While we all seem to have a lot of music in common on TSoS we also seem to have wildly divergent tastes at the same time.
There are a lot of different ways to do a top-ten list like this but for the sake of organization I’ve chosen these criteria:
1. artist that most people might have heard of but haven’t ever listened to or haven’t heard of at all. I had almost put a song by Buffalo Springfield on this list but while most people had probably never heard of the song they had definitely listened to the band’s other music before…that doesn’t count.
2. you probably discovered by accident, not from recommendations or magazines, etc. Most of these artists I heard randomly or liked the cover art of the album and bought it without listening to it first.
3. should reflect your eccentricities. We all know you’re really a 12-year old girl inside, now’s the time to let it out.
4. should be a song that you really, really like…I mean really like. No filler. You might make decisions in life based on this song.
For better or worse I excluded tracks that weren’t on iTunes because I wanted everybody to be able to listen to them if they wanted to. You obviously don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. The ultimate top-ten list would be “the top-ten tracks not available on iTunes”.
Here are mine…arranged in order:
Position, Song, Artist, Album
10. Man O’ War, Erich Bachmann, To the Races
I can’t remember where I heard this originally…but it’s pretty and I can’t figure out what it means.
9. The Dog Tomorrow, Nina Violet & The Invisible Orchestra, Self-Titled
This is a weird song but I heard it at a very specific moment and it stuck with me…I don’t know if anyone else will be able to get into it or not. She was playing with someone else who I can’t remember anymore. She lives on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, is some sort of hippie, and I always imagine her and I being in some heartbreaking relationship…don’t tell anyone.
8. Two Trains Running, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, East-West
I think my Dad had a Paul Butterfield record but I can’t remember specifically where I heard about the band…they’re sort of well-known but most folks haven’t actually listened to their music. One day in Amoeba I saw this album and said “fuck it”. That’s also what the song seems to be about.
7. Nocturne No. 15 in F Minor, Chopin, Nocturnes: Selections (Idil Beret)
This is a song that proves time travel is possible. If you put it on and don’t walk through marble-pillared hallways lit by candlelight in your mind then I suggest eating a bag of mushrooms at the Huntington Museum…acid’s probably not a good idea there.
6. Keleya, Moussa Doumbia, World Psychedelic Classics Vol. 3
This song came from somewhere in Africa…I heard it on the radio one day and then never heard it again. Impossible to describe.
5. Frozen, Daniel Lanois, Belladonna
A few people know this guy really well but I’ve found most people don’t seem to (might be a generational thing)…at least his later instrumental stuff. I got into him because he’s a master pedal steel player and in my opinion there’s no better instrument. I was searching online for modern pedal-steel players and his name came up.
4. Hoover, Holopaw, Self-Titled
I saw these guys open for Iron and Wine about seven years ago and was struck by this song. They never really got much attention, mostly because their subsequent album was not good.
3. The Last of the Arkansas Greyhounds, Leo Kotke, 6 and 12 String Guitar
Among some people this album is very well known, among most people it isn’t. This is a pretty esoteric song but it reminds me of walking through wheat fields at twilight, a la Days of Heaven. I bought it when I was 19 or 20 because I liked the cover art. It has an armadillo on it.
2. Smoking Signals, Sean Hayes, Alabama Chicken
This is a weirdo out of San Francisco. His songs either suck or are beautiful. This is one of the beautiful ones.
1. Call Me Doctor, The Glands, Double Thriller
I found this band in the $1.00 bin at Amoeba and I’ve subsequently found them there over and over again. I can’t figure it out. As with #3 on the criteria for this list, this song describes my inner-life about as well as it could be described.
So that’s the list. If anyone wants to listen follow the link below or if we’re going to see one another e-mail me and I’ll bring it on a thumb drive or something.
I think subsequent lists could be: best unknown albums, deep-tracks by well known artists, etc.
