#704: F is for Fleetwood Mac

I picked up this box set, not because I loved Fleetwood Mac, but because, growing up, their music was ubiquitous, everywhere, all the time, and I hated none of it, and in 2019, felt someobligation to have them in the collection. Having owned as a youngperson none of their records, I neverthelessknew almost every songContinue reading “#704: F is for Fleetwood Mac”

#703: F is for Fleet Foxes

2011 was the year I resumedcollecting records somewhat earnestly. I’m not exactly sure why it happened. Vinyl was on the way up from nearannihilation, or at least obscurity. And then there was a move fromone neighborhood to another, from a house my wife and I lived infor 20 years to this new old housein theContinue reading “#703: F is for Fleet Foxes”

#702: F is for Flashdance (Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

What the hellis this thing doing in my collection? I inherited this one. Decided to keep it. For what reason?If it wasn’t a record that spoke to mewhen I was a seniorin high school (and you can betthat it was not),I must have kept it because of its historical and culturalsignificance, or, justbecause I wasContinue reading “#702: F is for Flashdance (Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)”

#701: F is for The Flaming Lips (17, 20)

After several years of disappointment,I was feeling doubtful about the newFlaming Lips album in 2017, the strangelytitled Oczy Mlody. But there are certainartists or bands to which I feel an almost insane level of loyalty. The Flaming Lips isone of those. It turned out, I was pleasantlysurprised. If Embryonic and The Terror werenearly unlistenable, uncomfortableContinue reading “#701: F is for The Flaming Lips (17, 20)”

#700: (Oops) E is for Exit North

Here’s the problem. I’ve got boxes in which my albums are storedspines-out, alphabetically by artist. In addition, I have what are called “browser bins” up top, where I file my newestacquisitions, also alphabetically, for easy, flip-through access. I have tried to be mindfulof not forgetting any albums in the browser bins, whether they be newrecordsContinue reading “#700: (Oops) E is for Exit North”

#699: F is for The Flaming Lips (08, 09, 10, 12, 16)

I have not seen it in full, but judging only from short clipsI have seen, the first film written by, starred in, with a soundtrack composed byThe Flaming Lips, a thing called ChristmasOn Mars, was an utterly terrible film.Some folks will disagree, claim that it is a classic cult film on par with Eraserhead. TheContinue reading “#699: F is for The Flaming Lips (08, 09, 10, 12, 16)”

#698: F is for The Flaming Lips (95, 99, 02, 06)

In the catalog of musical artists whomake you wonder if there’s somethingwrong with your stereo, sit The Flaming Lips, the band about which I have written mostoften on the blog, and, behind Elbow, aremy favorite band of the 21st century. The Flaming Lips make their debut, actually, in the late 80’s, make music for nearlyContinue reading “#698: F is for The Flaming Lips (95, 99, 02, 06)”

#697: F is for The Fixx

The Fixx stands near the top ofmy list of the greatest 80’s bands, in part because their music doesn’tsound dated–there are no dumbdrum machines, no easily identifiablesynthesizer cliches or sequencers. Their timelessness comes from the key instrumental fact that they were a rock band. They stand outbecause each player, not just oneor two, had aContinue reading “#697: F is for The Fixx”

#696: F is for Finn, Liam and Neil

It seems like it was only a few daysago when I was listening to Crowded House, but it’s been actually about a month and a half. Listening as much as I have been since the start of October, sometimes the experience becomes a bit of a blur. So I went all the way back toContinue reading “#696: F is for Finn, Liam and Neil”

#695: F is for Fine Young Cannibals

I wondered why they buried the single, then I realized that “She Drives Me Crazy”is not on this album. Instead, we’ve got a collection of debut tunes from this Fine Young band of Cannibals, wildly unique in their era, making a kind of soul music featuring one of the most distinctive singers of theday, anContinue reading “#695: F is for Fine Young Cannibals”