The Arduous Task of 15 Albums

I was challenged on Facebook to come up with a list of my top 15 essential listens in no particular order. "Don't take too long to think about it," the person assured me. "Just 15 albums that will always stick with you." While I have never been a big fan of these lists because I always feel unsatisfied with the final product anyway, I did it nonetheless. First I started with my true essentials-- those ones came easy-- and I added on the remaining ten or so after much soul searching. In the end, I came up with this.

Songs in the Key of Life- Stevie Wonder

Broadway Blues Ballads- Nina Simone

Pink Flag- Wire

The Clash- The Clash

Nas- Illmatic

O.C.- Word... Life

Allen Ginsberg- Howl

Arcade Fire- neon Bible

The Avalanches- Since I Left You

Bad Brains- Rock for Light

John Coltrane-Impressions

Billie Holiday- Lady in Satin

Billy Bragg- Help Save the Youth of America

James Brown- In the Jungle Groove

Leonard Cohen- Songs of

Not bad, I thought as I sealed the deal with the pressing of the Post button, not bad at all. I was amazed at how easy it was. How quickly the titles just poured off the tip of my tongue. I walked away a happy man.

I came back to my computer an hour or so later and took another look at the list. "What about the Smiths?" I thought. "Is there no room on this list for The Queen is Dead? The quintessential Brit rock album of the 80s." Of course they is, but what comes out? What about If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle and Sebastian? What about Blues and Roots by Charles Mingus or Live Evil by Miles Davis? "You only have one Jazz album on that list, what were you thinking?" I also thought about other artists like Crass, David Axelrod, Bob Dylan, the Fall, Gang of Four, The Gun Club, Eric B & Rakim, Johnny Cash & Kraftwerk? Were these really my top 15 or had I just quickly picked 15 albums that I really liked and sealed my fate my publishing it in front of all my facebook friends? Why do I care so much anyway?

I thought about it all night. What a mistake this has been. I felt like I let down all of my favorite artists by ignoring them in exchange for a quick fix. I felt like a whore... no worse than that... a crack whore... a really BIG crack whore! "What have I done?" I asked myself, "I've created a monster and now I have to suffer for it!"

The short end of the story is that the list is still haunting me on facebook. I feel like a murderer walking around with blood all over his hands. I've learned a great lesson that when you care that much about many albums, to leave them out is like abandoning your own children. "Never again," I tell myself... "never again."

EDJ