michaeljarmer

#641: C is for Carmen, Eric

His first solo album afterThe Raspberries’ mega-success, Eric Carmen rocks this Beach Boys-esque, super-ballad, prog-pop, show tune-ladendebut record. His was my first rock concert, but when I got those tickets, I hardly knewwho he was. Sweet was on this bill, and I wasabsolutely gaga for Sweet, so by proxy, somehow I acquired this album rightalongContinue reading “#641: C is for Carmen, Eric”

#640: C is for Cake

Pressure Chief is the only CakeI have on vinyl, a recent purchase, one of only a couple of Cake titlesI don’t have on CD, one of only a couple of Cake titles I didn’t purchase close to their release. One of the greatest anti-90’s bandsof the 90’s, even though they straddled two decades or three,CakeContinue reading “#640: C is for Cake”

#639: C is for Cabot, Sebastian

How the helldid this recordget into my collection? I try to remember. Ah, yes, I remember. My friend Curtisis often wont to gift his friends very strange recordsfor birthdays or Christmas, and oneyear he gave this to me, the Britishactor Sebastian Cabotreading the “poetry” of Bob Dylanwith musical accompaniment.When I begin thislistening endeavorI am notContinue reading “#639: C is for Cabot, Sebastian”

#638: B is for Byrne, David

While I’m not even close to S or Tin the alphabet, I can mentionhow happy I am to get an early listen to two of my favorite musical artistsbefore I get to St. Vincent and before I get to Talking Heads.It’s hard to overstate how jazzedI was when I learned that myfavorite twenty-first century songwriterContinue reading “#638: B is for Byrne, David”

#637: B is for Bush, Kate

Memory is unreliable. I’m trying to remember the first time I heard The Dreaming by Kate Bush. It comes out in 1982. I’m eighteen. But I have a sense it was years laterwhen I was 21 or 22 years old, after years of only a vague notionabout who she was, a foggy understanding that sheContinue reading “#637: B is for Bush, Kate”

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Talk About Geese

I just don’t want to like them. Everybody loves Geese. Everybody loves their new album, Getting Killed. Everybody seems to be falling down stupid-in-love with their singer and principal songwriter, Cameron Winter. Even people whose opinions I trust and whose art I respect or love, St. Vincent and Marc Maron, as examples, are falling overContinue reading “We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Talk About Geese”

#636: B is for Brubeck, Dave

The first pure jazz album in my collection, the first completely instrumental album, the oldest recording so far in thislistening extravaganza, 1959, one of the most popular jazz albums ever, or at least, with “Take 5,” one of the most famous and recognizable,or at least, the first jazz album ever to sell one million copies.VinceContinue reading “#636: B is for Brubeck, Dave”

#635: B is for Bright Eyes

In the fine tradition of great bad singers, here is Conor Oberst, otherwise known as the band leader of Bright Eyes. His singing is imprecise, full of vibrato, a tentativetenor, except for when he’s screaming, which he does sometimes, even in quiet songs. He often soundslike he’s on the verge of crying or throwing aContinue reading “#635: B is for Bright Eyes”

#634: B is for Bread

First of all, “Baby I’m-A Want You”is an objectively funny name for an album. You would think, evenin the early seventies it would be funny, but you would probably be wrong about that. After all, ironyhadn’t been invented yet, so everysappy and sentimental thing was taken as absolutely sincere and earnest. Purveyors of the earlysoftContinue reading “#634: B is for Bread”

#633: B is for Bowie’s “Blackstar”

After a string of fabulous studio albumsin the new centurywhich included a mightyten year gap between Reality and his penultimatestudio album, The Next Day, David Bowie announcesa new record called Blackstar.I bought that recordon release day, a Friday, listened to it straight through three or four times that weekend, and then Monday morning the newsofContinue reading “#633: B is for Bowie’s “Blackstar””