OK, fess up... when you need to listen to something "different", what do you play?

Personally, 90% of the time, I'm stuck in the 80s. However, when I need a change, the other 10% of time my musical tastes vary a bit:
- Soundtracks from certain popular Musicals: Rent, Les Miserables, Secret Garden, and good ol' ALW: Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita.
- Norah Jones (Just good, classy, music!)
- Josh Groban (What a voice!! He could be singing about dirty bath water and it'd sound good!)
- Sarah McLachlan (I don't know what it is about her, but I love her music and her voice.)
- Classical (I played French Horn for 7 years and played a lot a classical music, however when I *need* to hear some classical I usually pop in Stravinsky's Firebird Suite or Mussogorsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Disney's Fantasia soundtrack also works for me.)

Anything... I'll listen to just about anything. Lately, in those rare moments I haven't been in a blues mood, I've been listening to Johnny Cash, Tom Waits and Uncle Tupelo.

I mostly like traditional two-guitar-bass-and-drum types of outfits, and mostly British or Brit-influenced ... what's often labelled Power Pop or Mod.

The Beatles of course, Big Star, Badfinger, Paul Weller, The Small Faces, The Kinks, The Move, Oasis, The Gigolo Aunts, The Shazam, The La's, hundreds/thousands of others. Oh, and The Beach Boys too.

I mostly listen to the Beatles. When I want to hear something different, I listen to the solo Beatles.

Lately I've been listening to the CD's Tracey and I burned of our 200 favorite songs (100 of mine, 100 of hers), that we take with us when we travel. Nice mix of pop, rap, country, rock, funk and jazz on those discs!

Currently in the CD deck:
Albert King - I'll Play the Blues for You
Elvis - From Elvis in Memphis
John Lee Hooker - Graveyard Blues
Buddy Guy - recording of a live show I was at in January
Bob Geldof/Boomtown Rats - Best Of
Ry Cooder/Manuel Galban - Mambo Sinuendo

...supplemented with Dean Martin - Greatest Hits when I get the urge.

For me, it's usually all '80s all the time. But lately, when I haven't been listening to '80s music, I've been listening to either classic rock or instrumentals from soundtracks like Band of Brothers, Ocean's Eleven, etc.

Bob, you are man amongst men.

Okay, this is probably more information that anyone wants, but this is a pivot table of all the artists in my iTunes playlist followed by the number of songs in the playlist by that artist:

