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Grex > Music2 > #222: Favorite Music Albums of 1999 |  |
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krj
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Favorite Music Albums of 1999
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Jan 2 07:01 UTC 2000 |
My rule on these lists: if you bought it in 1999, you can count it.
Try to write a line or three describing the albums you pick.
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| 42 responses total. |
krj
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response 1 of 42:
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Jan 2 07:02 UTC 2000 |
I've been picking favorite albums and publishing my lists in a variety
of forums since about 1980, and this is the first time I couldn't
come close to getting ten albums for the list. I was in a sulk over the
state of pop/rock/folk music for most of the year. I remember a period
like this in the early 1980s. Maybe it will pass, or maybe I'm just
getting too old for this.
Maybe I'll think of some more discs later, but for now my only selections
are:
Afro Celt Sound System, VOLUME 2: RELEASE
A fun romp through a contemporary re-interpretation of Irish sounds, with
one magnificent vocal from Sinead O'Connor.
Richard Thompson, MOCK TUDOR
Most years this wouldn't have made my cut, but half of it is pretty
darn tuneful, only the second Thompson album of the decade I like.
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krj
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response 2 of 42:
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Jan 2 07:03 UTC 2000 |
((( Music #222 <---> Winter Agora #55 )))
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beeswing
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response 3 of 42:
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Jan 2 15:11 UTC 2000 |
"albums"? hee hee! :)
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tpryan
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response 4 of 42:
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Jan 2 16:21 UTC 2000 |
Despite the media, a collection of tunes is an album. The
last true albums where five or six 78s in their sleeves bound into
a book like thing, or like a photo album.
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clees
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response 5 of 42:
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Jan 2 19:51 UTC 2000 |
Maxinquaye - Tricky (not from 1999, but bought it this year).
This is what people refer to as trip Hop, which means samples in connection
with slow beats, seedy/moody soundscapes, jazzy influences too. The singer
on this album has a great voice. The atmosphere of the entire album breathes
like the underbelly of a big city like in the Dog days of August. Anything,
good or bad, but often sexual, can happen any moment.
The only 1999 album I have got is Katie Geddes, live at greenwood, and she
gave it to me herself (thanx again, katie).
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mcnally
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response 6 of 42:
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Jan 2 20:55 UTC 2000 |
If you like "Maxinquaye", try Massive Attack's "Protection"..
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clees
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response 7 of 42:
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Jan 2 23:10 UTC 2000 |
AH? I got Mezzanine and Blue Lines, though.
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beeswing
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response 8 of 42:
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Jan 3 00:44 UTC 2000 |
Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing"
Liz Phair's "Whitechocolatespaceegg"
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gnat
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response 9 of 42:
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Jan 3 03:04 UTC 2000 |
This was a really good music year for me. My four biggest favorites:
Olivia Tremor Control - "Black Foliage"
A terrific blend of harmony-laden pop and wacko experimentalism. It's
a tough listen at first, but infinitely rewarding.
The Flaming Lips - "The Soft Bulletin"
Big, epic, widescreen music from these masters of re-invention, filled
with oddball philosophizing and gorgeous melodies.
XTC - "Apple Venus Vol. 1"
Slightly patchy, but still an impressive comeback. The five orchestrated
songs outshine just about anything else released this year.
The Magnetic Fields, "69 Love Songs"
Is Stephin Merritt the Cole Porter of the '90's? Nah. But he's still
a terrific (and consistent, and prolific) songwriter.
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hematite
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response 10 of 42:
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Jan 3 04:30 UTC 2000 |
Two albums that got lots of play time on my CD player..
Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense"
Soundtrack to the movie thing..includes 'Burning down the house'; 'once
in a life time' etc.
George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars "The Bomb"
A psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop (That's all I can think of to say)
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eskarina
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response 11 of 42:
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Jan 3 05:14 UTC 2000 |
Caedmon's Call "40 Acres". Nice relaxing stuff to fall asleep by. I've taken
a year and really started to like more acoustic guitar type stuff, rambling
lyrics and not so much drumset. Getting older and mellower, I guess.
I listened to this album a lot when I got pneumonia in the fall. It served
as kind of a pacifier.
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raven
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response 12 of 42:
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Jan 3 09:22 UTC 2000 |
Hmmm the only 1999 album I have that sticks in my mind is Kristen Hersh's
Sky Motel. This is her first post muses electric effort. The quieter
songs are nice in a sort of experimental folk way, but the noiser songs
sound a bit derrivative of her Red Heaven era Muses stuff. It's solid
but not her best effort IMO.
