Ten Favorite Albums

1. Beethoven Symphony No 9: Herbert Von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic 1976-77, Deutsche Grammophon. The definitive recording. Each movement is a masterpiece. After 20 years I still cry at the finale. “Music is the voice of God.” LVB
2. Paul Simon, Concert in the Park, 1991. Dazzling. A musical turning-point for the world. “…Losing love is like a window in your heart. Everybody sees you’re blown apart. Everybody sees the wind blow.”
3. Judy [Garland] at Carnegie Hall, 1961. Simply the greatest performance ever recorded. Mort Lindsey’s orchestration is unbelievable.
4. The Beatles, Rubber Soul, 1965. Norwegian Wood, Think for Yourself, The Word, Girl, I’m Looking Through You, Michelle, Run for Your Life.
5. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967. She’s Leaving Home, Within You Without You, When I’m Sixty-Four, Lovely Rita, A Day in the Life.
6. The Rolling Stones, Flowers, 1967. Lady Jane, Out of Time, Let’s Spend the Night Together, Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?
7. Muse, The Resistance. Uprising, Undisclosed Desires, Unnatural Selection, I Belong to You/Mon Coeur s’ouvre a ta voix, Exogenesis Symphony Parts 1-3.
8. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, 1972. Doc Watson, Mother Maybelle Carter, Jimmy Martin, Earl Scruggs, Roy Acuff, Merle Travis. Greatest Bluegrass Album ever recorded.
9. Greenday, American Idiot. Jesus of Suburbia, Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Give me Novacaine/She’s a Rebel, Whatshername.
10. Otis Reading, The Very Best of Otis Reading, 2002. These Arms of Mine, Pain in my Heart, Mr. Pitiful, I’ve Been Loving You too Long, Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song), Try a Little Tenderness, (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay, I’ve Got Dreams to Remember.