CDs acquired in 2008-2010

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For a list of the CDs I acquired before 2008, see here.

(The format here is suggested by the lovely logbooks, hand sewn and as hefty as a wizard’s spell book, found at the Peter Pan coffee shop in Sendai, Japan. There, Nagasaki-san, the master, writes in every CD he buys. At first, he merely jots down an explanatory comment or two; then, after a month or two has passed, he writes down a ranking for the CD. The CDs are listed in order of acquisition; some never quite get a ranking, while for others the ranking sometimes shifts. If you visit Peter Pan, it is one of the great joys to pick up these volumes and page through—they date back to the 1970s. A whole history of rock music there, as heard at one small rock kissaten [coffee shop]. I stole many hours of pleasure, pouring over those handwritten volumes. I hope the following provides you with similar pleasures. I presume the same privileges as Nagasaki-san: some CDs may never quite earn a ranking, while others may see their rankings shift, depending on the whims of the moment. Five Stars is the highest possible ranking.)

Fleetwood Mac, Rumors (1977, Warner Brothers). Somewhat amazingly, I’ve never owned this before in any format. I was sixteen years old when this came out, and that year you couldn’t go to a party without hearing it – along with the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. (2/10)

Eric Clapton, The Cream of Clapton (1995, Polygram). I’m not a huge Clapton fan, but there are about four of his recordings that I just have to hear everyone once in a while. I picked up this best-of anthology because it includes them all: namely, “Badge,” “Presence of the Lord,” “Let It Rain,” and “Bell Bottom Blues.” (2/10).

St. Vincent, Actor (2009, 4AD). Very appealing second album from Annie Clark, it combines melodic sense, intelligent arrangements and lyrics, and nice dollops of crunching guitar here and there. (2/10)

Eels, End Times (2010, E Works Records). My initial impression is that this represents a nice return to form by E and company after last year’s somewhat disappointing Hombre Loco: 12 Songs of Desire (which had a couple very strong tunes, but not much else). Musically things are more interesting here, and E has been through a nasty romantic break up, it seems, which is bad news for him but good news for us: he’s back to cranking out some genuinely heartrending lyrics. (2/10)

God Damn Doo Wop Band, Broken Hearts (2006, Afternoon Records). I stumbled across a description of this Minneapolis band on the web somewhere and was intrigued: punk rock girls go doo wop. What’s not to like? The production values are on the lo-fi side, but there’s an energy and some lovely music here. (2/10).

Nellie McKay, Obligatory Villagers (2007, Hungry Mouse). More savvy, witty cabaret tunes for the postmodern generation. Compared to her debut album, which I very much like, there is a sharper political edge here, but I’m not sure it adds much. But undeniably appealing and quirky. (1/10)

Sam Cooke, One Night Stand! Live at the Harlem Square Club (2005, Sony). Smoldering 1963 concert recording of Cooke at his peak. Terrific. (1/10).

George Harrison, Dark Horse (1992, Capitol). The critics really, really hated this when it came out in 1974 (Robert Christgau gave it a C-, for example), but I’ve always been a fan of its modest charms. In addition to the title cut, it contains several appealing numbers: “So Sad,” “Far East Man,” “Ding Dong, Ding Dong,” and “It is ‘He.’” The rest is pretty forgettable, but hardly offensive. (1/10)

The Rolling Stones, Some Girls (2009, Universal). As a big Kinks fan, I have always been jealous of the attention Mick and Co. received in comparison to the Kinks, who consistently put out more interesting work. When this LP originally came out during my senior year in high school, though, I had to shut up temporarily, because it was much better than anything Ray Davies had produced in years. On the other hand, this was the last good Stones’ album, and the Kinks’ recordings from the 1980s and 90s are infinitely better than the Stones put out that decade, and since the new century dawned the Stones are no longer even in the competition. (1/10)

Van Morrison, Common One (1991, Warner Brothers). Originally released on vinyl back in 1980 (when I snapped up a copy immediately), this is Van giving free rein to his spiritual muse. (1/10)

John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (2000, Captiol). Lennon’s greatest solo work, originally released back in 1970. This also might represent the last great Phil Spector production. (1/10)

Lou Reed, Rock n Roll Animal (2000 BMG). I replace my vinyl copy of Uncle Lou’s stellar 1973 concert recording, complete with a couple of cool bonus tracks. This is Lou at his best, I think. (1/10)

Lou Reed, Street Hassle (1992, BMG). One of Lou’s more consistent studio albums, originally released back in 1978. (1/10)

Y.M.O., Yellow Magic Orchestra USA & Yellow Magic Orchestra (2003, Alfa). Remastered version of Japanese technopop kings Y.M.O.’s 1978 debut, in both its Japan and U.S. versions. There are only slight differences between the two, making this a bit overkill, but it’s remarkable how little the bleeps and blips here have dated themselves—and it’s still astonishing that this was top ten material back in the day in Japan. (1/10).

Larry McCray, Delta Hurricane (Pointblank, 1993). The second album by the brilliant blues guitarist from Michigan, who makes the best argument I’ve heard in some time that the blues have a future as a living tradition. (1/10)

The xx, XX (XI Recordings, 2009). Cool minimalist pop that sounds a little bit like everybody else who is cool. Male and female vocal trade-offs remind vaguely of The White Stripes, except here things are slowed down considerably. (12/09)

fun., Aim and Ignite (Nettwerk, 2009). Terrific keyboard-based indies pop, this one reminds me of great AM radio hits I grew up on in the early 1970s: Gilbert O’Sullivan, early Elton John, etc. Catchy but intelligent, and it more than lives up to the band’s name. (12/09)

Paul Desmond, Take Ten (RCA Victor, 1997). Originally released back in 1963, this is Desmond’s follow up to his great composition “Take Five,” a massive hit for the Dave Brubeck Quartet (to which Desmond also belonged). More very cool West Coast jazz, music that shimmers with intelligence. (12/09)

Astor Piazzolla y su Orquestra, Pulsacion/Fuga y Misterio (Trova, 1997). Piazzolla, master of the modern tango, conducting his own ensemble on some of his best compositions, originally recorded back in the late 1960s. (12/09)

J.S. Bach, Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-4 and Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 5 & 6 and Orchestral Suite No. 1, Neville Marriner and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (EMI, 2004). Late 1980s recordings, these pieces were one of my first entryways into classical music back when I was a bachelor living in Tokyo in the 1980s. (12/09)

