Music I Love

Seems obligatory on a site like this that I detail my inspirations in music… that I list the recordings and/or live music experiences that have been most influential to me.

 

Yes – Relayer

There is a special place on my CD rack (even though its in my son’s room) for a certain disc by a certain band that keeps coming back to mind as somehow above and beyond all other recordings of music in terms of the completeness with which it satisfies me and its inherent integrity as an artistic expression. Yes is a band with no equal to me. This particular album reaches me on many levels and I feel that it posses sufficient sincerity to be worthy of my attention year after year. I will never forget the first time I heard a live version of The Gates of Delirium courtesy of Barry Basile (a friend who turned me on to more than a couple bands and recordings that have stood the test of time).

 

 

Led Zeppelin – Everything

I was 5 years old when I first took notice of the music of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones. Far more than a band, this group of gentlemen represent an aesthetic, an attitude, and a philosophy that are timeless and archetypal to me. There is not one second of their recorded history that I would consider disposable. I did say that Yes was band with no equal, but there are such fundamental differences in approach and intent between the two bands that I see no contradiction. I will never tire of the sound of Jimmy’s guitar playing, Bonham’s drumming, Jonsey’s bass and keyboard stylings and Robert’s wailing.

 

 

Grateful Dead – American Beauty

This was the album that started me on the road to discovering the strange and wonderful world of Grateful Dead. This is a great record and I dare someone to debate this with me. (Please don’t spam me with Dead hate… I get it… OK?)