5th Dimension 2
Aaliyah 1
Alabama 3 1
Alanis Morisette 1
Ale'a 4
Alice Cooper 2
Alligator Records 38
Amanda Ghost 2
America 12
Andreas Johnson 1
Animals 1
Antonio Banderas & Los Lobos 1
Aretha Franklin 2
Arkarna 3
Arlo Guthrie 1
Art Garfunkel 2
Arthur Fiedler 10
Association 2
Avril Lavigne 13
B. J. Thomas 1
B.B. King 1
B2K 1
B-52's 4
Baha Men 1
Barenaked Ladies 86
Barry McGuire 1
Beach Boys 92
Beamer Brothers 1
Beau Jacque 2
Belly 1
Ben E King 1
Beulah 1
Big Head Todd & The Monsters 1
BiGod 20 1
Bill Hicks 1
Billy Joel 34
Billy Joel & Elton John 4
Billy Vaughn & Orchestra 1
Billy Wyman's Rhythm Kings 1
Blind Melon 1
Blink-182 1
Blues Brothers 5
Blues Traveler 48
Bo Diddley 45
Bob Dylan 21
Bob Dylan & Tom Petty 1
Bob James 1
Bob Marley 43
Bob Marley 1
Bob Marley & Sublime 1
Bob Marley And The Wailers 1
Bob Seger 31
Bob Seger & Martina McBride 1
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band 11
Bobby McFerrin 1
Boney James 1
Boney James/Rick Braun 1
Bonnie Raitt & John Hiatt 1
Boozoo Chavis 1
Bossa Nova Beatniks 1
Brad Mehldau 1
Breanna 1
Brian Wilson 20
Britney Spears 1
Brother Noland 1
Brothers Cazimero 1
Bruce Hornsby 11
Bruce Springsteen 23
BT 2
Buckwheat Zydeco 7
Buddy Holly 21
Buddy Holly & The Picks 1
Buffalo Springfield 1
Byrds 1
Capono 1
Carl Douglas 1
Cat Stevens 24
Cecilio & Kapono 22
Celine Dion 1
Charlie Daniels Band 14
Chris Isaak 2
Christina Aguilera 1
Chuck Berry 53
Cindy Lauper 2
Clarence "Frogman" Henry 1
Clifton Chenier 1
Clifton Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band 1
Collin Raye 3
Columbia Records Radio Hour 12
Coolio 1
Counting Crows 46
Creedence Clearwater Revival 24
Crosby, Stills & Nash 10
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young 10
Curve 1
cyndi Lauper 9
Dave Davies 1
Dave Mattews Band 12
Dave Matthews Band 35
Dave Ralph 2
David Bowie 92
David Sanborn 1
Dean Martin 16
Del Amitri 12
Deliverence 1
Dennis DeYoung 1
Depeche Mode 1
Dick Dale 4
Dick Dale & Stevie Ray Vaughn 1
Dire Straights 3
Dire Straits 12
Disney 1
DJ Dan 1
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince 1
Don Henley 40
Don Ho 2
Don McLean 1
Doors 2
Drifters with Ben E. King 1
Duane Eddy 1
Eagles 27
Eddie Vedder 1
Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians 26
Edward Burch & Jay Bennett 1
Ehukai 1
Ekolu 1
Elton John 42
Elvis Costello 58
Elvis Costello And The Attractions 11
Elvis Costello With Burt Bacharach 11
Elvis Presley 1
Eminem 1
Enrique Iglesias 1
Erasure 2
Eric Burdon And The Animals 7
Eric Clapton 107
Euge Groove 1
eurythmics 14
Expose 1
Faith No More 1
Fats Domino 1
Fifth Dimension 1
Fiji 2
Filter 2
Fortunes 1
Four Tops 1
Fourplay 1
Gabby Pahinui 1
Gabriela Anders 1
Genesis 17
George Duke 1
George Harrison 54
George Harrison & Friends 1
George Martin 12
George Thorogood & The Destroyers 11
George Winston & Keola Beamer 1
Gladys Knight & The Pips 1
Glen Miller 1
Glenn Miller 3
Godspel 1
Green Day 1
Guess Who 1
Hapa 1
Harold Kama, Jr., Fiji and Ho'onua 1
Harry Chapin 12
Harry Nilsson 1
Hawaiian Style Band 1
Henry Kapono 1
Henry Mancini 1
Herbie Hancock 2
Herbie Hancock & Chick Corea 1
Hiroshima 3
Holly Palmer 1
Ho'onua 9
Icehouse 1
Infected Mushroom 1
Information Society 1
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole 18
Ja Rule(Featuring Ashanti) 1
Jack de Mello Orchestra 1
Jackie DeShannon 1
Jackson Browne 15
Jackson Browne & Warren Zevon 4
Jaco Pastorius Big Band 1
Jade Anderson 1
James Tayler 1
James Taylor 4
Jane's Addiction 1
Janis Joplin 5
Jefferson Airplane 1
Jennifer Lopez featuring Nas 1
Jewel 15
Jim Croce 13
Jimmy Buffet & BNL 1
Jimmy Buffett 117
Jimmy Bufffett 12
Joan Baez 1
Joan Osborne 1
Jodi Benson 13
Joe Cocker 12
Joe Satriani 10
Joe Walsh 8
John Hiatt 31
John Hiatt/Ry Cooder 2
John Lennon 90
John Lennon and Yoko Ono 15
John Williams 1
John Williams & the Boston Pops 1
Johnny Horton 1
Joni Mitchell 1
Joshua Redman 1
Julian Lennon 9
Justin Hayward & Friends 1
K. D. Lang 2
Kapono 3
Keali'i Reichel 2
Keith Frank 1
Kelis 1
Kenny Garrett 1
Keola & Kapona Beamer 6
Keola & Kapono Beamer 3
Keola Beamer 15
Kevin Mahogany 1
Kinks 29
Kirk Whalum 1
Kylie Minogue 1
