music
For some reason, my earliest memory of music is hearing Best of...ABBA on the car stereo. It was the only cassette my Papa had in the glove compartment, so I had to listen to it a lot. Also, I would often get car sick, sitting in the back. Today, I'm not very fond of ABBA - maybe there's a connection.
So yes, I grew up with cassettes, the Sony Walkman and the horrors of spaghettied tape. I still remember the mixtape made for me by my very cool and slightly older friend featuring Metallica, Sepultura, Iron Maiden. And as the last track Ace of Base The Sign. I insisted.
Things improved considerably when I got a Sony Discman. No more noodling with a pencil! However, portable CD players weren't really shock proof, despite claims to the contrary. Still, with a few abrupt interruptions, I look back fondly on road trips with my headphones on, listening to Hans Zimmer's film scores and imagining myself as the main character in an action movie.
Next came mp3 and we all quickly learned the art of file sharing, something that seems to be lost among younger generations nowadays. It also taught you patience and dealing with disappointment. Nothing worse than downloading an album overnight and then discovering it's pr0n. 😔
I still have a working iPod mini though that I sometimes connect to my car stereo with a jack plug - yes, my car is vintage.
Nowadays, I stream my music. Since I depend on my 80s playlist for a decent workout, I even have a yearly subscription to Apple Music. I tried, but eventually the Spotify commercials broke me.
One thing that always stayed with me though, is the radio. I love radio! It's easily accessible, and if you're a ♎️ like me and suffer from severe indecisiveness, radio is the answer. You just have to take what's coming through the airwaves. No more endless skipping.
I listen to my favourite radio station - oldies of course - whilst cooking, cleaning, and driving. It's really amazing how much you pick up and remember by just tuning in, whether it's news or some silly tidbit. As they say: Radio. Geht ins Ohr. Bleibt im Kopf
.
Car stereo aside, I have two radios. One of those cheap but nifty retro bluetooth speakers with integrated FM radio and a hand-me-down from my Mama: her original portable 60s Grundig Concert Boy. It's my most prized possession - it looks gorgeous and the sound is just incredible. I hope it never dies on me; that'd be real sad.
As much as I welcome the digital age and truly appreciate having millions of songs at my fingertips, every once in a while I'm consumed with the idea to buy a record player. After all, if anyone is truly predestined to own a shellac spinner, then it must be me - the admirer of everything old.
The thing is, all the beautiful, aesthetically pleasing ones seem to be of horrible quality and the supposedly decent ones are - ugly.
With a frustrated sigh I then switch on my Marshall Acton bluetooth loudspeaker - which comes in the same vintage beige 🛑 as my radio and retro speaker - connect my iPhone and refrain from shuffling a playlist but instead at least pretend to put on a vinyl.
So, here is my collection of albums, which I truly love listening to from start to finish. And a jukebox, coded with 🤍.
jukebox
Now, focus your audio and dig those jazzy sounds, daddy-o! Perfect for all you film noir detectives and misunderstood beat poets. Tune in and groove, man.albums
Mind Games (The Ultimate Collection) » John Lennon
Mind Games and its copious amounts of releases and different mixes probably are a cash grab but I'm very much blinded by my love & admiration for John so my critical thinking is most likely impaired. To me, the new mixes sound marvellous and - in contrast to Giles Martin's new concoctions - don't erase the charm of the original. Out the Blue is my favourite track because it has the #1 romantic lyrics but instead of swooning and going full 😍, I want to inform you about other, equally important things. I adore the man in the yellow suit from the new You Are Here music video - such a style icon - almost as much as Robert Fraser. Intuition is a bop - I'm still trying to get the hang of it playing it on guitar. I teared up a bit listening to Take 18 of One Day (At A Time). I just love it so much when John tries to sing in a lower than usual register. Raw. Whisky over broken glass
and all that jazz, y'know?
