Archives

Looking ahead, July-September 2021

[Art of Noise - Noise in the City]

The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin Companion, July 21

The vinyl version of this early promotional compilation was released as part of Record Store Day Drops in June 2021.

Drive-By Truckers, Plan 9 Records, July 13, 2006, Aug. 6

This live set is a scorcher. The full performance was released as part of Record Store Day Black Friday 2020.

Art of Noise, Noise in the City: Live in Tokyo 1986, Aug. 13

When the Art of Noise visited Japan in 2017 for a series of concerts, they discovered a concert from 1986 had been recorded for a radio broadcast. That concert is getting a limited release on vinyl and CD.

Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers, Ramble in Music City: The Lost Concert, Sept. 3

Unlike the shows recorded at the Ryman Auditorium, the set list for this lost concert consists mostly of Emmylou Harris’ long time hits.

Metallica, Metallica (Deluxe Edition), Sept. 10

For the longest time, the self-titled Metallica album was the only Metallica album I owned. While I have filled out my collection with the albums leading up to the black album, I have nothing beyond S&M.

Jeremy Denk, Mozart: Piano Concertos, Sept. 17

Sure, I’ll listen to Denk perform the K. 482, i.e. Concerto No. 22 in D Minor.

Sugababes, One Love (Deluxe Edition), Oct. 1

I’m not sure if the album on the whole is really that great, but “Overload” is one of the finest singles to come out of the early 2000s.

Vinyl

Enigma, MCMXC a.D., June 23

If you missed out on the colored vinyl reissues from 2018, Universal Music Germany is repressing this album and 7 others, remastered audio and all.

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Favorite Edition Rewind: 1990

[Uncle Tupelo - No Depression]

A decade ago, I wrote a series of entries ranking my favorite albums from 1985 to 2004. My collection has expanded greatly since then, particularly in the last five years. So I wanted to see what has changed in 10 years.

1990 has always felt more like 1989 v.2.0 than 1990 v.1.0. It was clearly the start of a pivot that wouldn’t really end till 1992, but the ’80s held its grip on that first year of the decade (if you’re using a 0-based system.)

  1. Kronos Quartet, Black Angels
  2. Robin Holcomb, Robin Holcomb
  3. John Zorn / Naked City, Naked City
  4. Midnight Oil, Blue Sky Mining
  5. Sonic Youth, Goo
  6. The Waitresses, Best of the Waitresses
  7. Geinoh Yamashirogumi, Akira Original Soundtrack
  8. Madonna, I’m Breathless
  9. The Sundays, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic
  10. Living Colour, Time’s Up

Other favorites from the year:

  • Duran Duran, Liberty
  • Depeche Mode, Violator
  • Deee-Lite, World Clique
  • Enigma, MCMXC a.D.
  • Meredith Monk, Book of Days
  • Joan Tower, Silver Ladders / Island Prelude / Music for Cello and Orchestra / Sequoia
  • Uncle Tupelo, No Depression
  • Jane’s Addiction, Ritual de lo Habitual
  • Fugazi, Repeater
  • Information Society, Hack
  • Björk, Gling-Gló
  • Wendy and Lisa, Eroica
  • Lisa Stansfield, Affection
  • Sinéad O’Connor, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got

1990-me would have protested the inclusion of Uncle Tupelo on this list. 1995-me would have had to slap some sense into him.

1990-me would have also questioned the addition of Lisa Stansfield, and 2008-me would have had to confront him about how he secretly loved “All Around the World.”

1990-me would have also wondered why 2008-me didn’t include Jane’s Addiction the first time around. 2008-me would have shrugged.

I would like to think 2008-me relished introducing 1990-me to Fugazi. 1990-me would not have been prepared for them, however.

All of us are still wondering how I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got manages to stay on the list.

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Purchase log, 2018-08-28

[David Bowie - Scary Monsters]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

Catalog

CD
  • Band of Horses, Everything All the Time
  • Darren Hayes, The Tension and the Spark
  • Enigma, The Cross of Changes
  • Mary J. Blige, What’s the 411?
  • Missy Elliott, Miss E … So Addictive
  • Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters
  • The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle
Vinyl
  • Alphaville, Forever Young
  • Cliff Richard, We Don’t Talk Anymore
  • David Bowie, Scary Monsters
  • Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
  • Television, Marquee Moon

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Purchase log, 2018-07-17

[Leo Imai - VLP]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

New releases

CD
  • Leo Imai, VLP
  • Steve Grand, not the end of me

Catalog

CD
  • Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat
  • New Order, Power, Corruption & Lies
  • Tomosaka Rie, Murasaki.
  • Wendy Carlos, Switched-On Bach
  • Original London Cast, Miss Saigon
Vinyl
  • Andy Gibb, Shadow Dancing
  • Cannonball Adderley, Somethin’ Else
  • Chris Isaak, Forever Blue
  • Enigma, The Cross of Changes
  • Fishbone, In Your Face
  • McCoy Tyner, The Real McCoy
  • Ready for the World, Ready for the World
  • Simple Minds, Sparkle in the Rain
  • The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
  • The Pogues, Rum Sodomy & the Lash

Reissue

Vinyl
  • Anne Dudley, Anne Dudley Plays the Art of Noise
  • Fishbone, The Reality of My Surroundings

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Purchase log, 2018-06-26

[Enigma - MCMXC a.D.]

I catalog my music purchases on Collectorz and Discogs, but they don’t give me a sense of change over time. So I’m noting them here weekly as well.

I spent the last week in Alexandria, VA for work, so I visited a number of record stores in the Washington, DC area.

Catalog

CD
  • David Bowie, Aladdin Sane
  • David Bowie, Heroes
  • David Bowie, Hunky Dory
  • David Bowie, Low
  • David Bowie, Station to Station
  • David Bowie, Young Americans
  • Fugazi, Steady Diet of Nothing
  • Metallica, Ride the Lightning
  • Ramones, Ramones
Vinyl
  • Chris Isaak, Chris Isaak
  • Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic / Phillipe Koutev, Music of Bulgaria
  • Enigma, MCMXC a.D.
  • Fugazi, The Argument
  • Fugazi, Steady Diet of Nothing
  • Kanye West, The College Dropout
  • Lucy Shelton, Messiaen: Poèmes pour mi / Fauré: La chanson d’Eve
  • Minor Threat, Minor Threat
  • Christopher Rouse / Donald Erb / Joan Tower, The Infernal Machine / Ougon Badagris / Sequoia (Leonard Slatkin, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra)
  • Arnold Schoenberg / Richard Strauss, String Quartet Concerto (After Handel) / Divertimento, Op. 86 (After Couperin) (Gerard Schwarz, New York Chamber Symphony; American String Quartet)

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