Ike Reilly, Hard Luck Stories (Rock Ridge, 2009). My initial impression is that this is Reilly’s best work since his terrific debut CD, Salesmen and Racists. It’s very much a concept album, with musical and lyrical cues linking together the various tracks. The songs are all character portraits of life in contemporary America, with ordinary folks struggling to get by on wits and a shoestring (not least of all, Reilly himself). Reilly retains his gift for memorable verbal horseplay, lines that snap at you like a locker-room towel: e.g., “The rich kids sing the poor kids’ songs, at the after-party all night long.” He’s a great rock-and-roll storyteller and poet, a rare combination. What’s more, you can dance to it. (12/09)

Os Mutantes, Haih or Amortecedor (Anti-, 2009). The first studio album in three decades (albeit with numerous personnel changes) by the legendary Brazilian band. It’s amazing how much this sounds like their classic works from the late 1960s—and how completely contemporary it feels. A truly remarkable comeback, and here’s hoping there’s more of the same in the pipeline. (12/09)

Gilberto Gil, The Sound of Revolution 1968-69 (Él & Cherry Red, 2008). CD re-issues of Gil’s legendary debut albums: Frevo Rasgado (1968, recorded with Os Mutantes) and Cérebro Electrônico (1969), both featuring brilliant arrangements by Rogerio Duprat that combine Beatles-style pop, Brazilian rhythms, and a healthy sense of the absurd—not to mention a fierce sense of righteousness. (11/09)

Gilberto Gil, The Very Best of Gilberto Gil: The Soul of Brazil (Warner Music Brasil, 2005). Best-of sampler tracing Gil’s career from the late 1970s through the opening years of this century. Some acoustic, some electric, some covers (Marley’s “Three Little Birds” goes south to Rio), an eclectic bunch that nonetheless traces Gil’s inimitable sensibility. (11/09)

××××½ Osvaldo Golijov, Oceana/Tenebrae/Three Songs, performed by Dawn Upshaw, Kronos Quartet, Atlanta Symphony, et al. (Deutsches Grammophon, 2007). Strong performances of three powerful works by the contemporary Argentinean composer. “Three Songs” is especially haunting in Upshaw’s performance here. (11/09)

Leoš Janáček, Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba/Lachian Dances and others, various artists (London, 1996). Nice 2-CD set collecting various performances of Janáček’s folk-music inspired orchestral pieces, with performances by the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, and the os Angeles Chamber Orchestra, among others. It includes the martial Sinfonietta, a piece that plays a crucial plot role in Murakami Haruki’s new novel, 1Q84. (11/09)

Gilberto Gil, Parabolic (Warner Music Brazil, 1991). Attractive and accessible collection from one of the Godfathers of modern Brazilian popular music. There’s a political edge throughout, and the music seeps into your body unconsciously, so that you find yourself tapping a finger on your desk before you realize it. The world has become as small as a (parabolic) satellite dish or the (parabolic) woven basket carried on a poor woman’s head, Gil sings, and he assures us (her) that there is a way out. (11/09).

×××× The Raveonettes, In and Out of Control (Vice, 2009). The latest work from the Danish band; they previewed a couple of songs from this when I saw them at Lollapalooza in August, songs that immediately leapt out at me as very attractive numbers, especially “Last Dance.” I made a mental note then to pick up the new CD when it came out, and the first few listens leave me well-disposed toward it. They take solid pop structures (think Phil Specter or Brian Wilson) and then run them through a variety of filters, both technological and historical, to produce a tasty contemporary sound—and you can dance to it. (10/09).

Anne Akiko Meyers, Smile (Koch, 2009). The acclaimed classical violinist casts her net widely, playing pieces from the classical repertoire (Schubert’s “Fantasy in C Major”), modern art music (Messiaen’s “Fantaisie”), pop (the title cut and “Somewhere over the Rainbow”), and Japanese standards (“Haru no umi,” in which pianist Akira Eguchi plucks his keyboard to produce a koto-like feel). Mostly, the pieces are duets with Eguchi, but on “Kojô no Tsuki (Moonlight over the Ruined Castle)” Meyers plays solo to brilliant effect. It perhaps helps that just a few days ago I was gazing at a lovely autumn half moon over Aoba-yama in Sendai, the very runes celebrated in the lyrics (originally a poem by Doi Bansui) to that song. (9/09)

×××× Glasvegas, Glasvegas (Sony, 2008). Strong debut album by a Scottish band that combines early ‘60s rock-and-roll (think Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound) with ‘80s punk (think Joe Strummer’s vocals for the Clash or early U2) and an up-to-date sensibility. I fell in love with James Allan’s Scottish brogue vocals during the group’s appearance at the 2009 Lollapalooza, and the CD is adding to my interest in the band’s work. If I have a complaint, it’s that the songs all sound vaguely alike. But that at least means that the band has developed its own distinctive sound. (9/09)

Chapel Choir of Pembroke College Oxford, Locus Iste (Broken Records, 2009). Compilation of classical choral works, accompanied by organ, including pieces by JS Back, Britten, and Purcell. (9/09).

×××½ The Stillroven, Cast Thy Burden Upon The Stillroven (Sundazed, 1996). Back in the late 1960s, the Twin Cities were home to a number of excellent garage rock bands, many of whom enjoyed local radio airplay and even popped up on the Billboard national charts from time to time. The Stillroven were one of the best, Minnesota’s answer to Los Angeles’ Love—in fact, like Arthur Lee and company, Stillroven recorded “Hey Joe,” and they also covered Love’s “Signed D.C.” “Little Picture Playhouse,” a minor regional hit from 1967, is my favorite piece here: I can’t get the quaint, psychedelic piano riff out of my head. (8/09)

××× T.C. Atlantic, Best of T.C. Atlantic (Dionysus, 2002). T.C. Atlantic were another Twin Cities garage rock legend from the 1960s. I’ve known their “(20 Years Ago) In Speedy’s Kitchen,” a baroque pop tune that became a local hit in Minnesota back in 1968, since I was a child. This reissue includes that, as well as a nice selection of their more typical fuzz-toned, psychedelic garage rock, including the semi-legendary rocker, “Faces.” (8/09).

