John's List of Preferred Music

Bands, Albums, and Songs:

A Page about John's Musical Preferences

A word of introduction, first: I enjoy all kinds of music. Honestly. Naturally, I prefer some to others, and my tastes vary greatly with my mood -- which is why I need this page, and cannot simply say "Band X is my favorite".

As it happens, though, I enjoy collecting albums (LPs) from the "Classic Rock" era (roughly, the late '60s to the mid '80s, with a bit of newer stuff). Thus, I have decided to focus my efforts in creating this page on that little enclave of the musical world, and, here at least, ignore the rest. No offense is meant toward Jazz, Country & Western, Classical, Big Band, Techno, etc., etc.

John's Selections

(Under Heavy Construction)

The Band and
The Album
The Reasons Why

Eagles
The Long Run
That's right -- it doesn't say Hotel California, which is of course a masterpiece in its own right....

Genesis
Genesis (the yellow album)

Jethro Tull
Aqualung
I must give an honorary mention here to Thick as a Brick -- the original LP cover is to die for -- but overall, this is probably Jethro Tull's finest album....

Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
Again... you're not seeing things: that doesn't say Dark Side of the Moon. While that work is a landmark and a record-setter (not to mention a good soundtrack for the first part of The Wizard of Oz), I happen to love Wish You Were Here....

The Police
Zenyatta Mondatta

Rush
Moving Pictures
Curiously, neither of my two favorite Rush songs (Freewill and Subdivisions) is on this album, but classics like Tom Sawyer and Limelight make this a work to be prized....

Styx
Paradise Theatre
This has to get the nod for the best work Styx has put out, though it by no means has the monopoly on their finest music. Still, the album is a joy to listen to. The style varies from song to song, and yet the entire thing maintains cohesion. Add to this the wonderful cover art, and the fact that some copies of the original vinyl album have the band name written on the vinyl of Side 2 in iridescent lettering, and I have a hard time denying the appeal of this work at any level. The best song? Because of the varied nature of this album, this is a tough call. I really enjoy "Snowblind" and "Too Much Time on My Hands". These are truly unique songs in a genre that can get musically tedious. "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" has grown on me since I first heard the album, and its ending segue is masterful. The low point of the album? The back-to-back "Lonely People" and "She Cares" can be a tad bland and tough to get through, but even these songs have their good points.

The Band and The Album	The Reasons Why
Eagles The Long Run	That's right -- it doesn't say Hotel California, which is of course a masterpiece in its own right....
Genesis Genesis (the yellow album)
Jethro Tull Aqualung	I must give an honorary mention here to Thick as a Brick -- the original LP cover is to die for -- but overall, this is probably Jethro Tull's finest album....
Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here	Again... you're not seeing things: that doesn't say Dark Side of the Moon. While that work is a landmark and a record-setter (not to mention a good soundtrack for the first part of The Wizard of Oz), I happen to love Wish You Were Here....
The Police Zenyatta Mondatta
Rush Moving Pictures	Curiously, neither of my two favorite Rush songs (Freewill and Subdivisions) is on this album, but classics like Tom Sawyer and Limelight make this a work to be prized....
Styx Paradise Theatre	This has to get the nod for the best work Styx has put out, though it by no means has the monopoly on their finest music. Still, the album is a joy to listen to. The style varies from song to song, and yet the entire thing maintains cohesion. Add to this the wonderful cover art, and the fact that some copies of the original vinyl album have the band name written on the vinyl of Side 2 in iridescent lettering, and I have a hard time denying the appeal of this work at any level. The best song? Because of the varied nature of this album, this is a tough call. I really enjoy "Snowblind" and "Too Much Time on My Hands". These are truly unique songs in a genre that can get musically tedious. "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" has grown on me since I first heard the album, and its ending segue is masterful. The low point of the album? The back-to-back "Lonely People" and "She Cares" can be a tad bland and tough to get through, but even these songs have their good points.

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