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Purchase log, 2021-06-15

[Tokyo Jihen - Ongaku (Music)]

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
  • Sleater-Kinney, Path of Wellness
  • Tokyo Jihen, Ongaku
Vinyl
  • Perfume Genius, Immediately Remixes
  • Tears for Fears, Live at Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada / 1985
  • The Replacements, The Pleasure’s All Yours

Catalog

CD
  • David Lang, Love Fail
  • Hoodoo Gurus, Kinky
  • Julien Baker, Turn Out the Lights
  • Mark Ronson, Here Comes the Fuzz
  • The Highwomen, The Highwomen
  • They Might Be Giants, Lincoln

Reissues

CD
  • The Shins, Oh, Inverted World (20th Anniversary Remaster)
Vinyl
  • Prince, The Truth
  • Robert Palmer, Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley
  • Rage Against the Machine, The Battle of Mexico City
  • The Fixx, Reach the Beach
  • The Flaming Lips, The Soft Bulletin Companion
  • The Police, Live! Vol. 1 Boston 1979
  • The Police, Live! Vol. 2 Atlanta 1983
  • U2, “Fire”
  • VAST, Music for People

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Purchase log, 2021-05-18

[Alexander O'Neal - Hearsay]

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
  • Alexander O’Neal, Hearsay
  • Arnold Schoenberg, Verklarte Nacht / Kammersymphonie Nr. 2 (Chamber Symphony of Europe, Heinz Holliger)
  • Charles Ives, Three Pieces in New England / New England Holidays / They Are There! (Baltimore Symphony, David Zinman)
  • Flesh for Lulu, Plastic Fantastic
  • Guided By Voices, Vampire on Titus / Propeller
  • Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 6 (Berlin Philarmonic, Sir John Birbirolli)
  • Hoodoo Gurus, Stoneage Romeos
  • Johannes Brahms, The Complete Symphonies (Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert van Karajan)
  • John Prine, Sweet Revenge
  • John Williams, Treesong / Violin Concerto / Three Pieces from Shindler’s List
  • Robert Schumann, The 4 Symphonies (Philadelphia Orchestra, James Levine)
  • Steely Dan, The Royal Scum
  • The English Beat, I Just Can’t Stop It
  • The English Beat, Special Beat Service

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Favorite Edition Rewind: 1989

[De La Soul - 3 Feet And and Rising]

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.

It shouldn’t be a surprise the largest expansion in my collection focuses on the late 1980s, i.e. my high school years. The Favorite 10 list from these years won’t see much change, as 1989 demonstrates, but the expanded lists risk becoming ridiculously long.

  1. The B-52’s, Cosmic Thing
  2. Camper Van Beethoven, Key Lime Pie
  3. Julee Cruise, Floating Into the Night
  4. Faith No More, The Real Thing
  5. Steve Reich, Different Trains/Electric Counterpoint
  6. Fugazi, 13 Songs
  7. Emmylou Harris, Bluebird
  8. Tears for Fears, The Seeds of Love
  9. Madonna, Like a Prayer
  10. Janet Jackson, Rhythm Nation 1814

Other favorites from the year:

  • The Replacements, Don’t Tell a Soul
  • Hoodoo Gurus, Magnum Cum Louder
  • All About Eve, Scarlet and Other Stories
  • XTC, Oranges and Lemons
  • De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising
  • Nirvana, Bleach
  • Pixies, Doolittle
  • Wayne Horvitz / The President, Bring Yr Camera
  • John Zorn, Spy Vs. Spy
  • Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Vocal Choir, Le Mystère de Voix Bulgares, Vol. 2
  • Nakamori Akina, CRUISE
  • Depeche Mode, 101

Fugazi displaces The Replacements, who made a shot for the charts by cleaning up their sound.

I saw this ad in Pulse magazine and scoffed at it:

[I came in for U2. I came out with De La Soul]

Today, I nod my head and say, “Yeah, that’s about right.” But it took 30 years before I had enough life experience to understand how breathtaking 3 Feet High and Rising is.

Nevermind introduced me to Nirvana like the rest of the world, but I prefer Bleach.

The events in Nakamori Akina’s life at the time CRUISE was released overshadowed the maturity of the album. It’s not ground-breaking the way Fushigi is, but it’s an album that could have only been recorded after it.

I saw Depeche Mode in concert in 2017, and 101 ruined my experience of it. I had been listening to 101 in the weeks leading up to the concert, and understandably, the band stacked the set list more toward recent work than “the hits”.

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