• Junior Recital 2002 (Arwen Eileen Garrett): Something of a cheater on this list, this CD has never sold one copy. Recorded, produced, edited, photographed, cover designed by, manufactured by David Garrett. Performed by and liner notes by Arwen Garrett. It's a nice program of flute music with works from the 18th to 20th century, as well as a composition by Arwen for violin & cello. We just don't get tired of listening to our daughter.
• Bach: Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould): The original 1950's recording, when Glenn showed the world that Bach was a musician, not a mathematician.
• Beethoven: The Nine Symphonies: (John Eliot Gardiner): In two 3-disc collections. We have other recordings of the Beethoven symphonies, but this is a jewel. Played at the original tempoes Beethoven indicated (much faster than you usually hear), and with a small orchestra rather than a large one, these performances will change your opinion of Beethoven. He did have a lighter side, and these performances give you the impression of someone you could relax and enjoy company with rather than a moody and difficult genius. HIGHLY recommended! The last disc contains a 20-minute discourse by John Eliot Gardiner where he compares (with samples) the approach usually used in modern times with the approach he took for these recordings.
  
• Mozart: The Piano Sonatas (Christoph Eschenbach): Who could get tired of Mozart? These are a joy. These recordings from the 1960's are still as good a recording of Mozart's solo piano work ever made. 5 discs of joy.
• Mozart: 4 Horn Concertos (Gerd Seifert, horn, with the Berlin Philharmonic directed by Herbert von Karajan:) The Horn Concertos have been a favorite of ours for many years, and this recording (we have had two others) has never been matched. Because it was recorded in predigital days, it's usually available as a budget CD.
• William Kapell Edition (William Kapell): The complete recorded works of William Kapell, a fantastic pianist who died in a plane crash in mid-career in the late 1940's. He should be remembered! Not only does he play with incredible verve and passion, he is not "stuck" on any particular period or composer; he plays over three centuries of music with taste and understanding; a real catholic musician. The high point of the collection, for us, is a live recording of the solo piano original version of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.
  

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• groovebox (Ahn Trio): We like anything the Ahn trio does, but this is our favorite. They're three Korean sisters who form a traditional string trio, and specialize in modern music. They always play with a lot of verve. This album begins with a fantastic version of the Doors' Riders on the Storm.
• Tabula Rasa (Arvo Part): Arvo Part is a living Estonian composer whom we absolutely love. His music would be an excellent intro to modern classical. He started out as a minimalist but now ranges further. This is an instrumental album, most of his work is vocal. If you really like vocal music (we tend toward instrumental) the best introductory album would probably be I Am the True Vine. A new acquisition, Lamentate, is a recent (2005) composition. I think it's his best thing since Tabula Rasa, and the only piece to rival it. I'll live with it for at least a year before I post it here though.
• Kronos Quartet performs Philip Glass, Peter Sculthorpe, Aulis Sallinnen, Conlon Nancarrow, Jimi Hendrix (Kronos Quartet): This very early Kronos album is the best introduction to their verve and their relentless mission to introduce people to new music. We don't know a Kronos album we don't like, but here's the best place to start out.
  
• Schoenberg: Piano Works (Glenn Gould): We first had these on an LP by Paul Jacobs, and loved them then, but Glenn Gould's version is superior. He's famous for his Bach recordings, most people aren't aware that he was a great interpreter of modern music.
• Schoenberg: The Complete String Quartets (New Vienna String Quartets): Have you figured out that we like the string quarteet format? and modern music, and Schoenberg? Great recording of great work. The second quartet includes some lovely vocal work.
  
• Terry Riley: Cadenza on the Night Plain (Kronos Quartet): One of Kronos' best performances of one of Terry Riley's best works. We like Philip Glass but Terry Riley's music has much more depth. On a CD with several shorter Terry Riley works. Cadenza is a tone poem mourning the death of the traditional lifestyle of the American Indian.
  

