100 Songs From 100 Outstanding 2012 Albums You Might Have Missed

If you already know your Funs and Frank Oceans, you probably do not need another "Best of 2012" playlist, except for this one.

Amazon editors: "We listen to a lot of music, and there are a lot of amazing, overlooked albums that we feel passionate about that just could't make our year-end list. And while we can't shine a spotlight on all of our favorite hidden gems of 2012, we have managed to put together a list of outstanding 2012 albums you might have missed (CDs | MP3s). To help you explore, we've assembled a playlist featuring a favorite song from each. Hit preview all and dig for more when you've found a new favorite."

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Amazon - Songs from 2012 Albums You Might Have Missed (94 tracks from 94 available albums, total time: 5 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. See this Amazon page for album list and reviews. Album No. 36, 65, 69, 74, 83, and 87 not on Spotify yet.

If you prefer to have all the full albums in one place, here's another playlist: Amazon - 100 Outstanding 2012 Albums You Might Have Missed (1159 tracks, 94 albums plus some Spotify exclusive content like track-by-track commentary albums, total time: 68 hours).

Jerry Garcia: Non-Grateful Dead Songs He Played Guitar On

This playlist was inspired by Nick Paumgarte's enthralling New Yorker article, Deadhead, The Afterlife.

Garcia named his Fender Strat "Alligator", it was was given to him by Graham Nash. In return Garcia contributed some of his best studio works to Nash's songs.

• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Teach Your Children
• Crosby / Nash – Southbound Train
• Graham Nash – I Used To Be A King
• Brewer & Shipley – Oh Mommy
• Jefferson Airplane – Today - Stereo Version
• Jefferson Airplane – The Farm - Remastered 2004
• It's A Beautiful Day – It Comes Right Down To You
• Stephen Stills – Change Partners
• New Riders Of The Purple Sage – Portland Woman
• Papa John Creach – Soul Fever
• Jerry Garcia/Howard Wales – South Side Strut
• David Crosby – Cowboy Movie
• David Crosby – Tamalpais High - 2006 Remastered LP Version
• Paul Kantner;Grace Slick – When I Was A Boy I Watched The Wolves
• New Riders Of The Purple Sage – Duncan And Brady
• David Bromberg – Demon In Disguise
• Doug Sahm – From A Jack To A King
• Bob Weir – Looks Like Rain
• Stephen Stills – Jesus Gave Love Away For Free
• David Bromberg – Someone Else's Blues
• Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg – Sketches Of China
• Art Garfunkel – Down In The Willow Garden
• Merl Saunders – After Midnight
• New Riders Of The Purple Sage – Mighty Time
• Mickey Hart – Happiness Is Drumming
• The Neville Brothers – You're The One
• Bill Cutler – Ridin' High
• Ornette Coleman;Jerry Garcia;Prime Time – 3 Wishes
• Mickey Hart – The Eliminators
• Country Joe McDonald – Starship Ride
• David Grisman – Friend Of The Devil
• David Grisman – The Fields Have Turned Brown
• Bruce Hornsby – Pastures Of Plenty
• Bruce Hornsby – Cruise Control
• Sanjay Mishra – Clouds (To Jerry Garcia)
• Country Joe McDonald – Lady with the Lamp
• Edie Brickell – Zillionaire
• Bruce Hornsby – Across The River
• David Grisman – I'll Go Crazy
• David Grisman – Freight Train
• David Grisman – Off To Sea Once More
• David Grisman – Milestones - Miles Davis Take 5, 6/2/92
• Country Joe & The Fish – Donovan's Reef Jam (Live)
• Old & In The Way – Jerry's Breakdown
• Old & In The Way – Uncle Pen

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Jerry Garcia outside Grateful Dead (45 tracks handpicked from 45 albums, total time: 4 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. See this page for a more comprehensive list.

How the Post-war Japanese Blew Their Minds on Rock 'n' Roll: Julian Cope's Japrocksampler Top 50 Albums on Spotify

The music here is insanely great, and utterly unknown. The fact that half of the albums are now available on Spotify is a miracle in itself.

