My Essential Album List (2009 Version)

I recently asked an Intern at work to put together a list of her essential albums, because I was curious about what a 20 year old would put down. So in all fairness, with a couple of hours set aside, I decided to work out my own list.

Putting together a list of your most essential music albums is like take a trip back through space and time. It's about finding the CD's, records, tapes that during a point in your life you could not live without, they are part of you, they help define you, and forever, no matter how embarrassing, ingrained into your DNA.

Each track, or single are the dishes that help create a meal, and when you come across a dinner where everything from the wine, to the entree, to the dessert is top notch (or riddled with delicious fat product) you remember it forever. Sadly, most dinners/records are just eh, or mass consumed and forgotten for the upcoming trip to Taco Bell.

The albums on this list are not Taco Bell albums for me, but they might be for you, which makes all list reactions exciting, curious, and intensely nerve racking, like the placing of two souls up against each other looking for some semblance of similarity. If someone doesn't get your music, then they don't know you, they only get you, and in time might understand you, but it's not that Moment when you're driving and suddenly you both hear a song that you love and it might inspire you to shout that "YOU LOVE THIS SONG" and then the other person reacts the same way, and you look at each other and you know that you are two of the same at least in that Moment.

But life moves on, and you don't forget those moments, those songs those albums, but you grow and change and so does life and so does music.

The List (2009)

