Live Oak Blues What happens.

Two years ago today, I began an experiment to re-align my brain back to the gradual unwinding of the record album and away from mixtape/playlist instant gratification. Think of it as the aural equivalent of the Slow Food Movement. You see, I need external discipline if I want to change anything about myself and this, I reckoned, was something important enough to change.

To review, my rules were as follows:

1. Listen to the entire album in one sitting, no matter how painful that may become
2. Pay attention
3. Record the listening date, rating, and a brief review of each album

I’ve been doing it religiously for two years now and have no plans to ever stop. Apparently I did this 295 times in the past year.

Based on the data, I must have spent the year in perpetual nostalgia, because I revisited a lot of old friends (Fire Of Love, Sound Affects, Pink Moon, Tonight’s The Night, the Rolling Stones catalog in order through Tattoo You).

Which is not to say the year was without its share of startling revelations:

• Vashti Bunyan, “Another Diamond Day” (1969)–A cool, timeless day in the mountain when all the world is a possibility.
• “Scott The Hoople In The Dungeon Of Horror” (2015)–The Minus 5 release five records of new material in a Record Day-only limited release, every last groove superb.
• Paul Weller, “22 Dreams” (2008)–Yeah, he’s still around and writing great, expansive music.
• Robert Wyatt–Tip of the hat to Saint David Bowie for this recommendation.
• Re-release of the Fela Kuti discography–The height of his powers.
• David Crosby, “If I Could Only Remember My Name” (1971)–There’s no reason this psychotic walrus should have a produced a record this great, but he did.
• Charles Lee Guy III, “The Prisoner’s Dream” (1962)–Wanna hear a legit convict lay his soul out on the hot pavement without a touch of self pity or cliche?
• And who knew that 70s-era J.Geils Band was the tightest crew this side of the J.B.’s?

Anyway, here they are, an entire year of listening in alphabetical order: