h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ten or eleven months ago, I stopped buying pop CDs because I was runinng out of money -- thousands of dollars wree owed to my dentist, and I had a big bill coming up for my tour of the Baltics and Saint Petersburg. The last big bill will soon be behind me -- my car insurance, which comes due in September.

After that, I can expand what I already have, which is listed here:
http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A87773340

In the almost-year that I've been listening to these, I've heard every one twice. I pick up something new every time I hear them, which is as I hoped it would be. But there's still a lot that could be added.

The other day I' ordered some cheap, secondhand cds by Cher, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Pink Floyd, and Adele.

After I get the car insurance paid, the next batch of orders should include cds by James Brown, Marley and the Wailers, The Smiths, The Talking Heads, Beyonce, and Frank Zappa.

I've gone easy on the more bombastic genres as a matter of taste. I can't foresee getting Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, or the various punk approaches. Beyonce seems to be on the fringes of Hip Hop and/or rap. it's hard to tell, because I haven't heard her cd yet. Still, she's sold a lot of recordings, has done a good job in movies like "Dreamgirls," and consistently gets high marks on her voice in user comments at Amazon.

There are numerous lists of best albums on the Internet, but there are major differences among them. If I can get away with having just one cd per artist or group, that means I can have more artists represented in what will probably never be a huge collection.

Jimi Hendrix is a puzzle. His music wasn't very clear on the "Woodstock" soundtrack CD. He's often cited as a superb guitarist and an influence on those who came later. Should I give him a chance? Are there other artists not previously mentioned that I should consider?

You should definitely give Hendrix a chance. His repertoire varies from pop-like ballads (like "Angel" and "The wind cries Mary") to extremely electric stuff some people call noise but makes other people almost faint with enthusiasm

Off the top of my head I further recommend King Crimson's "In the court of the Crimson King"

Pierce, both of the songs you mention are on "Experience Hendrix: the best of Jimi Hendrix." I've added it to my Amazon wish list. Most of the pop cds I've bought sound daunting at first, but I'm finding them easier to like as I listen to them some more. That's to be expected. I have an ambitious plan anyway, based on the theory that it's worth the effort to have more variety than one could ever get from any one radio station. It's a lofty goal, but it's worth using my selection skills on. I listen to a classical station when I'm in my car. I get a range of about four centuries, but there isn't much pop music there. Eventually, jazz will be regarded as a form of classical music, but that might not happen within my lifetime.

I especially like "From the top," a regular feature that gives exposure to the most talented young musicians. They get to tell about their lives, and they're like a breath of fresh air. There's a violinist who also sings in a rock band. There are players who juggle music and major athletic endeavors. There are some who are forces of nature in their ability to move people and make things happen. Most have wonderful senses of humor. I loved the guy who played the flute and then played a CD he had made called "Man flute," which made fun of the perception that flute-laying was for females . It was totally hilarious! There are also musicians who are into improvisation. You never know what they will come up with. Music is alive and well in all its forms.

I've found that you don't have to listen to a top-40 radio station to hear pop songs. Supermarkets and department stores often play songs by Billy Joel or Roy Orbison or Jewel. I like a lot of them, but many of them suffer from such bad diction that I can't track them down in Google when I get back to my house. The down side of country music is the twang that only people from the same region can decipher.

I was a busy beaver today. I bought representative cds online for seven artists or bands:

Men at Work
Talking Heads
New Kids on the Block
Beyonce
Loreena McKennitt
Frank Zappa
Duran Duran

Roughly half were on the list of those who have sold more than 50 million albums: New Kids, Beyonce, and Duran Duran.

The others came up during discussions of performers/groups who did high-quality work even if they didn't sell a lot of albums. Men at Work seems to be my brother's favorite band. If I know some of their key songs, I might have something to talk about with him and with my nephew when I visit. Talking Heads had a filmmaker film one of their live concerts, and it was released in theaters and on video as "Stop making sense." Here are some who consider it one of the best filmed concerts. The compilation I ordered today had several songs from that film. Loreena KcKennitt's "Book of Secrets" was praised by an H2G2 researcher in another thread. She does a lot of Celtic music, a genre I don't have anything for right now. I had considered Enya, but she seems boring and repetitive. Frank Zappa has the distinction of holding the record for the most albums issued, though 32 of them were released posthumously. The number is around 90. I don;t have the money,time, or patience to go through all of them listening for notable songs, so I've bought a compilation of songs that something thought were his best efforts. With Frank Zappa you never know, but it's better than having nothing....

I'm glad they never gave me the task of compiling Zappa's best! His greatest hits would be a lot easier to collect. All you have to do is check the charts.

Have you considered Elvis Costello? Like Zappa he moves around in so many genres some people call him the chameleon

Whilst my music collection is dominated by heavy rock and country I am surprised that you have no Tom petty or abba on your list, suppose it depends on what 'pop' is defined as? Got me thinking of CDs I have in the attic now...