- Michael Jackson - Thriller (Helped Define my childhood, )
- Billy Joel - Greatest Hits 1&2 (also helped define my childhood, Loved it in the backseat, loved it when I rediscovered it)
- Madonna - The Immaculate Collection (Songs I made my family listen to, no matter how much they hated it), Ray of Light (might be her best album, introduced my brain to all kinds of new sounds, may have led me to yoga.)
- Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl (who didn't love her back then, this CD is like a greatest hits album)
- Boys II Men - II (amazing for a teenage boy in love with everyone and I wanted to sing it to all of them)
- Jodeci - Diary of A Mad Band (I was a teenage boy in love with everyone, and I wanted to well... just listen to it.)
- Aerosmith - Get A Grip, Pump (awesome songs, awesome guitar work, awesome music videos.)
- Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Greatest Hits (One of the best greatest Hit collections of all times, powered by the Unforgettable Greatest Hits single "Mary Jane's Last Dance." (probably pointed the way to country music)
- Stone Temple Pilots - Core_ Purple (great music to get mad to, or happy to, or to pretend that you could headbang)
- The Rembrandts - L.P. (God this is embarrasing, but damnit those songs were catchy)
- Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle (I've bought this damn thing more then I have any other tape, cd, because I love it, and it had a profound effect on my development as a teenager, eventually destroyed by Shania)
- Tupac Shakur - Strictly for my Niggaz (Listening to Tupac made me feel strong. I can't really explain that.)
- Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales - (Dude, fields of gold, might have made this whole thing worth it, but really the cd takes you on this strange trip.)
- A Tribe Called Quest - Midnight Marauders (wow. So smooth. The whole thing. If there was a rapper that I could totally get behind, it would be Q-Tip.)
- Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (I was really really mad at the world, and this CD captured that), The Fragile - (One of the best headphones CDs of all time, It was The Downward Spiral mixed with the Wall.)
- Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (revelatory)
- Seal - Seal 1, Seal 2 (before he was a soul singer of adult ballads, he was kind of cool and awesome and edgy, and a soul singer too.)
- Hootie & The Blowfish - Cracked Rear View (who didn't i ask you. who didn't!)
- ALL BEATLES (I disappeared from the Music world for 18 months because I had so much Beatles to digest)
- Oasis - What's the Story Morning Glory, Definitely Maybe (I made it a point to hate these guys, until i couldn't. really couldn't, and today I wish I had stayed that way)
- Janet - Janet (If? Every song? If?)
- Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (those cracked people made some damn good songs.)
- Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow (Sometimes you need sheryl crow)
- U2 - Achtung Baby, The Joshua Tree (I don't need to explain these)
- Shania Twain - The Woman In Me (The CD that officially said i liked Country) Come On Over (oh man...uh the perfect pop cd, maybe, the CD that made me lose all street cred, yes. All Street Cred.)
- Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind (The Soundtrack of my senior year of highschool)
- Semisonic - Feeling Strangely Fine (Time, People, Experiences, life)
- Barnaked Ladies - Rock Spectacle, Stunt (perfect cds for that time.)
- Tim McGraw - A Place In the Sun (The Rabbit Hole was always a girl)
- Go - The Movie Soundtrack (Techno? Cool.)
- Pink Floyd - The Wall, Darkside Of the Moon, Wish You Were Here (I can actually say these records changed my life. I mean REALLY changed my life.)
- Radiohead - The Bends, OK Computer (amazing. Discovered the bends way too late, but it's my favorite because it was needed when I Found it.)
- Guster - Lost and Gone Forever (bongos suck. Wait, bongos are cool!)
- The Strokes - This is It (Listening to this CD makes you feel cool, no matter who you are.)
- Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (Yes, an EMO album I could love!)
- Blink 182 - Take Off Your Pants And Jacket (The solidified their sound and their songcraft with this song for song awesome field trip through high school emotions)
- The Vines - Highly Evolved (So weird, and so cool, and so derivative, I loved it.)
- Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker, Demolition, Rock N Roll (And other stuff of his) (For years and years upon discovering all of this guys music, It was like I found someone who made music like we were on the same page, his influences, his tastes seemed to mimic mine, that is a little different now, because I think he's sober but I've found so much comfort in his music.)
- The Streets - Original Pirate Material (A revelation) A Grand Don't Come Free (another revelation)
- The Police - Very Best (Could never listen to any of their whole cds, but this was perfect.)
- Liz Phair - Liz Phair (I am universally hated, and mocked for loving this CD. Whatevs)
- Basement Jaxx - Kish Kash (YES!!!)
- Fountains of Wayne - Welcome Interstate Managers (wow, they made the best follow up Oasis Cd that was never made. But one I could relate to, because there not conceited brits.)
- Outkast - Stankonia (Dude, it's rap for Rock fans, er, the other way around, I don't even know), Speakerboxx/The Love Below (how much did I love this before everyone else did, I made it a point to get the cds on the day they came out, loved them for a month, and then Hey Ya! killed The Love Below, but at least I still had Speakerboxx)
- Stevie Wonder - Music of My Mind (the album I really love, but other Stevie work is equally powerful
- Prince - (Greatest Hits Collection 1&2) (Wait, why did I hate Prince in the 80's, oh my MOM hated him, ahhh.... this guy is AWESOME!!!, his 80's output was sick, he can play guitar, he doesn't always sing in falsetto.)
- Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
- Kanye West - The College Dropout (What's with the Teddy Bear, oh that's a joke, wait a moment, OH MY GOD THIS IS LIKE THE BEST CD EVER!!! oh man, what's with this terrible 8 minute diary entry with him and Jay-Z, boooooooooo.... excess.... booooooooo DAH!!! He's insane, and I like him much the better that way), Graduation (not as good as College Dropout track for track, but powerful and danceable, and Hennessy Drinkable.)
- Green Day - American Idiot (really? Yeah, so much better for me then anything else they made.)
- Nickel Creek - Nickel Creek (Wait, do I like bluegrass music? Wait, what is bluegrass music again? oh, it's country, wait I'm confused)
- Pete Yorn - Music for the Morning After (Nailed my mood, hopeful, pessimistic, well made.)
- Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand (I got an Ipod, I danced to this album while cleaning.)
- The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow (perfect)
- Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (felt important to me, and then I realized I really liked the whole damn thing)
- We Are Scientists - With Love And Squalor (not particularly well crafted, but really strong hooks, and the lyrics are good to terrible to great)
- The Old 97's - Fight Songs, Satellite Rides, Too Far to Care (Exactly the records I needed when I found them, thank you Rachel.)
- Feist - The Reminder (wow... she's so cute... these songs are so mellow, maybe I can like music like this. love music like this)
- Rhett Miller - The Instigator (perfect pop rock songs.)
- Bon Ivor - For Emma, Forever Ago (I heard the first track and fell in love with it.)
- Zox - Line In the Sand (New, but awesome.)

AND MANY MORE, SOME FORGOTTEN, SOME UNRECORDED

Another Year, Another Jorge's Mix

Hey kids!