Now and Then » The Beatles
Technically, this is a single, not an album but I have to talk about it. So...When it was announced that there will be a new Beatles song, I just knew immediately it would be John Lennon's unfinished demo song Now and Then and I was totally against it and absolutely hated the idea. Simply because it's a John song and with Paul (and Ringo) taking it, adding to it and releasing it as a Beatles song, they'd turn it into something it was not. On the day of its release I listened to it literally the second it came out - and I hated it. I hated the awful break between verse and chorus, I hated the slide guitar and most of all I hated that they didn't include the original 🎶 I don't want to lose you...
bridge.But I kept listening to it on repeat over and over and over - so much in fact that it became my most played song in 2023 despite it only coming out in November - and then I started to cry. Paul counting in 1-2-3-4
with the 3
and 4
almost faded away - just like George and John are gone. John's voice now crystal clear and yet still him and mournful. Paul's voice on the chorus in stark contrast - the voice of an old man. Quite literally Paul now and John then. Paul's slide guitar part, which sounds like George but not quite - it's a tribute and also shows that George is unparalleled and irreplaceable. And of course there's this myth (?), that when Yoko gave Paul the demo tapes, it said for Paul
on it. So, maybe Paul waited all those years to finally finish this last duet with his best mate? So yes, I came to love that song. But I still hate the hideous cover art by Ed Rusha and I'm so glad that everyone seems to have forgot the horrible AI slop music video for Now and Then in which they gave John American Girl®-like ultra white veneers.
Some Time in New York City » John & Yoko / Plastic Ono Band
One of John's most disliked albums and the one which would get him cancelled if he were alive today... and not already cancelled? Anyway, people criticise the simultaneously sloppy and overdone production and of course the lyrics for both being too uninspired and offensive. Well, I genuinely like this album and to quote Melody Maker, it's the People's album
. It's political, it's not meant to be fancy. It's radical and I can't imagine any of today's mainstream artists to do such an album. And music wise, I quite like it, too. Angela has a great melody, something I only truly appreciated when I tried to play it on acoustic. Speaking of Angela: the most surreal photo for me is the one of Angela Davis shaking hands with Erich Honecker, when she visited the DDR (GDR) after her release to thank the people for their relentless support for her. Just imagine they had invited John & Yoko as well 😵💫. All right, your mind is probably occupied with track #1. In it's core it's a powerful song which sadly is still relevant today. It's my favourite song and when I first heard it my mind was blown that a man would sing about women's oppression. But that's not why it's (in)famous. Despite what some people think, even back then, there was controversy about that song and John explained the lyrics and his intentions on the Dick Cavett Show. If you feel like it, you should also read the comment section of that video. It has everything: the typical so glad that wife beater got killed
hater, racists, misogynists, bigots, trolls, people with zero reading comprehension and a few who have sensible arguments.
Desire » Bob Dylan
I love when songs tell a story and Bob Dylan most certainly is a brilliant story-teller - Nobel prize level, I'd say. I really got to love this album after watching The Rolling Thunder Revue and seeing live performances of some of the songs on this album. I might have mentioned a few times how I wish John Lennon would've written love songs about me but Sara (especially live) and it's sister song Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands are so good.
Ram » Linda & Paul McCartney
The only album from the original cottagecore couple, that I really like. Heart of the Country and The Backseat of My Car are beautiful songs. The other ones are either about sex or John Lennon plus the record sleeve has two Beatles beetles fucking on the back. What does it all mean? Anyway, Monkberry Moon Delight is just the kind of unhinged Paul songs that I truly dig and it's quite funny that no one really knows what he's actually singing.
