My Favorite Records
Fugees: The Score
The Offspring: Americana
Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction
Pearl Jam: No Code
Michael Jackson: Dangerous
My criteria is that the music should be exciting, the music should create a mood or a feeling, music should move you. All of these do that. All in their own way, of course.
The Fugees are way up there simply because even after all these years, after the number of times I’ve listened to that record (my first copy was a tape, I played so often it broke, and then I bought another copy, and THAT broke, now I have the CD, and my sister bought the CD for herself, so that’s four copies of the same record), I still love it. I don’t know, it speaks to me.
People find the Offspring to be kind of annoying. I’m not sure why that is – though, this is the only CD I own of theirs, in fact I’ve never listened to any of their other CDs. But this record is flat out awesome. It works – there is no one song out of place. No song that says, this could’ve done better, or it’s just filler. It’s perfect.
Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction was my introduction to metal, and my on again / off again love interest with the guitar. It’s not metallica – is harder, it’s faster, it’s wilder, it’s brilliant.
No Code: I have all the records of Pearl Jam, yet I love this one, one of the least liked PJ records made. “Red Mosquito” excites me as much as “Hail, Hail”. “Lukin’” is quite easily my most favorite song, even though it’s only 45 seconds long.
Michael Jackson’s Dangerous is just that. Barring his recent personal issues, which deeply sadden and infuriate me, he is a phenomenal performer. It’s hard to separate the two, and it’s sad really, because of his personal problems I can’t properly enjoy the music that I used to listen to hours on end (stop, rewind, play – on and on and on). This record from start to finish was a brilliant piece of work, and most of the world agreed, buying this record en masse. It’s tragic he had to ruin his life in such a fashion, and I really abhor what he is, or has become, because he was one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
Some records that get special honors are:
Pearl Jam: Vitalogy; Linkin Park: Hybrid Theory; Bad Religion: (Every goddamned record they’ve made); Metallica: S&M; Fonky Family: Marginale Musique
Favorite Bands
For one reason or another, there are certain bands and certain musicians I gravitate towards. That is, not only am I enamored with one song or one record, but their works as a whole.
Bad Religion – A punk rock band founded in the 70s, they’ve always followed the scientific method and demanded truth of everyone and everything. Wait, a punk band not enamored with women? Is it true?! It certainly is – Bad Religion is a band with passion and conviction. That, and they’re just a really damned good band, even if you don’t buy into the political mularkey.
www.badreligion.com
Pearl Jam – the venerable band of the 80s. Their music was typecast into a mold called ‘grunge’, where every angsty teen and young adult gravitated toward their music (as did I). Years later, listening to their music, there’s a whole different understanding of the world through their lyrics, through the intonation and reverberations, and I imagine when I’m forty I’ll feel the same way, but with a different understanding.
www.pearljam.com
Jurassic 5 – There are distinctions between ‘rap’ and ‘hip-hop’. In the most cynical view, ‘rap’ is the commercialized stuff you hear on the radio. Hip-hop is the underground, with lyrics and soul. Jurassic 5 is the latter, and in many ways the leader of the hip-hop movement.
www.jurassic5.com
Fonky Family – When in France, do as the downtrodden french. We walked into this salon which sold knick-knacks, looking for the usual ‘we’re in france let’s get some trinkets’ song and dance when I spotted Fonky Family playing on a TV way in the back. They harken to the Run D.M.C. days but! have Dr. Dre beats. Furthermore, they aren’t rapping about ‘bringing love back to the ghetto’, they are in the ghetto, and their lyrics are political.
www.fonkyfamily.com
K-Os – A friend from work gave me an mp3 cd. I sat in a darkened parking lot excited to finally try out the mp3 feature of my newly purchased car when ‘Fantastique’ came on. I was immediately enraptured.
www.k-osmusic.com
Jay-Z – Has there ever been a musician that’s transcended boundaries? He took the acceptability of Dr. Dre in the mainstream and ran with it. Sure, there’s a lot of people that don’t like him for not being a true ‘rapper’, but there is no denying that his music is fun.
www.rocafella.com
Spooks – The best band you’ve never heard of. Another hip hop group, that at first glance is like the Fugees, but upon deeper inspection, they’re much, much greater than that. Expressive, soulful, artistic – they bring something to the hip hop world that has been long missing.
The Spooks
Megadeth – One friend complained that they were nothing but guitar riffs. That is probably very well true; but nothing changes the fact that these musicians are, hands down, only a handful of gifted musicians who’ve taken their ability to play their respective instruments to an other-worldly level. I’m certain no one can touch these guys, in metal, or in any genre. Amazing.
www.megadeth.com
Beethoven – The 9th Symphony in D Minor is truly my favorite work of his. What can I say that hasn’t been said by the very fact that this composer is known more than two centuries after his death? Ironically, his music was my least favorite until recently – now I really can’t stop listening to his masterpieces.
The Life and Works of Beethoven
Michael Jackson – Even after those unfortunate circumstances, I can still say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’ll never cease being an MJ fan. Why? The King of Pop, well, he is just that. It’s a genre that is typically challenged by its typecast, that a hit today isn’t one tomorrow. His music has transcended the genre, and transcended his country of origin.
www.michaeljackson.com
Ani DiFranco – Why is she on the list? Because she’s intriguing. Lisa is a devoted fan; I like her for a different reason. The music she’s most popular (among those circles) is actually the music I’m least interested in. She’s passionate, and poetic.
www.righteousbabe.com/ani/
Types of Music
I’m inspired by all types of music, including: Alternative, Metal, Rap, Hip-Hop, Country, Folk, Jazz, Big Band and Swing, Rhythm & Blues, Classical, Techno, and Dance. I also listen to and enjoy music of different languages (even though I may not understand a word of it), including: French, Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Malayalam, and Spanish.