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• Complete Recordings (Bessie Smith): 8 CD's in 4 packages. Bessie was billed during her lifetime as "Empress of the Blues" and it was not hype. Nobody ever challenged the title. Major inspiration for Bille Holiday, Janis Joplin, and many others. Please note that the Columbia CD collection labeled "Complete Recordings" is not complete. Her last 6 recordings, which were included in the 5-double-album LP set put out by Columbia in the 1970's, are missing, for whatever reasons.
• Willie Dixon: The Chess Box (Various): I don't even know if this is still available. Willie was a passable but not spectacular blues performer, but the greatest master of blues songwriting. 2 discs of Willie Dixon songs, most of them now standards, sung by the performer who made them famous: Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, and more. An absolutely incredible collection
  

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• The Hot Fives and Hot Sevens (Louis Armstrong): If there's anything you like about jazz, get these recordings, in whatever reissue you can, and listen to modern jazz get invented as Louis and his group are the first to adapt jazz improvisation to the demands of the three minute recording. As Dizzy Gillespie said of Louis, "No him, no me" - these recordings show why. They're also the beginnings of sound engineering in the studio; an unknown worker on these recordings was the first to try different placings and seating arrangements to control the mix and quality of the sound. Just get them and listen.
• Satch Plays Fats (Louis Armstrong): By this time (the 1950's) Louis is no longer jazz's greatest innovator, but he's become one of the best entertainers that ever was, and the trumpet tone is still unmistakable. This collection of nine songs by Thomas (Fats) Waller are every one gems. The obvious Waller tunes are on there along with some unknowns, but all get the full treatment. Our particular favorite is All That Meat and No Potatoes.
  
• Crescent (John Coltrane): There's never been one like him before, and never will be again. This album, at the peak of his career, is our favorite; A Love Supreme, which would probably be the more common choice, comes in a close second.
• Kind of Blue (Miles Davis): An obvious choice, probably. This album set the tone for modern jazz. It's still one of the best jazz albums out there, and one of the most listenable avant garde albums.
• Light Out of Darkness (Shirley Horn): Thank you, Shirley, for coming out of retirement and giving us some A-1 jazz singing and piano work before you died. This is actually the least jazzy of her latest, and best, years; but this tribute to Ray Charles will make anybody want to hear more. So do it.
  
• At the Village Gate (Herbie Mann): In our opinion, the best of Herbie's many explorations of jazz flute work.
• Alone with Three Giants (Marcus Roberts): Has this wonderful album from the mid-1980's been totally forgotten, along with the artist? Marcus Roberts, a blind pianist,  played with Wynton Marsalis for several years and did great solo work. Nothing matched this, though. It's strictly solo piano, and the "Three Giants" are Jelly Roll Morton, Thelonius Monk, and Duke Ellington. The program of playing them against each other is both an education (you see how each one approached innovation in succeeding generations of jazz composers) and a fantastic, entertaining listen. Still exciting after 20 years.
• Monk's Music (Thelonius Monk Septet): A great intro to Thelonius' stony, spiky, sharp and innovative approach to music. A young John Coltrane plays impeccable sax. A classic worth listening to over and over.
• Thelonius Monk Plays Duke Ellington (Thelonius Monk): The master of bebop plays the master of suave big band jazz - with incredibly creative results.
  
• The Divine Sarah Vaughn: The Columbia Recordings (Sarah Vaughn): Chosen almost arbitrarily. You've got to start somewhere and hear Sarah Vaughn, and this is a good place as any and better than some (we have a live recording with her, the LA Philharmonic, and Michael Tilson Thomas doing Gershwin tunes that is one of the absolute dogs of our CD collection). Get some good recordings of Sarah and listen; there's never been another.
• Blue Light 'Til Dawn (Cassandra Wilson): Cassandra's blues/jazz experimental work really deserves to be listened to. This is superb, haunting.

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• Debut (Bjork): What can you say? A great debut (in this country) which still sounds as fresh as the day it came out.
  