Help! » The Beatles
I feel like this is a somewhat underrated Beatles album because it's a film soundtrack. That's pretty daft of course because it has my most beloved song on it: Ticket to Ride! I admit, part of the charm is definitely John & Paul performing it live. Speaking of a spectacle: John singing Dizzy Miss Lizzie at Shea Stadium in '65. Speaking of John: he looks great! No more talk of a fat Elvis period. Speaking to John: I hope you know how much I love It's Only Love? Oh, and as a heartbroken teen-age girl I felt John sang You're Going to Lose That Girl just for me. 💔
Ragas & Talas » Ravi Shankar
I don't have anything smart to say - for once. I'm not well versed in Indian classical music. I just find Talas to be quite relaxing to listen to. I guess it just gives me something else rather than my own pesky thoughts to concentrate on.
Abbey Road » The Beatles
This is one of the albums where it's a crime when you shuffle it; you have to listen to it in order to immerse fully in this masterpiece. Going out with a bang and all that. But, the real reason why it's so good no music journalist - except for maybe Rob Sheffield - truly gets. It's the utter misery and desperation that brings out the best in The Beatles. Paul: horny and psycho. John: horny and sexy. Ringo: sad and delusional. George: the actual winner with placing two of the most beloved Beatles songs on one album. The best song is I Want You (She's So Heavy) because it's the musical equivalent of a [redacted] with John & Paul, y'know? 🔥
The Beatles » The Beatles
When being asked about my favourite Beatles album I never name the White Album because I just assume I don't like it that much. But when I'm asked about my favourite songs, a vast majority of them are indeed on that album. I guess I just don't like that particular period of time in Beatles' history because it's rather sad. But they sure came up with some beautiful songs. I remember that one night during the pandemic I was driving in my car when Mother Nature's Son came on the radio and... I don't know, this truly felt magical.
Revolver » The Beatles
2022 this was my most played album; I adore the Super Deluxe edition with all its different takes and demos - even though they didn't include John's He Said, He Said home recording. This album is such a trip and the ultimate being Tomorrow Never Knows ✨
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band » John Lennon
That's my sad album to listen to when I'm sad myself. I think it's too personal a record, too raw to be wildly popular but I always feel less alone in whatever I'm going through when I listen to that album. I love The Ultimate Collection edition. The fact that Mother took at least 91 takes...😢
Rubber Soul » The Beatles
This is an autumn album - pretty obvious from the brilliant cover alone. I do wish John would've written every song about me but especially Girl - I'm just wild about borderline toxic relationships. 💘 is also a feminist album. I won't elaborate any further - just listen and ponder.
Be My Baby » The Ronettes
I love The Ronettes, they're pure 60s to me. Ronnie has a spectacular voice - no wonder John Lennon was enraptured with her. Be My Baby is indeed my favourite song; even Phil Spector's Wall of Sound works perfectly on this album.
Just Another Diamond Day » Vashti Bunyan
It's the perfect late summer / cottage core album. Vashti Bunyan has such a calming, lovely voice - it's magical. I found this album by happenstance and decided to give it a try purely based on the cover art.
Odessey and Oracle » The Zombies
And let me try with pleasured hands to take you in the sun
- yes, please! Hung Up On a Dream is my favourite track although there isn't really one bad song on this album.
Love » The Beatles
George Martin did such a wonderful job; he really gets The Beatles, naturally. I just know John would've loved Gnik Nus and it has the best version of Strawberry Fields Forever besides the Santa Isabel Demos. It's the perfect album to turn someone on to The Beatles.
Menlove Ave. » John Lennon
Here We Go Again is such a beautiful song & I just love to hear John sing Angel Baby! I also prefer the demo versions of Walls and Bridges to the official releases. John sounds so sexy when he's angry. 💞
Fairytale » Donovan
Universal Soldier is probably the best known song and ironically not even written by Donovan. Colours is beautiful but Little Tin Soldier always makes me choke up. Den Standhaftige Tinsoldat happens to be my favourite fairy tale.
Hit Kit » Sam Cooke
Yes, it's a compilation but still... Sam can't do no wrong; I just love his round, velvety voice, the phrasing, vowel placement - woah. You Send Me is just so good that John Lennon couldn't help but cover it, too.