Larry Carlton 1
Led Zeppelin 41
Lenny Kravitz 2
Leslie West 1
Lionel Richie 13
Lionel Richie duet w/ Diana Ross 1
Lionel Richie featuring Enrique Iglesias 1
Lionel Richie w/ Commodores 5
Little Feat 11
Los Lobos 9
Lou Bega 13
Lou Reed 28
Louis Armstrong 1
Lowen & Navarro 3
Luther Vandross 21
Lynyrd Skynrd 1
Lynyrd Skynyrd 1
Marc Anthony 1
Marc Ford 1
Marine Corps Band 1
Mark Turner 1
Marvin Gaye 10
Masters Of Reality 1
Match Box 20 1
Matchbox 20 1
Matchbox Twenty 1
Matchbox20 1
Mazzy Star 1
McGuinn,Clark&Hillman 1
Meat Loaf 7
Metric 1
Mighty Lemon Drops 1
Mike Perkowitz 5
Miles Davis 11
Miracles 1
Moby 2
Monster Magnet 1
Monty Norman Orchestra 1
Moody Blues 73
Muddy Waters 47
Musiq 1
Muzzle 2
Napolean XIV 1
Nat King Cole 1
Nazz 1
New Order 5
New Radicals 1
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 1
Nickelback 1
Nina Keali`iwahamana 1
Norman Brown 1
Not Eminem 1
Nsync Featuring Nelly 1
Nu Flavor 2
Olomana 4
Pat Metheny Group 1
Pat Metheny Trio 1
Patti Austin 1
Paul Mc Cartney 3
Paul McCartney 110
Paul Mccartney & Wings 11
Paul McCartney & Bill Joel 1
Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder 1
Paul McCartney & Wings 1
Paul McCartney and Wings 40
Paul Oakenfield 1
Paul Oakenfold 1
Paul Simon 56
Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel 1
Paul Simon & Bob Dylan 1
Paul Simon & George Harrison 1
Paulina Rubio 1
Pearl Jam 1
Penelope Houston 2
Peter Gabriel 21
Phil Collins 58
Phish 5
Pink Floyd 2
Police 2
Porcupine Tree 1
Poster Children 1
Prince 10
Prince And The Revolution 8
Public Enemy 1
Queen 1
Quivver 1
R.E.M. 15
Randy Newman 3
Rap Reiplinger 1
Ray Charles 23
RCA 13
Red Hot Chili Peppers 13
Re-Flex 1
Rembrandts 15
Rhino Records 1
Rick Braun 1
Rick McGhie 1
Ringo Starr 56
Ringo Starr & Charlie Haden 1
Ringo Starr & David Gilmour 2
Ringo Starr & Eric Clapton 1
Ringo Starr & Friends 1
Ringo Starr & Shawn Colvin 1
Ringo Starr & Van Dyke Parks 1
Ringo Starr & Willie Nelson 1
Ringo Starrs all Stars 1
Robert Johnson and the Punchdrunks 1
Robi Kahalakau 1
Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters 10
Rod Stewart 73
Rolling Stones 1
Roy Orbison 10
Sam Cooke 1
Sandra Collins 1
Santana 8
Santana f Rob Thomas 1
Sasha & John Digweed 1
Sasha Alexander 1
Scott McKenzie 1
Sean Na'auao 8
Shaggy 1
Shakira 1
Sheryl Crow 14
Shootyz Groove 1
Simon & Garfunkel 46
Simon & Garfunkle 1
Simon and Garfunkel 4
Simon and Garfunkle 2
Snake River Conspiracy 1
Sonny & Cher 1
Sonny and Cher 3
Sopranos 12
Sopranos, The 1
Soul Coughing 1
Soundtrack 1
Spin Doctors 37
Spirit 1
Stanley Turrentine 1
Starecase 1
Steppenwolf 1
Steve Dahl 1
Steve Dahl and the Dalhlfins 10
Steve Miller Band 10
Steve Perry 1
Stevie Wonder 26
Sting 35
Sting & The Police 1
Stone Sour 1
Sublime 1
Submarine 2
Talking Heads 5
Tanya Donelly 1
Terry Jacks 1
The Alan Parsons Project 1
The Beach Boys 1
The Beatles 278
The Byrds 5
The Cars 11
The Doobie Brothers 1
The Doors 2
The Drifters 1
The Eagles 9
The Fifth Dimension 2
The Fortunes 1
The Four Tops 1
The Hippos 1
The James Gang 1
The Kings 1
The Kingston Trio 1
The Lemonheads 1
The Living End 2
The Mamas & The Papas 1
The Monkees 20
The Moody Blues 5
The Police 12
The Pretenders 1
The Replacements 47
The Rolling Stones 20
The Rooftop Singers 1
The Royal Guardsmen 1
The Smithereens 1
The Supremes 1
The Tokens 1
The Who 34
The Youngbloods 1
They Might Be Giants 1
Thisway 1
Three Dog Night 22
Timo Maas 1
Tina Turner 17
Toad The Wet Sprocket 16
Todd Rundgren 41
Todd Rundgren - 1
Tom Cochrane 1
Tom Jones 1
Tom Petty 2
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 17
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers 18
Total Eclipse 1
Tracy Chapman 4
Traveling Wilburys 31
U2 1
Unknown 4
Urge Overkill 1
US Air Force Band 1
US Marine Corps Band 1
Utopia 2
Van Halen 3
Van Morrison 45
Vanessa Carlton 1
Various 13
Various Artists 191
Violent Femmes 5
Warren Zevon 18
Wayne Kramer 1
Westlife 1
White Zombie 1
Whitney Huston & Brandy 1
Wilco 3
Will Smith 17
Will.I.Am and Fergie 1
Willie Nelson 1
Wilson Phillips 23
Wilson Pickett 2
Wings 36
wynton marsalis 15
Yahel 1
Yardbyrds 1
Yes 11
Zydeco 3
Grand Total 4309