• Medulla (Bjork): One of our two favorites of Bjork's groundbreaking work. Probably both the most daring and the most difficult.
• Vespertine (Bjork): One of the great things about Bjork albums is that each one is a thrust in a new direction - there's never just "more of the same". This album has a fascinating, glisteny finish without ever seeming slick or glib.
• Blood on the Tracks (Bob Dylan): Either you like him or you don't. We do. His 45 year career has involved great albums, good albums, pretty good and so-so albums. Very few have been without their redeeming features. (Exceptions: Before the Flood and Under the Red Sky.) This one stands out as the absolute peak.
• Highway 61 Revisited (Bob Dylan): The peak of Dylan's 1960's work. Some people prefer Blonde on Blonde, for incomprehensible reasons.
• Time Out of Mind (Bob Dylan): Just after under the Red Sky convinced us that Bob had lost it and would just fade into the sunset - here comes this masterpiece. The two succeeding albuns have been good, but this is a real standout. Hard, ironic, honest, and bitter.
• John Wesley Harding (Bob Dylan): A total departure from his earlier work. Spare, tight, and focussed.
  
• Parallel Lines (Blondie): Blondie's insouciance was one of the brightest spots in the generally dull 1970's. This 1978 gem is their absolute peak.
• Bad Reputation (Joan Jett): Maybe it's silly for us to enjoy a headbanger like Joan, but we do. We think she's particularly good at covering classic standards of early rock. This is our favorite.
• Are You Experienced? (Jimi Hendrix): Jimi's been dead for 37 years now, and this album is as fresh as the day it was released 40 years ago. Not many have approached Jimi as a guitarist. Sometimes his work could be a little weirdly self-indulgent, but this is the best work he ever did. Make sure and get a CD that contains all the cuts from both the US and UK releases.
• Little Richard: 18 Greatest Hits (The Originial Specialty Recordings): OK, how did Little Richard get away with it in the 1950's? Well, Liberace did too, but who cares to listen to Liberaces's music any more? These are great, vibrant, performances that went off like a bomb in a crowded room in the 1950's. They're still unbeatable.
• Just Another Band From East LA (Los Lobos): Los Lobos isn't just a great Latino band, they're a great rock band. This compilation is a great introduction to their best.
• Bring Me the Workhorse (My Brightest Diamond): You've probably never heard of this. "My Brightest Diamond" is Shara Worden, a classically trained opera singer who has turned her talents to "pushing the envelope" of avant garde music. Compelling voice, haunting lyrics, and an album that keeps growing on you. If you like Bjork, you'll probably like this; if Bjork had been rooted in classical singing rather than jazz, this is the kind of thing she might have done.
• Southern Accents (Tom Petty): We like everything TP has done, solo or with the Heartbreakers. He outdid himself on this disc though. Just superb. A whole album of standouts and no filler.
  
• Hot Rocks and More Hot Rocks (The Rolling Stones): Relisten to these numbers to recall a time when the Rolling Stones were a great, innovative rock band instead of a tired old joke.
• Agaetis Byrjun (Sigur Ros): Why is a tiny nation like Iceland the site of such incredibly groundbreaking GOOD music these days? Go figure. This is the best of this Icelandic group's efforts so far. We were introduced to them when Kronos Quartet played a piece of theirs in concert which totally blew us away - we'd never heard of them before. They still blow us away.
• Patty Smyth: Greatest Hits featuring Scandal (Patty Smyth): For a short period in the 1980's, Patty Smyth and Scandal were hot. Then she married tennis star John McEnroe and got out of music. Warrior was her only full length album, and it was one fantastic song with a lot of forgettable filler. This collection of singles shows off one of the best rock voices - and minds - to ever record. Not a loser in the collection, and they all sound better after 20 years. Miss you, Patty.
  
• Graceland (Paul Simon): They tried to pretend The Rhythm of the Saints was just as good, or better; it was neither (though it was pretty good). This is the very best Paul Simon has ever done, and considering his career that's saying a lot.  Not a throwaway on the disc.
• Dream of the Blue Turtles (Sting): This jazzy rocker sounds as good, or better, than the day it was released. Sting hasn't turned out any bad, or even mediocre albums.
• Nothing Like The Sun (Sting): Sting's fantastic second album is just plain underrated, perhaps because it didn't really contain monster hits and was a double album (though it all fits on one CD). It's a bit better than the first.
  
