The Police

This is even more difficult, but here's my attempt at my 15 favorite albums ever (no greatest hits collections or compilations allowed):

Sticky Fingers- The Rolling Stones

Diamond Dogs- David Bowie

Parallel Lines- Blondie

Californication- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Long Gone Before Daylight- The Cardigans

A Rush of Blood to the Head- Coldplay

Let it Be...Naked- The Beatles

Let's Dance- David Bowie

All the Rage- General Public

I Just Can't Stop It- The English Beat

Promise- Sade

Kind of Blue- Miles Davis

Get Your Ya-Ya's Out- The Rolling Stones

Abbey Road- The Beatles

Information Inspiration- Shuggie Otis

Close Behind:

Exile on Main Street- The Rolling Stones

Goats Head Soup- The Rolling Stones

Revolver- The Beatles

Some Great Reward- Depeche Mode

Violator- Depeche Mode

Soul Station- Hank Mobley

Hours- David Bowie

Station to Station- David Bowie

Vertigo- Groove Armada

Gish- Smashing Pumpkins

Moon Safari- Air

Rumours- Fleetwood Mac

San Francisco Days- Chris Isaak

Soundtrack to Kama Sutra

Dreams of Freedom- (Bob Marley in Ambient Dub)- Bill Laswell

There are many more songs, albums and artists that I really like, but I suppose this is a good general overview. I'd also like to get into detail about certain artists, albums or songs, but I can save that for "CD of the Week" reviews in the future.

I'm curious as to which, if any, of your favorite albums or artists are mentioned here. Feel free to leave a list if you're so inclined. Thanks for reading- until next time...