Joni Mitchell, Clouds (Reprise, 1990). Joni has been one of those artists I’ve been meaning to explore for many years. My junior year dorm roommate at Macalester College was a devoted fan, so I got an earful then, but only now have I actually purchased one of her CDs—this her second release, originally issued on vinyl back in 1969. (8/09)

×××½ Talking Heads, Little Creatures (Sire, 1985). This is usually considered rather minor work by the Heads, but I’ve always had a soft spot for it. Back in 1988 at Shibuya Station in Tokyo, I came across a man selling pirate cassette tapes and bought a copy of this, which I listened too repeatedly until the shoddy bootleg wore out. Now I own a legit copy and am again enjoying such tidbits as “And She Was” and “Road to Nowhere.” (8/09).

Vermeer Quartet, Tchaikovsky: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3 (Cedille, 2001). I selected this basically at random as a premium for renewing membership in our local public radio classical station, but I unexpectedly find myself falling in love with it. I know the big symphonic Tchaikovsky fairly well and when I’m in the right mood quite love it, but his intelligent and austere chamber music is new to me. I’d always thought of him as the summation of nineteenth century Romanticism, but here he seems a prophet of twentieth century modernism. (8/09).

×××½ Shiina Ringo, Sanmon Gossip 「三文ゴッシップ」 (EMI, 2009). Shiina tries to merge her early noise-pop sound with her most recent jazz bent, with mixed results. She channels the Jackson 5’s “ABC” on “Rôdôsha,” and her inner Edith Piaf comes out on “Bonsai hada.” My favorite track is the rocker “Yokyô,” but there aren’t any really classic Ringo tunes here: nothing cuts straight through to your inner chaos the way her best work does. It’s still several cuts above the usual J-Pop standard, but it leaves me hoping for a return to form on her next work, either solo or with her band Tokyo Jihen. (7/09).

××××½ Dee Alexander, Wild is the Wind (Blujazz, 2008). Alexander is a local Chicago jazz singer—but not for long. This CD doesn’t quite capture the marvel that is one of her live performances, but it still managed to garner a five-star review from Downbeat magazine and is now attracting lots of attention in Europe. It’s not just that she possesses remarkably true pitch: her music burns with intelligence and passion, and she explores a whole range of vocal sounds. (7/09)

×××½ Black Blondie, Do You Remember Who You Wanted to Be (Black Blondie, 2009). Self-produced debut CD by a mostly female group from Minneapolis. They cross hiphop with R&B, avant-garde pop, and jazz and end up sounding nothing like anyone else. The lead track “Hunger” is very strong (you can stream it at their MySpace page), as is the reggae-styled “Dressed to Kill a Mockingbird”; the rest of the material is uneven, but always distinctive. A group worth watching in the coming years. (7/09).

Inoue Takayuki, It’s Never Too Late (Sony, 2007). Solo work by former Spiders lead guitarist, originally released back in 1981. Recorded in England, it features local session musicians, including Mick Taylor as guest on several tracks. It’s pretty standard late 1970s guitar-boogie rock, with a few instrumentals thrown in (Inoue composed the hit instrumental theme song for the 1970s television show “Taiyô ni hoero”). (7/09)

×××× Ray Davies with The Crouch End Festival Chorus, The Kinks Choral Collection (Universal, 2009). Re-recordings of a dozen Kinks’ classics given full choral treatment. It works on some of the songs quite well—“Shangri-La,” for example, as well as the suite of songs collected here as “Village Green Medley,” all taken from the classic 1968 Village Green Preservation Society album. On some of the others, I find myself wishing for a more imaginative use of the vocal resources, as well as a few more oddball song selections. How ‘bout something from Muswell Hillbillies, for example? Then again, I could listen to “You Really Got Me” played on dueling tubas and still enjoy it, and in fact it provides one of the more thoughtful uses of the choir here (though I can’t help wondering what it would have sounded like if they handed off the guitar solo to the singers and allowed them to go wild with it). The U.S. version will be released in November. (6/09)

×××½ Eels, Hombre Loco: 12 Songs of Desire (Vagrant, 2009). The latest from one of my favorite groups, more sophisticated pop songs for melancholic forty-somethings. “That Look You Give That Guy” and “Oridnary Man” are stand-out tracks so far, but I’ll have to listen to this a few dozen more times to see how far it sinks down into my bones. (6/09)

Lou Reed, Transformer (BMG, 2002). I think this is the only pre-2000 Lou Reed album I’ve never owned in any format—with the exception of Metal Machine Music. It’ll be a while before I get around to that one, though. (6/09)

The Beatles, Past Masters Volume Two (Capitol, 1988). For some reason, I’ve been hankering to hear “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number).” (6/09)

Duke Ellington, The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts January 1943 (Prestige, 1977). Live 2-CD set capturing Duke’s debut at Carnegie Hall, including the premiere of Black, Brown and Beige, his first extended composition. (6/09)

×××× Lykke Li, Youth Novels (2008, Atlantic). Debut album by the Swedish singer-songwriter, I’d read a few intriguing reviews and picked it up on a whim. Simple but seductive melodies, seemingly banal lyrics that take on nuance and depth with repetition, and all of it built around rhythms that make you want to clap your hands and snap your fingers, as if you were engaged in a playground game. (6/09)

××× Jarvis Cocker, “Further Complications” (2009, Rough Trade). Second solo album by the former leader of Pulp. I think I like his eponymous solo debut a bit better, but I’m also guessing that this one will grow on me with time. Cocker wants one thing, he wants it real bad, and he’s willing to lie, beg, tell the truth or even pay to get it. (6/09)

×××× The Cars, The Cars (1978, Elektra). I finally replace my old vinyl copy of the album that got me through my senior year in high school, especially after my girlfriend left me for my best friend – “Used to be mine, she’s so fine….” (6/09).

