FAVORITE ALBUMS

1. BORN TO RUN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN / In 1975, while a sophomore in HIgh School, my introduction to two different yet very similar artistic works would profoundly change my life - this album and 'On The Road' by Jack Kerouac. Both portray a romantic notion of America that I knew nothing about at that age but desperately wanted to discover. Bruce's song-cycle combined rock, soul, 60's pop and folk to create a sweeping, epic and ultimately triumphant masterpiece that is the best American rock album ever. Period.

2. MURMER - R.E.M. / Mysterious, almost gothic, and very southern, in 1980 'Murmer' sounded like no other album before. It's jangling guitars and obtuse lyrics grabbed my imagination and held, leading me into the then little known universe of alternative rock. The most influential album of the 1980's.

3. OK COMPUTER - RADIOHEAD / A mesmerizing amalgam of melody, noise, hypnotic vocals, 70's prog rock and beautiful songs, this is the most listened to album in my collection. Every time I hear it I discover something new and wonderful. It's arrival heralded and then influenced rock music of the 21st Century.

4. EXILE ON MAINSTREET - ROLLING STONES / Raw, gritty and dark, 'Exile' is the very definition of pure Rock'n Roll. Mick's growling vocals and Keith's stinging guitar are the perfect counter-point to Charlie Watt's propulsive drumming and Bill Wyman's steady bass. So nasty, grim and downright seedy that you may feel the need to shower after listening - or go to Church.

5. THE RIVER - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN / If Bruce Springsteen had not been a musician he most certainly would have been a novelist. Filled with tales of middle-class angst, romantic yearning and the freedom of the road, 'The River' channels Steinbeck, Updike and Guthrie to create a totally American view of the struggles and triumphs of the common man. This was the best use of the double album format to date. Plus, the rocking E-Street Band were in full-force and showcased on this album like never before.

6. LONDON CALLING - THE CLASH / Political rage never sounded so catchy as The Clash melded reggae, punk and dance music into a heady stew of pure rock'n roll delight. So sublime and melodic are the songs that it's almost easy to miss the underlying message of a band raging against the government, unemployment, war and other social concerns . As timely and important today as it was in the 1980's.

7. WHO'S NEXT - THE WHO / A cultural snapshot of youth in the 70's, 'Who's Next' promoted both rebellion and understanding with sonically produced pop songs and soaring anthems highlighted by the magisterial, 'Won't Get Fooled Again'. This, not the overwrought 'Tommy', is the Who's masterpiece.

8. WAR - U2 / The drums rat-a-tat like gunshots, the bass is steady as a march, guitar lines lean and sinewy while the vocal is a full blown battle-cry. ‘WAR’ kicks off with the blistering ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’ and announces that this album is U2’s call to arms. While they have made better albums, none have been more important. Only a very young band one step removed from punk and with grander aspirations would have the audacity to attempt such a rant, such a rage against the atrocities politics and religion have brought upon their homeland for so many decades. 'WAR' was the album that saw U2 transformation from interesting, vaguely new wavish pop band into a musical force that would not go unnoticed. Classic songs such as 'New Year's Day' and '40' set the agenda as the band, and particularly Bono, became the conscious of a generation. Raw, emotional and highlighted by the Edge's chiming guitar, this is U2's defining moment.

9. YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT - WILCO / The musical genius of Jeff Tweedy is evident in almost every Wilco album, but never more so than in this studio enhanced gem. Wilco are to the 2000's what R.E.M were to the 1980's; the most innovative and influential band working. 'Yankee's' songs of despair and romantic longing alternate between gloomy ballads and hook-laden pop, all sung in the heartfelt and soulfully midwestern voice of Tweedy. This is a thoroughly modern album that twists rock, country and folk into something completely original that speaks to the times in which we live. 'Jesus, Etc.' is as beautiful a song as has been written in the past 20 years.

10. BLOOD ON THE TRACKS - BOB DYLAN / Bob's mid-career masterpiece, 'Blood' is one great song after another, highlighted by the rambling story-song, 'Tangled up in Blue'. With lyrics that read like poems and songs and are about no less than life and love on the fringes of American society, this is an album rooted in the beat writings of Burroughs, Kerouac and Ginsberg. Bob is a drifter and philosophizer in these songs, looking for something to believe in, seeking shelter from the storm.

