Post by dougs on Dec 30, 2021 10:04:19 GMT
We are at the end of another year - 2021 - and I thought that we could list our favourite music, new & old here:
I have been buying a lot of new vinyl for the past 6-7 years but also buying lots of songs on iTunes for my countless playlists, so here is a summary of the music that I purchased and enjoyed in 2021:
A. Albums 2021: Newly and Never Previously Purchased Top 5:
1. The Beatles - THE BEATLES (WHITE): Originally released in 1968, I never purchased this before but bought the newly re-released & remastered album and love the incredible variety of music offered up on this double album. Clearly, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were pushing themselves musically & artistically on this album. The range of music is staggering. I listened to the album back in 1980 and it has been a treat to buy & truly discover it now in 2021. The deeper album tracks are such a pleasure to listen to. A masterpiece.
2. Moby - REPRISE: Moby, best known for his electronic & ambient music especially on PLAY, released REPRISE this year - an album where he re-did his own songs with classical accompaniment on most tracks. A few songs were hauntingly stripped down bare such as the gorgeous cover of Bowie's "Heroes." The new versions of songs like "Go" and "Lift Me Up" and "Porcelain" and "Extreme Ways" are stunning. The album was top 5 and even #1 in some European countries this year.
3. Laurie Anderson - BIG SCIENCE: Another electronic-flavoured album, BIG SCIENCE caught my ear when it was released in 1982. Well, at least the single & accompanying video for her song "O Superman" caught my attention. Interestingly the song went #2 in the UK but typical of mainstream US & Canada, electronic music doesn't have quite the same radio play & audience. Nothing sounds like this. The title track and "Born, Never Asked" are amazing tracks. It is an avant-garde electronic record with violin, saxophones, lots of keyboards, and percussion instruments.
4. Portishead - PORTISHEAD: This was their second album release back in 1997. I had purchased DUMMY, their debut, and loved it but never bought any new Portishead music until I purchased THIRD a couple of years ago and rediscovered the band. Lead vocalist and songwriter Beth Gibbons is truly mesmerizing with her singing performances. PORTISHEAD is an album which I missed when it came out despite it being a top 5 album in most places. If you like electronic, trip hop, or down tempo music then it doesn't get much better than this.
5. Dennis DeYoung - 26 EAST, VOL. 2: Dennis DeYoung released this year what he said will be his last album. You may remember him as the lead writer, vocalist, keyboardist, and founder of Styx. Songs like "Come Sail Away" and "Suite Madame Blue" and "Babe" were written by him. 26 EAST, VOL. 2 covers the range of his talents; there is some progressive rock ("The Isle of Misanthrope"), some rock ("The Last Guitar Hero"), and funk ("St. Quarantine"), and a couple of touching ballads. A surprisingly fresh & vibrant record with classic Dennis DeYoung vocals.
For what it is worth, the two newly released albums by Elton in 2021, REGIMENTAL SGT ZIPPO and THE LOCKDOWN SESSIONS were not amongst my favourite albums. I enjoyed both for different reasons and appreciate each for what they are. They would certainly be in my top 10 but not in the top 5 as listed above.
B. Albums 2021: Elton John Albums Most Played - Top 5:
1. BLUE MOVES
2. CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY
3. GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
4. ROCK OF THE WESTIES
5. TOO LOW FOR ZERO
C. Albums 2021: Other Albums That I Played All the Time - Top 5:
1. Radiohead - AMNESIAC
2. David Bowie - HEROES
3. The Cars - THE CARS
4. Jethro Tull - THICK AS A BRICK
5. Roger Waters - US + THEM
6. Amy Winehouse - BACK TO BLACK
7. Heart - DREAMBOAT ANNIE
8. Saltland (Rebecca Foon) - SALTLAND
9. Lindsey Buckingham - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM
10. Miles Davis - IN A SILENT WAY
Feel free to comment or add any list of your favourite music that you bought or played in 2021.
New music; in 2021 my favourite NEW music was not the hit-ready pop that gets massive airplay. Some of the newer (not exclusively) artists that I bought music for include; 1975, Alt-J, FKA Twigs, Grimes, Kamasi Washington, Mogwai, The War on Drugs, Windflower, etc. I find lots of exciting new music in places other than mainstream radio right now. Food for thought on the direction of music; a new study has found that contemporary music in the past 10 years has been characterized by "shorter songs" and "less melody"...
