List part deux:

19. Jimmy Cliff et al. (soundtrack) "The Harder They Come"(1972) [Cliff's title track and "Many Rivers to Cross" are fabulous -- but no better than the Maytals' "Pressure Drop", the Melodians'"Rivers of Babylon" or The Slickers' "Johnny Too Bad"].
20. Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (1973) [I don't know if I'd choose this over "TAlking Book" but that wasn't on the list so that was easy. As much as I love Stevie, I love Marvin even more--but Marvin didn't make albums as great as Stevie did. And yes, I'm very much including "What's Going On" in that. Insert another disparaging Sgt. Pepper comment here. Anyway... this has it all: funky, funny, virtuosity and subtlety, great songs and great performances. And EVERY time I'm about to enter either the Holland or Lincoln Tunnel from NJ I still turn to whoever's in the car and say, "New York... just like I pictured it. Skyscrapers and ev'rythang!"]
21. Randy Newman's Good Old Boys, (Reprise, 1974) [Christgau: "Contrary to published report, the white Southerners Newman sings about/from are never objects of contempt. Even Newman's psychotic and exhibitionist and moron show dignity and imagination, and the rednecks of the album's most notorious songs are imbued by the smart-ass Los Angeles Jew who created them with ironic distance, a smart-ass's kindest cut of all. There is, natcherly, a darker irony: no matter how smart they are about how dumb they are, they still can't think of anything better to do than keep the niggers down." Note: the lead track is "Rednecks": "We're rednecks, rednecks/We don't know our ass from a hole in the ground/We are rednecks, rednecks/We are keeping the niggers down"]
22. Brian Eno: Another Green World (1975) [Especially love "Everything Merges with the Night" and Fripp's guitar on "I'll Come Running". Inspired by the Velvets and electric Miles, even if that only makes sense in retrospect.]
23. The Clash--London Calling (1979) [Great synthesis of the first 25 years of rock and roll, from Elvis (check the cover) to punk. Love love love the Monty Clift tribute.]
24. Richard and Linda Thompson: Shoot Out the Lights (1981) [Takes a hell of a singer to steal the spotlight from his songs and guitar, but she managed it on a consistent basis. Then you notice how astonishing his songs and guitar are. Then when you're convinced that he's the star she reminds you why it's Richard AND Linda. I'm sorry they were so unhappy, but I'm glad they stuck it out long enough to make this.]
25. Public Enemy: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988) [All hail the Bomb Squad! "Bring the Noise" is the greatest production ever. Or maybe the second best on the first side ("Louder Than a Bomb"). And maybe not as great as "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" or "Rebel Without a Pause". There's so much to hear on this record that I'm not sure you could ever get to the bottom of it. THIS is the album that I want to see a "Making of...". I'll be happy to listen to Chuck, but I really want to hear from Terminator and the Shocklees and Vietnam Sadler. So dense and rich. Wow. This would definitely be on my list.]

Very cool, Joe.

3. Frank Sinatra: Only the Lonely (1958) [His Capitol recordings are very consistent, but this rises above the others. Very desolate, but you'd be a wreck too if Ava Gardner dumped you.

Yeah, but she only dumped him because he forced her into getting an abortion when she didn't want to.

"Angel Eyes" is astonishing,

Yep. The orchestrations are so great on this record too. We've talked a lot about the simpatico playing on Astral Weeks but the arrangements on Sinatra's Capitol records are also perfectly complementary to his vocals.

but it's only the second best track--and by a big margin--because "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is Sinatra's greatest recording.]

I tend to agree with this. This is my favorite Sinatra record. Original title: Songs For Losers.

My mother is somewhat horrified that her grandchild will be named Thelonious.

That's a hell of a thing to do to a little girl, Joe.

GF already called dibs on the name if it's a girl (Rebecca). She is willing to consider Thelonious as a middle name, though. For my part I'm willing to compromise and go with Pannonica (as in Monk's, and Bird's, patron, the Baroness de Koenigswarter) if she has a girl. See, I'm really not that difficult.

Misha, did you see the comedy stylings of Paul Simms, a.k.a, Mr. Newsradio, in this week's New Yorker?

Sadly, my wife has declared Thelonious, Miles, and Lemmy off-limits for kids' names.

Langford Childs has a nice ring to it. How would she feel about that?

Really must leave... but first will go off on a name tangent. One of the great things about seeing Dr. Strangelove on a big screen is that you can actually read Keenan Wynn's nametag, so that I now know that perhaps my all-time favorite character name is "Col. Bat Guano" ("If that's really your name."), not "Col. Batguano". I know you're delighted I shared that and are dying for more gems from my odd little mind, but I must go to a Canada Day party.

BWAH!! Love that movie.

Any opinions on The Killers? I've heard two of their songs and think I might like the whole CD.

Do they do the "somebody told me you had a boyfriend who looked like a girlfriend that I had..." song? If that's them, I've only heard that song so I can't tell you anything about the CD but I can recommend some Pulp, whom you might also like if you haven't discovered that already.