11. HEJIRA - JONI MITCHELL

12. MOONDANCE - VAN MORRISON

13. WHAT'S GOING ON? - MARVIN GAYE

14. TIME OUT OF MIND - BOB DYLAN

15. RAIN DOGS - TOM WAITS

16. LATE FOR THE SKY - JACKSON BROWNE

17. RECKONING - R.E.M.

18. BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME - BOB DYLAN

19. DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

20. FUNERAL - THE ARCADE FIRE

More (in no particular order)...

AVALON / ROXY MUSIC • THE QUEEN IS DEAD / THE SMITHS • THE BENDS / RADIOHEAD
LATE FOR THE SKY / JACKSON BROWNE • ROOM TO ROAM / WATERBOYS • GREATEST HITS / AL GREEN ENTRAL RESERVATION /BETH ORTON • LONG STRETCH OF LONESOME / PATTY LOVELESS
TUSK / FLEETWOOD MAC • THE PRETENDER / JACKSON BROWNE • REMAIN IN LIGHT / TALKING HEADS
REGGATTA DE BLANC / POLICE • THE JOSHUA TREE / U2 • OTHER VOICES - OTHER ROOMS / NANCI GRIFFITH • ROCKS / AEROSMITH • THE OCEAN BLUE / THE OCEAN BLUE • BLUE / JONI MITCHELL
SUZANNE VEGA / SUZANNE VEGA • LIFE'S HARD AND THEN YOU DIE / IT'S IMMATERIAL
TIM / THE REPLACEMENTS • LEGEND / BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS • QUIET STORM / SMOKEY ROBINSON • DAMN THE TORPEDOES / TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS • QUADROPHENIA / THE WHO • EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY / ROD STEWART • HUNKY DORY / DAVID BOWIE
RED JOYSTICK / LOU REED • BEST OF / THE DOORS • SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE / STEVIE WONDER GREATEST HITS / SIMON & GARFUNKLE • THE STONE ROSES / THE STONE ROSES
ALL THE BEST COWBOYS HAVE CHINESE EYES / PETE TOWNSEND • SIGN O' THE TIMES / PRINCE
FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION / R.E.M • THE FLAT EARTH / THOMAS DOLBY
LET IT BLEED / ROLLING STONES • STOP MAKING SENSE / TALKING HEADS
KATY LIED / STEELY DAN • BEING THERE / WILCO • NEBRASKA / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
ORANGES AND LEMONS / XTC • AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE / R.E.M.
BIG DADDY / JOHN MELLENCAMP • CAR WHEELS ON A GRAVEL ROAD / LUCINDA WILLIAMS
• RETROSPECTIVE / ROSEANNE CASH • BACK IN BLACK / AC•DC • RAPTURE / ANITA BAKER
FLYER / NANCI GRIFFITH • IN TIME / VIEW FROM A HILL • AJA / STEELY DAN
LONESOME JUBILEE / JOHN MELLENCAMP • TRAINSPOTTING (SOUNDTRACK)
TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION / ELTON JOHN • ONE NIGHT IN SAN FRANCISO / VAN MORRISON
GREATEST HITS / CAT STEVENS • A GHOST IS BORN / WILCO • KID A / RADIOHEAD
REELING IN THE YEARS / STEELY DAN • CHRONIC TOWN / R.E.M • DESIRE / BOB DYLAN
PARADE / PRINCE • TECHNIQUE / NEW ORDER • STICKY FINGERS / ROLLING STONES
SMASH HITS / JIMI HENDRIX • BEST OF / ELLA FITZGERALD • ACHTUNG BABY / U2
A RUSH OF BLOOD TO THE HEAD / COLDPLAY • ELEPHANT / WHITE STRIPES
AMERICAN IDIOT / GREEN DAY • SOUND OF MUSIC / MOVIE SOUNDTRACK
THE ROYAL SCAM / STEELY DAN • WAITING FOR COLUMBUS / LITTLE FEAT
SYNCHRONICITY / POLICE • IS THIS IT? / THE STROKES • BLONDE ON BLONDE / BOB DYLAN
THE WILD, THE INNOCENT & THE E-STREET SHUFFLE / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
REVEAL / R.E.M. • PURPLE RAIN / PRINCE • ONLY LIFE / THE FEELIES
SIAMESE DREAM / SMASHING PUMPKINS

