Complete Collection Countdown

London, 1953 Genre: Romantic, classical  Beethoven is my fav, and Backhaus plays him beautifully. The quality of this pressing is also top notch - it's sturdy vinyl and excellent production. He might be playing in the next room. If you are a Beethoven lover, this is a great recording to have.

Camden, year unknown Genre: Classical Performed by the Boston Symphony conducted by Serge Koussevitzky, narrated by Richard Hale This lp is in terrible condition---even after cleaning, it's crackling and hiccoughing, even skipping. It's tough, because I LOVE this recording, but this one will have to be purged.  Let it be known, however, that this lp has been loved. It was a formative education piece for me, teaching me both about music and about narrative.  It also taught me that you should always watch you back in unfamiliar places, and not underestimate the unknowns in your surroundings. It also taught me that representing animals with instruments is hilarious. Dad listened to it when he was a kid, and played it for us when we were kids. Maybe I'll make some kind of art with this one. 

Performed by Alfred Deller and soloists of the Deller Consort Vanguard, 1962 Genre: Baroque, English classical Questions I would like to ask my Grandad: How did you come to have such an appreciation for classical music?  Grandad, from whom I believe I likely inherited this album, loved classical music, and had quite an extensive collection. Being as he grew up Irish Catholic in NS, with (to the best of my knowledge) little artistic or cultural influence, I find it interesting that he developed such  refined taste. I am glad that he did, as I now get to share in that love! Baroque has never been my favourite musical genre, but I quite like this. It is subtler than many recordings I've heard of work from that era----it's not all about ostentatious frills and runs. It's simpler, and quite beautiful. The vocalists are truly impressive. Also, as a neat little addition, the lyrics to some of the tunes are printed on the back, so if you ever dreamed of being a 15th cen...

Munster, 2010 Genre: Garage rock, Peruvian garage-surf I can't remember exactly how I got turned on to Los Saicos, but I remember getting the record. It must have been summer 2013, right before I moved back to Halifax from the country. I bought it and The Monks - Black Monk Time at a record store in Toronto, at quite a cost. I remember this because of the odd coincidence that Paul, my new roommate in Hali , also knew about and was enthusiastic about this band. It resulted in some great living room listening. Jake also started playing them up at Gus's pub, so I guess maybe it was one of those "in the know" kinda things. Must've been name dropped to me at some point by a fellow psych-garage enthusiast. I was huge into psych-garage and power pop at that time (in fact, I still am), and Los Saicos are an excellent band in this genre. They're fun, rocky, and far out. The tunes are melodic and catchy,  and there are lots of crazy psychedelic hoots and wai...

P Trash, 2012 Genre: Halifax Power Pop Damn, this album holds up. It's been a long time, but I'm always pumped  to see Outracontroller. Their tunes are catchy as hell, and that power pop energy has no contest.  This record was released in 2012, just as I was wrapping up my second uni degree and about to move to the country. It had been a tumultuous couple years, and going to see Outtacontroller was one wicked way to release some of those energies. I am pleased to say that the same energy is captured on the recording, and the sound quality is excellent. It's murky and loud where it should be, but everything is balanced and easy to hear and appreciate. Oh, and a decade later, the songs are still catchy as Hell. I'm pumped to have this one in my collection. 

Murderrecords, 2018 (digital 2009) Genre: Canadian Rock, Indie Rock I have always loved Sloan, and this ep represents everything that I love about them.  It's a melodic, catchy, groovy, unique sound scape. The mastering hearkens back to their much-loved earlier recordings, being very warm and rich, and thus I love it even more. I don't think I've ever met a Sloan album I didn't like (at one point, I even made my own: a painstakingly collection of rare bootlegs, and a "box set" where I collected all the tunes of each member and organized them as "The Songs of Jay" or "The Songs of Patrick" etc.). I have always bought any new releases, and the quality of this record makes me very happy that I have. I'm going to stop writing and just enjoy listening to this now.

Elektra, 1984 Genre: Pop Rock, New Wave It always surprises me that the Cars have not achieved a more legendary status. Every song is great. Like, maybe they're not all bangers, but there aren't any that make you want to skip to the next track, or say "this song sucks". Furthermore, the greatest songs are memorably excellent and have an air of nostalgia that isn't necessarily tied to specific life events. It's the tone.  This isn't my favourite Cars record, but I'm always game to spin it. Also, one of my exes always used to sing "Drive" at karaoke, so perhaps there is a legitimate dose of nostalgia in there as well. It's fun when a tune takes you back to some random evening long ago. Vroom vroom.

Hansa, 1978 Genre: Disco This is another party classic, and made its appearance on Halloween. Who doesn't love a good dance to "Rasputin"?  I think this record is remarkable in many ways, not the least of which is the catchy tunes. The situational background is also  interesting: A German musician brings together a group of Carribean performers to tour Europe, make a video in the Societ Union, sing in English, and record a record that will be a huge hit in the UK and North America. There's lots of fascinating layers of culture and history there. 

Qwest Records (licensed from Factory), 1986 Genre: Electro, Synth Pop What to say about this record? Is has been a pillar in the party soundtrack of my adult life. Every living room dance party, this record comes out. It's most recent appearance was Halloween, and it was quite interesting, because for the first time, more people that were present did not really know it than did. I felt a little weird then, to be honest. It is truly a new phase of life when Bizarre Love Triangle does not immediately spawn an enthusiastic and slightly chaotic mini dance marathon. And it is a marathon, when you play the extended dance version! I'll keep working on the uninitiated until they're as excited to hear this hit the stereo as I am.