So every year or so, (Okay there was one point where I took almost 3 years off) I put together a Jorge's Mix CD. And the only prerequisite for a Jorge's Mix is that Jorge should like the songs. One year, I think it was Jorge's Mix 3, I put too much rap on it and he didn't like it, and I had to make some changes.

Anyway, This morning I began work on Jorge's Mix X (not 10, because well my numbering for these things is all messed up, and would probably need a total retcon at some point).

And I worked furiously, and I think it's done.

It's funny. I think this is the most Electronicy of them since the first one. But this one also kind of has the most Retro-80's synth music attached to it. And it also might be one of the darkest in tone and lyrics, uh, but you don't actually have to listen to the lyrics and you can just ride the wave of sounds. Anywho,I Like the shit out of it. So whatev's. If anyone wants one just give a hoot and I'll send you a CD.

Jorge's Mix X - All My Friends

Featuring Songs from ---
Bloc Party
Madonna
LCD Soundsystem
MGMT
Lady Gaga
M83
Phoenix
And other fabulous Artists you've never heard of... uh like Kanye West (right. Like no one's ever heard of him, fricken sellout Will)

Damn.

So Today, I was ichatting someone and could not remember how to spell

soiree

So I googled what I thought might be the spelling but kind of thought it was totally wrong. I typed in

Swaray

And then the first hit was Urban Dictionary. And it said this:

1. swaray
How stupid people spell soiree.

Random Quotes#14

AFTER SEEING the film "The Watchmen", Rachel remarked:

Oh my god, I would have rather stayed home and dealt with the smell of a skunk spray under the house, our toilet did not working, and having no electricity then watch "The Watchmen." I've lost three hours of my life.

Right On#02: No Line on the Horizon-Review

A little perspective.

There are few revelations when in it comes to music. Moments of clarity. A few for me.

- Realizing that The Beatles sang ALL of those songs. (And in less then 10 years)
- That I loved Rap Music.
- That if I actually like Country Music for reasons more then that Hot Girls liked it too. (I’m still bitter about this.)
- That Prince was kind of important and that I really should’ve back him in the 80’s other then that other guy. (I was a kid. Okay. I didn’t really understand Michael Jackson.)
- And this is the important one for the blog. When I was like 15, I figured out that the same people who sang “Mysterious Ways” also sang, “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”.

After realizing that U2 was U2, I did some back tracking. There were albums that I liked most of them and their albums where their were 2 or 3 awesome songs and bunch of ehhhh… But I did realize that they were kind of awesome and special, but you know also that I kind of missed the WORLD WIDE LOVING U2 bandwagon. I mean they had already put out Zooropa, been through the most of their rockstar excess, and would soon put out Pop. So a lot of hating had started.

So I’ve only been able to really get excited about some of their least Awesome Cds. And after How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, I was kind of like, ok, good stuff guys, but please next time, make a real album. Not just a CD, front loaded with some good singles, or crap about peace and some not so great songs at the end.

I mean it really is The Joshua Tree’s fault. They were following the formula of that album, without recreating a whole cd of great songs. So be it.

No Line On The Horizon takes a lot of steps in the right direction. And it takes a few in the wrong direction. It’s nowhere near the Masterpiece a few reviews have called it, but it’s not a terrible blunder of crap that some have called it. And the biggest problem in most cases is that you really can’t compare it to their other work.

I mean, I mean this in the least abrasive way possible, they kind of are our generations Beatles. (Radiohead, could also claim this, but really, they don’t give a shit enough about what people think of their music to really qualify,) And we’ve kind of entered the period that the Beatles never got to, because they broke up. So basically, we’re in the 70’s solo years. And this album feels that way.

It’s not a greatest hits album. It’s not a pastiche, but it’s like on some songs they’ve decided to revisit certain interests and other songs they hit up some other interests and in the middle, they dumped a bunch of songs they hoped could be rock radio hits (which they probably won’t be, but I never really liked “The Sweetest Thing.” So what the F do I know.)

So let’s review. And I’m not going to compare it to their other work. I’m going to go at it like if I was like 12 or something, or a Killers fan. (which is really an impossible task, because you either Like U2 or not, and if you are the kind of person to like them, you probably really like them and their songs, whatever.)

