Friday, February 13, 2004
Some time back (as I recall, there were ribs involved) we were challenged to list the songs and the sides that were most important to us. It was, and is, an interesting exercise: I got caught up with the songs, and posted an "A" list, an "Honorable Mention" list and a "Must to Avoid". Tom's list of songs and sides followed. Over Christmas I read Nick Hornby's book mining the same vein, and before I passed it along I burned a CD of his song picks. Since then I have been seeking out the songs that constituted these lists, and in doing so I have learned a few things.
Perhaps the most interesting thing, from a legal point of view, is that if you believe that you can download anything you want, then mostly what you want is crap. It is not easy to find music by a lot of rock'n'roll artists-- indeed, I would say that if your taste resembles ours, if you want something, it is still easier to go to Championhip Vinyl and buy it. Indeed, if computer viruses or adware are a concern for you, stay away from any music downloads that you don't pay for. IN other words, the record companies are lying. Somewhere, thousands of dead, ripped off black guys are laughing. They still aren't getting paid, but they are laughing their asses off-- "You believed a record company? Serves you right!"
The other thing that was interesting was that if you listen to the lists your friends compose, instead of just reading them, you learn something. What I mean is, when you read lists like these, your tendency is to focus on the things that you have in common. It will come as no surprise to those who know us that Tom and I both had "So It Goes" on our lists, and that there were going to be songs by Neil Young and the Stones was a foregone conclusion. What songs they'd be, well that was open, but that wasn't what made listening to the list interesting. I can only speak for myself here, but the more I play the CD's I have made of the songs that were on Hornby's and Tom's and my lists, the more I am liking the stuff I was not familiar with. It is certainly notable that we have our, uh, phases-- I have a hunch that "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Cindy Tells Me" were being played at similar times in our lives-- but I was completely unfamiliar with Crowded House before this, and now I have a new favorite.
So c'mon guys-- lets have your lists.
Perhaps the most interesting thing, from a legal point of view, is that if you believe that you can download anything you want, then mostly what you want is crap. It is not easy to find music by a lot of rock'n'roll artists-- indeed, I would say that if your taste resembles ours, if you want something, it is still easier to go to Championhip Vinyl and buy it. Indeed, if computer viruses or adware are a concern for you, stay away from any music downloads that you don't pay for. IN other words, the record companies are lying. Somewhere, thousands of dead, ripped off black guys are laughing. They still aren't getting paid, but they are laughing their asses off-- "You believed a record company? Serves you right!"
The other thing that was interesting was that if you listen to the lists your friends compose, instead of just reading them, you learn something. What I mean is, when you read lists like these, your tendency is to focus on the things that you have in common. It will come as no surprise to those who know us that Tom and I both had "So It Goes" on our lists, and that there were going to be songs by Neil Young and the Stones was a foregone conclusion. What songs they'd be, well that was open, but that wasn't what made listening to the list interesting. I can only speak for myself here, but the more I play the CD's I have made of the songs that were on Hornby's and Tom's and my lists, the more I am liking the stuff I was not familiar with. It is certainly notable that we have our, uh, phases-- I have a hunch that "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Cindy Tells Me" were being played at similar times in our lives-- but I was completely unfamiliar with Crowded House before this, and now I have a new favorite.
So c'mon guys-- lets have your lists.
