127. Leo Kottke I kinda forget now where I heard Leo Kottke first. Such great guitar playing. Saw him open for Lyle Lovett & his Large Band on Mud Island in Memphis in '92. Perfect setting for it. I got way into him after that, my dad already had this #vinyl. Have a listen & enjoy!

126. Klark Kent I mostly knew the music from The Cutting Edge, a show on MTV. "Kinetic Ritual" was the theme song. But when I got to college, this kid on my dorm floor @tcervo.bsky.social had the original #vinyl because he was a big Police-head. We were instant friends. ☺️

125. The New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble - Scott Joplin: The Red Back Book I have a few albums of Scott Joplin music, maybe my dad bought them for me because I liked the music so much? But the 2 Joshua Rifkin albums are cracked so I'm throwing them out. This #vinyl, however, is perfect.

So, I had occasion to look up the lyrics to Back In Black and was sure that the lyric was "I got 9 lives, cat-sized, abusin' every one of them…" but now all the lyric sites say "9 lives, cat's eyes" and that just doesn't make sense to me. 😂 Like, you'd be abusing every one of the cat-sized lives…

124. Billy Joel - Glass Houses Not sure why I skipped over this after 52nd Street. But another great album. I think I mostly like side 1 of 52nd Street but this one has lots of bangers. Plus a memory of listening to it on a field trip next to a river in my mountain town. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sent this to my (adult) children today: "Ok, y’all know I love me some performance, & pure art. I’m not asking you to watch & listen to the whole thing, but this is fucking insane & I want you to experience it because it’s fucking insane in the greatest of ways. ☺️" www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ssi...

Really enjoyed listening to this, thanks for sharing! Here's a "universal" link to the album on one of the major streaming services: tidal.com/album/458308...

So many - I grew up in the 80s and cassettes were my medium of choice. But the two cassettes I recall most fondly are Allman Brothers’ Ramblin’ Man and I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash. I’d listen to them as my dad drove us around in his 1970 Datsun 240z. First cassettes I ever saw.

Ok, just now learning that Mazzy Star has what is effectively a hellbilly/voodoobilly track. 🤯 😂 tidal.com/track/147288/u

Second time in the last week or so that I've had the songs from World Party's Goodbye Jumbo in my head so I guess that means that mentally I must be doing GREAT. 🫠 😂 Might as well listen again! Join me, won't you? tidal.com/album/187029...

123. JOHN - Nocturnal Manoeuvres Duo also known as JOHN (timestwo), I believe I learned of this band through one of my friend @stevilkinevil.bsky.social's Instagram stories, I think they were playing while he painted & I had to ask who it was. 😄 Great hard melodic rock. Band currently on hiatus.

I love the show Song Exploder because it leads me down paths I never considered, while also being creatively inspiring. Neko Case - what a poet, singer, and artist. Never knew there were lions in prehistoric England until today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ songexploder.net/neko-case

"State of Independence" came up on my TIDAL Daily Discovery playlist and HOLY SHIT I had all but completely forgotten about Moodfood. What a great chillout album. tidal.com/album/320306...

122. Billy Joel - 52nd Street I feel like Billy gets a lot of flak lately & I get it, it can seem schmaltzy. But - I like it, & always have. To wit: I've had this album since probably…1980? Pretty heavy stuff for a kid. 😂 Funny to see the Piano Man holding a horn on the sleeve. Good alley pic, tho!

121. Michael Jackson - Thriller So wait - Side 1 *starts* with Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', then has The Girl Is Mine *and* Thriller? And THEN Side 2 starts with Beat It and Billie Jean? 😮‍💨 This thing is PACKED with hits. PACKED. This is my sister's old #vinyl, I'll give it back if she wants.

120. Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! Hell of a debut - One More Time, Sunday Papers, Look Sharp!, Got The Time AND Is She Really Going Out With Him? Come on. "A lot of the tracks are first takes & there are no overdubs" WHAT. Wild. ISRGOWH? is one of the key songs of the 70s. My #vinyl is an 80s repress.