Things I liked.

- I liked how much of the theme was being lost in your world and how you need to feel. But sometimes it’s hard to feel anything.
- I also liked how much of the album was about letting go, not fighting and breathing, which are very yoga like concepts. Live in the Moment.
- I liked all of the minute long intros to the songs. They kind of wash over and then all of the sudden the song kicks in, and you’re like HELL YEAH. (In a kind of mellow Hell Yeah way.)
- I like that it really is a head phones album, but that it also works when you’re driving, especially if the weather sucks, or you’re depressed.
- Liked that they didn’t fear failing on some of these songs, or tried to write some of the lyrics with character.
- You actually might be able to do yoga to this cd and not feel bad about it.
- Much of it is weird.
- I liked how they didn’t front load the cd with the best songs. Means I’ll listen to the whole thing more.

Songs I liked.

- “Magnificent” Really Good Song. Gets you really into the album in a way that “No Line On the Horizon,” kind of doesn’t. I mean it kind of is pretty standard U2 music. But it’s really well done. “
- “Breathe” – Wow. U2 makes a song that tells you to Breathe, and live, because that’s the most important thing, it’s like “Beautiful Day” but about something else. But the verses are really dense, but it works and he says “joojoo man, joojoo man.” It’s great. Great singalong.
- “White as Snow” Simple, Pretty, Deep lyrics that don’t feel like Bono tried too hard. Not the kind of song that you expect from U2. It’s like a lot of those not so great songs at the end of All That You Can’t Leave Behind, or How to Dismantle, they finally figured out a way to make them work with this song. But it’s a grower.
- “Unknown Caller” I thought I was going to hate this song, with it’s weird Computer terminology shouts during the chorus. The thing is if you just get used to it, there is a lot of awesomeness to appreciate. And damn if the opening doesn’t lead up to a pretty great song that nails it and is pretty inspiring. And a great singalong.
- “Moment Of Surrender” The idea might be better then the song. It’s kind of slow, and dark. But the lyrics are good. And again, when you’re depressed you’re there with Bono and it works.

Things I didn’t like.
Some of those lyrics that give the songs character are terrible. (“Get On Your Boots.”
- That you can really feel the differences between the quality of the recordings. I know they recorded this in many places, but dammit there needs to be some sound quality consistency. It’s not that any of it is bad, but in the middle, suddenly the Open Sound texture earphone space is shut down for a WALL OF SOUND attack, squeezed compressed feel, and then it goes back to open sound.
- The BABY BABY BABY middle eight of “I’ll go Crazy if I don’t go Crazy Tonight.” It kind of screws the song up, and the chorus never really reaches the point the lyrics want to take it, but it’s a happy song, so I don’t dislike it.
- Again they did not nail the sequencing of the CD.

Songs I didn’t like.

- “Get On Your Boots”. It’s really the worst song on the album, thank god. There really is not a whole lot of change up in the song. The chorus sucks. But it’s ok background music, and I do like the Meet Me In the Sound bit at the end.
- “Fez- Being Born”. This is not really a song. It’s more like the B-side of a single or a 5 minute Outro to another song. (But it’s alright for like background.)

The Others in order of liking to ehhhhh…kind of liking.

- “No Line On the Horizon.” Good Beat. Nice Moments. Chorus breezes in a way I do like. Pretty good. Just don’t love.
- “I’ll crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight.” Damn it. It’s a happy song. Just not as awesome as it could be. Kind of seems like a sellout single.
- “Ceders of Lebanon.” Not bad. But not memorable. Kind of a solemn close to an album.
- “Stand Up Comedy.” Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t.

OVERALL WRAP:

I really like more of the songs then the ones that I don’t like or don’t care for. And that’s kind of a big deal. It’s better then their last two albums and might be as good as Pop and Zooropa. I think I like this CD more then Coldplay’s. But I might not. And I’m kind of okay with that. Because no matter what Coldplay does they don’t inspire. They don’t make one of my shit days a little better. I don’t hear their songs and say, yeah, Chris Martin is really speaking to me. And that’s what U2 can do. And on this album they’re really doing that. So it’s special.