An incomplete alphabetical compilation of albums that I've rated highest and/or most often turned to for repeated listening. Much equally vital or better stuff may be out there, of course, but in the ongoing quest for the transcendent, these have come most strongly into my life, as a core among my physical collection. First class reproduction equipment is vital to getting the most out of any of them.    This list provides a partial counterpoint to my grousing about the crap that is being produced or distributed by most erstwhile musicians in recent years. There should be substantial satisfaction findable among this selection.    This list is abbreviated almost directly from a not always carefully entered database, so errors in capitalization, classification, and spelling surely remain. The selection underlines how inadequate my efforts have been towards collecting classical recordings. Radio generally has provided that area of listening, instead, over the years, not least due to gross overpricing for too many recordings. The comments sometimes apply only to versions in my own collection.

ARTIST	TITLE	CONDUCTOR or SOLOIST	ORCHESTRA	TYPE	LABEL	YEAR	COMMENTS
	Deadicated			rock	Arista	91	2 CDs of Grateful Dead covers by various artists, every one superb
AIken, Caroline	Live Bait			folk/rock	Rainy Day	94	Georgia's great 12 and 6 string picker
Allison, Luther	Blue Streak			blues	Alligator	95	belt buckle polishing (better without belts - or pants) music
Allman Brothers Band	At the Fillmore East			rock	Capricorn	71	definitive concert on 2 lps
Amos, Tori	Crucify			rock	Atlantic	92	very short (22 minutes), but good, keeps improving with repeated listens
Amos, Tori	Little Earthquakes			rock	Atlantic	91	wow sound
Axton, Hoyt	Fearless			country	A&M	76	a fine singer-songwriter with a first class production
Bach, J.S.	Four Great Toccatas & Fugues	E. Power Biggs	Pipe Organs	classical	CBS	73	shows the power of memorization
Bach, J.S.	Sonatas (For Flute)	James Galway	Philip Moll & Sarah Cunningham	classical	RCA	95	platinum sound
Baez, Joan	Farewell, Angelina			folk	Vanguard	02	reissue from 1965; Joan gently electric, with Dylan tunes, a real classic
Bain, Aly & Ale Moller	Fully rigged			Nordic	NorthSide	01	Shetlands fiddle meets Swedish winds, good for regular listening
Bain, Aly & Ale Moller	Beyond the Stacks			Nordic	Northside	07	Shetlands fiddle meets Swedish guitars, good for regular listening
Baltimore Consort	On The Banks Of Helicon: Early Music Of Scotland			world	Dorian	90	these folks do old music right, with enthusiasm and purity
Barber, Samuel	Violin Concerto	Hillary Hahn/Hugh Wolff	St. Paul Chamber Orch.	classical	Sony	00	superbly played; with the Meyer violin concerto
Bartok, Bela	Concerto For Orchestra	Erich Leinsdorf	Boston Symphony	classical	RCA	63	definitive
Beatles	Abbey Road			rock	Capitol	80	I have the original master LP rerelease
Beatles	Sgt. Pepper			rock	apple	67	their classic psychedalia; '87 CD has excellent booklet background
Beatles	Help!			rock	Parlophone	65	superb early stuff, exquisitely recorded
Beatles	White Album			rock	Capitol	68	remastered '09; not consistent, but mostly still wonderful, especially when careful Martin production can shine
Beethoven	Symphony # 9	Bernstein	Combined	classical	DGG	90	live and thrilling
Beethoven	Symphony No. 6	Fritz Reiner	Chicago Symphony	classical	RCA	63	even with somewhat dated sound, unsurpassed intensity
Ben-Susan, Pierre	Two			folk	Rounder	93	French, new age, distinctly better than anything else heard from him
Benatar, Pat	Live From Earth			rock	Chrysalis	83	Heartbreaker
Bernstein, Leonard	Mass	Bernstein	Kennedy Center	classical	Columbia	71	2 records; original cast; rough but haunting
Big Brother & Holding Company	Cheap Thrills	Janis Joplin		rock	Columbia	67	CD sound favors the band, as did the live performance I remember
Black, Mary	Shine			rock	Curb	97	dangerously close to shlocky at times, but wears well; superb covers of Richard Thompson and David Gray; much punchier than her other work
Blind Faith	Blind Faith			Rock	Polydor	69/01	Clapton, Winwood, Baker, Grech utterly classic
Boine, Mari &	Leahkastin			World	Sonet	94	brought from Inari, Finland; haunting Sami singing, with deep bass & drums
Browne, Jackson	Running On Empty			rock	Asylum	77	live, before the cocaine got fully to him
Brubeck, Dave--Quartet	Time Out			jazz	Columbia	59	the best of cool
Buffet, Jimmy	A-1-A			country	MCA	74	the origin of Margaritaville
Bukkene Bruse	The Stone Chair			Nordic	Northside	99	traditional and orginal Norwegian, brought cleanly forward, Annbjorg Lien on fiddle lead
Byrds, The	The Notorious Byrd Brothers			rock	Columbia	67	the positive side of fuzzy
Carpenter, Mary Chapin	Come On Come On			country	Sony	92	at her peak
Clark, Guy	Old No. 1			country	RCA	75	this defines my kind of country
Cockburn, Bruce	Nothing But A Burning Light			rock	Columbia	91	this will stand up over time
Cohen, Leonard	Live			rock	Columbia	94	the man who helped make the '60s work getting even better
Cohen, Leonard	The Best Of			folk	CBS	75	the man who helped make the '60s work
Cohen, Leonard	Live In London			Folk/Rock	Sony	09	superb revisitations of masterpieces by the master and some musical peers, DVD beautifully photographed as well as recorded, enjoyable despite one tasteless bit of ignorant politicing
Collins, Judy	#3			folk	Elektra	63	this is folk!
