Love-Hounds-request@GAFFA.MIT.EDU (06/07/90)
Really-From: katefans@world.std.com (Chris'n'Vickie of Kansas City) Vickie here. I wanted to add something about this "best of" list business. I don't like, believe or believe in best of lists so consider mine a "personal favorites" list. Best of lists usually have nothing to do with reality. They consist of a)what's popular or b)the list-maker's own personal favorites, neither of which can be taken seriously as what actually is "the best" of anything. For instance, the Rolling Stone "Best Of The 80s" was a joke. True, there were many, many excellent albums on the list, but to my mind at least, any best of the 80s list that doesn't include Kate or Jane or Peter Gabriel's "Security" or Eno/Byrne's "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" is a farce. I'm fully aware that there are many brilliant Jazz albums out there. But since my favorite jazz was made in the 1920s, 30s & 40s, you'd not find any Miles Davis or Charlie Parker or T. Monk or any of those people on my list. Even though I recognize artists like that are/were intelligent, innovative, influential or what-have-you, I just don't prefer that kind of jazz so they wouldn't be represented. Then some Miles Davis fan is going to come along and say I'm an ignorant cretin because I don't think that he deserves to be on my "Best Of" list. YAAAAAHHHHaarrrrgggh! It's a vicious circle and I just don't want to be part of it. But! I have TONS of personal favorite albums and could go on & on with listing them. It's fun to do and it beats packing anyway! OK well, just a few more here. Victoria Williams "Happy Come Home" Mary Coughlin "Tired & Emotional" All of The Pogues but especially...um....oh...well...all of them Genesis "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" Eno/Byrne "My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts" Walendy Carlos Clockwork Orange soundtrack Penguin Cafe Orchestra-all, but especially "Broadcasting From Home" Anything by Ravi Shankar Area "The Perfect Dream" XTC-I can't choose, they're all excellent in their own way West India Company "New Demons" Maria McKee "Maria McKee" Christine Lavin "Beau Woes & Other Problems..." Dave Stewart/Barbara Gaskin "Up From The Dark" All of k.d.lang but my favorite is "Angel With A Lariat" All of Camper Van Beethoven-Favorite is "Telephone Free Landslide Victory" Laurie Anderson "Big Science" Lene Lovich "New Toy EP" I could go on & on (aren't you sorry you asked :-) and not even scratch the surface. There's so much more I have yet to discover too. The point is that there is SO MUCH GREAT music out there and I probably haven't even heard a fraction of it. When people complain that there's no good music to listen to I shake my head in sorrow. I honestly pity people who don't know about, don't want to know about or can't "hear", good music. Especially if their tastes are so narrow that they can't abide/be bothered with anything but one particular style of music. In every genre, in any era, there's good stuff to be discovered. It's fun to find! (expensive, but fun!) Vickie (one of Vickie'n'Chris) katefans@world.std.com