××××× Charles Mingus, Mingus Ah Um (1998, Sony). I continue to fill out my canonical collection of jazz with this masterpiece from 1959. (6/09)

××××× Buddy Holly, The Best of Buddy Holly: The Mellennium Collection (1999, Geffen). 12 track best-of from Mr. Holly, who invented pretty much everything that Elvis and Chuck Berry forgot to do. (6/09)

The Clash, Sandinista (1999, Sony). I finally resolve an internal debate with myself that’s been going on since 1980, when this was first released as a three-disk set on vinyl: to buy or not to buy. It’s my least favorite Clash album, and yet it is by The Only Band That Matters (I was a sucker for that particular marketing line way back in the day). So I finally give in at a Best Buy outlet, of all places, and by the newly remastered version. (6/09)

×××× Sôtaisei Riron, Haifai shinsho 「ハイファイ新書」 (2009, Mirai). Second album by up-and-coming Japanese indies band, it reached #7 on the Oricon album charts earlier this year. Mabe Shûichi’s original compositions contain hints of jazz and fusion, especially in the off-kilter guitar work. What really makes the band stand out, though, are the whispery, girlish vocals by Yakushimaru Etsuko. The lyrics often contain clever wordplay, but aren’t especially profound. Not perfect, but certainly a band worth watching in the coming years. (6/09)

×××× “Monsieur” Kamayatsu Hirsoshi, 1939 Monsieur: Monsieur Kamayatsu 70^th Anniversary Album「ムッシュかまやつ 70thアニバーサリーアルバム」 (2009, avex). An even more recent updating of the Monsieur Kamayatsu legend, this time commemorating the great man’s 70^th birthday. It features him in duets with musicians of many different generations, revisiting songs from across his long career, stretching from “Ban Ban Ban,” his 1966 hit with The Spiders” in a nice punky version with Hitoto Yô, to “Gauloise o sutta koto ga aru kai” (see below) in a duet with Micro. Other guests include fellow Spiders Sakai Masaaki and Inoue Jun, Thomas Matsumoto, The Alfee, Moriyama Ryôko, Imai Miki, Hotei Tomoyasu, among others. There’s no point in my hoping I sound this good when I’m 70, since I didn’t sound this good when I was 18. Very nice. (6/09)

×××× “Monsieur” Kamayatsu Hiroshi, Gauloise (1994, Polystar). Terrific updating of the Monsieur Kamayatsu sound recorded in England under the production supervision of Oyamada Keigo (Cornelius), with first-rate British session musicians. Kamayatsu’s original 1974 recording of “Gauloise o sutta koto ga aru kai,” on which he was backed by Tower of Power, became an unlikely hit in British clubs in the early 1990s, prompting Oyamada to bring the man back into the recording studio. (6/09)

Benjamin Britten, Serenade for Tenor, Horns and Strings; Les Illuminations; Nocturne, Ian Bostridge, Berlin Philharmoniker (2005, EMI). Nice recordings of three of Britten’s extended vocal compositions. (5/09)

×××× Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, Mass of the Fermenting Dregs (2008, Avocado Records). Debut EP by a promising all-female indies rock band from Japan. There are a couple of instrumental numbers that don’t do much for me, but the songs with words have a fine edge to them. Miyamoto Natsuko writes intelligent hard rock numbers with great pop hooks, and she sings them in an attractively straightforward manner. I’ve fallen in love with “skabetty,” a terrific mid-tempo number. (5/09)

×××× Love Live Life + One, Love Will Make A Better You (2009, King Records). Newly remastered reissue of classic 1971 album of avant-garde noise-rock-jazz, with pop singer Fuse Akira, of all people, on lead vocals. Julian Cope’s Japrocksampler book turned me on to this one, and it’s surprisingly listenable. The lyrics are all hippie-love, and the music can get lost in its own trippiness at times, but at other moments it’s positively gorgeous. The title track is a psychedelic remake of Sly Stone, complete with fuzz guitar. (5/09)

Super Butter Dog, Super Better Better Dog (2008, EMI). 2-CD “best of” collection, 29 songs from one of the best Japanese indies bands of the 1990s. They start with a funk foundation and expand in the direction of rock, folk, and a little bit of everything else. Very attractive. “Sayonara Color,” a 2001 recording, is a lovely ballad with a slow, melancholic swing to it. Who says a funk band can’t play country-rock music? (5/09)

×××½ Neko Case, Middle Cyclone (2009, Anti-). The honey-toned second voice for The New Pornographers turns in a nice set of alt country tunes. Mostly, it’s attractive (esp. the cover of Harry Nilsson’s “Don’t Forget Me,” a song I’ve loved since junior high school), but I think she at times shows symptoms of a syndrome that afflicts The New Pornographers: a tendency to overproduce, to throw too much busy-ness into the mix, betraying an unnecessary lack of confidence in the songs themselves. Sometimes it’s okay just to sing and play piano, just as sometimes a silent pause can be just that. (4/09)

×××× Matsutoya Yumi, NO SIDE (1984, Express). When I first arrived in Japan in the autumn of the year this album was issued, it was playing on every cassette tape deck. Listening now (alongside her other releases from this period), it strikes me that this is the LP where she finally stopped being Arai Yumi and disappeared entirely in the Yuming brand. As usual, sophisticated pop songs for lonely, alienated persons. (4/09)

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The CD haul from my March ’09 trip to Japan:

Fishmans, Uchu Nippon Setagaya 「宇宙　日本　世田谷」(1997, Polydor). The last studio album by the legendary underground dub/rock band from the 1990s. Very trippy at moments, and quite soothing even as it retains a musical edge. (3/09)

Bump of Chicken, present from you (2008, Toy’s Factory). A dozen B-sides from singles collected on one CD. I’ve finally figured out who these reigning Kings of J-Rock remind me of: The Byrds. They’ve updated the sound, of course, but you still get the jangly guitars, the sweet harmonies, and the damnably catchy tunes. (3/09)

×××× Go!Go!7188, Tategami 「鬣」(2003, EMI). Perhaps the best album ever from one of Japan’s best alternative rock bands. Nice and crunky (I’ve always wanted to use that word.) (3/09)

Soul Flower Union, Screwball Comedy (2001, Respect Record). Mid-career album from the agit-prop kings of J-Pop, more carnivalesque, Latin-tinged pop and lyrics with political bite—including track 9, “No to ieru otoko” (The Man Who Can Say No), a jibe at Ishihara Shintarô. (3/09)

Grapevine, Kakusei 「覚醒」 (1997, Pony Canyon). Major label debut EP by one of Japan’s longest lived alternative rock bands, nice melodic hard rock. (3/09)

