I’m in the process of creating a new personal website and in the course of sifting through old files from my previous site, dating back to the middle of 2004, I came across some “favorite music lists.” It’s interesting to recall what was in rotation for me back then and to see how my tastes have changed in several cases. For instance, I rarely listen to Pink Floyd anymore, and I haven’t listened to Transatlantic for quite some time, even though it an excellent band. While this will not be nearly as interesting to you as it is to me, I thought I’d share some of the lists.

Favorite Hard Rock and Progressive Rock CDs

faith hope love, King’s X
The Bends, Radiohead
Fallen, Evanescence
Images and Words, Dream Theater
JJ72, JJ72
V, Spock’s Beard
Three Sides to Every Story, Extreme
The Edges of Twilight, The Tea Party
Bridge Across Forever, Transatlantic
My Favorite Headache, Geddy Lee
Momentary Lapse of Reason, Pink Floyd
Empire, Queensrÿche

Favorite Alternative Pop/Rock



Little Earthquakes, Tori Amos
Dummy, Portishead
Parachutes, Coldplay
Homogenic, Bjork
Mystery White Boy (Live)

, Jeff Buckley
Simple Things

, Zero 7
The Whole Story

, Kate Bush
The Way We Are, Fleming & John
Before These Crowded Streets, Dave Matthews Band
Bikinis and Martinis, Sam Phillips
Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan
When the Pawn…, Fiona Apple
Tourist, St. Germain

TOP 10 Pop/Rock Island CDs

The Best of Van Morrison, vols. 1 & 2, Van Morrison
Seal (debut), Seal
OK Computer, Radiohead
Black Sheep, Martin Sexton
Grace, Jeff Buckley
Every Breath You Take (Greatest Hits), Police
Last Chance for a Thousand Years: Greatest Hits from ‘90s, Dwight Yoakam
Achtung Baby, U2
You Gotta Sin to Get Saved, Maria McKee
Metropolis, Part 2: Scenes from a Memory, Dream Theater

Favorite Classical Small Ensemble/Solo Pieces

Sonatas for Viola Da Gamba and Harpichord, J.S. Bach. Kim Kashkashian and Keith Jarrett.
Goldberg Variations, VWV 988, Glenn Gould. 1955 version.
Six Grand Overtures, Op. 18. J.C. Bach. English Symphony Orchestra.
Moonlight Sonata, Beethoven. Evgeny Kissin.
String Quartets, Op. 18, No. 6 in B-Flat Major/Op. 59, No. 1 in F Major. Beethoven, Cleveland Quartet.
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85, Elgar. Jacqueline Du Pré/Sir John Barbirolli
Etudes, Op . 10 & Op. 25, Chopin. Vladimir Ashkenazy
Piano Quartets. No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15 and No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 45, Gabriel Fauré. Ax/Stern/Laedo/Ma
Suites for Keyboard, Handel. Keith Jarrett.
Water Music, Handel. Orchestra of St. Luke’s/Sir Charles Mackerras
The 5 Violin Concertos, Mozart. Itzhak Perlman/Wiener Philharmoniker/James Levine
“Trout” Quintet, Schubert. Hetzel/Christ/Faust/Posch/Schulz/Sollscher/Levine
Piano Concerto No. 1, Tchaikovsky. Kissin/Berliner Philharmoniker/Karajan
The Four Seasons, Vivaldi. Nigel Kennedy/English Chamber Orchestra

Top Ten Jazz Albums




Koln Concert, Keith Jarrett


Art of the Trio, vol. 1, Brad Mehldau


Kind of Blue, Miles Davis


Speak No Evil, Wayne Shorter


The Complete Blue Note Sixties Sessions, Herbie Hancock


Wynton Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis


A Love Supreme, John Coltrane


Sonny Rollins Plus Three, Sonny Rollins


Twelve Moons, Jan Garbarek


Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Bill Evans Trio