What is a perfect record? For more than 50 years, I have listened to thousands of recordings in nearly every genre. Anyone who has loved music can probably tell you about a peak experience that they had while listening to something that literally blows their mind. The criteria for a perfect record will vary according to each individual's taste in sound. But, there may be some criteria that we as listeners all have in common.
The first criterion that we all probably have is an immediate attraction to the sounds upon first listen. A second criterion would be that the recording would take on a desert island disc feeling.....that would be that if you could only have a small number of recordings on the island you would live on for the rest of your life, and you can only take between 5 and 10 recordings and never have any more, what would you take? The third criterion would be that you feel impelled to share your discovery with people you know.
So....here we go. These are the perfect records that I have selected. They are not in any particular order. Feel free to share yours in the comments section following this article....
My perfect records in no particular order...
I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingos-This record is timeless. It captures that time in life when you find the love of your life and carry a torch that burns brightly. The feeling is euphoric, unlike any other high, like Bogie and Bacall.
Jumpin' Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones-What would a perfect rock and roll record sound like? Tongues firmly in cheek, The Stones describe suffering in a manner that drips the Blues, but in a rock style. I used to play this record just before going to work at a hospital job that I loathed. It did the trick!
Porgy and Bess by Miles Davis and Bill Evans-Miles Davis and Bill Evans' trilogy of albums from 1959 and 1960 are hailed as masterpieces. Kinda Blue, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain have brought me innumerable hours of listening pleasure. Porgy and Bess, the second album of the trilogy, was my first Miles Davis album. The arrangement by Bill Evans brings out a dimension of George Gershwin's melodies that for me remain timeless. When you hear an album like Porgy and Bess, it becomes an itch that only repeated listens can relieve. The tones here are so varied that they offer a beauty that is inspirational. If you are like me, each listening will make another facet of this diamond shine.
Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys-How does one pick out one record from a plethora of perfect records? Fortune smiled on Brian Wilson, and the gift he was given is now a gift to the world as a whole. Don't Worry Baby expresses in a little over two minutes what most of us take years to know how to express....Roger Christian's evocative lyrics and Brian's simple, yet elegant track. To paraphrase another record producer, Terry Melcher, "I'd sell my soul to just make one record as perfect as Don't Worry Baby!"
Peter and the Wolf,Op. 67,Composed by Sergei Prokofiev, Performed by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Symphonic Orchestra - When I was about six years old, my mother presented me with this version of Peter and the Wolf. It is an album that fulfills Sergei Prokofiev's intention to compose an orchestral work for children that helps them fall in love with classical music. For me, it worked. I developed an insatiable desire to hear symphonic works that continues to this day. Specifically, I have come to really enjoy Russian composers' work. If this album is still in print, invite your children into the lifelong pleasure of symphonic compositions.
Cancion de Mariachi (Morena de Mi Corazon) - by Los Lobos - These guys have been together more than forty years. They were the main band that played at rallies for Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Union. They are masters of all forms of Mexican and Chicano music,as well as rock and jazz. They are bilingual, as most of us from the Southwestern United States are. They are probably the best band playing today, and all of their albums are worth a listen. Give them a spin.....you'll be glad you did!
5:15 by The Who - 5:15 - When older Sixties fans assemble over some form of intoxicants, the debate usually comes around to who the best band of the Rock Era was. Usually three bands come up. They would be The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and The Who. Because I believe that Pete Townshend is the finest songwriter during that time from the UK, The Who occupy a place of honor among the artists that comprise my collection. Pete successfully wrote two long form thematic compositions, Tommy and Quadraphenia. His work on a third, Lifehouse, was also incredible, and when finished to Pete's satisfaction in 2000,it became the second longest gestation period for an unreleased album in rock history. I could have picked any number of songs...but my affection for 5:15 from Quadraphenia won the day.
Rhapsody In Blue as recorded by George Gershwin and The Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra - The premier of Rhapsody in Blue was on February 12,1924 at Aeolian Hall in New York City. The piece was commissioned, lending anticipation that it would be a long form serious work. George Gershwin already had a reputation as a songwriter for musicals and Broadway variety shows. The piano was played by Gershwin himself, accompanied by Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. There were at least two recordings of the Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. The one I like is the 1924 recording, with Gershwin playing himself. The version from 1924 lasts a shade over nine minutes. This version was arranged by Ferde Grofe, Whiteman's arranger, who later wrote another personal favorite of mine, Grand Canyon Suite. The familiar clarinet glissando that begins the Rhapsody was a happy last minute addition, suggested by Whiteman.
