Easy Come Easy Gaughin

The National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) has published a list they describe as “The Definitive 200 is a list of 200 ranked albums that every music lover should own, celebrating classic recordings by favorite iconic and contemporary artists.”

You can see that list here. The list is not as bad as I would have feared (given the group that produced it, I am amazed that there’s no Black-Eyed Peas disc in the top 10,) although it does have its crazy moments. For me, the worst picks are the ones that are clearly there solely because they sold a kazillion copies. I don’t think anything by Shania Twain, Alanis Morrissette, Whitney Houston, 50 Cent, Jewel, Linkin Park, Nelly, Creed, Celine Dion, Kenny G, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, Shakira, Live, or even my beloved-in-middle-school Grand Funk Railroad are going to be fondly remembered 40 years from now.

You have to expect those overly commercial indulgences, though, from a list put together by a trade association whose stated purpose is to increase revenues. They are going to push what’s popular to the extent that they can. And what’s junk to me is gold to my neighbor; she’s probably mortified that Bob Dylan or Neil Young made the list at all.

Lists get me going, so I thought I would put together my own, along the same lines. Here’s a quick list I threw together; 200 artists I like, along with my gut reaction to the question “Which of this artist’s discs is your favorite?” You’ll notice a strong leaning towards prog-rock. I am unapologetic about it. They are in goofy alphabetical order that will drive any librarians who happen to be reading crazy. (I also refuse to alphabetize McLaughlin before Mandel.) I almost can’t stop myself from wasting 2 hours looking them all up for release date so I can relist them chronologically by order of release. It’s a sickness. It’s probably inevitable, like an itch that must be scratched. And scratched. And scratched again. And then must be washed 50 times, with all the bubbles washed from the soap and it lying perfectly aligned in that soap tray next to the sink. Ooh, what’s that ick in that tray? Now it must be washed. What were we talking about?

ABC-Lexicon of Love

Adrian Belew-Young Lions

Aerosmith-Rocks

Air -Talkie Walkie

Allman Brothers Band-At Fillmore West

Average White Band-Soul Searching

Ayreon-Universal Migrator

B-52’s-B-52’s

Badly Drawn Boy-Hour Of the Bewilderbeast

Band-Stage Fright

Beach Boys-Surf’s Up

Beatles-Revolver

Beck-Midnite Vultures

Belle and Sebastian-Dear Catastrophe Waitress

Ben Folds-Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner

Billy Joel-Nylon Curtain

Bjork-Debut

Black Sabbath-Master of Reality

Blue Oyster Cult-Agents of Fortune

Blur-Think Tank

Bob Dylan-Blood On the Tracks

Brian Eno and David Byrne-My Life In the Bush of Ghosts

Broken Social Scene -You Forgot It In People

Bruce Cockburn-Humans

Bruce Springsteen-Darkness On the Edge of Town

Buddy Miles-Them Changes

Call-Let the Day Begin

Can-Future Days

Charles Mingus-Changes One

Cheap Trick-Heaven Tonight

Clash-London Calling

Coldplay-Rush Of Blood To the Head

Creedence Clearwater Revival-Cosmo’s Factory

Crowded House-Together Alone

Damien Rice-O

Dave Matthews-Drive

David Bowie-Station To Station

Deep Purple-Burn

Devo-Q: Are We Not Men?

Dire Straits-Making Movies

Doves-Last Broadcast

Dream Theater-Awake

Drive By Truckers-Pizza Deliverance

Elbow-Cast of Thousands

Elton John-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elvis Costello-King of America

Emerson Lake and Palmer-Brain Salad Surgery

Faces-Nod is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse

Flaming Lips-Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Fleetwood Mac-Tusk

