MUSIC OR DIE #9–Count Basie, "The Atomic Mr. Basie" (1957)

That escalated rather quickly, don't you think.

Part 9 of my 1000+ part series
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

In which I continue to demonstrate my lack of ability to review instrumental tracks.

TL;DR

Some things never change.

More after The Cut>>>

MUSIC OR DIE #8–The Crickets, "The "Chirping" Crickets" (1957)

Part 8 of my 1000+ part series.
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

In which I see how rock n' roll is still beginning to emerge from the primordial ooze. 

TL;DR:

More after The Cut>>>

MUSIC OR DIE #7–Frank Sinatra, "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!" (1956)

The original cover + the reissued extra creepy cover

Part 7 of my 1000+ part series
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

When last we saw our hero, he was battling that mood indigo, but here he makes his triumphant return to the top. 

TL;DR:

More after The Cut>>>

MUSIC OR DIE #6–Duke Ellington, "Ellington at Newport" (1956)

Why hello there

Part 6 of my 1000+ part series.
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

TL;DR:

Seriously though...I don't know anything about jazz.

More after The Cut>>>

MUSIC OR DIE #5–Fats Domino, "This Is Fats" (1956)

Fats? More like PHATs, amirite?
...I'll show myself out

Part 5 of my 1000+ part series.

(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

In which I contemplate the roots of rock n' roll, and think about blueberry pie. Mmm, pie.

TL;DR:

More after The Cut>>>

MUSIC OR DIE #4–Louis Prima, "The Wildest!" (1956)

You do you, honey

Part 4 of my 1000+ part series. 
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

In which I continue to review things I know nothing about, this time with a swingin' jazz soundtrack. So wild!

TL;DR:
If you appreciate ravioli, gigolos, and pies, then know that THIS IS SO FUN LISTEN TO THIS RIGHT NOW

More below The Cut>>>

MUSIC OR DIE #3–The Louvin Brothers, "Tragic Songs of Life" (1956)

No, this is not the poster of what could have been the most epic John Waters movie ever.

Part 3 of my 1000+ part series. 
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

In which I learn about old school country, and how "tragic" it can be. 

TL;DR:
I still know nothing about country, but I see how this has influenced what little modern country music I have heard. 

More below The Cut>>>

MUSIC OR DIE #2–Elvis Presley, "Elvis Presley" (1956)

Part 2 of my 1000+ part series.

(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

In which I tackle Elvis the Pelvis' first album, whilst carefully dodging his famed fuzzy footwear.

TL;DR:

More below The Cut >>>

MUSIC OR DIE #1–Frank Sinatra, "In the Wee Small Hours" (1955)

And so begins the first part of my roughly 1000 part series, MUSIC OR DIE. 

(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

TL;DR:
It's an album that is described best by its cover art: moody and blue (but not The Moody Blues), and effortlessly captures that feeling of 2 a.m. sad introspection and loneliness. A classic.

More below The Cut >>>

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, or die trying

From the ashes of this old blog rises...pretty much the same blog, two years later. In the interim, much has changed, much has stayed the same. I'm living on a different continent, but still lazing about watching Youtube videos for alarmingly long periods of time. I've been trying to do new hobbies and go outside my comfort zone more, but I often resort to tried and true favorites when I need to unwind. One of the things I'm going to try to do is to regularly update this blog. Hopefully my friends will keep on me about it.

In that vein, I've decided to undertake a new challenge that is in keeping with my same craziness.

First, though, a disclaimer: I'm a sucker for 'limited time offers', aka carpe diem, aka YOLO!!!11one!
I am nigh feverishly driven to do or try something if I get the sense that the opportunity won't present itself again.

So there's a book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, that taps into this part of my reptilian brain, this DO OR DIE part of my nature.

I mean, it says "die" right there on the cover! 

I love music, and I don't want to miss out on anything, so naturally I have to listen to every single album in here. Naturally. And because I want to keep up with this blog, I'm going to write about it. Naturally.

I'm not a music critic, a trained writer, a historian, or in any real way qualified to provide any deep and meaningful insight into these albums. What I will do is go through the albums, track by track, and just write what strikes me, along with any other impressions or thoughts that strike me. I suspect I won't like all the albums, but I'll try to be open-minded as I go along.

(Note: there are several editions of this book, so I'm going to go through the most comprehensive list of all the albums I could find, which ends up being over 1001 albums. Oops.)

And so MUSIC OR DIE begins.






....what have I gotten myself into?