I listened to a library CD of Tom Petty and disliked his music. I have a wide range of tastes, but can't warm up to some performers. I didn't like Van Halen, Michael Bolton, U2, Neil Young, or Chicago either. I have a CD of "Mamma Mia" in my collection of musicals, so ABBA's songs are at least covered in another part of my collection. Likewise the Four Seasons, which are covered in the CD for the musical "Jersey Boys."

I will soon order a cd of Jimi Hendrix, who sang in the soundtrack for "Woodstock," which I also have.

But sometimes it takes time to develop a taste for certain things. In times to come, I might revisit the performers I didn't like the first time. If I have the time, space, and resources, that is. Selecting things for any kind of collection invariably leaves me exhausted. Over the years, as I listen to my CDs, I usually pick up something more with each new hearing.

It surprises me that you don't like Neil Young. Surely there must be something between "Harvest" and "Harvest Moon" that can take your fancy? Maybe not "Sleeps With Angels" or "Mirror Ball" - and certainly not "Arc" - but the first two I mentioned plus "Prairie Wind" should be right up your alley. Young varies from the softest of soft to the grungiest of grungy electric guitar - erm - sounds...

It surprised me, too. When he's singing with Crosby, Stills, and Nash, the sound is okay, though I prefer CS&N by themselves.

"Have you considered Elvis Costello?" [Pierce]

I would have had to consider him if he had been on this list:
http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A87768030

I could consider him anyway, though.

There are numerous boy bands to consider. I already have Pet Shop Boys and Back Street Boys. New Kids on the Block are on order. I don't have Menudo, but I do have Ricky Martin, who was their lead singer. I don't yet have NSYNC, Boyz 2 Men, or One Direction.

In Jazz, I don't yet have the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, nor anything by Charlie Parker or Coltrane. Thelonius Monk is on a Smithsonian compilation CD. I have Kenny G and Harry Connick Jr., but there may be other current jazz artists that I haven't heard of.

There are numerous country artists, too numerous for me to keep track of.

Rhythm and Blues? I don't have anything by James Brown yet. Beyonce might be in that genre, and I have a CD of hers on order.

I tried to get a sense of what the major performers were in the soul genre. What I found was overlap with other genres. Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, Stevie Wonder, etc., were all classed in soul even if they were more famous for what they did in mainstream rock music.

What I don't any of is Gospel. No Mahalia Jackson, no Ethel Rivers. Elvis Presley won three Grammies for gospel albums. There's a gospel choir that sings once a year at Tanglewood or the Boston Pops.

I used to have an album of ragas from Benares. I tried looking up some traditional Indian music, and found next to nothing in the websites. Maybe it's a genre that is exclusively live.

Menudo's band members changed often anyway--no over-16s allowed!

Menudo was featured on an episode the the TV series "Suddenly Susan." That's where I first heard about them.

One Direction has been featured in the comic strip "Heart of the City" recently. There was also an article about them in the paper the other day.

Barclay James harvest may interest you?

Which Barclay Jame Harvest do you mean? The one that featured Holroyd or the one that featured Lee?

I'm going to get a CD of Crosby Stills & Nash. If that goes well, I will get a crosby Stills, Nash & Young recording.

I'm concerned that the vast majority of my CDs are in English. There are non-Western pop giants out there: Mr. Children [Japanese], Shakira [Central America] and a Mexican who specialized in ranchero music. All three are on the list of top-selling artists. Gloria Estefan is also on the list, though she might sing some songs in English as well.

Maybe in time there will be Chinese pop stars with international success. China presently has Han Han, a multi-faceted guy who writes, races cars, and sings. he is said to have 500 million fans. That's a lot by any standard.

I don't think you can go wrong with "Crosby, Stills & Nash" (which sold 4 times multi platinum in the US alone).

After Young joined the trio they released "Déjà Vu" (7 times multi platinum in the US).

Some people claim they sing out of tune. I must be tone deaf.

They weren't out of tune at the Woodstock concert. I thought they were the best act there, judging from the recording. Don't know why I keep forgetting to include them, but I get distracted. "Judy Blue Eyes" seems to be their best-known song, though I can't remember how it goes.

carlos varela, some beautiful spanish songs

I've heard a few things about Sixto Rodriguez and will try to find out more.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rodriguez-10-things-you-dont-know-about-the-searching-for-sugar-man-star-20130328

Rodriguez has a new album. His career has been much better since the documentary "Waiting for Sugar Man" hit the theaters.

I'm listening to Bob Marley and the Wailers now -- I picked up a CD while I was out visiting my father. I love Reggae!

Tomorrow I'm going to a movie about One Direction, the boy band. That will give me an idea of what their music is like.