What I'm listening to most these days.
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Garbage Garbage |  |
Version 2.0 Garbage |  |
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - Sarah Mclachlan |
Some of the new CD's I bought myself for my birthday. Look for detailed reviews on each as soon as I've given them all a few spins through the player.
 This Desert Life - Counting Crows |
 Amen - Paula Cole |
| Peace - Eurythmics | Supernatural - Santana |
Almost 10 years ago, (spring of 1990 I think), a good friend of mine got married and I was in the wedding party. The bride was from Louisiana as were the bridesmaids. Well, one of the bridesmaids, Sheri, and I hit it off pretty well when she was up here visiting. After the wedding, she and I kept in touch, by phone at first until I got my first $150.00 long distance bill, then by letter.
Since she and I had only spent a total of a week or so together, we began to get to know each other through the phone calls and letters. I decided to send her a tape of some of my favorite songs, along with a letter describing why I chose each one as a way to convey my musical tastes.
The following list is not that list.
For one thing, my tastes have changed over the last 8 years. For another, I can't remember the entire list. However, I do remember the ground rules for the list. First, since I was making a tape, I had to own a copy of the song. Second, the whole list had to fit on one 90 minute cassette. Third, only one song per artist. Solo albums were not counted against bands, so I could allow one Don Henley song and one Eagles song for example.
Oh yeah, if you're wondering, it never worked out. Long distance relationships never do.
All of the albums mentioned can be ordered from amazon.com. I get a referral fee of 5% on each item ordered through them, so not only do you get some great music, but I get paid! Note that the songs are not in any particular order.
| Don Henley - The Heart of the Matter
from The
End of the Innocence I can make a case for Don Henley as one of the great singer/songwriters of the '80's. His three solo albums prove that his voice and lyrics were the best assets of the Eagles. While there are many great songs to choose from, this one really does get down to the Heart of the Matter. I know this one was on the original list, maybe because I was just coming off a break up of a 5 year relationship and this song is the penultimate break up song. "I've been tryin' to get down to the heart of the matter But my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter But I think it's about forgiveness Forgiveness Even if, even if you don't love me anymore." |
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| Bob Dylan - Tangled Up in Blue from Blood
on the Tracks Picking one Dylan song is of course a thankless task, but Blood on the Tracks is the Dylan album for people who don't like Bob Dylan. This tale of a doomed relationship probably contains more words than most albums, but is well worth listening closely to. The focus is entirely on the lyrics here. The backing band lays back and lets Dylan tell his story. I believe this was also on the original list. |
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| Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love from
Tunnel
of Love Choosing one Springsteen song may be even tougher than picking a single Dylan song. I think 8 years ago I picked a song from Darkness on the Edge of Town (might have been Adam Raised a Cain, but I wouldn't bet one way or the other). I finally settled on Tunnel of Love because it illustrates the line between light and darkness that the best of Springsteen's music walks. "You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above." |
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| Peter Gabriel - In Your Eyes from So Peter Gabriel's most commercially successful album yielded one of his most beautiful ballads. I am almost certain that this made the original list, probably because I was trying to impress the young lady with my sensitivity. But the song holds up under repeated listenings due to the strength of the singing. |
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| Sarah McLachlan - Hold On from Fumbling
Towards Ecstasy Previous visitors to this page know that I love this album. Picking one song from it is not an easy task, but this song inspired by a documentary about an AIDS victim is simply heart breaking in its quiet intensity. "Hold on, Hold on to yourself, cause this is gonna hurt like hell" It is indeed. |
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The Who - 5:15 from Quadrophenia
Van Morrison - Into the Mystic from Moondance
Dire Straits - Industrial Disease from Love Over Gold
Toni Childs - Don't Walk Away from Union
Feedback and ideas to stuartk@ix.netcom.com
Updated November 24, 1999.
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