100 Most Important Musical Works (from NPR)

The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century
The italicized words are from NPR. Throughout the year 2000, NPR presented the stories behind 100 of the most important American musical works of the 20th century. These special features cover music from a wide variety of genres -- classical, jazz, rock'n'roll, country, R&B, musical theatre and film scores. NPR 100 stories aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and NPR's weekend news magazine programs. Here is the list from NPR.

I think that this is a cool list. It lists not only different genres, but also it lists different formats. It has musicals, movie soundtracks, 45s and their B-sides, and songs and albums too. Enjoy the tunes!

New Radiohead album this weekend!

Radiohead truly is an alternative band. I first noticed this term "alternative" being thrown around MTV and the radio in the early 90s and it was applied to bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana. This band stood out from the rest with the 1992song "Creep." Their last album In Rainbows was released in a most non-traditional way -- you got to pick your price and download it from their (not a record label's) website. Well, earlier this week they announced that they were releasing a new album this weekend. That is not anything like the way records are normally hyped for weeks or months in advance of their Tuesday release date. Now here is a video from that upcoming release, The King of Limbs.




Today the term "alternative" is overused and improperly used. It depends on who you ask and how they determine it. It is certainly not a genre anymore as it may have been in the early 90s. That is not say that alternative artists don't exist today - it is just different now. We have to realize that much of what is considered mainstream now was marginal, or alternative, and on the periphery of music at some point. Some easy examples would be Louis Armstrong's trmupet solos, Elvis Presley's race music, and the Grateful Dead's concert scene.

Enjoy the tunes!

The Music Forest

When I find a new and interesting blog, I sometimes feel a little bit like I have just run into a forest...a music forest...and there are new tracks, complete with album art, hanging from the living limbs of the trees and the sunlight is shining on some of them saying pick me, pick me.  So..i do...and then I have a listen.

I send myself emails of some that I might want to download later or sometimes download the ones that have piqued my interest right from the blog if I'm lucky.  I feel like I want to hoard my harvest, but ultimately, like all food and music, realize that no matter how good it is, it is better when shared with somebody else.

Of course, these blogs aren't a secret anyways, but I decided to provide a map right to a couple of forests I have been frequenting. Enjoy!

http://www.myoldkentuckyblog.com/
 
http://prettymuchamazing.com/

http://pitchfork.com