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jep
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response 13 of 42:
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Jan 3 15:23 UTC 2000 |
Our favorite CD from 1999 was Katie Geddes and the Usual Suspects "Live
at Green Wood". We bought a lot of CDs last year. Many of them were
country music, and some of those were pretty good too, but I don't know
country music very well. Toby Keith, Shania Twain, Jo Dee Messina and
Alabama come to mind.
My least favorite purchase was the Garth Brooks alter-ego album, "In the
Life of Chris Gaines". It's pretty awful.
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cconroy
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response 14 of 42:
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Jan 3 22:59 UTC 2000 |
Metallica's "S&M", recorded at a show with the San Francisco Symphony
Orchestra. An incredible blend of powerful heavy metal and traditional
orchestral sounds. Michael Kamen is nothing short of a genius in his
scoring and conducting of this music. I think you have to be somewhat
of a Metallica fan in order to truly appreciate the reworking of their
songs, but anyone with an ear for music will be amazed at how well these
two distinctly different groups of musicians come together.
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anderyn
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response 15 of 42:
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Jan 4 00:15 UTC 2000 |
Um. Excaliber, a concept album in French, with performances by Gabriel
Yacoub, Fairport Convention, and other way cool groups.
the new Julie Miller...
James Keelaghan, "Road". Bought in January, long-awaited, and still great.
Keelaghan is one of my absolute favourite artists, and this one is just
as good as any of his others.
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anderyn
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response 16 of 42:
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Jan 4 00:34 UTC 2000 |
Agh! I forgot! Sparrow's Wing, Garnet Rogers. Some amazingly great love
songs, a protest song that rocked the Ark's walls when he sang it live a year
ago, and just about the most-played album of the year for me.
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katie
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response 17 of 42:
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Jan 4 05:53 UTC 2000 |
(I can't find the Julie Miller album *anywhere*! Where did you get it??)
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anderyn
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response 18 of 42:
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Jan 4 15:51 UTC 2000 |
Um. At Border's. Downtown. I called ahead.
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eskarina
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response 19 of 42:
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Jan 4 16:42 UTC 2000 |
<slaps self> Who woulda thunk it?
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sspan
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response 20 of 42:
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Jan 7 11:11 UTC 2000 |
I bought a lot of music this year, my 3 favorites are:
Jaci Velasquez - Llegar a Ti, a real nice spanish language album from last
years GMA female vocalist of the year. Varies from ballads to upbeat latin
rhythms.. just nominated for a grammy too.
Plumb - Candycoatedwaterdrops, lush alternative/pop, great songwriting and
vocals.
Caedmon's Call - 40 Acres, was surprised to see someone else mention this
one.. one of my favorite bands, some of the best lyrics I've heard, all around
incredibly talented group. And bandmembers Cliff and Danielle just had a baby
I made a whole webpage of my favorites of the year with sound and pictures
and stuff, if anyone's interested in seeing it drop me a line, or can I just
post the URL here?
cya's, and have a happy 1980..... doh! stupid y2k!
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krj
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response 21 of 42:
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Jan 7 16:24 UTC 2000 |
Dave, you can put the URL right here.
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bmoran
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response 22 of 42:
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Jan 8 04:01 UTC 2000 |
Kind of an ambient year for me. Mostly old stuff, tho new to me.
ORB Live93 - With a song titled 'a huge ever growing pulsating brain that
rules from the centre of the ultraworld (loving u)', how can you go wrong?
William Orbit StrangeCargos TheBestOf Real spacy, floating, watery, etc.
A copy of Brian Eno's video Thursday Afternoon. Yep, turn your tv
sideways, watch a naked woman brush her hair, roll around in a bathtub,
all the while listening to(or ignoring) the original. Real cool!
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eskarina
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response 23 of 42:
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Jan 8 12:08 UTC 2000 |
Re 20: And you don't think _I_ rubbed my eyes and took a second look at my
computer when I saw someone else put that album down?
I ordered the Plumb album once, but I got back a note saying they didn't have
any in stock. I'm out of CD money for a little while.
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mary
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response 24 of 42:
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Jan 8 14:06 UTC 2000 |
I only bought two CDs last year. Both were recordings of chamber
music I'm playing and I wanted to play along, for practice.
Gawd, how boring.
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