Collins, Judy	Fifth Album			folk	Elektra	65	better still
Collins, Judy	In My Life			folk	Elektra	66	mostly arranged by Joshua Rifkin; an absolute core collection, always satisfying, especially her take on Cohen's 'Suzanne'
Collins, Judy	Judith			country	Elektra	75	falling into Broadway, but still fun
Collins, Judy	Who Knows Where The Time Goes			rock	Elektra	68	with Steven Stills
Collins, Judy	Wildflowers			folk	Elektra	67	arranged by Joshua Rifkin
Colvin, Shawn	Steady On			rock	Columbia	89	individually the songs are powerful, together they continue to grow, damaged only by a stupidly included drum machine on some cuts
Copland, Aaron	Appalachian Spring	Leonard Bernstein	New York Philharmonic	classical	Columbia	62	I've been to heaven while listening to this recording
Corelli, Archangelo	Concerto Grossi, Op. 6		I Musici	classical	Philips	94	double CD; excellent music, exquisitely played: every note gets care
Cowboy Junkies	Caution Horses			rock	BMG	90	soft seeming but hard edged; few better for repeated listening
Cowboy Junkies	Lay It Down			rock	Geffen	96	another that grows with repeated listening
Cowboy Junkies	Trinity Sesson			rock	RCA	88	music doesn't get any better than this
Creedence Clearwater Revival	Bayou Country			rock	Fantasy	67	"Proud Mary"
Crosby, Stills & Nash	Crosby, Stills & Nash			rock	Atlantic	69	justifyably classic
Crosby, Stills & Nash	CSN			rock	Atlantic	77	"Cathedral"
Crosby, Stills & Nash	Deja Vu			rock	Atlantic	70	with Garcia on steel
Deep Purple	The Best Of Deep Purple			rock	Creative	67?	pirate somewhat better sound version of 60's favorites
Doors, The	L.A. Woman			rock	Elektra	71	has "Riders on the Storm"
Doors, The	The Doors			rock	Elektra	67	popular, but where would our minds be without it?
Doors, The	Waiting For The Sun			rock	Elektra	68	worth the wait
Dylan, Bob	30th Anniversary Celebration			rock	Columbia	93	the Bobfest tribute: Young, Clapton, Petty, Vedder, Cash, Winter, etc.
Dylan, Bob	Blonde On Blonde			rock	Columbia	65	reiusse of a classic
Dylan, Bob	Blood On The Tracks			rock	Columbia	74	the subtle climax of his career
Dylan, Bob	Bringing It All Back Home			folk/rock	Columbia	65	the transition to electric
Dylan, Bob	Desire			rock	Columbia	75	old, but unsurpassed, with Emmy Lou Harris
Dylan, Bob	Highway 61 Revisited			rock	Columbia	65	"Desolation row" duet with Bloomfield best in stereo, but the LP sounds less harsh than the CD reissue
Earle, Steve	Copperhead Road			country	Uni	88	intense
Enya	Watermark			space	Reprise	88	"Orinoco Flow" haunted me for years
Etheridge, Melissa	Never Enough			rock	Island	92	erotic
Farina, Richard And Mimi	The Best Of			folk	Vanguard	68	Reflections on a crystal wind, plus on a 1988 cd reissue
Fleetwood Mac	Live			rock	Warner	80	has the grit the studio stuff didn't (though that was superb if one's tools are good enough): final guitar solo is a 6
Floridis, John	The Dance Of Apollo			folk	Glacial	01	instrumental folk guitar at its best
Fogelberg, Dan	The Innocent Age			rock	Epic	81	double good, mostly
Fogerty, John	Blue Moon Swamp			rock	Warner	97	grew to be a favorite with repeated listening
Fugs	The Fugs First Album			folk	Broadside	65	New York at its crazy best
Gabrielli, Giovanni	Music For San Rocco 1608	Paul McCreesh	Gabrielli Consort	classical	Archiv	96	rated superb in the New Yorker, and is
Garcia, Jerry	Garcia			rock	Warner	72	it doesn't get any better than this
Garcia, Jerry And Band	Cats Under The Stars			rock	Arista	78	"Rhapsody in Red", "On Grosvenor Square".