×××× Amuro Namie, Sweet 19 Blues (1996, avex). I successfully resisted this enormously popular disk for more than a decade: I steadfastly maintained a snobbish resistance to all of Komuro Tetsuya’s productions. But recently I was reading a close analysis of the title track in Satô Yoshiaki’s book, J-POP Shinkaron (The theory of evolution of J-Pop, 1999), and as I repeatedly listened to the song on-line as I was trying to understand Satô’s analysis, I found myself falling in love with it. Turns out, the whole album is pretty damn solid. As usual, I find myself catching up with fashionable trends about a decade after the fact. I should start learning to dance the Macarena any day now. (3/09)

××××½ The Peanuts, Best & Best Deluxe (2004, King). Nice one-disk survey of the career of the enormously popular 1960s duo, kayôkyoku at its most attractive. (3/09).

the brilliant green, Los Angeles (2001, DefStar). Third album by the beloved (and recently reunited) alternative rock outfit, who had a pretty wide following outside of Japan back in the day. Very tasty stuff. (3/09)

×××Audio Sponge, Sketch Show (2002, Avex). A later regrouping of Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Hosono Haruomi and Takahashi Yukihiro (Sakamoto Ryûichi shows up on a few tracks, as well), with more sophisticate electronica for jaded postmodern ears. (3/09)

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×××× Brinsley Schwarz, Nervous on the Road/The New Favourites of…. (1972/1975/2002, Beat Goes On). Two original albums by the great 1970s British pub rock band on one CD. Features a young Nick Lowe and the original version of “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” (3/09)

××××× Howlin’ Wolf, The Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues (2002, Chess). I continue to replace missing links from my vinyl collection. I’ve been hearing bits and snatches of Mr. Wolf around town lately, and it stirred up an appetite to reacquaint myself with this master. (3/09)

××××½ Prince, 1999 (1983/1990, Warner Brothers). I continue to replace missing links from my vinyl collection. And tonight we’re going to party like it’s 1983. (3/09).

×××× The Clash, Combat Rock (1982/2000, Sony). I continue to replace missing links from my vinyl collection. One of the weaker Clash releases, this sounds surprisingly good today—thanks, in part, to M.I.A. (3/09).

×××½ Various artists, War Child Presents Heroes (2009, Astralwerks). A fundraiser for a fine charity, this one had veteran artists pick younger musicians to do covers of their works. The Kooks turn in a fine rendition of The Kinks’ “Victoria,” mostly respectful of the original but with a reworked bridge. Duffy takes all of the explosions out of “Live and Let Die” and turns it into an extended session of foreplay. The Clash’s “Straight to Hell” is revived yet again, this time in a sweet version by Lily Allen with the help of Mick Jones. (3/09).

Various artists, Nigeria Rock Special (2008, Soundway). This anthologizes recordings made by bands popular in Nigeria in the early 1970s. You hear strains of prog-rock, acid blues, pop, Afro-beat, funk, and who knows what else: very intriguing…. (2/09)

×××× Alan Price, Between Today and Yesterday (1974/2008, Collector’s Choice). A lost classic finally reissued on CD. Price was the original keyboardist for The Animals, but in the 1970s released a series of fine, intelligent pop albums for grown ups, including this wry (and semi-autobiographical) song cycle. (2/09).

The Beatles, Please Please Me (1963/1990, Capitol), With the Beatles (1963/1990, Capitol), Beatles for Sale (1964/1990, Capitol). I was a confirmed Beatlemaniac growing up, my bedroom walls plastered with photos of the boys. I had everything in vinyl then, but am only now getting around to filling in the gaps in my CD collection. (2/09)

Matsutoya Yumi, REINCARNATION (1983, EMI) and VOYAGER (1984, EMI).  When I first arrived in Japan in the autumn of 1984, these two albums were on every cassette deck.  I realized then that Yuming was a special brand of comfort food for Japanese males of a certain age; it's nostalgic to hear these again now--and more than a little comforting. (2/09)

××××½ M.I.A., Kala (2007, Interscope) Why resist?  You know that in the end you're going to buy this to hear "Paper Planes," so just give in already.  Resistance is futile. (2/09)

×××½ Atlanta Rhythm Section, 20th Century Masters:  Best of (2000, A&M)  I always had a thing for these guys back in the '70s when they were churning out hits like "Champagne Jam" and "I'm Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight."  (2/09)

××××× Eels, Daisies of the Galaxy (2000, Dreamworks). The last album by E. and company that I didn't have, and it's one of their very best.   (2/09)

Igor Stravinsky, L’Oiseau de feu/Le Sacre de printemps/Perséphone, Michael Tilson Thomas, San Francisco Symphony (1999, BMG). 3-CD box of Stravinsky’s major ballet music, which I’d gotten a strong hankering to hear again. I used to listen to “Firebird” and “Rites” often back in the days of vinyl and magnetic tape. (1/09)

×××½ Mavis Staples, Live: Hope at the Hideout (2008, Anti-). Acclaimed new live album recorded at a club here in Chicago (Staples’ hometown) last summer. Very funky, very tasty. (1/09)

Thelonius Monk, Plays Duke Ellington (1987, Riverside). Recorded on two days in July, 1955, this captures one of my favorite pianists playing works by one of my favorite composers. What’s not to like? (1/09)

×××××Etta James, At Last (MCA, 1990). The classic debut album, first released back in 1960. It’s remarkable how little dated it sounds today. (1/09)

××××½ Kanye West, 808 & Heartbreak (2008, Roc-a-fella). I have to give this one some more listens, but am I wrong to keep hearing traces of another great Chicago soul man: Curtis Mayfield? (1/09)

××× Bryan MacLean, IfYouBelieveIn (1997, Sundazed) Late 1960s home recordings by the other singer-songwriter in the great psychedelic band, Love. These would have benefited from the full studio treatment, but even in these barebones versions, the tunes give ample evidence that Arthur Lee wasn’t the only creative soul in the band. “Barber John” in particular is stunning. (1/09)

×××× Soundtrack, Yes Man (2008, Lakeshore). Mostly terrific older recordings by Eels, with one fine new song (“Man Up”) and a few odd-duck numbers from the film sung by Zooey Deschanel and performed by “Munchausen by Proxy.” (12/08)

×××× The Decembrists, The Crane Wife (2006, Capitol). One of those CDs I’d held in my hand at record stores a half dozen times, thinking about but never quite buying it. And then I get it as a Christmas present (thanks, Jeff!). Intelligent folk-pop with a literary bent. (12/08)

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THE CD HAUL FROM MY 12/2008 TRIP TO JAPAN

