Your pick for most listened to CD of the year, 2011 ?

[Davey]

I always think this is more fun than the obligatory best of the year lists, that one CD, or record, or tape, or whatever spun your top that you fell in love with the most this year, or fell in love with all over again. Instead of a fleeting listen, the one you couldn't get away from. You know, lyrical phrases that seem so cool with the music, but embarrassingly found their way into your mouth at inopportune times. Those melodies stuck in your head when you should be listening to the boss. The one you told your friends about, even though your friends don't really give a rat's ass about music. That's the one.

Mine for this year, hmmm, that may get complicated. Probably Brian Eno's Another Green World if I had some way to track it. That's one of my old dependables that I pull out all the time, sometimes play it to calibrate my mood, other times just because that's where I want to be, drifting and aimless, I'll come running, sombre reptiles, bemused, spirits drifting, just to be someplace else, and other times because it's the best record ever and I'm stuck with that, I love it and that will never go away. "You'd be surprised at my degree of uncertainty."

This was my first year where the computer was my primary source of music, taking the place of my home CD player. My player (foobar) says I have 1122 albums right now on the computer, though many are duplicates with different masterings, and it goes up and down. I'll probably never get the ambition needed to transfer everything I want to listen to the computer, and a lot of times you find out that the fond memory of a record is much different from the not so fond reality. But it sure is a good way to keep all those Another Green Worlds where they should be.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.

[nobody]

I pretty much just tend to equate most listened to with best myself. I'm just not a believer in some objective version of "best." I too like these most listened to things because it drops the pretense of making those subjective value judgments and pretending they are somehow objective reality. Also, narrowing it down to one is helpful. I could probably list one of three or four 2011 albums from my year end stuff here, Nicolas Jaar, Washed Out, J. Masics, or Fugiya & Miyagi are all up there and have gotten a lot of plays. Discoverer: Build a Base has been played endlessly, especially the first half of the year. But since I've talked about those a bunch already, I'll follow suit and pick the older classic album I've listened to the most this year.

And for me that would be <b>Kraftwerk: Computer World</b>. I've been a Kraftwerk far for quite a long time but for some reason this one just always slipped past me. I had heard parts of it here and there, but just had never picked it up and always spun something else since I had several others to choose from so never found it imperative that I grab this one. But I happened across a cheap vinyl copy in really great shape so grabbed it to round out the collection and I am now hooked on this one and it really just might be my favorite Kraftwerk. It seems to split the difference nicely between things like Autobahn with its long repetitive passages and the more pop oriented stuff on Man Machine. I can listen to it over and over, and this year I have.

(honorable mention "classic album I've played to death" category goes to T. Rex: Electric Warrior, an album that gets pulled out again and again pretty much every year)

[Slosh]

My most-listened-to is from last year. Loved it then and like it even more now.

[Davey]

(honorable mention "classic album I've played to death" category goes to T. Rex: Electric Warrior, an album that gets pulled out again and again pretty much every year)

That could've been mine too. I've played that so many times, maybe more than any other. I've got a bunch of LP and CD versions. In case anyone is looking for the best sounding version, the original FLY vinyl is the one. For the CD, my favorite, and I think the one that sounds most like that Fly vinyl is the 1989 Japan TECX, though the original US Reprise CD is OK too. The Japan TECX is also the most dynamic of them all. The CD remasters vary from not good to bad in roughly chronological order, which seems to be the usual case. It was also released in Japan on SACD this year, and by the limited reports I've seen sounds good, but it will set you back at least $60, and still probably won't equal the Porky Fly vinyl.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22278349/ew_side1.jpg
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22278349/ew_cd.jpg

I just loaded the opening "Mambo Sun" from each as 16-44.1 flac at song of the day. I think both versions can also be found online for download with a little work.

Mikey Fremer reviewed the 2003 Rhino release and was much kinder than I would've been ...

I spent a few pleasant hours comparing Rhino's CD and LP reissues with a Reprise first pressing I've had since it was issued, as well as with an original UK Fly Records pressing (HIFLY 6) mastered by George Peckham (who typically signs his work "Another Porky Prime Cut," but, on this set, uses simply "Porky" and "PECKO DUCK" to identify his lathe work).

This is a somewhat harsh-sounding recording on top. Bolan is closely miked, and when he hits consonants and sibilants it hurts if you crank it up--on any of these editions. Easily the best is the Peckham LP, but good luck finding one! It has a transparency and extension missing from all other editions, including the original Reprise. But the differences aren't what I would call significant enough to label either the reissued LP or CD a failure, though of course the vinyl has better low-level resolution, more natural decay, and more convincing percussion. In fact, both Reprise issues catch the tonal spirit of the recording quite well.

I've received some complaints about some of the other Rhino vinyl issues from some readers, but this one is pretty close to right--at least it's very close to the CD reissue, which is itself a bit brighter and harsher than the Reprise original. A sound closer to the Porky cut would have been nice--especially for its juicy, deep bass and stinging electric rhythm guitars. But short of a complete and wholly inappropriate sonic revision, you couldn't ask for too much more from either Rhino reissue.

[Davey]

My most-listened-to is from last year. Loved it then and like it even more now.

I need to listen to that one more, but I always forget. I actually saw them in a little club downtown last year, and it was a blast. But I guess my mind is still linked to the mid 90s TMP, and I always play Chief Assassin instead of this one. Listening now, and it is good, even if maybe too Black Heart Procession in the sound, and the mastering is way too loud and dynamics way too limited. But that's the "modern" sound. The LP probably sounds a lot better. Thanks for the reminder.