The one hundred and twenty-second classical recording: #575 Maurice Ravel - Gaspard de la Nuit
Intentionally written to be difficult, there is an element of frantic uncertainty to hearing this. The first of the three pieces, Ondine, has the notes constantly flooding through, a cascade that mimicks the watery setting of the piece. There's a joy and excitement in the piece, and it comes across with a real rush. In comparison, the second piece Le Giet is slow and sombre, repeating a single note that the rest of the music slowly and deliberately forms around. The franticness comes back with Scarbo, but here far more chaotically, without as much of hte clear repetition as the earlier pieces but instead moving around like the mischievous creature the underlying poem subscribes.
Aside from anything else, the piece is really impressive to hear played, clearly requiring a lot of skill, but it also manages to create a setting incredibly well and are enjoyable because of that. It really feels like a masterpiece just listening here.
The two hundred and ninety-third album: #293 Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
While I've mentioned some of my dislike for soul and funk in earlier albums and songs, it feels like the genre started evolving in the early seventies to more closely match my sensibilities - less frantic and more accessible, losing some of the gospel side in favour of something closer to a pop track with a specific sound. That's to say that I really enjoyed Innervisions, with a good sound, some songs that spoke to me and something that's upbeat and good to listen to. The religious message that's there isn't too strong, but is also in that same optimistic set up, still staying accessible and absolutely listenable.
The two hundred and ninety-second album: #292 Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
Luckily, anticipating an album pays off often enough to feel worth it. The Dark Side of the Moon is one of those famous albums that I've been looking forward to listening to. It doesn't disappoint, either. It's one where everything comes together, featuring a unified sound with still clearly defined track, making some different choices in the music without losing sight of what makes them work.Whether it's the intros, either spoken word or with odd sounds, or the deeper rock sounds when a track gets started, it all works, it doesn't jar, it creates a work that really stands out. For me, this has already been one of the highlights of the list to listen to.
The one hundred and sixty-seventh TV show: #570 Queer As Folk
While the series doesn't seem as progressive now - there are plenty of queer dramas around now or varying quality - seeing a gay drama in 1999 was quite a big change. I might not connect with the Manchester gay scene of the late nineties - neither the partying or the general setting - but the feeling of inclusion and addressing issues in the community does do so. The whole show feels accessible in a view it has on gay life that other shows don't have and something like Will & Grace pointedly does its best to ignore. It's exaggerated, sure, but while the series is missing a bit of a full arc, the experience is really good.
The one hundred and twenty-first classical recording: #199 Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Trio in D major, op. 70, no. 1, "Ghost"
There's a sensitiveness to this piece that doesn't entirely fit its "Ghost" moniker, more a sad mood than a presence or remembrance. The complexities build well, never overwhelming, but I also keep finding new things in there. It's a nice sound, a slow journey through its emotions, , melancholic and dark, and a great mood piece for those darker days.
The two hundred and ninety-first album: #291 Waylon Jennings - Honky Tonk Heroes
When I look at the country that has been in recent entries of the list, it's clear that rock changed the genre a lot and that when I think of country music, especially country music I'd hear in the 70s, I think of country rock. Hearing this album feels like so much of a throwback to the old days that itjars a bit, as something that doesn't belong in this era.I think that, with rock having moved along, these classic throwbacks don't have as much of an effect anymore. It's fine, it does what it does, but it doesn't have that much of an appeal to me.
The two hundred and ninetieth album: #290 Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy
I liked Steely Dan's previous album and while this one became bigger, the added production doesn't dominate. Instead, it's a nice collection of rock songs without too much fanfare, sounding good and making for an enjoyable album to casually listen to or dive deeper into. They're good, nice jams with some content, nothing overstaying its welcome or pushing it too far, the right pop rock point for me.
The one hundred and twentieth classical recording: #812 Samuel Barber - Violin Concerto
Samuel Barber's violin concerto is a lovely, delicate piece that doesn't have any great themes and avoids the sweeping movements, but instead stays small and feels sensitive. It's never quite as evocative as other pieces, but it's good at what it is.
The two hundred and eighty-ninth album: #289 Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
There is something really infectious about Elton John's brand of rock and roll that's on display here. It's glam, a big sound that really hits you and something I've enjoyed listening to. It's the first disc that obviously has the big, show stopping numbers that really take their time to develop and set up a theme, but it works as well, if not more so, in the second half that has pop songs of a more conventional length, making some easily listenable pop that mostly seems cheerful and just makes you happy. Of course the title track isn't quite there, and while it is a masterpiece in the way it's performed, there's this longing that the music brings across so well. Elton John never loses the optimism and happiness, but it's transferred so well to this different feeling that it continues to work here.
The two hundred and eighty-eight album: #288 Todd Rundgren - A Wizard, A True Star
As a shorter double album, A Wizard, A True Star actually starts off with a number of really short tracks - taking a minute or two to explore a song or concept before moving on to the next, never quite dwelling on the different parts of its pop music. Nothing overstays its welcome, but then again, nothing in those early tracks has a lot of staying power either. It pays off when you get to the first longer track, Zen Archer, which also has a tendency to flit around but keeps its focus and roots as it moves through them.
I would still argue that while there are a lot of interesting, smaller elements here, by the short nature of them none of them have real staying power. It works well as an album and a showcase of Rundgren's music, and that nature is interesting enough.