×××× The Mods, Leather File 1981-1991 (Epic/Sony, 1991). Best-of 2-CD set covering the early recordings of one of Japan’s first punk/new wave bands. They charmingly cop riffs from The Clash, The Ramones, Billy Idol, Bob Dylan, and a hundred others, only occasionally noting the theft in songwriting credits. What could be more punk? I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for these guys, especially the classic “Two Punks” live version, which I discovered during my first visit to Japan in 1984-5. Why aren’t they better known? (12/08)

×××× Soul Flower Union, Cante Diaspora「カンテ・ディアスポラ」(BM tunes, 2008). The latest from these fine purveyors of psychedelic pop, this shows a touch of World Music influence as well. They remain one of the most explicitly political of J-Rock bands today: songs here include “Palestine” and “Carnival on the Borderline.” (12/08)

×××× Wada Akiko和田アキ子, Dynamite Best 1968-2008 (Union, 2008). 3-CD best-of box from the great singer who moves freely back and forth between Soul/RnB and enka. (12/08)

××××½ Pupa, floating pupa (EMI, 2008). I’m not a huge fan of electronica, but I’ve always liked the work of Takahashi Yukihiro, late of Sadistic Mika Band and YMO. This is the debut work by his latest ensemble, and it’s quite good. (12/08).

×××½ Kirinji キリンジ, 7-seven (Columbia, 2008). The latest set from a band that I think is the real present-day heir to the sophisticated “City Pop” of the 1970s (Happy End, Yamashita Tatsurô, Arai Yumi, etc. ). Very attractive soft rock for stressed-out adults. Includes a bonus DVD, which I’m sure I’ll get around to watching someday…. (12/08)

Kirinji キリンジ, 2 in 1: 10^th Anniversary Edition (Natural, 2008). Re-issue of their debut CD, including new instrumental versions of all seven songs. (12/08)

×××× Tomobe Masato友部正人, Ôsaka e yatte kita 「大阪へやって来た」(Prime Direction, 2006). CD re-issue of the 1972 URC label debut album by the legendary folksinger. It still sounds remarkably good. (12/08).

×××× Love Psychedelico, Love Psychedelic Orchestra (Victor, 2002). Mid-career album by a band that has received a good deal of attention in the U.S., quite deservedly so (the intelligent and well-articulated English lyrics help, I suppose). They’ve developed an appealing, distinctive sound which I’ve just realized was one of the sources for Sadistic Mika Band’s Narkissos CD, which I fell in love with a couple of years ago. (12/08)

×××× Love Psychedelico, Early Times: The Best of LOVE PSYCHEDELICO (Victor, 2005). See above entry; this is a best-of sampler. (12/08)

×××× Yurayura Teikokuゆらゆら帝国, 1998-2004 (MIDI, 2004). Best-of sampler by a band I’ve been wanting to check out for some time. Very appealing mix of rockers and ballads, all rendered with a smart alternative/indies aesthetic. Disk one includes the hits, disc two the rarities. (12/08)

××× Go!Go!7188, Toranoana 「虎の穴」 (Toshiba EMI, 2002). Oddball collection of cover versions of assorted old J-Pop songs (The Peanuts, the “Cutie Honey” theme, etc.), all done up in the Go!Go!7188 alternative rock style. (12/08)

The Collectors, The Greatest Tracks (Columbia, 2005). Best-of by the band that for twenty years has carried the torch for the mod movement of Swinging London. (12/08)

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Dawn Upshaw,  Knoxville, Summer of 1915 (1990, Nonesuch).  The acclaimed soprano sings Samuel Barber's setting of a passage from James Agee, plus several other selections from the twentieth-century vocal repertoire.  Lovely, from beginning to end.  (11/08)

Van Morrison, Astral Weeks (1990, Warner Brothers).  The classic 1968 album in which Van first started to come into his own  and which he has been revisiting in recent months.  (11/08)

Beethoven, The Five Piano Concertos/Choral Fantasy, Emmanuel Ax (2003, BMG Classics).  A 3-CD box set, part of the RCA Red Seal series, with Ax accompanied by the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra for the concertos and the New York Philharmonic for the choral piece, all of it originally recorded in the mid 1980s. (11/08)

××× Jenny Lewis, Acid Tongue (2008, Warner Brothers). The latest solo work from the lead singer of Rilo Kiley.  She keeps her roots-y, country vibe, but throws some other tougher styles into the mix as well to keep things interesting. (11/08)

××× Dennis Wilson, Pacific Ocean Blue (2008, Caribou). The drumming Wilson Brother's legendary 1977 solo album, finally reissued on CD.  It's soulful and lush, and nothing like a
Beach Boys album -- except for those moments when it suddenly is.... (11/08)

Parliament, Mothership Connection (2003, Universal).  I've had a nearly complete Funkadelic collection for many years, and now it's time to start exploring the other side of the great
P-Funk collective.  Originally issued on vinyl in 1976. (11/08)

×××× Paul McCartney, Tug of War (1982, Capital).  I replace my vinyl copy after all these years.  The one tune that's always stuck in my head is "The Pound is Sinking."  It's as if Paul woke up
one morning and, as a do-before-breakfast challenge, decided to write a ditty about the foreign currency exchange market.  Amazingly, it's not half bad. (11/08)

××××× Frank Sinatra, Songs for Swingin’ Lovers (1998, Capitol). The landmark 1955 album, which I’ve wanted for decades. Now I’ve got it under my skin, and there’s nothing I can do about it. (9/08)

×××× Rilo Kiley, More Adventurous (2005, Warner Brothers). I’ve been a huge fan of this since it first came out and have even given away several copies as gifts to people. But I never had my own—until now. (9/08)

××× Serge Gainsbourgh, Initials SG (2002, Mercury). Best-of collection from France’s King of Heavy Breathing Pop, this surveys his career from 1958-1980. Mostly, it makes me giggle. (9/08)

××××½ The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night (1964, Apple). I continue the slow, long-long-long-term of rebuilding my Fab Four collection in digital form. I should be finished with this project about the time CDs are completely obsolete…. (9/08)

×××× Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun (2008, Capitol).  A moderately interesting new album from Mr. Wilson in which he returns to his Southern California roots.  A couple of the songs give me great pleasure. Do we have any right to ask for more from him at this point? (9/08)