FAVORITE CLASSICAL RECORDING / THE BEST OF W. A. MOZART / VARIOUS / 1988 Delta Music
FAVORITE MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK / 'THE PIANO' / MICHAEL NYMAN
\FAVORITE JAZZ ALBUM / LATE NIGHT JAZZ / COMPILATION / 1995 Polygram
FAVORITE COUNTRY ALBUM / 'LONG STRETCH OF LONESOME' / PATTY LOVELESS

FAVORITE SONGS

1. THUNDER ROAD - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN / Captures an America more real than any modern country or folk song ever could. The soft beauty of the opening piano chords give way to anthemic guitars, Bruce's soulful vocals and lyrics about the romance of the road, freedom and having faith in love. Both intimate and epic at the same time, this is the song that first showed Bruce Springsteen's evolution from simple, Dylan-lite troubadour to majestic rocker and a true poet of the people. Close your eyes, listen, and you can see the sweeping fields, drifting clouds in bright, blue skies and the dark blur of the road as Mary and our hero drive off into the waiting horizon and the promise of a better life. I'm still waiting for the movie.

2. DOWNTOWN - PETULA CLARK / This is the first pop song that I remember hearing on the radio as a child and I immediately wanted to hear it again and again. I love 60's pop music and this beautiful song with its haunting melody and delicate vocals is the nadir.

3. THERE SHE GOES - THE LA'S / Ignore the lame remake by 'Six-Pence None the Richer', the gritty and exhilarating original by The LA's, who disbanded after one album, is the best pop single of the past 20 years.

4. LET'S STAY TOGETHER / AL GREEN / Reverend Al is the best soul singer of his generation and still going strong. This passionate call to love is his best song and one of the best songs ever.

5. CAN'T HARDLY WAIT - THE REPLACEMENTS / Impossible to ignore, this is a great, great, rough and tumble rock-n-roll song by one of the most under appreciated bands of the 1980's.

6. YEAR OF THE CAT - AL STEWART / This one is mostly for nostalgic reasons, but it does possess a gorgeous melody, sweet piano lines and lyrics that read like a short story. This was THE song of my first big High school romance. "On a morning from a Bogart movie..." This one's for you, Laura.

7. FOR A DANCER- JACKSON BROWNE / What a great songwriter Jackson Browne is and he truly was the voice for a lot of my generation. This is his best song. Life, death, love, being who you are and staying true to yourself, all of these themes and ideas resonate throughout this beautifully melodic and ultimately sad song. The mournful, lonely violin solo that rises out of the chorus in the middle is heartbreaking as is Jackson's voice. This one is for Brian P. While at McLean High, we'd listen to the entire 'Late for the Sky' album over and over in his room and he'd even carry around copies of the lyrics. Rest in peace buddy.

8. SHAKING THROUGH - R.E.M. / This is my favorite song on one of the best albums ever and a true signifier of R.E.M.'s rich, inigmatic sound. Listen to the nervous jangle of Peter Buck's guitar and Micheal Stipes deep, passionate vocals.

9. FISHERMAN'S BLUES- WATERBOYS / If the Waterboy's had stayed true to their original sound, exemplified by this heartfelt song of desire and longing, they could have truly been one of the most memorable bands ever. This song grabs my heart and holds it every time I hear it.

10. THE WIND - CAT STEVENS / Short but oh so sweet, 'The Wind' is simply one of the most beautifully dark songs ever written. Cat Stevens was the first singer-songwriter to catch my attention and his best songs still resonate. This song was used so memorably in the great Cameron Crowe move, 'Almost Famous'.

11. SHE'S GONE - DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES / Blue-eyed Soul at its very best! Hall and Oates were very underrated in their day and this song is a perfect example of their great harmonies and mastery of the pop single.

12. BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP / THE FOUNDATIONS / The first single I ever bought - a 45! GREAT song!

13. IN GOD'S COUNTRY - U2

14. IT'S ALRIGHT MA (I'M ONLY BLEEDING) - BOB DYLAN

15. LET DOWN - RADIOHEAD

16. DRIVE ALL NIGHT - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

17. RIVER - JONI MITCHELL

18. FOUNTAIN OF SORROW - JACKSON BROWNE

19. FAVORITE THINGS - JULIE ANDREWS

20. WHAT'S GOING ON? - MARVIN GAYE

21. BADLANDS - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

22. NAIVE MELODY (THIS MUST BE THE PLACE) - TALKING HEADS

23. TANGLED UP IN BLUE - BOB DYLAN

24. REDEMPTION SONG - BOB MARLEY

25. EVERYDAY IS LIKE SUNDAY - MORRISSEY

 

More (in no particular order)...