Gershwin and Grofe	Rhapsody In Blue; An American In Paris; Grand Canyon Suite	Leonard Bernstein	Columbia, NY	classical	CBS	59	Bernstein on piano is unequalled for jazz feeling on a clear 98 CD reissue
Gjallarhorn	Sjofn			world	NorthSide	00	as beautiful as its naked woman cover; rocks with hints of the past
Goodman, Steve	Somebody Elses Troubles			folk	Buddah	72	the funniest songwriter
Gorecki, Henry	Symphony #3	Zinemann, David	London Symphonietta	classical	Elektra	92	compelling when listened to carefully
Grateful Dead	American Beauty			rock	Warner	70	early definitive
Grateful Dead	Blues For Allah			rock	Gdp	75	classic
Grateful Dead	Europe '72			rock	Warner	72	triple
Grateful Dead	History Of The Grateful Dead, Vol. 1 (Bear's Choice)			rock	Warner	73	some surprising acoustic and electric blues
Grateful Dead	Wake Of The Flood			rock	Grateful	73	difficult to play too often
Grateful Dead	Workingman's Dead			country	Warner	70	the Dead go wonderfully country
Griffin, Patty	A Kiss in Time			folk	ATO	03	wonderfully granular voice, live, with amusing little DVD
Griffith, Nanci	The Mca Years, A Retrospective			country	MCA	93	a bit much at a time, but wonderful
Harris, Emmylou	Luxury Liner			country	Warner	77	picking up power
Harris, Emmylou	Pieces Of The Sky			country	Reprise	75	Boulder to Birmingham, her tribute to Gram Parsons, still tears me up
Harris, Emmylou	Spyboy			rock	Eminent	98	live and really rocks
Harris, Emmylou	The Ballad Of Sally Rose			country	Warner	85	her album as a story
Harris, Emmylou	White Shoes			rock	Warner	83	simply superb
Heart	Dreamboat Annie			rock	Capitol	76	still repeatedly listenable after all the years
Heart	Heart			rock	Capitol	85	wonderfully smooth yet hard
Heart	Little Queen			rock	Portrait	77	solid rock
Holst; Bach; Handel	Suite No. 1 & 2; Fantasia In G Minor; Royal Fireworks	Frederick Fennell	Cleveland Symphonic Winds	classical	Telarc	78	one of the first digital recordings, a wowser
Ian & Sylvia	The Complete Vanguard Studio Recordings			folk	Vanguard	01	4 CD collection of the very best of '60's folk, wonderful in all senses
Its A Beautiful Day	Its A Beautiful Day			rock	SF Sound	67	classics, e.g. "White Bird", with inadequate liner notes, but great sound
Jefferson Airplane	After bathing at Baxter's			rock	BMG	68	retains its marvelous flavor
Jefferson Airplane	Crown Of Creation			rock	RCA	68	properly titled
Jefferson Airplane	Surrealistic Pillow			rock	RCA	67	core
Jennings, Waylon	This Time			country	RCA	74	mostly Willie's songs
Johnson, Robert	The Complete Recordings			blues	Columbia	90	double, with alternate takes of the master from the '30s; truly great, but too much to listen through often
Joplin, Janis	Pearl			rock	Columbia	69
Keen, Robert Earl	No Kinda Dancer			country	Sugar Hill	85	gift from his producer
Larkin, Patty	A Gogo, Live On Tour			folk	Vanguard	99	superb retrospective
Lightnin' Hopkins	Lighnin' Srikes			blues	Everest	65	this IS the blues to me
Lovett, Lyle	Road To Ensenada			country	Mca	96	superb in every way
Lovett, Lyle	Step Inside This House			country	Curb-Mca	98	all Texas, with resurgence and photos of Anderson Fair friends
MacLeod, Kate	Trying To Get It Right			folk	Festival	94	a Salt Lake still mostly unkown, but first class
Mayall, John	The Turning Point			blues	Polydor	69	with Jon Mark and Johnny Almond; the definitive sax solo "California"
McKennitt, Loreena	Parallel Dreams			folk	Quinlan	89	bringing forward paganism
McKennitt, Loreena	The Book Of Secrets			space	Warner	97	inlcudes "the highwayman", one of her few where the studio version is notably better
McKennitt, Loreena	The Mask And Mirror			space	Warner	94	includes "Santiago"
McKennitt, Loreena	The Visit			folk	Quinlan	92	updated English folksongs
McKennitt, Loreena	Nights from the Alhambra			folk/rock	Quinlan	07	being able to see the musicians via DVD helps to appreciate just how good the whole performance is; mostly great camerawork as well as playing
McMurtrey, James	St. Mary Of The Woods			rock	Sugar Hill	02	Texas rock
McMurtrey, James	Where'd They Hide The Body			rock	Columbia	95	this is Larry's son, who has become a superb musician
Merchant, Natalie	Leave Your Sleep			Pop	Nonesuch	10	2 cds of poems for children wonderfully set to music, and a little hardbound book with lyrics, stories, and photos about their origin. Every aspect was done with care.