Doug
I have been buying a lot of new vinyl for the past 6-7 years but also buying lots of songs on iTunes for my countless playlists, so here is a summary of the music that I purchased and enjoyed in 2021:
A. Albums 2021: Newly and Never Previously Purchased Top 5:
1. The Beatles - THE BEATLES (WHITE): Originally released in 1968, I never purchased this before but bought the newly re-released & remastered album and love the incredible variety of music offered up on this double album. Clearly, John, Paul, George, and Ringo were pushing themselves musically & artistically on this album. The range of music is staggering. I listened to the album back in 1980 and it has been a treat to buy & truly discover it now in 2021. The deeper album tracks are such a pleasure to listen to. A masterpiece.
2. Moby - REPRISE: Moby, best known for his electronic & ambient music especially on PLAY, released REPRISE this year - an album where he re-did his own songs with classical accompaniment on most tracks. A few songs were hauntingly stripped down bare such as the gorgeous cover of Bowie's "Heroes." The new versions of songs like "Go" and "Lift Me Up" and "Porcelain" and "Extreme Ways" are stunning. The album was top 5 and even #1 in some European countries this year.
3. Laurie Anderson - BIG SCIENCE: Another electronic-flavoured album, BIG SCIENCE caught my ear when it was released in 1982. Well, at least the single & accompanying video for her song "O Superman" caught my attention. Interestingly the song went #2 in the UK but typical of mainstream US & Canada, electronic music doesn't have quite the same radio play & audience. Nothing sounds like this. The title track and "Born, Never Asked" are amazing tracks. It is an avant-garde electronic record with violin, saxophones, lots of keyboards, and percussion instruments.
4. Portishead - PORTISHEAD: This was their second album release back in 1997. I had purchased DUMMY, their debut, and loved it but never bought any new Portishead music until I purchased THIRD a couple of years ago and rediscovered the band. Lead vocalist and songwriter Beth Gibbons is truly mesmerizing with her singing performances. PORTISHEAD is an album which I missed when it came out despite it being a top 5 album in most places. If you like electronic, trip hop, or down tempo music then it doesn't get much better than this.
5. Dennis DeYoung - 26 EAST, VOL. 2: Dennis DeYoung released this year what he said will be his last album. You may remember him as the lead writer, vocalist, keyboardist, and founder of Styx. Songs like "Come Sail Away" and "Suite Madame Blue" and "Babe" were written by him. 26 EAST, VOL. 2 covers the range of his talents; there is some progressive rock ("The Isle of Misanthrope"), some rock ("The Last Guitar Hero"), and funk ("St. Quarantine"), and a couple of touching ballads. A surprisingly fresh & vibrant record with classic Dennis DeYoung vocals.
For what it is worth, the two newly released albums by Elton in 2021, REGIMENTAL SGT ZIPPO and THE LOCKDOWN SESSIONS were not amongst my favourite albums. I enjoyed both for different reasons and appreciate each for what they are. They would certainly be in my top 10 but not in the top 5 as listed above.
B. Albums 2021: Elton John Albums Most Played - Top 5:
1. BLUE MOVES
2. CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY
3. GOODBYE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
4. ROCK OF THE WESTIES
5. TOO LOW FOR ZERO
C. Albums 2021: Other Albums That I Played All the Time - Top 5:
1. Radiohead - AMNESIAC
2. David Bowie - HEROES
3. The Cars - THE CARS
4. Jethro Tull - THICK AS A BRICK
5. Roger Waters - US + THEM
6. Amy Winehouse - BACK TO BLACK
7. Heart - DREAMBOAT ANNIE
8. Saltland (Rebecca Foon) - SALTLAND
9. Lindsey Buckingham - LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM
10. Miles Davis - IN A SILENT WAY
Feel free to comment or add any list of your favourite music that you bought or played in 2021.
New music; in 2021 my favourite NEW music was not the hit-ready pop that gets massive airplay. Some of the newer (not exclusively) artists that I bought music for include; 1975, Alt-J, FKA Twigs, Grimes, Kamasi Washington, Mogwai, The War on Drugs, Windflower, etc. I find lots of exciting new music in places other than mainstream radio right now. Food for thought on the direction of music; a new study has found that contemporary music in the past 10 years has been characterized by "shorter songs" and "less melody"...
Doug