I AM TRYING TO BREAK YOUR HEART / WILCO • AMERICAN GIRL / TOM PETTY
BABA O'RIELLY / THE WHO • WEATHER WITH YOU / CROWDED HOUSE
HERE COMES THE SUN / THE BEATLES • NEW YEARS DAY / U2 • BADLANDS / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
OH YEAH / ROXY MUSIC • CHELSEA MORNING / JONI MITCHELL • BLACK EYED DOG / NICK DRAKE
BABY, NOW THAT I'VE FOUND YOU / ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION
I BELIEVE (WHEN I FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU IT WILL BE FOREVER) / STEVIE WONDER
GYPSY / SUZANNE VEGA • FREE MAN IN PARIS / JONI MITCHELL • I GOT A NAME / JIM CROCE
STREET FIGHTING MAN / ROLLING STONES • NIGHT SWIMMING / R.E.MS • KOOKS / DAVID BOWIE
WHEN YOU WERE MINE / PRINCE • JUST LIKE HEAVEN / THE CURE
THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT / THE SMITHS • SEXUAL HEALING / MARVIN GAYE
SWEET MELISSA / ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND • INTO THE MYSTIC / VAN MORRISON
GARDENING AT NIGHT / R.E.M. • FIRE & RAIN / JAMES TAYLOR
COMING UP CLOSE / TIL TUESDAY • LINEMAN FOR THE COUNTY / GLEN CAMPBELL
VIA CHICAGO / WILCO • HEROES / DAVID BOWIE • IN YOUR EYES / PETER GABRIEL
WON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN / THE WHO • JUNGLELAND / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
ROMEO & JULIET / DIRE STRAITS • NEW YORK CITY SERENADE / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
LAND: MEDLEY / PATTI SMITH • LIKE A ROLLING STONE / BOB DYLAN
IT WOULDN'T HAVE MADE ANY DIFFERENCE / ALISON KRAUSS •TAKE FIVE / DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET
WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN / CCR • RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS / CARPENTERS
FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE / ROBERTA FLACK • I WISH YOU HEAVEN / PRINCE
VENTURA HIGHWAY / AMERICA • THE BOXER / SIMON & GARFUNKLE • HIGH & DRY / RADIOHEAD
BLACKBIRD / THE BEATLES • MELT WITH YOU / MODERN ENGLISH
GIMME SHELTER / ROLLING STONES • SO. CENTRAL RAIN / R.E.M. • SWEET LOVE / ANITA BAKER
SARA SMILE / DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES • MUTINEER/ WARREN ZEVON
MANDOLIN RAIN / BRUCE HORNSBY • HERE COMES A REGULAR / REPLACEMENTS
I SAW THE LIGHT/ TODD RUNDGREN • BITCH / ROLLING STONES
MY STUNNING MYSTER COMPANION / JACKSON BROWNE • IMMIGRANT SONG / LED ZEPPELIN
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW / JUDY GARLAND • SUEDEHEAD / MORRISSEY
IN BETWEEN DAYS / THE CURE • LAWYERS, GUNS & MONEY / WARREN ZEVON
I WOULD DIE 4 U / PRINCE • TINY DANCER / ELTON JOHN • SOONER OR LATER / GRASS ROOTS
THE WISH / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN • WOLVES, LOWER / R.E.M. • LOVE SONG / OCEAN BLUE
FORTUNATE SON / CCR • SOUTHERN MAN / NEAL YOUNG • CHICAGO / SUFJAN STEVENS
OH VERY YOUNG / CAT STEVENS • MONA LISA'S AND MADHATTERS / ELTON JOHN
MR. TAMBORINE MAN / BOB DYLAN • RIKKI DON'T LOSE THAT NUMBER / STEELY DAN
EVERYBODY'S CHANGING / KEANE • I WALK THE LNE / JOHNNY CASH • GUITAR TOWN / STEVE EARLE JACKSON / JOHNNY CASH & JUNE CARTER • OH MY SWEET CAROLINA / RYAN ADAMS

 

 

KIRK'S BLOGS:

'SANCTUARY ART' - previewing and commenting on KIrk Art 'fresh off the easel'

'GHOSTS OF AUTUMN' - online exhibit celebrating the mountains of NC