#1 - Respighi's "The Pines of Rome" and "The Fountains of Rome"

Conducted by Antal Dorati, recorded 1953. Music premiered in 1924.

Category: Classical - Tone Poem

This was the first record I pulled to test the stereo, and it's a great one! The Pines of Rome starts pretty light, and slowly builds to an epic crescendo and deep, thunderous bass. I don't love the beginning, but I sure do love the final section, "Pines of the Appian Way"; that final build is epic.

I have a soft spot for this piece because we played it in high school band. Or rather, we attempted, and had a lot of fun doing so. It's always grabbed my imagination, conjuring images of Roman legions marching through the hills in all of their grandeur. The music swells as Rome rises and conquers vast territories to become an empire.

As a history enthusiast, my view of Imperialism is much less romantic now than that of my teenage self, but the music still takes me there just the same.

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#71 The Stooges - Raw Power

Columbia Records, 2010 (remastered); original 1973 Early Punk, Hard Rock This album was a gift from Stu, and a most welcome one. I love this album, and listened to it regularly for years. Search and Destroy was my softball entrance music when I briefly played for the Gus' Pub Patties. When I lived alone in the woods I would plug in my IPad Mini and play the mp3s at high volume in the car after a rough teaching day, and feel like I'd vented to pals. For me, this album is the perfect mix of high spirits and cathartic emotional expression. It taps into the feelings of unbeloging that often punctuate human existence, and transmutes that doubt to power. Raw power. Perfect title.

#66 Harmonium - Les Cinqs Saisons

Celebration, 1975 Quebeqois folk-prog I had to include the full gatefold for this album, because it's so enticing. One thing I love about vinyl is how many ways a record can function as an art piece. The visual art is so much more satisfying than on a cd. This record was given to me by my dad. It's groovy, and interesting from a compositional standpoint. It's a record that I always enjoy while I'm listening to it, but which doesn't stick in my mind the way some others do. It's a solid piece, and worth many more words than I am offering right now. I also love having some representation for La Belle Provence in my collection, so it will definitely be staying.

#21 Blondie - Autoamerican

Chrysalis, 1980 Genre: New Wave Blondie is another CBGB band that walks a line between genres. I've always enjoyed listening to them, and this album. Debbie Harry was a bit of an idol for me in my younger years, because she was super cool and super gorgeous and fronted a band. I didn't really emulate her style-wise, but I WANTED to emulate her. My friend Megan was much better at harnessing her inner Debbie Harry, as she was generally more confident with clothes than me. I did allow Megan and Juele to convince me to bleach my hair blonde at one point, but as it was super long and quickly turned brassy, it didn't really have the desired effect. This is a standard for my collection. A good, reliable crowd pleaser, or enjoyable solo listen.

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