In my College Teaching class, we studied the impact of student self-evaluation, which is exactly what it sounds like: an exercise that requires the student to reflect on what they’ve learned, and how that knowledge is now integrated into their identity and worldview.
Of course, as a teenager raised on rock criticism, I conducted self-evaluations again and again by sorting out my favorite rock albums. Even today, a top ten list prompts a reappraisal of my aesthetic agenda, reconnects me to significant moments of growth in my life, and reaffirms my emotional and intellectual identity.
So, with that on the table here are my favorite records, picked and sequenced by how much joy each brings to my life, either by forever changing the way I see and hear the world, or for just being so good that they offer a surprise every time.
1. Steely Dan, Can't Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy & Pretzel Logic
2. James Brown, Star Time
3. Sonny Rollins, Ken Burns Jazz & Silver City
4. DeBarge, In a Special Way
5. Billie Holiday, Ken Burns Jazz
6. Thelonious Monk, The Complete Prestige Recordings
7. Otis Redding, The Very Best of Otis Redding
8. X, Wild Gift
9. Billie Holiday & Lester Young, A Musical Romance
10. Ella Fitzgerald, Ken Burns Jazz
11. Rilo Kiley, More Adventurous
12. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
13. Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
14. Kanye West, Late Registration
15. Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.
16. Franco, The Very Best of the Rumba Giant of Zaire
17. Chic, The Best of Chic, Vol. 2
18. Fountains of Wayne, Welcome Interstate Managers
A list of favorite albums is full of omissions: I love Miles Davis, John Lennon and The Rolling Stones as much as Otis Redding or Ella Fitzgerald, but I rarely go to one album over another. Conversely, I’m not an Eric Clapton fanatic, but I adore Layla. Top Ten lists are like that. Anyone else want to give it a shot?
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2 comments:
Having never done this, I was inspire this morning to come up with a list of my own. This kind of list is hard, because my music choice is usually a reflection of my mood and what I'm into at the moment. A top 10 list requires you to take a much wider approach to your feelings about music, forcing you to suspend certain emotions. I struggled to do this, but in the end it was worth it. Thanks for the idea b-rad.
1. John Coltrane: Crescent
2. Maria Schneider: Evanescence (HM: Concert in the Garden)
3. Miles Davis: Milestones and Kind of Blue
4. Charlie Parker: Yardbird Suite Collection disc 1
5. Miles Davis: Sketches of Spain
6. Hank Mobley: Soul Station
7. Dave Holland: Prime Directive (HM: "Conference of the Birds")
8. Kieth Jarrett: La Scala
9. Michael Brecker: Time is of the Essence
10. Cannonball and Coltrane: Live In Chicago
11. Ron Miles: Laughing Barrel
12. Oliver Nelson: Blues and the Abstract Truth
13. Bill Evans: Portrait in Jazz
14. Sonny Side Up: Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt
15. Horace Silver: And the Jazz Messengers
Here are a few albums that I love and listen to constantly, but I'm not sure they are in the all-time category (at least at the moment).
Thievery Corporation: Richest Man of Babylon
Brad Mehldau: Day Is Done
Chris Potter Underground
Wayne Shorter: Beyond the Sound Barrier
Kenny Garrett; Beyond the Wall
Fred Hersh: ETC +1 (with Jerry Bergonzi)
Top Individual tracks:
1. Wise One: John Coltrane, Crescent
2. Last Season, Maria Schneider (HM: Hang Gliding)
3. Yardbird Suite, Charlie Parker
4. Stars Fell On Alabama: Cannonball Adderley, Cannonball and Coltrane
5. Parade; Ron Miles, Laughing barrel
6. Milestones: Miles Davis, Miles Stones
7. So What: Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
8. Giant Steps: John Coltrane
9. All The Things You Are; Chris Potter, unreleased material
10. Prime Directive; Dave Holland, Prime Directive
11. Remember; Hank Mobley, Soul Station (HM: This I Dig Of You)
12. On Again, Off Again; Alex Riel, Unreil (Brecker and Bergonzi)
13. Stolen Moments; Oliver Nelson, Blues and the Abstract Truth
14. Human Nature; Miles Davis, Live Around The World
15. Michael Brecker: Slings and Arrows (HM: Delta City Blues)
16. Joy Spring or Cherokee; Clifford Brown
17. Lonely Women: Ornette Coleman, The Shape of Jazz to Come
18. Just In Tune; John Abercrombie, Open Land
19. Sing A Song of Songs; Kenny Garrett, Songbook
20. In A Sentimental Room; John Coltrane and Duke Ellington
I've seen your top 10 lists in many different versions over the years. I'd have to agree with Darren that my music choice is definitey a reflection of my mood, what I'm into at the time, and also what I'm doing at the time. Jazz, orchestral, or twee goes much better with clients than does, say, Gwar... So, I accept your challenge!
So I started by going through all my albums in iTunes (I'd say 90% of my collection). I've ended up with 40 albums; obviously I've got to pare this down a bit. So here are 15 quick-picks based on my Top 40.
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds
Beck: Sea Change
Air: Moon Safari
Belle and Sebastian: Tigermilk
Catherine Wheel: Adam and Eve
The Clash: London Calling
Dave Matthews Band: Before These Crowded Streets
Information Society: Hack
Rush: Moving Pictures
Live: Throwing Copper
R.E.M.: New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Spiritualized: Ladies and Gentlemen...
Yes: Talk
Yo La Tengo: And Then Nothing Turned....
Mad Caddies: Just One More
Interestingly enough, when I told iTunes to give me the songs that had a playcount greater than "5", the albums that those songs came from were:
Rancid: ...And Out Came The Wolves
The Polyphonic Spree: Wait - EP
Snow Patrol: Eyes Open
Steve Hackett: The Tokyo Tapes
Bright Eyes: Cassadaga
Britney Spears: ...Baby One More Time (no clue....)
R.E.M.: Automatic For The People
R.E.M.: Monster
Rush: Snakes & Arrows
Rush: Vapor Trails
Maybe I'll have more time to further explore this....
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