There is something very unappealing about recommendation technology. Amazon’s is almost patronising in its banality and does anyone find iTunes’ Genius feature useful? I would always take suggestions from friends and colleagues far more seriously than any generated by algorithms. If sites have to use music search engines they should at the very least be used in addition to peer recommendations.
Recommendations from friends has always been the main way I buy new music and for most music lovers, I reckon it’s the same.
That’s why we’ve started to ask our Music Club artists and Fellows for Top 10s. Everyone within the Society of Sound is there because they love music and they care about how thing sound so who better to ask about personal top 10 tracks.
Some of the recommendations won’t have 10 tracks, some will be albums, some songs, some may just sound weird – but they sound that way for a reason.
To start with we’d like to share two very different sets of music. That of Steve Van Zandt is a vinyl selection preferably to be listened to on mono while classical prodigy Benjamin Grosvenor’s list is a set of beautiful classical recordings.
LITTLE STEVEN’S TOP 10 VINYL
1. 12 X 5 ( ROLLING STONES)
2. BACK TO MONO (PHIL SPECTOR)
3. MY GENERATION (THE WHO)
4. WITH THE BEATLES (BEATLES)
5. HAVING A RAVE UP (YARDBIRDS)
6. THE KINK KONTROVERSY (KINKS)
7. BEST OF… (MUDDY WATERS)
8. END OF THE CENTURY (RAMONES)
9. BECK OLA (JEFF BECK GROUP)
10. TURN TURN TURN (BYRDS)
(All in mono of course!)
Let us know what you think or even better give us a list of your own here…
I was in a presentation by Bowers & Wilkins earlier in the day and the golden era of hi-fi was mentioned… Do you remember? It was an era when people used to gather together in houses with listening to music as the only purpose of the evening… Nowadays when I do that I am mostly alone and I feel like the only person listening to a stereo system on a planet where mobile phones dominate the music listening experience… That is why my top ten choice is related to a richer listening experience, one that involves speakers (not headphones), a record (not a file) and a living room (not the subway or a bus)…
1. Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
Posted: Friday, 25 November 20112. The Temptations – Masterpiece
3. Tina Turner – River Deep Mountain High (single)
4. The Beatles – 1967-1970
5. Dire Straits – Love Over Gold
6. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle
7. The Zombies – Odesee and Oracle
8. The Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed
9. Earth, Wind & Fire – Fantasy (single)
10. Michael Jackson – Thriller