119. INXS - Shabooh Shoobah Rarities Contains the 3 of the 4 excellent mixes from the Dekadance EP, including "Black and White," with it's sweet music drops that just leave the tasty bass. It also includes some live tracks from the US Festival and other outtakes. Cool gold #vinyl, too. 😎

Since "Mr. Telephone Man" is already taken, I'll choose one of me & @sirnemo.bsky.social's ELO faves - "Telephone Line"

😍

Thanks for following along on this year's #MWE! I found some good stuff to listen to (as always) from others who were taking part - so fun to see what people are listening to and liking (or…not 😄). Thanks again to @imgarysuarez.bsky.social for creating MWE & starting this wild annual coaster! 🎢 🙌🏻

#MWE 28: Elvis Presley - How Great Thou Art Another Christian album. Again, I am not religious. But Elvis sure was! The A side is like listening to side two of Elvis' Christmas Album - slow songs about God & whatnot. B side has more hopped up tunes, more in his usual bluesy style. But lots of God.

#MWE 27: The Beach Boys - Holland Interesting name for an album with a suite called "California Saga." 😄 Oh, it's because some of it was recorded in Holland. 😂 I'm mostly used to more "traditional" Beach Boys, so this feels like a departure. But I'm not mad about it. It's just different.

the mixtape is superior to the playlist precisely because of its limitations: what selections from the maker’s music collection can fit on a C-90. & it was a labor of love, pushing record, stopping just in time, over & over. not to mention intricately thought-out cover art on the insert

#MWE 26: Honeyglaze - Real Deal Not sure where/how I put this on my list, but I'm glad I did! Very 90s indie feel with some math rock undertones in there. I'm only 3 songs in and super digging this. Ends heavy but will go into rotation once Feb is over. Looking forward to checking out their debut!

#MWE 25: Geese - 3D Country Feels like a successor to Ween. Good tight musicianship playing hard rock but a looseness & chaos that feels like a middle finger to any establishment you've got. 😄 Not usually my thing I feel like but I ended up enjoying this quite a bit! 🕺🏻🤘🏻 tidal.com/album/443964...

Very intrigued. Sad to read of her death but what a long, interesting life she led. tidal.com/album/127590...

#MWE 24: Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers - Winning What caught my eye was the GTA homage cover art. The music is definitely zydeco flavored, but more traditional song-based and not the freewheeling uptempo zydeco I'm used to. But like all zydeco, it's good-time music for dancing & partying.

#MWE 23: John Hammond Self-titled debut from the U.S. blues musician. I'm now noticing that I have John Hammond and John Mayall confused in my brain. 😂 My dad has Hammond's Southern Fried album in his collection, but this record is standard solo acoustic guitar covers of blues tunes. Decent.

#MWE 22: Toumani Diabaté & Taj Mahal Fantastic collab, the music is gorgeous. Diabaté's kora & Mahal's guitars combine in a sound that is so natural, you can tell the artists feel a kinship in the music. The elements of American blues mesh & mingle so well with Mali music. Really enjoyed this.

#MWE 21: Paul Simon - Surprise Really surprised that I like this as much as I do. Which…shouldn't surprise me, I like Paul Simon. I just wasn't prepared for the "modern" sounds on this record - some fuzzed out guitar here, a quick-time drum-programmed beat there, etc. Will probably listen again.

I have that "If You Don't Know Me By Now" song stuck in my head this morning, despite me having no memory of ever willfully listening to it. It's just always been in the culture, like in rom-coms or whatever. Gonna catch up on my #MWE to get it out. 😄

117 & 118. Hum - Inlet As I said elsewhere, I was *thrilled* that I enjoyed 2020's Inlet considering how much time had passed between albums. Maybe not as much as YPAA & DIH but it's still a better album than most bands put out, much less 30 years later. 😄 "Cloud City" is my favorite track.

115 & 116. Hum - Downard Is Heavenward I probably first got this on CD from one of those music clubs, gave it a shot because I liked the first record. As I recall it took me a few listens to get into it but once I did, I really got it. Not a bad song on the album. This pressing includes b-sides.

#MWE 20: Fela Kuti - Open & Close Closest cultural touchstone I have for this is James Brown & his band. I can hear the African influence here, though, naturally. Long jazzy soul/funk jams with rhythm guitar, percussion, & horns. Good to work to! tidal.com/album/403472...