Waiting For Columbus (especially Fat Man In the Bathtub by Little Feat - In the Seventies, the title of best LA band was usually given to Little Feat, led by Lowell George and Bill Payne. My favorite album of any year is Waiting For Columbus, featuring the Tower of Power Horns, who toured with Little Feat in 1977. In this case,my preference for a live set is not because the studio versions of the tunes on Waiting For Columbus are inferior. The live versions simply transcend the studio versions because they selected the best live versions from several concerts recorded. In some cases, the live versions were remixed or a part that did not sound right on the raw mixing board tape. This is standard for live recordings. The version of Waiting For Columbus that I prefer is the Rhino version, which adds thirteen songs to the original album's fifteen. Fat Man in the Bathtub has become a personal anthem for me, because of the rhythmic pattern of the song and Lowell George's depiction of a dissipated musician in LA. His description of his tunes as "cracked mosaics" is there to enjoy on. Fat Man in the 🛀 Bathtub. Oh damn, I forgot to close that parenthese!
Music From a Painted Cave by Robert Mirabal--My ties to New Mexico are strengthened by the work of Taos Pueblo's Robert Mirabal. I have come to love his music and sense of humor, which is often ironic or often funny in a way that allows us to laugh at ourselves. For many Indigenous People, the sheer fact that they survived an American campaign to either "whiten" them, or even kill them means they can laugh at themselves and the dominant Caucasian way of doing things. The album I have chosen to be an example of Mirabal's work is designed for live performance. Aspects of the Taos Pueblo oral traditions and history are presented in a highly visual manner, at times using rock music. I caught his live performance here in 2001, and before the evening show for the general public, he had already done two shows for Indigenous youth that afternoon which filled the venue completely. To say these kids were awed by Mirabal's show would be an understatement. While Music From a Painted Cave, may not be the most traditional Indigenous album Mirabal has recorded, it is the most accessible of them.
There you have it...those are my perfect record selections. Feel free to share yours in the comments section below!
The first criterion that we all probably have is an immediate attraction to the sounds upon first listen. A second criterion would be that the recording would take on a desert island disc feeling.....that would be that if you could only have a small number of recordings on the island you would live on for the rest of your life, and you can only take between 5 and 10 recordings and never have any more, what would you take? The third criterion would be that you feel impelled to share your discovery with people you know.
So....here we go. These are the perfect records that I have selected. They are not in any particular order. Feel free to share yours in the comments section following this article....
My perfect records in no particular order...
I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingos-This record is timeless. It captures that time in life when you find the love of your life and carry a torch that burns brightly. The feeling is euphoric, unlike any other high, like Bogie and Bacall.
Jumpin' Jack Flash by The Rolling Stones-What would a perfect rock and roll record sound like? Tongues firmly in cheek, The Stones describe suffering in a manner that drips the Blues, but in a rock style. I used to play this record just before going to work at a hospital job that I loathed. It did the trick!
Porgy and Bess by Miles Davis and Bill Evans-Miles Davis and Bill Evans' trilogy of albums from 1959 and 1960 are hailed as masterpieces. Kinda Blue, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain have brought me innumerable hours of listening pleasure. Porgy and Bess, the second album of the trilogy, was my first Miles Davis album. The arrangement by Bill Evans brings out a dimension of George Gershwin's melodies that for me remain timeless. When you hear an album like Porgy and Bess, it becomes an itch that only repeated listens can relieve. The tones here are so varied that they offer a beauty that is inspirational. If you are like me, each listening will make another facet of this diamond shine.
Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys-How does one pick out one record from a plethora of perfect records? Fortune smiled on Brian Wilson, and the gift he was given is now a gift to the world as a whole. Don't Worry Baby expresses in a little over two minutes what most of us take years to know how to express....Roger Christian's evocative lyrics and Brian's simple, yet elegant track. To paraphrase another record producer, Terry Melcher, "I'd sell my soul to just make one record as perfect as Don't Worry Baby!"
