25 CDs one should never be without - 4th edition

Never does a person have such an opportunity to assess all of their belongings in one shot as s/he does when s/he moves (and on a sidenote, never do so many objects considered "lost" get recovered). This is especially true with CDs. Since I rely primarily on the 120,000+ mp3s on my computer for my music fix, I don't pay attention to CDs much anymore. This does not mean, however, that I'll be getting rid of any, because there is something about having the physical media, complete with cover art and liner notes.

I'll take a detour here, because I'm suddenly nostalgic for my childhood. Maybe it's the 6-8" of snow outside, I don't know. But anyway, it's tough to explain to people who have never collected CDs how fun it was. You can't explain how a record or CD collection with its artwork and liner notes actually brought your life a little more fulfillment as a teenager. The kids who've been able to just download off of Napster (back when it was free) or Kazaa (please tell me you're using the Lite versions) or worse--iTunes, are only getting a skeleton experience, while missing out on a lot of the subtle refinements.

I do enjoy downloading--I mean, if I had to rely only on record shops, how many times would I have had to go back and forth between the ends of the earth to locate a Zero 7 or a Dreams So Real CD? (And if I was lucky enough to actually find those Holy Grails, how much dough would I have had to part with to call them mine?) I also highly doubt I would've ever encountered artists now staples in my musical diet, such as Soda Stereo, Thievery Corporation, or Manu Chao. Not that the record companies actually like this border-free reign (along with its low, low pricetag); I'm sure they struggle to retain control whatever it is we watch and listen to. But I'm not entirely sure Britney Spears would have made any more money off of me than she would have had I not been able to broaden my horizons.

Nevertheless, this list is much more (disappointingly) mainstream/commercial than I would have liked it to be....although it does fit more congruently with my wave of nostalgia.

1. Mana - Donde Jugaran Los Ninos (1992)
2. Alanis Morrissette - Jagged Little Pill (1995)
3. Iio - Poetica (2005)
4. Beloved - Conscience (1993)
5. U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000)
6. Prince - Purple Rain (1984)
7. Smithereens - Blow Up (1991)
8. Cross Canadian Ragweed - Highway 377 (2001)
9. Madonna - Erotica (1992)
10. Dead Can Dance - Aion (1990)
11. Richard Marx - Repeat Offender (1989)
12. Llewellyn - Color Healing (2001)
13. Ozzy Osbourne - No More Tears (1991)
14. Enya - Watermark (1988)
15. Tori Amos - Under the Pink (1994)
16. Cars - (s/t) (1978)
17. Mae Moore - Dragonfly (1995)
18. Survivor - Vital Signs (1984)
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Bloodsugarsexmagik (1991)
20. Tom Petty - Full Moon Fever (1989)
21. Kitaro - Ki (1979)
22. Great Big Sea - Play (1997)
23. Garth Brooks - No Fences (1990)
24. Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet (1993)
25. Roxette - Look Sharp! (1988)

Again, I'm blaming it on the snow.