Top Shelf Rock: Update

First posted in 2007. See that posting for the Shelf Rules. We have moved the chronological edge of the Oldies rack forward considerably in just three years; it now appears to be about 1990. A note I should add is that blues, soul, and jazz are in another, more chaotically-organized rack (for another day, I guess).

I see all this MP3/iPod stuff as yet another attempt to get me to buy once again the music I already have; I've spit out the bait for the most part. So, it's still CD's, for the most part, for me. Turnover has been reduced, though, because of the contributions of my friend Jose, who filled in major gaps with some burned copies.

For more commentary, see also my review of favorite albums of the "decade" 2000-2009.

NEWER RACK

New Arrivals & Upgrades
Bob Dylan--Time Out of Mind: My choice for best of the New Dylan releases.
Eurythmics--Peace: Ditto for New Annie Lennox.
Living Colour--Time's Up: Vernon Reid would be my nomination as the successor to Jimi, and this would be my selection of his best.
Radiohead--The Bends: My selection as best Radiohead (Second would be In Rainbows, but that's my son's).
Coldplay--A Rush of Blood to the Head: Their second-best--"Viva La Vida" is my son's CD.
Fatboy Slim--You've Come a Long Way, Baby
Doves--The Last Broadcast
Steve Earle--Jerusalem
Morcheeba--Big Calm
Bright Eyes--I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
Green Day--American Idiot
The Killers--Hot Fuss
James--Seven
Olive--Extra Virgin
K.D. Laing--Ingenue
Beck--Mutations
Various Artists--No Alternative
Various Artists--Future Soundtrack for America
Beatles--Anthology 2 (technically, released in 1996)
Los Lobos--Colossal Head



Holdovers
U2--Achtung!Baby, Bush--Sixteen Stone, Alanis Morissette--Jagged Little Pill, P.M. Dawn--Jesus Wept, Nirvana--Unplugged in New York, Modest Mouse--Good News for People Who Love Bad News, Santana--Supernatural, Gomez--In Our Gun

OLDER RACK

New Arrivals & Upgrades
Simple Minds--Sons & Fascination
The Police--Zenyatta Mondatta
King Crimson--Lizard: Jose's KC#1 covered the early albums, except this obscure, beautiful release.
The The--Infected: A tough call vs. "Mind Bomb". I went with Infected because of "Sweet Bird of Truth"

Holdovers
The Beatles (White Album), The Who--Tommy, Steve Winwood--Arc of a Diver, Bruce Springsteen--The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, The Rolling Stones--Sticky Fingers, Elton John (eponymous), Al Stewart--Past, Present and future, Pixies--Doolittle, Indigo Girls (eponymous), Traffic--John Barleycorn Must Die, The Allman Brothers--Eat a Peach, Yes--Close to the Edge, Cream--Disraeli Gears, Robbie Robertson (eponymous), Simon and Garfunkel--Bookends, Hot Tuna (eponymous), Bob Dylan--Blood on the Tracks, The Edge--Captive, Steely Dan--Pretzel Logic, Frank Zappa--Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation, The Clash--Combat Rock, Sex Pistols--Never mind the bollocks here's the, Talking Heads--Speaking in Tongues, Tears for Fears--Songs from the Big Chair, Pet Shop Boys--Disco.