Flower Kings-Rainmaker

Frank Zappa-Overnite Sensation

French Frith Kaiser Thompson-Invisible Means

Genesis-Selling England By the Pound

Gentle Giant-Free Hand

George Harrison-All Things Must Pass

Gillian Welch-Time the Revelator

Graham Parker-Squeezing Out Sparks

Gran Torino-Two

Grateful Dead-American Beauty

Herbie Hancock-Maiden Voyage

Jackson Browne-Pretender

Jeff Beck-Wired

Jellyfish-Spilt Milk

Jethro Tull-Minstrel In the Gallary

Jimi Hendrix-Band of Gypsies

Joe Jackson-Night and Day

Joe Satriani-Surfing With the Alien

John Hiatt-Slow Turning

John McLaughlin-Electric Guitarist

Johnny Cash-American III: Solitary Man

Joni Mitchell-Hejira

Jules Shear-Great Puzzle

Julian Cope-Peggy Suicide

Kate Bush-Hounds Of Love

Kate Campbell-Moonpie Dreams

Keith Jarrett-Koln Concert

King Crimson-Red

King’s X-Gretchen Goes to Nebraska

Lambchop-…is a Woman

La’s-La’s

Laura Nyro-New York Tendaberry

Laurie Anderson-Big Science

Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti

Lenny Kravitz-Let Love Rule

Liquid Tension Experiment-Liquid Tension Experiment

Little Feat-Time Loves a Hero

Living Colour-Vivid

Loreena McKennitt-Mask and Mirror

Los Lobos-How Will the Wolf Survive

Lou Reed-New York

Lucinda Williams-Car Wheels on a Gravel Road

Lyle Lovett-Joshua Judges Ruth

Lynyrd Skynyrd-Pronounced

Magnetic Fields-69 Love Songs

Mahavishnu Orchestra-Birds of Fire

Mars Volta-De-Loused In the Comatorium

Massive Attack-Mezzanine

Matthew Sweet-Girlfriend

Midnight Oil-Diesel and Dust

Mike Oldfield-Tubular Bells

Miles Davis-Bitches Brew

Mott the Hoople-Mott

My Morning Jacket-It Still Moves

Neil Young-Freedom

Nick Cave-Nocturama

Nick Drake-Bryter Layter

Nilsson-Nilsson Schmilsson

Nine Inch Nails-Fragile (The)

Nobukazu Takemura-10th

Notwist-Neon Golden

Odds-Good Weird Feeling

Oho-Ecce Oho

Orbital-In Sides

Ozric Tentacles-Arborescence

Pat Metheny-As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls

Patti Smith-Horses

Paul McCartney-Wild Life

Paul Simon-Hearts and Bones

Peter Gabriel-Peter Gabriel (the one with Games Without Frontiers)

Phil Collins-Face Value

Phish-Rift

Pink Floyd-Animals

Pixies-Bossanova

PJ Harvey-Stories Of the City, Stories Of the Sea

Police-Synchronicity

Polyphonic Spree-Beginning Stages of

Porcupine Tree-In Absentia

Prefab Sprout-From Langely Park To Memphis

Pretenders-Pretenders

Prince-Sign Of the Times

Pulp-This Is Hardcore

Queens Of the Stone Age-Songs for the Deaf

Queen-Sheer Heart Attack

Radiohead-OK Computer

Randy Newman-Good Old Boys

Ray Charles-Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music

Ray LaMontagne-Trouble

REM-Automatic For the People

Return To Forever-Romantic Warrior

Rheostatics-Whale Music

Richard Thompson-Hand of Kindness

Rick Wakeman-Six Wives of Henry the Eighth

Rickie Lee Jones-Magazine

Robbie Robertson-Storyville

Robert Fripp-God Save the Queen

Robert Wyatt-Dondestan

Robyn Hitchcock-Globe of Frogs

Rod Stewart-Every Picture Tells a Story

Rolling Stones-Sticky Fingers

Roxy Music-Avalon

Rush-Moving Pictures

Ry Cooder-Bop Til You Drop

Ryan Adams-Gold

Santana-Caravanserai

Sarah McLachlan-Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

Scott Walker-Drift

Shawn Colvin-Fat City

Sigur Ros-Tak

Skinny Puppy-Too Dark Park

Sly and the Family Stone-There’s a Riot Going On

Soft Machine-Third

Sonic Youth-Daydream Nation

Spock’s Beard-V

Steely Dan-Katy Lied

Stereolab-Dots and Loops

Steve Earle-Transcendental Blues

Steve Tibbetts-Yr

Stevie Wonder-Songs In the Key Of Life

Sting-Soul Cages

Strawbs-Hero and Heroine

Sufjan Stevens-Illinoise

T Rex-Slider

Talking Heads-Remain in Light

Tears For Fears-Songs From the Big Chair

Thelonius Monk-5 by Monk by 5

Todd Rundgren-Wizard, a True Star

Tom Petty-Hard Promises

Tom Waits-Frank’s Wild Years

Tony Levin-Pieces Of the Sun

Tori Amos-Under the Pink

Traffic-Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys

Transatlantic-Bridge Across Forever

U2-Unforgettable Fire

Van Morrison-Common One

Velvet Underground-Velvet Underground and Nico

Vince Gill-These Days

Warren Zevon-Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School

Was Not Was-What Up Dog

Weather Report-Heavy Weather

Weezer-(Green Album)

Whiskeytown-Faithless Street

White Stripes-Elephant

Who-Who’s Next

Wilco-Being There

World Party-Goodbye Jumbo

XTC-Oranges and Lemons

Yanni-Port of Mystery

Yes-Close To the Edge

ZZ Topp-Tres Hombres

A part of me thought about taking Yanni off of the list, but hey, I took my Mom to see him once for Mother’s Day, and I enjoyed it. Sue me.

I would be interested in seeing other similar massive lists for any of you individuals inclined to share one.  I think that seeing the breadth of what gives people pleasure tells you a lot about a person. Now I have to go brush my teeth a few times.

This entry was posted on March 9, 2007 at 10:59 am and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.