I don’t think I’ve ever done a list of my favorite debut albums. I’m surprised, because that would be a fun list to compile given the many directions it could go.
I’m writing that down as an idea for a blog theme to come. Stay tuned.
One thing I know is Tracy Chapman’s self-titled 1988 release would be on that list. I never followed Chapman’s career after this record, but it remains a stunner. Its songs are eye-opening and tear-jerking, often at the same time.
Today marks a numerical milestone for the blog: my 3,333rd post. The occasion prompted me to go back and look at the 1,111th and 2,222nd posts.
Song of the Day #1,111 was Christina Aguilera’s ‘Hurt’ and came during a week in which I wrote about each of The Voice‘s judges during its inaugural season (way back in 2011). Too bad that post didn’t fall on November 11, or it could have been Song #1,111 on 11/11/11.
And now, four months of Montauk Madness voting comes down to one last decision as we crown a grand champion. Our contestants face off across the pond, with Billy Joel repping New York and Elvis Costello hailing from merry England.
Two singer-songwriters in their 60s, each with a healthy catalog of original material. Joel has enjoyed far more commercial success, while Costello is the critics’ darling.
Another act I regret excluding from the Montauk Madness competition is Fleetwood Mac. I own four of their albums (Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, Tusk and Tango in the Night) and I freaking love pretty much everything they do.
This was another unintentional oversight, like the exclusion of Ron Sexsmith. I have to be more careful about this stuff!
While we wait for the tallying of the Montauk Madenss Final Four votes, I’m going to acknowledge a few acts I wish I’d included in the lineup.
As I’ve mentioned, I regret splitting out the solo careers of several artists from their work with bands. Specifically, I should have combined Paul Simon with Simon & Garfunkel, Morrissey with The Smiths, Ben Folds with Ben Folds Five, and David Byrne with Talking Heads. Not only would that have made the voting more straight-forward, it would have opened up four slots.
Meet Me In Montauk 