The first generation of post-WWII Japanese youth created something that was so groundbreaking and penetrating, that compares to the "normal music" of western boomers at the same time (Beatles, Beach Boys etc.), it probably can only be described as Dark Matter. Some of them make even the Velvet Underground sounds like The Ventures.

About the author and the book:

"Julian Cope, visionary rock musician and musicologist, hip archaeologist and one-time frontman of The Teardrop Explodes, brings you JAPROCKSAMPLER. Until now, the language barrier has made post-war Japanese music an enigma to the West. Julian felt duty-bound to provide the key to that unfairly locked door.

Far East Family Band

This is the history of Western music's arrival on Japanese shores after WWII, and the delicious mayhem that ensued. From chromatic instrumental pop covers of The Shadows' songs to the resurrection of Dylan-inspired Rokyoku folk storytelling, nowhere has the continual metamorphosis of rock'n'roll been more fascinating or original than in Japan.

Taj Mahal Travellers

JAPROCKSAMPLER is an exploration of the clash between traditional, conservative Japanese values and the wild rock'n'roll renegades of the 1960s and '70s. It tells the tale of key artists in Japanese post-war culture, from itinerant art-house poets to violent refusenik rock groups with a penchant for plane hijacking, and rounds up the seminal japrock albums."

Les Rallizes Denudes

About the Top 50 Albums list:

"The music contained within this Top 50 consists of hard rock, proto-metal, purely psychedelic free-rock, experimental theatre works, choral and orchestral music, experimental percussion works, improvised ambient wipe-outs, progressive rock, and unadulterated guitar mayhem. However, I have chosen to place the albums in order of personal preference because certain readers of my Krautrocksampler pointed out that this would be an easier way into the trip. That said, it's essential to read more than just these reviews so as to gain a genuine perspective. Almost every artist mentioned in these reviews receives attention somewhere in the main text, so this Top 50 is included as an at-a-glance reference section."

Get all available recordings in one Spotify playlist: Julian Cope's Japrocksampler Top 50 (161 tracks, total time: 21 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. See the book's official site for more info. For Cope's more famous Krautrocksampler, see this previous playlist.

Everyday & Every Single Night: 101 Songs featuring Celesta

If you don't know what celesta is, try playing Buddy Holly's Everyday or Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning in your head. Yes it is chimes played by a keyboard, and that floating, shimmering sound is produced by felt hammers striking metal bars. In a Baroque pop setting it brings a playful, dreamy flavor to the music (Nick Drake's Northern Sky), and when played on top of jarring guitars it often sounds eerie and uncharacteristically powerful (Stooges' Penetration). Björk uses celesta a lot, and lent it to Sigur Rós for the Takk... sessions. Indie rockers, from Eels to Death Cab For Cutie, experiment with the instrument; it can also be heard on Adele and Amy Winehouse's blockbusters.

Celesta played by Vi Petty on Buddy Holly's "Everyday", May 1957.

This playlist is a collection of songs that features celesta. Other than pop/rock, I also included a few jazz recordings (Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner) and movie soundtracks (John Williams's Hedwig's Theme for Harry Potter). Some albums feature this instrument on many tracks, but I only selected one track per album.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Celesta (Celeste) in Pop, Jazz & Soundtracks (101 tracks from 101 albums, total time: 6 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. I started this playlist just because I discovered the excellent Buddy Holly box-set Not Fade Away: The Complete Studio Recordings And More on Spotify, and wanted to build something around it. The end result is much more fun than I expected. I look forward to make more playlists for uncommon instruments when I can find the time.

For celesta used in classical music, check out this NPR post.

