The list under our discussion, "75 Albums Every Man Should Own," is one of Esquire's millions of lists of 75 things (in honor of their 75th anniversary), and comprises a scintillating mix of things I haven't heard by artists I like or admire (Willie Nelson, David Bowie, Dire Straits), artists I've never listened to, or at least not much (Minor Threat, Cody Chesnutt, Bill Callahan), and artists I hate, viscerally (KISS). Oh, and recordings I know and love: What's Going On, Rubber Soul, The Bends, Blood on the Tracks, Combat Rock, Who's Next, Grace.
Now: What recordings would I say that every human needs to hear? I cannot give you 75, but perhaps, in honor of my blog's almost 4th anniversary, I could choose four, or eight, or twelve. Or maybe I could, instead of saying what's essential, or required listening, or de rigueur, or something like that . . . I could just say, here are a bunch of artists who hardly ever, if ever, let me down:
- Emmylou Harris
- Gillian Welch
- Keith Jarrett
- Brad Mehldau
- Lindsey Buckingham
- any of them there Wainwrights
- The Beatles, Beck, The Who
- Mavis Staples
- Van Morrison
- Neil Young
- Nellie McKay
- Patti Smith
- Richard Thompson
- Rickie Lee Jones
I'll add Joni Mitchell, who has become so cranky lately that it's hard to say she never disappoints, but still. That's eighteen, not a multiple of four in any way that I can think of, but it's a little list of, maybe, kind of, some of the crucial artists for me.
And yours?