Meyer, Edgar	Violin Concerto	Hillary Hahn/Hugh Wolff	St. Paul Chamber Orch.	classical	Sony	00	fun piece superbly played; with the Barber violin concerto
Mitchell, Joni	Blue			folk	Reprise	71	folk blending into rock doesn't get any better
Mitchell, Joni	Joni Mitchell			folk	Reprise	68	produced by David Crosby, with Stills playing bass
Mitchell, Joni	Shadows And Light			rock	Asylum	80	2 record concert, with Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius
Moffat, Hugh	Loving You			folk	Philo	87	given to me by the artist, and stands up to anyone anywhere
Moody Blues	A Question Of Balance			rock	Threshold	70	quintessence of classical acid rock
Nelson, Willie	Phases And Stages			country	Atlantic	74	probably played every day for a year and still sounds good
Nelson, Willie	Red Headed Stranger			country	Columbia	75	rightfully regarded as a classic
Nordic Artists	Devil's tune			world	NorthSide	98	hardanger fiddle playing by a set of the best
Ochs, Phil	Chords Of Fame			folk	A&M	74	retrospective of genius
Oysterband	Rise above			Rock	Omnium	02	"bright morning star" was a KRCL acoustic outro for a while; wears wonderfully
Part, Arvo	Litany	Tonu Kaljuste	Hilliard Ensemble, Tallin Ch.	classical	ECM	96	enduring semi-minimalist from Estonia
Pentangle	Cruel Sister			folk	Reprise	70	still classic
Petty, Tom	Full Moon Fever			rock	Mca	89	following up doing the Wilburys; consistenly driving
Phillips, Shawn	Furthermore			rock	A&M	74	memorable range, vocally and musically
Phillips, Shawn	Second Contribution			rock	A&M	70	memorable range, vocally and musically
Pink Floyd	Delicate Sounds Of Thunder			rock	Columbia	88	wow!; double live CD
Pink Floyd	Dark side of the Moon			rock	Capitol/EMI	73	the classic, beautifully remastered on CD in 1994
Rachmaninoff	Rhaposody On Paganini Theme	Arthur Fiedler, Leonard Pennario	Boston Pops	classical	RCA	63	still the best version
Raitt, Bonnie	Give It Up			rock	Warner	72	her best
Reed, Lou	Rock N Roll Animal			rock	RCA	74	Lou live and loud, worn but wonderful
Renbourn, John	The Nine Maidens			folk	Flying Fish	85	best from the best at the time
Renbourn, John & St. Grossman	Under The Volcano			folk	Kicking Mule	79	unbeatable, background or foreground, acoustic guitars
Reykjavik Wind Quintet	Cantus borealis - wind music from the Faroe Islands		Reykjavik Wind Quintet	classical	BIS	99	various contemporary composers, consistently good; over time and repeated playing it has become a favorite
Rimsky-Korsakov	Scheherazade	Fritz Reiner	Chicago	classical	RCA/BMG	60	my father's favorite; really gets a telling the story feel; superb sound on 2005 SACD
Robbins, Marty	Gunfighter ballads			Country	Columbia	58/06	absolute classic, with "big iron" and "El Paso"
Rogers, Stan	Home In Halifax			folk	fogarty's cove	82	best live folk and voice around; includes the Mary Ellen Carter
Rolling Stones	Beggars Banquet			rock	London	68	still among the greatest
Rolling Stones	Stripped			rock	Virgin	95	live in a small amsterdam club, definitive sound quality
Rolling Stones	Their Satanic Majesties Request			rock	London	67	famous for good reason
Ronstadt, Linda	Feels Like Home			rock	Elektra	95	superb version of "after the gold rush"
Ronstadt, Linda	Heart Like A Wheel			rock	Capitol	74	one of the best records period: voice, musicians, and production
Rush, Tom	New Year: Live At Symphony Hall			folk	Night Light	82	limited edition
Rush, Tom	The Very Best Of Tom Rush: No Regrets			folk	Columbia	20	superb retrospective of a favorite artist
Shostakovich	Symphony #5	Rostropovich	National	classical	Teldec	95	brings out the pain behind the glorious sound