What's the Nick Cave song?

Good to see some zydeco music in there ... I'm just starting to get hooked on New Orleans.

The Nick Cave song is "Into My Arms" from "The Boatman's Call"

I believe that I mistook it for a Warren Zevon song.

I've been to New Orleans once. what a party! I think that I would be dead if I lived there.

Tom,
That is a pretty extensive list, but, where's Beck? Nothing from Odelay? Nothing from Mutations?

Only 20 songs from the Monkees?:shock:
Sayeth the Hurricane...

Whut's up wit dat!?

I tend toward guitar-driven music, whether it be Andres Segovia playing Bach or something more contemporary like Vai or Gary Moore tearing up the fretboard. Having said that, if I'm in a mood for a change I like Candy Dulfer or pop like Texas or the Corrs.

Currently listening to a lot of Black Sabbath (with Ronnie Dio or Glenn Hughes) and King's X.

The Van der Graaf Generator albums H to He, Who Am the Only One, Still Life and The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other. Very strange, yet captivating prog - look, ma, no guitars!

Commodore 64 music (a collection of some 20,000 tunes from 1982-2004, some of which are truly amazing.)

Synergy and Tangerine Dream. I'm a bit of a 70s electronic music fan, really.

That is indeed a good song. The whole album's great, but lacks the murder and apocolyptic ballads of his older stuff.

Re: New Orleans

I want to be Dr. John when I grow up.

If you look at that list and say that those three appear to be "missing" I will definately have to check them all out.

I have a soft spot for the Monkees. They are also my 9-year-old daughter's favorite band. She's never seen the show.

Pretty much anything except for heavy metal and gangsta rap.

I tend to be into what is currently Adult Contemporary.

ELO, Garth Brooks, Queen, STYX, John Mayer, Dolly Parton, Trisha Yearwood, all Disco, Genesis (Phil Collins era), James Taylor, Paul Simon, Journey, Madonna, Linda Rondstat, etc...

The Who, Queen, allot of 70s and 80s artists, Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Elvis...into some of the newer artists when the come on the radio but for the life of me I could not tell you who.

For me, it's the Beatles, Pink Floyd, A Lot of Charlie Parker, and Thelonius Monk , and my 80's fave, Tesla

Just to clarify- Beck is the artist, and Odelay and Mutations are two of his CD's. I can listen to both of those without skipping a single song. And, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the three volumes of the Monkees cd Missing Links.


Remember, only you can prevent forest fires.
(I always thought that was a rather heavy burden for kids.At 7 years-old, I was the only person on planet Earth who could prevent forest fires. I don't think I was very successful.)

(No, my mind does not drift.)

If I'm in the mood for Heavy - Metallica, Rob Zombie or Dope
R&B - Stevie Wonder or Bill Withers
Weird - Oingo Boingo or Front 242

ah music...

this is a good time to plug my favorite artist...

check out Andrew Bird's music on http://www.bowloffire.com

there are a couple of songs form his recent album "Weather Systems" available for download...

seen him in concert more times than i can count without taking off my shoes and growing an extra arm or two...

I had a feeling from your avatar about Tesla....Edison's Medicine and Modern Day Cowboy are my two favorites of theirs.


Edward