×××× Joanna Wang, Start From Here (2008, Sony BMG).  A Taiwanese singer-songwriter raised in LA, she's sweeping the Chinese-speaking universe this year with her melancholic ballads and stripped-down cover versions of such classic pop tunes as Spandau Ballet's "True" and Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind."  She records each song twice, once in Mandarin, once in English, and I think a big part of her appeal is her ability to maintain the same singing style no matter the language.  (9/08)

×××× Toots & The Maytals, Funky Kingston/In the Dark (2003, Island DefJam).  Combines two classic 1970s albums by these founding fathers of reggae, including their brilliant covers of "Louie, Louie" and "Country Roads."  IMHO, Toots' "Funky Kingston" is the greatest reggae song of all time.... (9/08)

×××× Stew, Passing Strange (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (Ghostlight; 2008).  Stew's acclaimed Off-Broadway musical makes it to CD.  Some of the tunes are familiar from his past releases, but mostly this is new territory:  a semi-autobiographical tale of a young African-American musician from Southern California trying to find himself in Europe.  Bits of it sound oddly like Meatloaf to my ears, but I still like it.  (8/08)

Shiina Ringo, Watashi to hôden (EMI Japan, 2008).  A two-CD collection of non-LP tracks from past singles and EPs.  I already had most of this stuff anyway.  It's not her strongest work, but even her second-tier material is better than 90% of the J-Pop that is out there.  (8/08)

×××× Van Morrison, Wavelength (Polydor, 2008).  I finally acquire his 1978 masterpiece on CD.  The opening lines of "Kingdom Halll," the first  track,  always cheer me up:  "So glad to see ya!  So glad you're here!"  (8/08)

Caetano Veloso, Caetano Veloso (Tropicalia) (2000, Polygram International).  The album that launched the Tropicália revolution in Brazilian pop music when it was first released back in 1968.  I've been a fan of Os Mutantes for some time now, so I'm pretty sure I'll like this one as well. "Alegria, Alegria" stands out, but so far I'm liking the other tunes too.   (7/08)

×××× Mayra Andrade, Navega (2007, Cooking Vinyl).  Debut album by a young Cape Verdean singer whose been attracting a good deal of favorable attention in Europe lately.  To my largely uninformed ears, Brazil seems to provide the keynote here, but she mixes in all sorts of tasty musical influences to create an airy album that's perfect for summer listening.  (7/08)

××××½ The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle (2007, Big Beat UK).  One of the more overlooked classics of late 1960s Britpop, this one sits comfortably alongside the Kinks' Village Green Preservation Society, also first released in 1968.  The best-known track is "Time of the Season," but the whole album is terrific.  Upon my first few listens, I keep hearing traces of Brian Wilson's late '60s production work. (7/08)

××××× Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life (2000; Universal/Motown). I’ve wanted this one ever since it was released on vinyl to rave reviews back in 1976. It’s great hearing “Sir Duke” and “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Pastime Paradise” and all the rest coming through my own headphones. (6/08)

Gustav Mahler, Symphonie No. 7, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado, cond. (1984, Polydor). (6/08)

Sugata Isotaro, Symphonic Overture and other works; Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Komatsu Kazuhiko, cond. (2008; Naxos).  A largely forgotten Japanese composer of the 1930s and 40s  is rediscovered.  A modernist in style, he combines 20th century European art music with indigenous Japanese musical traditions.  What Stravinsky would sound like if he’d had the foresight to be raised in Tokyo. (6/08)

×××½ Aimee Mann, @#%&! Smilers (2008; SuperEgo Records). 13 new songs from the great singer-songwriter, carrying on in her usual style.  It always takes her new albums a few months to sink in for me:  I think I don't like them at first, but then out of the blue I find myself humming the tunes and wanting to listen again.  (6/08)

××××½ Imawano Kiyoshiro and Little Screaming Revue, Fuyu no jûjiro (1999, Swim Records).  I got this set by the former lead singer of RC Succession mainly for its punked up version of "Kimi ga yo," the Japanese national anthem.  Imawano's idiosyncratic voice and indelible good humor as usual carry the day.  (6/08)

×××½ Superfly, Superfly (2008, Warner Music Japan).  The debut album by a one-woman band that soared to the top of the Japanese charts, it combines nostalgia for 1970s rock and soul with solid J-Pop songcraft and attractive vocal performances.  Several of the catchier numbers were also hit singles:  "Hi-Five," "Hello Hello" and "i spy i spy." (6/08)

××××½ Flower Travelin' Band, Satori (2003; WEA International).  CD reissue of the classic album from the Japanese acid/progressive/psychedelic rock band.  This actually achieved chart success in Canada and elsewhere when it was first released back in 1971. (6/08)

Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 8, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, George Solti conducting (2006; Decca). The “Symphony of a Thousand” in a recording first issued on vinyl in 1972. (6/08)

××× Ike Reilly, Poison the Hit Parade (2008; Rock Ridge).  Reilly is one of our great unknown rock 'n' roll bards:  he melds naivete with cynicism, incoherent energy with a poetic wit, and hip hop with the electric Dylan.  I've been a huge fan since his 2001 debut album, Salesmen and Racists.  This new set, which consists half of new songs and half of updated versions of some of his older compositions ("Hip Hop Thighs #16," "Duty Free," "It's Alright to Die," etc.,), isn't his best work (see Salesmen and Racists for that), but it still brings a smile to my face and gets my foot tapping. (6/08)

××××½ The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers (1971; Virgin).  There are a few bands about whom I've always felt some hesitation; Mick & Co. are one.  But every decade or so I buy one of their classic albums, give it a couple of listens, and think to myself 'Hey, they aren't so terrible after all.'  Then I file the CD away on the shelf under R and hardly ever play it again.  For now I'm giving this one a spin, but no doubt it will soon take up its predestined place, gathering dust alongside my copies of Exile on Main Street and Between the Buttons.   (6/08)

×××× Gilbert O'Sullivan, The Berry Vest of.... (2005; EMI).  O'Sullivan produced some of the very best pop of my middle-school years and yet his work is entirely unavailable in the U.S. at present, either on CD or as MP3s.  I picked up this best-of (or berry-vest-of) while in England earlier this month.  (5/08)

Bonzo Dog Band, The Best(iality) of the Bonzo Dog Band (1995, EMI).  Nice sampling of the career of these musical Dadaists, whose recordings foreshadowed Monty Python and other British comedy of the 1970s.  It leaves out many of my favorite tracks by them, though, including "The Laughing Blues" and "(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco," so I had to download those from I-Tunes.  (5/08)

Mikami Kan, Hiraku yume nado aru ja nashi (2002; avex io).  Celebrated third album by the protest folk singer, originally released on vinyl on the URC label in 1972. (5/08)

Various artists, 1971 Nihon Folk Jamboree Live, Vol. 1 (2005; Victor Entertainment).  Live highlights recorded at the legendary Nakatsugawa Folk Jamboree in 1971, including performances by Happy End, Garo, and Yoshida Takurô.  (5/08)

Various artists, 1970 Zen Nippon Folk Jamboree 1 (2004). 2-CD live recording of highlights from the 1970 festival, featuring Happy End, Itsutu no akai fûsen, Nagira Ken’ichi and others. (5/08).