Shostakovich	Symphony No. 5	Karel Ancerl	Czech Philharmonic	classical	Parliament	62	not the best sound quality, but thrilling playing
Simon & Garfunkel	Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme			folk-rock	Columbia	66	rightfully considered a classic
Simon & Garfunkel	Sounds Of Silence			folk-rock	Columbia	65	rightfully considered a classic
Simon & Garfunkel	Wednesday Morning 3 Am			folk-rock	Columbia	64	first of the great ones
Simon, Paul	Graceland			world	Warner	86	African sound, American thoughtfulness
Small Potatoes	Waltz Of The Wildflowers			folk	Wind River	00	superb job by a couple of little known troubadors
Smith, Patti	Horses/Horses			rock		75/05	has a marvelous "Gloria"; double, with a live repeat in 2006 of the 1975 classic
Springsteen, Bruce & E-St.Band	Live/1975-85			rock	Columbia	86	they just kept getting better from a good start, superbly recorded
Steeleye Span	All Around My Hat			folk-rock	Chrysalis	75	original master repressing
Steeleye Span	Now We Are Six			folk-rock	Chrysalis	76	with Ian Anderson and David Bowie
Steeleye Span	Parcel Of Rogues			folk-rock	Chrysalis	73	english folk songs rowdily and beautifully updated, worn from much playing
Stravinsky	Le Sacre Du Printemps	Leonard Bernstein	New York Philharmonic	classical	Columbia	60?	worn from very many playings
Thompson, Richard	Mock Tudor			rock	Capitol	99	the master of the sardonic riff; keeps growing in power with repeated playing
Thompson, Richard	Watching The Dark			rock	Hannibal	93	3 cd well selected and ordered best of, from Fairport Convention to the "Wall of Death" ; this is a take to desert island set, often providing late night succor for the mind and heart
Thompson, Richard	Dream Attic			rock	Shout	10	couple of weaker songs in the middle, but a wonderfully captured recent program of music; the master ages well. worth serious repeated listening.
Van Ronk, Dave	Dave Van Ronk			folk	Fantasy	62	the best picker ever, at his peak
Vaughn, Stevie Ray	Texas Flood			blues	Epic	83	his first, with Double Trouble; 06 CD extras aren't much, but the basics are great
Velvet Underground	The Velvet Underground & Nico			rock	Verve	66	the Andy Warhol production, with peel-off banana; at their best
Vivaldi	Four Seasons	Gil Shaham	Orpheus Chamber	classical	DGG	94	thrilling virtuosity; a chestnut fully revivified and justified
Who	The Who Sell Out			rock	Decca	67	better sound on CD box set reissue, but this has the BBC send-up
Who	Tommy			rock	MCA	69	THE rock opera
Who	Who's Next			rock	Decca	71	still classic
Williams, Lucinda	Lucinda Williams			country	Koch	98	has "Passionate Kisses" ; rerelease from 88
Williams, Vaughn & Coates	Greensleeves; Fantasia On Thos. Tallis; Folk & London Suite	Morton Gould	His	classical	RCA	64	joyous
Young, Neil	Rust Never Sleeps			rock	warner	79	classic live, with Crazy Horse
Young, Steve	No Place To Fall			country	RCA	78	"Montgomery in the Rain" and "Drift Away" are turn it up all the way
Young, Steve	Switchblades of Love			folk/rock	Watermelon	93	"Angel of Lyon" is a favorite
Zevon, Warren	Excitable Boy			rock	Asylum	78	produced by Jackson Browne and Waddy Wachtel; unsurpassed
Zevon, Warren	Learning To Flinch			rock	Giant	93	live oldies, played acousticly; amazing that he survived long enough to do this
Zevon, Warren	Transverse city			rock	Virgin	89	2003 rerelease, with Garcia, Neil Young, David Gilmour, etc; like the 1st 2, superb
Zevon, Warren	Warren Zevon			rock	Asylum	76	produced by Jackson Browne; unsurpassed

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