For those who want the tracklist in text:

• Buddy Holly – Everyday
• Fiona Apple – Every Single Night
• Danger Mouse – The Rose With The Broken Neck - feat. Jack White
• Eels – Flyswatter
• Cass McCombs – The Lonely Doll
• Death Cab for Cutie – Title and Registration
• Nick Drake – Northern Sky
• Sigur Ros – Sé Lest
• Louis Armstrong – Someday You'll Be Sorry
• Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five – Basin Street Blues
• Sufjan Stevens – Sister Winter
• The Beach Boys – Girl Don't Tell Me
• Daniel Johnston – Syrup Of Tears
• Ben Harper – When She Believes
• Iggy & The Stooges – Penetration
• Deerhoof – The Tears and Music of Love
• Beck – Strange Invitation
• Amy Winehouse – Tears Dry On Their Own
• Adele – First Love (album)
• The National – Conversation 16
• The Bees – The Start
• James Brown – America Is My Home
• Bruce Springsteen – American Land
• The Waterboys – Trumpets
• Richard Hawley – For Your Lover Give Some Time
• Björk – Mother Heroic
• Björk – The Comet Song 
• Frank Sinatra – I'll Never Smile Again
• Frank Sinatra – Pennies From Heaven
• Yeasayer – Damaged Goods
• The Decemberists – O New England
• Judy Collins – Houses
• Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights
• Keith Richards – Hate It When You Leave
• Tracey Thorn – By Piccadilly Station I Sat Down And Wept
• Gene Wilder – Pure Imagination
• Tracey Thorn – Come On Home To Me
• Stevie Wonder – As If You Read My Mind
• Mink DeVille – Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl
• Tom Waits – Ice Cream Man
• The Moody Blues – Emily's Song
• Harry Potter Soundtrack – Hedwig's Theme
• Heidi Berry – One-String Violin
• Björk – The Boho Dance
• Björk – Sun In My Mouth
• Robert Forster – Demon Days
• Dido – Look No Further
• Elvis Costello And The Attractions – All This Useless Beauty
• Paul Simon – Hurricane Eye
• Doveman – Hurricane
• Paul Simon – Questions for the Angels
• Rufus Wainwright – Beauty Mark
• Whitney Houston – I Was Made To Love Him
• Eric Burdon & the Animals – White Houses
• Jarvis Cocker – Big Julie
• Richard Hawley – I'm Looking For Someone To Find Me
• Fiona Apple – Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song)
• Passion Pit – Where We Belong
• Alanis Morissette – Tapes
• Jason Mraz – Who Needs Shelter
• Beirut – Forks And Knives (La Fête)
• John Mayer – Who Says
• Pearls Before Swine – Man In The Tree
• The Association – Cherish
• Thelonious Monk – Pannonica (Incomplete)
• The Polyphonic Spree – Lithium
• Frank Zappa – Absolutely Free
• U2 – Bad
• McCoy Tyner – Once I Loved (O Amor Em Paz)
• Carole King – Growing Away From Me
• John Denver – Aspenglow
• Stereolab – Vonal Declosion
• Tim Buckley – Song Of The Magician
• My Brightest Diamond – Something of an End
• Ryan Adams – Wild Flowers
• Giovanca – On My Way
• Eurythmics – Adrian
• Badly Drawn Boy – Stockport
• Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
• Fad Gadget – Collapsing New People
• Jamie Lidell – Compass
• The Monkees – It's Nice To Be With You
• Charlotte Gainsbourg – In The End
• Cat Stevens – (Remember The Days Of The) Old Schoolyard
• Carly Simon – Fairweather Father
• Christina Aguilera – All I Need
• Lionel Richie – You Mean More To Me
• Jamie Cullum – Mixtape
• Marvin Gaye – Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
• Perry Keyes – Poor Boy
• Chet Baker – My Ideal
• Madeleine Peyroux – Blue Alert
• Clare & The Reasons – Nothing/Nowhere
• Divine Fits – Flaggin A Ride
• Bic Runga – Music And Light
• Amanda Palmer – What's The Use Of Wondrin
• Roberta Flack – Won't You Be My Neighbor?
• Add N To x – The Regent Is Dead
• Aluminium – Forever For Her (Four Tet Remix)
• Paul Weller – Night Lights
• The Velvet Underground – Sunday Morning

