But when I buy albums I don’t confine myself to music from the current decade. So a lot of the music I heard during this decade actually came from a prior one. And thus, a large part of my experience of music during this decade includes that older music What to do?
Compiling a list that combines all of this music isn't a good idea because the current decade would almost certainly get short shrift.
So I compile two lists: one comprised of the best music released this decade, but also another one with the best music from prior ones. The first list is the Best of THE Decade, which I'll deal with next time.
The second is the best of MY Decade, which I have below.
But first, some observations:
Meh Decade:
Throughout the decade I’d repeatedly experienced fatigue from trying to absorb more music than my little brain could handle. The good news is that this catching up has finally allowed me to “hear” records that I’d previously only been scratching my head about.
One great example of Disappointments That Didn’t Last was Radiohead: The Bends. At first, I felt suffocated by this, but I eventually caught up to it one. The guitars are simply undeniable and Thom York sings pretty. A-
But sometimes it went the other way. There were albums I kind of liked when I first got them, but that I’m not too keen on now. Two of those Albums That Didn’t Stand the Test of Time were Animal Collective's Merriwether Post Pavillion and Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians: Fegmania!
Then there were those Records Whose Bad First Impression Lasted, like:
- Pixies: Bossanova
- Portishead: Dummy
- Wild Flag: Wild Flag
- Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth
- Elliott Smith: Either /Or
- Speedy Ortiz: Foil Deer
- Ex Hex: Rips
- The Smiths: The Queen is Dead
- The Clean: Anthology
- Superchunk: What a Time to Be Alive
And speaking of dead heroes, my nominee for Worst Record of MY Decade is Phil Ochs' Pleasures of the Harbor Phil, I love you man, but Jeez!
My Decade:
Anyway, here's a list of my favorite records from prior decades that I finally got to hear this decade in very rough order:
- Bright Eyes: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning (2005) 🌶 If I really give it a lot of thought I could probably rank a dozen or so records higher, but we’ve got a President to impeach, so...
- Sufjan Stevens: Greetings from Michigan (2003)
- Beck: Sea Change (2002)
- Andrew Bird: And the Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)
- Grandaddy: The Sophtware Slump (2000) 🌶
- Small Faces: Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake (Extended Version) (1967) 🌶
- The Dandy Warhols: Thirteen Tales of Urban Bohemia (2000)
- Sufjan Stevens: Seven Swans (2004)
- Imperial Teen: On (2002)
- Clean: Vehicle (1990)
- The Innocence Mission: Glow (1995)
- Yo La Tengo: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out (2000) 🌶
- The Grateful Dead: Anthem of the Sun (1968)
- Fairport Convention: Leige and Lief (1969)
- Belle and Sebastian: The Boy With the Arab Strap (1998)
- Procol Harum: A Salty Dog (1969)
- Imperial Teen: Seasick (1996)
- Brian Eno: Music for Airports (1978) 🌶
- Willie Nelson: Stardust (1978)
- Brian Eno/John Cale: Wrong Way Up? (1990)
- The Go! Team: Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004)
- Errol Garner: The Complete Concert by the Sea
- The Go-Betweens: The Friends of Rachel Worth (2000)
- The Apples in Stereo: New Magnetic Wonder (2007)
- Amadou and Miriam: Welcome to Mali (2008)
- John Prine: In Spite of Ourselves (1999)
- Bob Marley and the Wailers: Catch a Fire (1973)
- Death Cab for Cutie: The Open Door (EP) (2009)
- Philip Glass: Glassworks (1982)
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore: Spinning Around the Sun (1993)
- Bright Eyes: Lifted (2002)
- Radiohead: The Bends (1995)
- Yo La Tengo: Fakebook (1990)
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It’s Blitz (2009)
- Liz Phair: Whitechocolatespacegg (1998)
- Roxy Music: Country Life (1974)
- Spoon: Kill the Moonlight (2002)
- Pink Floyd: Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
- Brian Eno: Apollo (1983)
- Nick Drake: Bryter Layter (1970)
Next Time: Our Decade
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