#MWE 19: The Mississippi Mass Choir Self-titled from the gospel group. Full disclosure: I'm not Christian, and pretty much atheist. That said, this is a fantastic, joyous recording. The first tracks "Call Him Up" are musically what I'd expect at a P-Funk concert. Beautiful voices. Very enjoyable.

Suburbia has to be in the top 5. *Has* to.

#MWE 18: Lydia Loveless - Indestructible Machine I learned of LL through her 2013 EP Boy Crazy & know her following work but haven't listened to earlier. This starts with revved-up electric country/bluegrass & oscillates between that gear & slower tunes but it's Lydia's voice & lyrics that star.

#MWE 17: Del tha Funkee Homosapien - I Wish My Brother George Was Here Liberace or Bugs Bunny? Who can say. 😂 (Wikipedia says Bugs, so there you go.) Breezy hip-hop sounds that belie the subjects of Del's raps. Del's one of my favorites. This is a great debut. tidal.com/album/407115...

#MWE 16: Captain Beefheart - Safe as Milk Some sounds like run-of-the-mill "rock" from the 60s. Some sounds like they're trying to be "edgy." I suppose if I were trying to be edgy in the late 60s this would do. In 2026, it just sounds kinda silly. tidal.com/album/195150...

#MWE 15: King Crimson - Islands Jazzbo rock stuff with a cover of stars in a nebula. Some of the guitar is in a rockin' groove, other stuff seems designed to annoy. 😄 I'll finish listening but I feel like I've heard what I need to hear from this. tidal.com/album/333606...

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#MWE 14: Ari Lennox - Vacancy Slow, soulful jams. Had this recommended on a podcast so thought I'd have a listen. Not an everyday listen for me but I did like "High Key" and "Soft Girl Era." I'd like to hear her guest on a Gorillaz track. Not sure what makes me say that. 😄 tidal.com/album/491180...

#MWE 13: Davie Bowie - Reality I'm definitely more of a early-mid period Bowie fan so I tried to pick one outside my general knowledge. Didn't like the cover of "Pablo Picasso" but "The Loneliest Guy" is giving strong Blackstar vibes. His voice in general sounds more like Blackstar.

#MWE 12: Grateful Dead - Go to Heaven The first song "Alabama Getaway" more than anything sounds like an uptempo Jimmy Buffett tune from around the same era, 1980. To the point now that I'm curious if Jimmy ever covered it. 😄🦜💀 Jammy songs in the middle bookended by traditional 3-minute tunes.

113 & 114. Hum - You'd Prefer An Astronaut What a fucking record, eh? "Stars" is amazing but there's great stuff like that all over this album. Love these reissues from Polyvinyl, you can still get them! Plus other cool merch. 😎

#MWE 11: Sly & the Family Stone - Ain't But The One Way Not peak S&tFS but it'll do. Horns, grooves, silly lyrics. Oh, and a cover of "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ More disco than funk it feels like, but even disco was passé by 1981. tidal.com/album/831208...

#MWE 10: AC/DC - Rock or Bust Late era AC/DC but let's be honest with ourselves - we know what we're getting here. Heavy riff rock + Brian Johnson's growl. Delivered. 😄 tidal.com/album/380360...

112. Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers This is one I grabbed from my dad's vinyl collection too, I've had it for…30 years or so? Loved Hound Dog's playing & singing from the moment I heard it. So much joy in these blues. The first Alligator Records release! Wish I'd seen them live.

#MWE 9: The Who - Endless Wire For MWE this year, I wanted to listen to albums that I hadn't heard by classic artists. I've heard most of The Who's music through the 60s & 70s, so chose this 2006 mini-opera. Sounds like The Who! Weird, right? 😄 "Mike Post Theme" could've fit on an older album.

#MWE 8: They Might Be Giants - The Else Not sure why I stopped listening to every @tmbg.bsky.social release when they came out. I put this 2007 album on my MWE list because I didn't even recognize the cover photo! But it's great. Everything I love about TMBG, *especially* John & John's harmonies. ☺️