My Favorite Albums - Number 10

I know what you've been thinking. What ARE Karl's favorite albums of all time? Why is he keeping us in suspense? Can I stand not knowing any longer? Well, rest your heads, my peeps. I have given it 15 solid minutes of thought, and have come up with my favorite albums (or CDs, if you must) of all time.

You know I mentioned that I collected Star Wars action figures, but that isn't the only thing that I have a tendency to accumulate. I have around 600 CDs, along with about 200 or so tapes. My iTunes includes almost 5000 songs, or about 13 days worth of music. So I'm a big music fan. I used to say that I enjoyed all kinds of music except country, but that definition doesn't really fit any more. My favorite types of music are probably classic rock and roll, followed by blues. I like some classic country, some grunge/alternative rock, some folk, some classical and even some rap. Basically, what I don't like is formulaic music. I am much more interested in artists with a unique sound or songwriting ability than I am with what's popular, although to be fair, most of my favorite artists are generally popular. I'm not going to rant about popular music today - if you want to hear a rant, see LJ's blog. But I will say that [insert current pop idol]=[insert current country star]=[insert most rap artists]=[insert any boy "band"]=vomit-inducing bilge. Basically, to be on my list, you need to write your own music, play at least one instrument, have talent, and be an innovator. And even if I don't personally enjoy your music, I will respect you if you fit that criteria.

Now before I get started, I need to lay out the ground rules. Greatest Hits collections, since they are not technically albums, do not count. Certainly, there are a few of them that I would have included otherwise, but I am going with the body of work as the artists (probably) intended. NON SEQUITER ALERT!! Have you ever noticed that I use parentheses a lot? What's up with that?

So basically, this is the list of ten albums I would take with me if I was stranded on a desert island.

Back Home Again - John Denver (1974)

Okay, I know after going through everything I said above, you're going to look at this and think, "What?!" I hear you. I should have mentioned one other thing when spelling out my musical tastes - there are some people who are grandfathered in. When I was a little boy, John Denver was my favorite musician. Of course, that was because my parents had several of his LPs. The first album that I ever owned was John Denver's Greatest Hits, and since it has sold over 10 million copies since it was first released, I'm not the only one out there. So if you are John Denver, Neil Diamond, or Hall and Oates, you are allowed to linger with those who more accurately fit my musical preferences, even though if I was just hearing you for the first time today I probably wouldn't be interested. I actually saw John Denver in concert twice, once in around 1977 (I was almost four), and once in 1997, just a few months before he died. You know, you can't afford to take a four-year-old to a concert any more. LJ and I are going to see Eric Clapton in October with a couple of folks from work, and the four tickets totalled nearly $400! But I digress...

Back Home Again was the album that made John Denver a superstar. Sure, he had already hit it big with "Take Me Home, Country Roads" and "Rocky Mountain High." And the aforementioned Greatest Hits album had been released the previous year. But this album was the Academy of Country Music's 1974 Album of the Year, and arguably features more of his best and most well-known songs than any other. There isn't a bad one in the bunch. The beauty and purity of "Annie's Song" has made it a popular wedding song for decades. The autobiographical nature of songs like "Matthew," "On the Road," "This Old Guitar," and "Back Home Again," make one feel as if they are looking in to Denver's life - how he feels and what is important to him. The album is light-hearted and yet poignant and personal. And of course, there's the kneeslappers like "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "Grandma's Feather Bed," both written by members of Denver's band, to make you stomp your feet.

Critics of Denver dismiss him as naive and lightweight; a product of the sixties that never moved beyond the flower-child optimism. However, Denver went through family relocation, death (his favorite uncle and father), divorce, alcoholism, and drug addiction during his life and career, which easily could have turned him into a jaded cynic. He certainly knew that life wasn't always rosy and that peace and love didn't cure all ills. But he chose to write and sing music that was positive, optimistic and sometimes downright funny, because that's what he wanted his music to be. Although it's on the list for nostalgic reasons, Back Home Again is a master work by an artist the likes of which we will probably never see again.