Peter and the Wolf,Op. 67,Composed by Sergei Prokofiev, Performed by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Symphonic Orchestra - When I was about six years old, my mother presented me with this version of Peter and the Wolf. It is an album that fulfills Sergei Prokofiev's intention to compose an orchestral work for children that helps them fall in love with classical music. For me, it worked. I developed an insatiable desire to hear symphonic works that continues to this day. Specifically, I have come to really enjoy Russian composers' work. If this album is still in print, invite your children into the lifelong pleasure of symphonic compositions.
Cancion de Mariachi (Morena de Mi Corazon) - by Los Lobos - These guys have been together more than forty years. They were the main band that played at rallies for Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Union. They are masters of all forms of Mexican and Chicano music,as well as rock and jazz. They are bilingual, as most of us from the Southwestern United States are. They are probably the best band playing today, and all of their albums are worth a listen. Give them a spin.....you'll be glad you did!
5:15 by The Who - 5:15 - When older Sixties fans assemble over some form of intoxicants, the debate usually comes around to who the best band of the Rock Era was. Usually three bands come up. They would be The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and The Who. Because I believe that Pete Townshend is the finest songwriter during that time from the UK, The Who occupy a place of honor among the artists that comprise my collection. Pete successfully wrote two long form thematic compositions, Tommy and Quadraphenia. His work on a third, Lifehouse, was also incredible, and when finished to Pete's satisfaction in 2000,it became the second longest gestation period for an unreleased album in rock history. I could have picked any number of songs...but my affection for 5:15 from Quadraphenia won the day.
Rhapsody In Blue as recorded by George Gershwin and The Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra - The premier of Rhapsody in Blue was on February 12,1924 at Aeolian Hall in New York City. The piece was commissioned, lending anticipation that it would be a long form serious work. George Gershwin already had a reputation as a songwriter for musicals and Broadway variety shows. The piano was played by Gershwin himself, accompanied by Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. There were at least two recordings of the Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin and Paul Whiteman's Orchestra. The one I like is the 1924 recording, with Gershwin playing himself. The version from 1924 lasts a shade over nine minutes. This version was arranged by Ferde Grofe, Whiteman's arranger, who later wrote another personal favorite of mine, Grand Canyon Suite. The familiar clarinet glissando that begins the Rhapsody was a happy last minute addition, suggested by Whiteman.
Waiting For Columbus (especially Fat Man In the Bathtub by Little Feat - In the Seventies, the title of best LA band was usually given to Little Feat, led by Lowell George and Bill Payne. My favorite album of any year is Waiting For Columbus, featuring the Tower of Power Horns, who toured with Little Feat in 1977. In this case,my preference for a live set is not because the studio versions of the tunes on Waiting For Columbus are inferior. The live versions simply transcend the studio versions because they selected the best live versions from several concerts recorded. In some cases, the live versions were remixed or a part that did not sound right on the raw mixing board tape. This is standard for live recordings. The version of Waiting For Columbus that I prefer is the Rhino version, which adds thirteen songs to the original album's fifteen. Fat Man in the Bathtub has become a personal anthem for me, because of the rhythmic pattern of the song and Lowell George's depiction of a dissipated musician in LA. His description of his tunes as "cracked mosaics" is there to enjoy on. Fat Man in the 🛀 Bathtub. Oh damn, I forgot to close that parenthese!
Music From a Painted Cave by Robert Mirabal--My ties to New Mexico are strengthened by the work of Taos Pueblo's Robert Mirabal. I have come to love his music and sense of humor, which is often ironic or often funny in a way that allows us to laugh at ourselves. For many Indigenous People, the sheer fact that they survived an American campaign to either "whiten" them, or even kill them means they can laugh at themselves and the dominant Caucasian way of doing things. The album I have chosen to be an example of Mirabal's work is designed for live performance. Aspects of the Taos Pueblo oral traditions and history are presented in a highly visual manner, at times using rock music. I caught his live performance here in 2001, and before the evening show for the general public, he had already done two shows for Indigenous youth that afternoon which filled the venue completely. To say these kids were awed by Mirabal's show would be an understatement. While Music From a Painted Cave, may not be the most traditional Indigenous album Mirabal has recorded, it is the most accessible of them.
There you have it...those are my perfect record selections. Feel free to share yours in the comments section below!
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