some great CDs

I’m supposed to be grocery shopping and I need to pee. Badly. But both those things require lifting my fat arse off the Chesterfield. Instead, inspired by the music emanating from querrelle’s office (he’s fixing shelves and no doubt shaking his groove thang), I give a list of some CDs that I think totally rawk. Greatest hits and multiple artist anthologies are excluded.

Ray of Light, Madonna: Must confess, I am one of those [formerly] twisted ex-altar boys who came of age/came out in the 80s. I’ve always thought Madonna was a great songwriter and performer (not singer), but this album is cohesive, introspective and compelling. And she sounds happy and good. Pick hits: Ray of Light, The Power of Goodbye

Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen: I used to think this captured a particular period of my life, one long past. But when it loads in my iPod I’m not necessarily transported to drinking warm beer on the boardwalk in Rockaway. Springsteen’s a poet of the first order and a rare thing in American music: a truly liberal voice. And a great songwriter. Oh, and totally shaggable. Still. Pick hits: Thunder Road and Jungleland

The Miseducation of, Lauryn Hill: I thought the Fugees were OK, but didn’t expect this. It’s rare when so many engaging melodies accompany brutal honesty. And this is an album about faith. Not “ne’er my gawd to me” faith, but tangible, substantive, pragmatic, messy faith. In man (men) and gawd. Pick hits: Everything is Everything and To Zion

Beauty & the Beat, The Go-gos: As perhaps the first genuine girl band to make it big, the Go-gos had a lot of pressure on them after this album broke. Sadly I don’t think they ever got close to this again. It’s about the music, dood, and this record rawks. Kinda sad how lame and Republican Belinda Carlisle became, eh? Pick hits: Our Lips are Sealed and Tonite

The Broadway Album, Barbra Streisand: In 1985, a record that transgressed three of my biggest bias (anti-show tunes, anti-female vocalists, anti-Barbra) had to be special. It’s not just great songs sung by a great singer (in technical terms arguably the best); Barbra gave so many ‘standards’ new takes--that totally work. Pick hits: Somewhere and I Have Dreamed/We Kiss In A Shadow/Something Won

D’eux [aka The French Album], Céline Dion: Take a great singer who yells to much, give a producer/songwriter (Jean-Jacques Goldman) whose somewhere between Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen on the French musical spectrum, and it’s either gonna suk or be amazing. Still the best selling francophone album of all time. It’s all there: pop, rock, blues, torch. This the album where Céline demonstrates her instrument. Pick hits: Pour Que Tu M’Aimes Encore and Vole

Paris, Malcolm McLaren: I do need to say that I don’t think this is his disk. McLaren wholly exploits others’ talents: it’s not his singing or playing that grabs you. Regardless, the sensuality of Paris comes across in this lovely peace of ear candy. Pick hits: Paris Paris (with Catherine Deneuve) and Revenge Of The Flower (with Françoise Hardy)

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, Sarah McLachlan: Sarah McLachlan is a singer-songwriter who can both equally vulnerable and tough. The lead track, Possession, takes its lyrics from the letters she received from a stalker--how’s that for empowerment. Some artists invite you into their mind and frighten you. Or bore you. But not her. Pick hits: Possession and Hold On

Stones in the Road, Mary Chapin Carpenter: One could say that MCC killed her Nashville career with this album. She savages neoconservatism, reflects on the power of non-lover love, and acknowledges her disillusionment with the state of the (US) Union. No more CMAs for Female Vocalist of the Year (she’s won twice), but she spoke to a higher order. “A thousand points of light, or shame. Baby, I don’t know.” Pick hits: This is Love and Jubilee

Parallel Lines, Blondie: “I wanted to be in a band that didn’t sound like anyone else” was how Debbie Harry described her ambition for Blondie during a recent interview. Mission accomplished. They were the first band to transcend rock, pop and disco. And rap, kind of. Pick hits: 11:59 and Sunday Girl

Avalon, Roxy Music: When I first heard this, in my Walkman on a train in Ireland in 1982, I thought “wow, this is the best album I’ve ever heard.” Still do. Pick hits: More Than This and Avalon

So what’s your list?