#35 The Complete Artie Shaw - Volume III, 1939-1940

Bluebird, 1978

Big Band Jazz

Artie Shaw was a revelation for me. I developed a love of Big Band in my tweens, which is also when I started playing the clarinet. I quickly learned about Benny Goodman and Glen Miller, and Jimmy Dorsey, but somehow Artie Shaw eluded me until I was a fair bit older. I now know that I played some Artie Shaw tunes as part of Jazz Band and Wing Band medleys; as such, when I did find these records, they felt like old friends. I bought all three volumes of the complete collection at a thrift store somewhere - I can't remember which one, but I remember the excitement of finding these albums, and for a very decent price. I've been a fan ever since.

All three of these collections are excellent, and suitable to many occasions. They warm you up and make you feel cosy and nostalgic all at once. Solid buy, would buy again.

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#75 Bob Dylan - Slow Train Coming

Columbia, 1979 Folk Rock/Blues This one Stu brought to the collection. While I listened to a lot of Dylan in my younger days, it was mostly from his acoustic and early electric period, so this album was not familiar to me. It's great! That probably doesn't come as a surprise to you, readers, but that was my thought when I played it, so true to form I record it here. This album is a mood; it has a hard spirit and an attitude, and a feeling of reflection. Like all Dylan's stuff, it has great lyrics that pull you in, and an excellent sound profile. I will definitely be returning to this album in the near future.

#73 Tyrannosaurus Rex - Unicorn

Blue Thumb Records, 1969 Psychedelic Acoustic Folk This album is very important to me. Those who know me, know I am fond of T Rex, but this pre T recording is extra special. I first remember hearing it in grade 8, and I fell in love with it entirely. It resonated with me a on strangley personal level, considering how far out the lyrics are. Warlord of the Royal Crocodiles was my jam. My friends were forced to listen to poorly dubbed cassettes every weekend, because that was the easiest way to copy and share music on the North Mountain in 1998. I had always listened to my dad's record (from whence came the cassette) and didn't have my own copy when I moved out, so I was very excited when I found it at Taz---the old spot on, what was it, Grafton? Two locations ago. It was like finding treasure, though I spose that's always what second-hand vinyl shopping feels like to me. Maybe it was more like finding the Arkenstone. I remember being super excited, and Bob telli...

#23 Cinnamon Toast Records - Trim Crusts if Desired

Cinnamon Toast, 1995 Genre: Halifax Alternative This album was gifted to me by the most excellent Shawn Duggan in the fall of 2015, following a summer playing softball together on the Gus's Pub Patties. I didn't bring a lot of skill to the team (and was very memorably struck in the face by a softball as a result), however I did have fun and make friends, which is really the point. In one of our discussions about music, it came up that Shawn had some extra copies of this record in storage, as he was instrumental in running the label. He brought it by Roger's Drive, where I was living at the time, and it was so awesome! These bands all have that Halifax sound that permeated my formative experiences with the music scene. I was too young to see most of them play shows (I narrowly missed the Cafe Ole years) but I was old enough to hear them played by my older, cooler friends and sibling. I wasn't able to find these records in the shops, so relied on hearing th...

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