cynnerth asked in a poll where we got our musical tastes. i have been meaning to do this list since then. this is a list of the people on last year's and this year's cd mixes that some of you got, along with an explanation of some sort for each.joy askew she was the backup singer for part of peter gabriel's last tour, and he sings backup on one of her songs. you will notice that a lot of the people i listen to have connections to peter. he has probably influence my taste more than any other artist.
heather nova i bought her cd "oyster" to fill out a cd club requirement. i had only heard the single "walk this world". i discovered a powerful songwriter with a spectacular range of styles and a gift with words. i highly recommend this cd.
the who need no explanation. i grew up in the 70's.
chris rea a couple of songs got airplay in the 70's and 80's, but i never paid much attention until the 90's, when "expresso logic" came out. he was also a cd club buy at first. many fine songs surround the few hits on his albums.
calexico i bought because of their name. i happened to be working in the town the band was named after so i bought their cd on a lark. ony later did i find out that they were from tucson. they are one of the most unique bands i know. buy their cd "hot rail"!
sting i've liked him since roxanne. 'nuff said.
elephant ride sometime in the mid eighties, i started buying music blind. there was so much stuff out there i had never heard of that never made it to the radio. i would walk into the store and browse the stacks (tapes back then, later cds) for bands who's names, song titles, and cover art interested me. i have been shopping for music this way ever since. i have only been disappointed a couple of times. i found these guys in the $1.99 bin at a used cd store. this is one of my favorite songs.
native flamenco i heard the guitarrist from this duo in a bar in taos new mexico and bought a cd from him
three fish another successful blind purchase.
peter murphy a friend of an ex girlfriend's sister made a tape for me of a whole bunch of unusual 80's music, mostly of the darker variety. bauhaus and peter murphy were among my favorites.
rolling stones mick jagger is like a chicken on acid
david sylvian another blind buy, but later connected to peter gabriel because they both have worked with robert fripp.
peter gabriel my hero
los lobos i was introduced to these guys by a friend at work. it was a couple of years before i found out that they did the popular version of la bamba.
talking heads i was turned on to these guys in the late 70's by my friend bru, who started me on peter gabriel as well.
squirrel nut zippers i heard the song "hell" on the radio and went out immediately and bought the cd. i love these guys!
men at work i heard the same three songs as everyone else in the eighties, so i bought the best of cd from columbia house. surprisingly enough, i liked it all.
stan ridgeway i started listening to this guy because i liked the song "mexican radio" that he did with wall of voodoo. he is very strange, and i like strange.
rusted root for about a year and a half there was actually a good radio station in phoenix. they played an incredible variety of music, including these guys.
kula shaker the lead singer's mom is haley mills, but i picked up their first single for free at my local store and loved it so i bought both their cds.
the beatles they did it all
youssou n'dour he has sung backup for peter gabriel and records on his label. you recognize his voice from "in your eyes"
the waterboys another blind buy, this time through columbia house. i now own everything they have ever done and all of mike scott's solo stuff too.
loreena mckennitt i first heard on that amazing radio station.
not drowning, waving an awesome aussie band i bought blind.
john prine when i was rafting the grand canyon, my friend who was a river runner would sing his songs around the campfire at night.
enrique morente from a flamenco compliation
yes yes
space another clombia house gamble that paid off
spa this is the latest incarnation of my favorite eighties band, "red box", who i bought for the name of their album and the cover art.
jerry harrison from the talking heads and the tom tom club. his two solo albums are wonderful. i wish he would do more.
indigo girls from the moment i saw these guys strolling down the street in their first video, i knew i would like them if i met them. that first single still speaks to me.
claude chalhoub master lebanese violinist whom i first heard on npr's "fresh air", his music has been incredibly healing over the last several months.
dead can dance another one i got from the gf's friend's sister
david byrne another talking heads member
afro celt sound system these guys record on peter gabriel's label, and he sings this song
joseph arthur peter gabriel covered one of his songs for the princess diana tribute cd, and he also records on pg's label
poe i liked her first single, bought the cd, and liked everything on it even better. this woman is amazing
geoffrey oryema another artist from "real world", peter gabriel's label
king crimson my friend bru started me on these guys too. robert fripp has carried this band through countless reincarnations since 1967. it was greg lake's first band, and members of it have gone on to yes, genesis, brand x, asia, and countless solo efforts.
poor rich ones my friend who runs an underground club in tucson turned me on to this band
david baerwald the one hit wonder "david and david" (remember "welcome to the boomtown"?) was made up of this guy and david ricketts, who has produced and played with joni mitchell, among others
pink floyd "as a matter of fact it's all dark"