Hi Don,

Nice of you to pop out of the shadows. Lurk less, post more! As far as music goes it looks like you already have quite a bit from the folks here. I'll be more general with my tips and give a few recommendations at the end.

First, if it's rock 'n' roll type stuff I have to point to Big Al, one of our Aussie posters, because he's been our "big gun" lately when it comes to tipping us off to new music. He can help you in that direction far more than I can. You'll read plenty of posts from folks raving about Alan's recommendations. So, start with him. We used to have this guy Kevin from Arizona, who sadly decided he did not want to post here anymore, that would put up these great "In My Room" lists. I have to think what really happened was he sold his computer to buy more CDs because the guy seemed to review them 25 at a time. I think he's got his own blog where he still posts his reviews and lists and maybe somebody here would be kind enough to post that. Alan probably knows. If you start with info from those two you'll have more options than you can keep up with.

Reading the other lists folks have posted it is kind of interesting how much we have in common musically.

Gene, he posts as Eugene, is great for finding jazz stuff. He's sent me some great jazz recommendations. I don't know if you like jazz but if you don't you really should give it a shot. I'm a big fan of hearing the musician and the instruments...naked if you know what I mean...and the best place to turn for that is jazz. That's my opinion anyway. Where rock 'n' roll will dress up it's sound with effects and play for sheer volume, jazz (at least the kind I like) is the musician and his or her interaction with the instrument. It often seems to me to be one of the purest distillations of the human soul I've ever encountered. You'll also find some of the most amazing musicians that have ever set foot on planet earth in the jazz category. I've always been more of a 60s and back jazz fan but thanks to Gene and David (he made one of the greatest music recommendations of my life when he tipped me to Brad Mehldau) I've found some folks that are of a more recent vintage. I won't go on about the jazz stuff though because other than Gene, Ed, and David I don't know if we've got a lot of jazz fans here.

I will point you and everybody reading this though to one song if you just want to check out some jazz. I mentioned Brad Mehldau and David in the "Heartbreak" thread threw out Nick Drake's "Riverman" and I'll combine the two here. On Mehldau's "Art of the Trio, Volume 5: Progression" the last song on the first disc is "Riverman." Really, everybody, even if you don't like jazz and you think Nick Drake stinks (which granted would leave little reason for you to want to hear this), should listen to this song at least once. If you like jazz and you like Drake...well...you'll probably love this. You'll hear a trio of musicians at the peak of their powers together playing a beautiful song composed by the Monarch of Melancholy himself, and transforming this composition into an epic that should be considered a new jazz standard. The most amazing thing is how they nail the song. All of the different components of Drake's song are exposed, stripped and then expounded upon. The heartbreak, the longing, the aching, every nuance right down to the nuclear molecule seems to dance like fading sunlight on the surface of a river. It will burn "Riverman" into your brain in ways you never thought possible and that is really how a musician reveals his or her gift to you.

Then again, if you find jazz boring and Nick Drake a sullen annoyance, you will probably curse me for wasting your time and sounding like I'm completely full of shit...and that's fine too. Hey, I can't stand Van Halen no matter which line-up they present but I am outnumbered in that sentiment even here on this board. That's the thing about music, we don't all hear the same things. What's pleasing to one person is the death wail of an injured animal to someone else. Van Halen to me is dumb lyrics, guys in spandex hopping around, and some of the most masturbatory and bombastic guitar playing ever committed to tape. It quite honestly makes me want to run from a room but for others they get pumped up and ready to rock hearing it. I think Spinal Tap does Van Halen better than Van Halen for the simple reason that comedy is the place where that type of music comes from and Spinal Tap is just much funnier than Van Halen. Big Bottoms is a much better song than Hot for Teacher. At least from where I'm standing.

So anyway, here's some stuff I like that I think is worth checking out:

The Band "Rock of Ages" - Like the idiot I am I put up a post a short time ago about how much I love this record and how badly it needed to be remastered because the old CD set I had sounded terrible. Well, it had already been remastered and had been out for a long time in this shiny new version. I just found it about a month or so ago and it has been the record I've been listening to the most since I picked it up. The new remaster sounds great (this recording is from 1971 so it must have been a project to clean this up) and the tape hiss that was present on the old CD is all gone. An even bigger bonus is this new version has 10 more songs from the shows Rock of Ages was compiled from including the ones Dylan sat in on on New Years Eve. It's an old record sure but if it's not in your collection and you love The Band get this ASAP. It's the ultimate live Band record. Make sure if you get this to buy the one that says "Remastered" on it because the old set for some reason is still floating around out there and you don't want to get stuck with that. It was one of those deals where when you turn up the volume you turned up the tape his too. This is obviously not new music but it would be new to someone who never heard it.

The Black Keys - Any one of their records. I love Dan Auerbach's guitar sound and his playing. When I want to crank up some loud guitar music this is the kind of thing I want to hear. He's got a great voice too and his partner on drums plays a small kit but he bashes the hell out of it. It's pretty much a guitar drums duo but they do sometimes augment their sound on the records with some additional players. You gotta like blues probably to like this and it's nothing fancy but it is done right. Fans of the James Gang would probably really like this stuff because it's that kind of guitar playing where the guitarist needs to play rhythm and lead and hold down the fort. A throwback in a way to the old rock trios of the 70s. I've seen these guys live and they are great live.

Wilco - Any record.

Los Lobos - Start with the "Kiko" album and proceed right to "Colossal Head" from there you will find your way. I don't think people know how many different styles these guys incorporate into their sound. An amazing band really.

So not a lot of music that's really "new" but it might be new to you.