MusicHead

The primary way I build my digital music collection is by maintaining a playlist called, “The Rotation.” On this list, I load albums of artists I’m interested in hearing; mostly new-to-me artists or albums. Because I need some organizational principle to conduct this survey, I go by the alphabetical listing of the artist. I typically move from earlier records to later records, although there are exceptions. If I’m excited to hear a new album by a favorite artist I’ll add it in an apparent random placement to hear it sooner than later. From this list I’ll select tracks to add to my collection. It’s rare that I DNF a record, and uncommon for me to not select a single track from it. I’ve been doing this for a while and am currently on my 9th trip around the alphabet. Below are the albums heard in a given session and what thoughts, if any, I have about them. These are mostly first impressions, so don’t expect in-depth analysis.

Asterisks (*) after the album title indicate that it is a new-to-me record.

---

Simple Minds: GOOD NEWS FROM THE NEXT WORLD (1995)*

Simple MInds has been one of the biggest success stories of this process I put myself through. At the beginning I knew 2-3 tracks of theirs from the 80s, but now they’re one of my favorite groups from their era and I’ve found their catalog to remain enjoyable well after the height of their popularity.

Collected Tracks

• She’s a River
• Night Music
• Giant Leap Forward
• And the Band Played On
• My Life

---

Sir Woman: IF IT ALL WORKS OUT (2025)*

Look! An actual new record! I’ve been a fan of this artist for a while, and this is her first new release since 2022. She’s this wonderful R&B/Soul artist from Austin, TX. She reminds me of Alice Russell and Joss Stone. If you don’t already know her, please, do yourself a favor and check her out!

Collected Tracks

• Circles
• I Know Better
• Don’t Do Forever

---

Sister Rosetta Tharpe: GOSPEL FEELING (2011)*

Obviously, not recorded in 2011, this is a live recording of Sister Rosetta for a French audience. She’s miked only for her vocals and the guitar is far to the background, but you can still hear her blues picking in accompaniment.

Collected Tracks

• Walk All Over God’s Heaven

---

Sleater-Kinney: THE HOT ROCK (1999)*

I hate the fact that it took me so long to get to Sleater-Kinney, but they’ve become a favorite rock band of mine and I thoroughly enjoy learning their music.

Collected Tracks

• Start Together
• The End of You
• Burn, Don’t Freeze!
• Don’t Talk Like
• Get Up
• Memorize Your Lines

---

Sly & The Family Stone: STAND! (1969)*

It also took me far too long to get to Sly Stone’s work. Why didn’t the “classic rock” radio station I grew up on play this band? Dunno, but probably because they were too black (even though they were integrated). You know what I mean.

Collected Tracks

• Stand!
• I Want to Take You Higher
• Sing a Simple Song
• Everyday People
• Sex Machine
• You Can Make It If You Try
• Soul Clappin’ II
• My Brain (Zig-Zag)