For today's media column, we needn't travel far- in fact, we need only turn around to look at the CD rack.
I have a CD tower (saves a lot of room) which is filled. I grabbed the first ten CDs to see what we had-
Nirvana- In Utero: a band that the critics all say changed the game (and killed off the hair bands)- I haven't listened to this in years but after popping it back in the player, I have to say it is entertaining. Would I buy it again- probably not, but since I have it...I'll listen to it.
Roger Waters- Radio KAOS: You know of my love for Roger Waters (so why don't I marry him)- this album hasn't held up as well as I'd like but it's still a nice listen.
Richard and Linda Thompson- Shoot Out the Lights: As it was said of a play- (and I know I'll butcher this)- if you're the kind of person who likes this sort of thing, you'll like this. Actually it's pretty good but not music for the masses.
Jimmy Buffett- One Particular Harbour: I like a lot of his music. The title track is must-have. The rest of the album is pedestrian. When the second best song is a cover of Brown-Eyed Girl (and I HATE that song), you know it's a pretty weak album.
Carly Simon- Coming Around Again: How can you NOT like an album that has Itsy Bitsy Spider on it? Good adult contemporary music for when you need to relax. Not going to tax your mind too much.
REM- Eponymous: I actually liked South Central Rain early on as it was on a sampler cassette that I had picked up somewhere- so I was into the band (or at least that song) well before most people. And I remember watching some video of a concert of them while flying over to London. I like them well enough (though Man on the Moon is sadly not included here as it came out after).
Alice Cooper- the Alice Cooper Show: It's hard to say about someone who's entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but I think he's actually underrated! Only Women Bleed or I Never Cry SHOULD be standards within the AC format, but his name scares the stations away.
The Best of Eric Clapton: Another one I probably wouldn't buy today. It's there, it's okay. Not my cup of tea generally.
Tracy Chapman: Fast Car came out during the summer while I was in college. I remember extending lunch while at the steel mill as the song came on and I wanted to hear it (no one really cared, and I caught up to them before they made it to the work site anyway, so no harm no foul). Of course my politics have changed over the years, and many of these songs seem hopelessly delusional, but still worth a listen.
Soul Coughing- Irrestistible Bliss: Worth picking up if only for Super Bon Bon. It was a hit- you'd know it by the refrain- 'move aside and let the man go through, let the man go through...' We still use that on football trips when one of us gets an inflated ego (and believe it or not, Zjabs is usually the least likely to have an inflated ego!). The rest of the album is passable.
-Zjabs (Rochester's Official Columnist)
© 2012 Zjabs - 5/5/12
