Oh nice,methinks a nerve has been touched. NOW I realize why we haven't had this conversation in 15 years! And (not to harp on it but) why I wrote a screenplay about you all. Such awesome deeply brewing conflict. Anyway, not to soften a fun rant, MVG, but Derek could very well have been shooting that arrow at me, as he and I have had the "Boss" discussion on more than one occasion (without blows, though I think he stuck out his tongue once....) I'm a big Springsteen fan, particularly his first 7 or 8 records. But in Derek's defence, I would say that, while he can appear a touch obstinate, the man is in fact a musical warrior, based on the amount of new / old music he has discovered over the past ten years. Pretty much always willing to listen to music, particularly a trusted recommendation. So perhaps the question to ask ourselves is, what is the best Springsteen record for Derek to re-spin, and why?

So moving on to my Voids and Vacuums, I loved both of your lists. Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask is a perfect example of a record that is deeply revered that's bloody hard to listen to. Among the Ulysses' of pop, if you will.

And unlike Derek, among my list are plenty of examples of me closing my mind down to styles, sub-genres, and artists. Some of which I know more with the fullness of time. Others probably not so much.

Genesis is at or near the top of the list for me. I never listened to them back in the day, and haven't really gone back in any committed way to re-try it. Would welcome some insight on which record(s) to start with. I'm fairly optimistic, unlike some of the other music on this list, that I may quite like it. How do the Genesis lovers feel about it standing the test of time?



(1) Genesis - Trick of the Tail? Lamb Lies Down?

(2) Rush - 2112 - Canadian prog rock classic, sure, but is it really any good? I have no idea.

(3) Frank Zappa - you name the album....I prefer the early records only slightly, but classic period like Hot Rats etc really doesn't do it for me.

pause, there is a trend here to Prog Rock....time to mix it up.

(4) New Order - just always sounded like light synth-pop to me, but it's level of belovedness is making me re-think. In truth I never listened to it much. So, which record and why? Other synth pop depressed me too, but New Order is a great example of music that was inspiring a lot of the cool people all around me, but left me cold. Alas, I was a man unhappy in his own musical time. But that's another story.

(5) Talking Heads - Fear of Music or anything after that. I always thought they were a far better band before they discovered African. Their first two records sound so fresh to me. When they got popular I checked out

(6) Hip hop, trip hop, rap, jungle, house or acid Jazz. Ok, those are categories ( and you knew it was coming...) but is there a classic record nestled in there somewhere? Outkast? Public Enemy? Black Planet maybe. Notorious BIG? Input please.

(7) Sweet Baby James - never really got James Taylor, though I do love a lot of other 70's singer / songwriter.

(8) Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People. Should probably love it but don't.

(9) Pearl Jam - 10. Always sounded like more old power rock than anything new to me.