“New Adventures in Hi-Fi” by R.E.M. (No. 9)
I had low expectations for New Adventures in Hi-Fi after Monster, but R.E.M. blew it out of the water with this one. From 1983 to 1992, R.E.M. had an unbroken string of fantastic albums, at least by my reckoning. (No pun intended.) To that point, Document was the high-water...
“Document” by R.E.M. (No. 19)
For Document R.E.M. picked up a much harder edge than previous albums. Sure, Life’s Rich Pageant dabbled a bit with more aggressive guitar, but Document has a much harsher sound throughout. And it sounds so, so good. Document practically kicks you in the face with the opening track, “Finest...
“Excitable Boy” by Warren Zevon (No. 40)
If it weren’t for Warren Zevon, I’d have almost nothing to sing at the Karaoke bar. Whether this is laudable or something he should be ashamed of is left as an exercise to the reader. But give me a drink or three, and a mic, and I’ll be happy...
“Life’s Rich Pageant” by R.E.M. (No. 42)
It’s almost by accident that I wound up being a big fan of R.E.M. A happy accident, I might add. Earlier in this series I talked about my early obsession with Robyn Hitchcock. Not long after I became a big fan of Robyn Hitchcock, a friend of mine turned...
“Black Snake Diamond Röle” by Robyn Hitchcock (No. 59)
The first solo Robyn Hitchcock album, Black Snake Diamond Röle, literally opened a new world of music for me. A friend in high school declared that I’d like it, and handed me a cassette recorded from the LP. She was wrong, though. I didn’t like it, I loved it....
“The Minus 5” by The Minus 5 (No. 85)
The Minus 5 may be one of the best bar bands ever assembled. Made up of a rotating cast of alt-rock heroes like former R.E.M.’er Peter Buck and drummer Bill Rieflin, and headed by Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows, the self-titled The Minus 5 is a loose,...