Various artists, 1971 Zen Nippon Folk Jamboree 2 (2004). 2-CD live recordings of highlights from the 1971 festival, featuring Happy End (again), Agata Morio, The Dylan II, etc. (5/08)

××××½ Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (2005, Asthmatic Kitty).  A friend decided that I needed a copy of this fine, eclectic work--and, as usual, my friend was right.  Thanks, Owen. (5/08)

×××× Erykah Badu, New Amerykah Pt. 1:  4th World War (2008, Motown).  A very tasty blend of Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye, hip-hop and who knows what else.  Fun and touching, light and thoughtful, and it's got a nice groove to it all the way through.   (4/08)

×××× Yoshida Takurô, Takurô Best Collection (2008).  A 2-disk, best-of collection from a singer who since the early 1970s has been one of the contenders for the title of "the Japanese Bob Dylan."  Yoshida starts with a basic stripped-down folk style in music and lyrics, but then adds on attractive, constantly varying touches:  a horn section, strings, a little electric guitar.  (3/08)

×××× Ringo Starr, Photograph:  The Very Best of Ringo (2007).  I found it in a bargain bin and really, really wanted to hear "It Don't Come Easy" again.  So I bought it and listened once, very pleasant, and now it'll sit on the shelf until I get the hankering to hear that song again.... (3/08)

Alfred Brendel, Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” (1992; Philips). In honor of the 3/9/08 concert we saw here in Chicago. Recorded with the London Philharmonic (Bernard Haitink conducting), this also includes Fantasia in C minor, Op. 80. (3/08)

×××½ Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, 100 Days, 100 Nights (20007, Daptone).  Terrific retro soul with a band (the same one Amy Winehouse borrows for her recordings) that carries you back to Memphis ca. 1967.  (3/08)

×××××Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain (1997; Sony).  I finally replace my well-worn vinyl copy of this landmark album first released back in 1960. (3/08)

Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Best of (2005; Universal).  Bargain-priced anthology from the master of Bossa Nova.  Yes.... (3/08)

×××½ Bump of Chicken, Jupiter (2002; Toys Factory).  Major-label debut by the top straight-ahead rock group in Japan today. It includes their first hit, "Tentai Kansoku."  They have a distinctive style, an attractive pop sensibility, and a band name that'll keep you awake nights, wondering.  (3/08)

John Fred and his Playboy Band, The History of John Fred and the Playboys (1991; Paula).  Best known for his  1967 one-hit-wonder  "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)," a delightful Beatles' knock-off, Fred brings some fine Cajun swamp and Memphis brass to concoct a heady fusion of blue-eyed soul and bubblegum pop.  (3/08)

××××½ Ray Davies, Working Man's Cafe (2008; New West).  The deluxe edition of Ray's fine new album:  it includes four bonus tracks (among them the excellent "Angola"), as well as a bonus DVD titled "Americana:  A Work in Progress," a documentary film tracing Ray's concert tour through a very tense U.S.A. in the weeks immediately following the 9/11 attacks. (2/08)

Brian Eno, Here Come the Warm Jets (2004; Virign).  Originally released on vinyl in 1974, this is one of Eno's classics, laced with Robert Fripp's guitar.  I've wanted to own a copy ever since 1980, when Chris Osgood of the Suicide Commandos spent fifteen minutes extolling its virtues during an interview I did with him. (2/08)

Haydn, The London Symphonies 1: Nos. 95, 96, 98, 102, 103, 104, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis (1994, Philips). 2-CD set of the composers’ late symphonies. (1/08)

Haydn, The London Symphonies 2: Nos. 93, 94, 97, 99 100, 101, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis (1994, Philips). Continuation of the above. (1/08)

××× Eels, Useless Trinkets:  B-Sides, Soundtracks, Rarities and Unreleased (2008, Universal).  Collects lesser known work by one of my favorite bands; they've also just released a companion "best of" compliation.  (1/08)

Flower Travellin' Band, Anywhere (2006, Universal Japan).  Originally released on vinyl in 1970, this is the second album by the (in)famous Japanese psychedelic/acid rock band originally founded by Uchida Yuya, though he had departed by the time this was recorded. (1/08)

××××½ Rhymefest, The Man in the Mirror (2007).  A brilliant reworking of Michael Jackson's entire career, including music and interviews, by the talented South Side Chicago hip-hop artist.  It won't show up in any CD shop near you, since it's unauthorized and therefore totally illegal, but it only took me about thirty seconds to find it on the Internet. (1/08)

Radiohead, In Rainbows (2008; tbd records). The wind blows hot-or-cold for me with Radiohead; we’ll see which it is with this one. (1/08)

××××½ Kanye West, Graduation (2007; Roc-a-Fella). I usually buy about one hip-hop CD a year; this is 2007’s model, a terrific piece of work. (1/08).

Brian Eno, Before and After Science (2004, Virgin). Originally released on vinyl back in 1977. (1/08)

×××××John Cale, Fear (1974; Island). I’m reunited with an old friend I once knew very well in its vinyl existence. (1/08)

×××××Eric Dolphy, Out to Lunch (1999; Blue Note). Dolphy’s classic 1964 album. (1/08)

×××× Suicide Commandos, The Legendary KQRS Concert 1976 (Garage D'Or, 2007).  The seminal Minnesota punk band captured at its peak at an in-studio live performance for a local radio station.  Much better in both sound and performance quality than their live farewell concert album recorded three years later.  Available through the record label's website.  (1/08)

For a list of the CDs I acquired before 2008, see here.

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