I'm starting a new musical phase in my life. I own approximately 1500 CDs, and they belong roughly in two categories.
Category
1: Those that I know are good because I've played them lots and like them
very much.
Category
2: Those that I know are good because I have played them a few times, but nothing like as much as Category 1 CDs.
Every time I go into the office in which I write, I have a choice. I can
put on a safe CD from category 1 (bands
or artists I know I really like) or I can try something less familiar. Like
most of us at times, being susceptible to hyperbolic discounting
and periodically allowing the id to get its way over the superego, usually I
tend to opt for a category 1 CD, particularly as when I'm reading or writing
it's good to have background music that I can enjoy without having to give it
my full attention.
However, recently I've given more concern to the fact
that among those 1500 CDs are lots of potentially good Category 2 albums that
I've listened to less frequently, and that was so long ago that I hardly know
them at all.
So, with that in mind, I decided to look through them and jot down
Category 2 bands or artists to which I'd like to give more listening time, and
actually do now plan to do so. Falling into this category are the following:
Allman Bros, Tori Amos, Badly Drawn Boy, Jackson
Browne, Jeff Beck, Buffalo Springfield, Ben Folds Five, The Band, Cocteau
Twins, Credence Clearwater Revival, Elvis Costello, Cream, Crowded House, The
Cure, Divine Comedy, Dave Matthews Band, Depeche Mode, Fairport Convention,
Flaming Lips, Garbage, Goldfrapp, PJ Harvey, Jethro Tull, Jefferson Airplane,
The Kinks, Kings of Leon, Moody Blues, Mogwai, The Mission, Mercury Rev, Randy
Newman, The Pixies, Pulp, Prefab Sprout, Prince, Liz Phair, Iggy and the Stooges,
Primal Scream, Roxy Music, Lou Reed, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rush, Todd
Rundgren, Santana, Sisters of Mercy, St Etienne, Spirit, Patti Smith, Bruce
Springsteen, Sly & The Family Stone, Sonic Youth, Stephen Stills, Paul Simon
(solo stuff), Traffic, Teenage Fanclub, Talking Heads, Van Halen, Tom Waits,
Wilco, World Party.
If anyone is a particularly
passionate fan of any of the above, and feels like championing their case for
my listening pleasure, I'll be glad to hear from you. And if you don't wish to,
that's perfectly fine too - I still love you lots.
