I've been on vacation for a week now, which always means two things to me: seeing friends and family and spending a ridiculous amount of money on music that I typically would not spend. Here's a few classics I just added to my collection:
Frank Zappa's We're Only In It For The Money: Yes, the songs are brilliant and innovative, as they are on any Zappa album. But one thing that really stands out about this record is how mean it is: Frank takes shots at hippies, free love, and counter culture like no musician has since. He jokes about being beaten by cops and getting STDs from proponents of free love, all while writing amazingly catchy, although brief, pop-rock songs. If you are a fan of Tom Waits or Captain Beefhart, you have to own this one. If you are a hippie, this might not be for you...
Steely Dan's Katy Lied: I recently realized that I am a huge Steely Dan fan. It took my best friend a few years to beat it into my head, but now I've come around. I think this is their best album. "Black Friday" is urgent, driving rock about an economic meltdown (how appropriate) while "Any World (That I'm Welcome To)" is an amazingly tender, sentimental piano ballad considering the typical crass sarcasm in their lyrics. This is the album to start with if you can't settle for just owning their greatest hits package, which you shouldn't.
Buena Vista Social Club (self-titled): This album isn't just for lovers of jazz, rock, Americana, or Cuban music: this is an album for anybody who loves music. If you aren't moved by the piano work of Rueben Gonzalez, I can't help you. My favorite moment is the upbeat singalong "Amor de Loca Juventud", which is beautifully sad even if you don't speak their language (this translates to "Love of Crazy Youth", but admittedly I had to look it up).
It looks like there isn't much exciting music coming out this month, so its time for me to dive into the 2008 year-end lists. Have a good weekend...
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