• All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (Pete Townshend). Most people see Empty Glass as the best of Pete's solo career. Nothing wrong with Empty Glass, but we beg to disagree. Not a bad cut on the CD, but the clencher is the two blockbuster, intensely personal songs which close the album. Thanks, Pete. Again.
• Rough Mix (Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane): Pete joins old friend Ronnie (of the Small Faces) for Ronnie's last real statement before his multiple sclerosis made further playing impossible (historical note: Evolution, the second cut on Pete's debut 1971 album, Who Came First, is basically Ronnie's contribution). Heartfelt and strong, Eric Clapton is lead guitarist on the title cut (which would have been obvious even if he was uncredited, as it was on While My Guitar Gently Weeps). No bad cuts and several knockouts: Keep On Working, Heart to Hang Onto,  and Keep Me Turning.
• The Joshua Tree (U2): The absolute best of a remarkable career that just keeps on coming.
  
• By Numbers (The Who): Yes it's an atypical choice, but this gritty personal album which poses the pertinent question, "OK so what happens if you didn't die before you got old? How do you keep on going?" speaks to us pretty directly. Also the last album which contains really great drum work from Keith Moon; on Who Are You he's a shadow of his former self. This  album deserves a lot more play than it usually gets.
  
• Live at Leeds (The Who): The best live rock album ever made, one of the rock albums ever made. We've got the original LP, bought the week of its 1970 release (yes, with all the extras), the straight CD transfer, and the two succeeding "Deluxe Editions" which have now grown into 2-disc sets. What an incredible performance - if we could have only been there!
• Who's Next (The Who): You've probably figured out by now that we're Who fans. This album is always on the "10 Best Rock Albums" lists they keep turning out for incomprehensible reasons, and it's thoroughly deserved. Interesting that it's simply the leftovers from their Lifehouse project which never got off the ground; which is simply an indicator of he level they were working at at the time. Every song is memorable.
  

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• 12 Greatest Hits (Patsy Cline): It's obvious, yes, but Patsy was a giant. We have a 4 disc boxed set which is great, but this short digest of her best is still heartrending.
  
• Coat of Many Colors (Dolly Parton): A great start to a long and fruitful career, and much more personal than lots of her work. "Travelin' Man" and the title cut are standouts.
• The Grass Is Blue (Dolly Parton): For two albums, Dolly got back to her roots and out of mainstream country, and the results were splendid. Virginia prefers Little Sparrow.
  
• Little Sparrow: Dolly's "mountain music" album. The album itself is great, not a loser on it; favorites are "Mountain Angel" and "Down from Dover". After this Dolly began her trek back to mainstream commercial country with Halos and Horns.
• Hank Williams' 20 Greatest Hits: Yes, Hank's directness and simplicity is still as fresh as during his lifetime. This is great stuff.
  

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• Aura (King Sunny Ade): A superb short album from the undisputed king of "juju music", the pop music of Nigeria. You'll hear a familiar wail on the first cut; Stevie Wonder plays harmonica.
• Juju Music (King Sunny Ade): The absolute best introduction to Afropop ever recorded. We had the joy of hearing King Sunny Ade & his band play live in a small club setting in the 1990's. The polyrhythmic structure of this stuff is incrediblly compelling.
  
• Mi Tierra (Gloria Estefan): We first heard this as the music for a performance of Ballet Hispanica. The dancing wasn't that impressive, but the music blew us away. It still does. An homage to her Caribbean roots.
  
• Wild Blue (Eileen Ivers): Eileen Ivers plays what can only be called "Celtic fusion". She has only three CD's out; this is by far her best.
  
• Klezmer Madness! (David Krakauer): The only klezmer CD we own takes the clarinet far into regions where no clarinet has gone before. And the ride islways exciting and enjoyable.
  
• Exodus (Bob Marley & the Wailers): One of our great regrets is that we only discovered Bob Marley after his death (his peak corresponded with our music "years in the wilderness"). There isn't a bad Bob Marley album, but there are two (and possibly three, Confrontation is a contender) great ones.
• Uprising (Bob Marley & the Wailers): "Redemption Song" alone makes this one of his greatest."coming In From The Cold", "We and Dem", and "Work" are almost as great. More power packed into a short album than anyone has a right to expect.