Song of the Day #2,174: ‘I Don’t Want to Lose You’ – The Smithereens

smithereens_especiallyI’m envisioning a future project — a list of bands that produced one excellent album but nothing else that crossed my radar.

This is different from a one-hit wonder because the whole album, not just a single song, has to be great. And it can’t be a group that has a few pretty good albums and one amazing one. This one album has to be the only work of theirs you own.

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Song of the Day #2,173: ‘Mr. Tambourine Man (Live at Newport Folk Festival, 1964)’ – Bob Dylan

dylan4My desert island countdown continues (see Monday’s post for the full explanation).

Desert Island Musical Artists – #1 – Bob Dylan

Dylan was the man when I first became a true music fan, listening to his old LPs on a turntable on the island of my 10th grade bedroom. He’s still the man three decades later.

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Song of the Day #2,172: ‘Less Than Zero’ – Elvis Costello

costello_uselessMy desert island countdown continues (see Monday’s post for the full explanation).

Desert Island Musical Artists – #2 – Elvis Costello

Costello would be a strong candidate if I could bring only one musical artist to my desert island, because his discography has spanned so many genres.

Punk, country, rock, pop, folk, classical, easy listening, jazz, funk — he’s a one-man record store. And I could spend many a moonlit night trying to dig out the meanings in his kaleidoscopic lyrics.

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Song of the Day #2,171: ‘So. Central Rain (Live on Letterman)’ – R.E.M.

remMy desert island countdown continues (see Monday’s post for the full explanation).

Desert Island Musical Artists – #3 – R.E.M.

As I’ve written many times on this blog, no artist has as powerful an emotional pull on me as R.E.M. Their music transports me to different moments in my life like a sonic time machine.

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Song of the Day #2,170: ‘Slip Slidin’ Away’ – Paul Simon

paul_simon_1My desert island countdown continues (see yesterday’s post for the full explanation).

Desert Island Musical Artists – #4 – Paul Simon

Not only do I get Paul Simon’s stellar solo discography (including the unparalleled one-two punch of Graceland and The Rhythm of the Saints), I bring with me a quintet of Simon & Garfunkel albums I adore.

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