Note: approach my list(s) with caution. And read these lines first if you wanna make any sense out of them. Roughly, this is how it goes:

1. No classic rock on my page. Geez, how I hate the term (not just because it's contradictory by default). Bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones or The Beatles will most certainly not be recognized or lauded here. I've heard all of theirs "classic" records and I didn't like any of them THAT much. What I'm interested is something "different", something that sounds unique and defies the definition of, ahem, "classic", for better or worse.

2. Logically, following the first, I am more interested in finding those unique records than following trends or acknowledging genres – I don't care if Sepultura made its tenth album by using a slightly different guitar tone and thus creating a new sub-genre or if Post-Britpop is a term that can ever really be applied seriously. No genres, no trends. That's my take on it, so if you're a purist of sorts, avoid my quibbling at any cost!

3. The musicianship – it should be subordinated to the music, the end. Musical virtuosity is rarely justified, I think, and I don't even care who plays what – or how – on a certain album. Its the overall impression that counts. I don't even know who plays which instrument on my Sonic Youth records nor do I care. The same goes for a voice, which is finally just another instrument – use it properly and create magic; if you can sing but there's no spark or a sense of purpose, you might as well forget it. I mean even someone completely disgusting like Mariah Carey CAN sing and Dream Theater CAN play, but, uh...

4. Innovation never comes first! A truly innovative band like Pere Ubu is highly rated by me not just because of its groundbreaking qualities – it's the quality of the music that prevails. I'd choose Tom Waits over Captain Beefheart anytime, or Sterolab over Faust, or... well, you get my drift.

5. (a classic one) Nobody pays me, I do this for myself and for anyone who will find pleasure in reading these lists – if such a pleasure can be found anyway. If big companies, however, decide to pay me for it, I'd happily do my best to proclaim the latest RHCP offering the greatest album ever made and earn a buck or two. The pretentiousness, eh?

6. Enjoy, or throw up, according to your own set of values. :)



Love just might tear us apart