Bob Dylan: Tempest Pre-mix on Spotify

Tempest, Bob Dylan's 35 studio album, is his first album of original material since I got into Spotify (shortly after Together Through Life). I listened to the free streaming on iTunes a few times last week and I've already like it better than Modern Times, which is also one of my top 10 Dylan albums. Scarlet Town sounds like the destination he set out for in Ain't Talking, and Pay In Blood, the biggest surprise in the album ("No one has ever articulated furious contempt more vividly than Dylan at his peak, an emotion that's been noticeably lacking from his recent albums" - Guardian review), is one of the darkest songs I've heard.

I compiled a playlist after this thread on Expectation Rain, the biggest online Dylan community. According to the OP it's a "pre-mix of songs that Dylan new record echoes, quotes from, or just kind of remind me & others of in a strange way right now". It's a great mix of early blues, bluegrass and folk songs (Memphis Jug Band, Big Joe Turner, Uncle Dave Macon, Bill Monroe, Louis Jordan, Mississippi Sheiks, Bobby Fuller Four and more) that Dylan drew inspiration from; some have been played on his Theme Time Radio Hour.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Bob Dylan – Tempest Pre-mix (42 tracks, total time: 2 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. More suggestions are much welcome.

P.S. Tempest is already available on Spotify EU, and should be available on Spotify US tomorrow.

Spotify Playlist Inspired by Malcolm Gladwell's Something Borrowed

We sat in his living room on the Upper East Side, facing each other in easy chairs, as he worked his way through a mountain of CDs. He played “Angel,” by the reggae singer Shaggy, and then “The Joker,” by the Steve Miller Band, and told me to listen very carefully to the similarity in bass lines. He played Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and then Muddy Waters's “You Need Love,” to show the extent to which Led Zeppelin had mined the blues for inspiration. He played “Twice My Age,” by Shabba Ranks and Krystal, and then the saccharine seventies pop standard “Seasons in the Sun,” until I could hear the echoes of the second song in the first. He played “Last Christmas,” by Wham!, followed by Barry Manilow's “Can't Smile Without You” to explain why Manilow might have been startled when he first heard that song, and then “Joanna,” by Kool and the Gang, because, in a different way, “Last Christmas” was an homage to Kool and the Gang as well. “That sound you hear in Nirvana,” my friend said at one point, “that soft and then loud, kind of exploding thing, a lot of that was inspired by the Pixies. Yet Kurt Cobain”—Nirvana’s lead singer and songwriter—“was such a genius that he managed to make it his own. And ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’?”—here he was referring to perhaps the best-known Nirvana song. “That's Boston's ‘More Than a Feeling.’ ” He began to hum the riff of the Boston hit, and said, “The first time I heard ‘Teen Spirit,’ I said, ‘That guitar lick is from “More Than a Feeling.” ’ But it was different—it was urgent and brilliant and new."

 - From Malcolm Gladwell's Something Borrowed, originally a New Yorker article, also can be found in his book What the Dog Saw.

Thanks to Spotify, you don't have to wade through a mountain of plastics to hear all the songs. Jimmy Page doesn't get streaming yet, and I put in Beth Hart's furious live performance for "Whole Lotta Love". I also included some other songs that borrowed from other songs: Billy Bragg's "A New England" took the first two lines from Paul Simon's "Leaves That Are Green"; PJ Harvey's "The Words That Maketh Murder" lifted the refrain "What if I take my problem to the United Nation?" from Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues"; Neil Young's "Borrowed Tune" and the original Stones classic "Lady Jane". The most notorious case might be Coldplay's "Viva la Vida", which stole the soaring melody from Joe Satriani's tune "If I Could Fly". The influence of Hendrix's "1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be)" on Radiohead's "Lucky" is so obvious that I'm surprised that it's not mentioned very often.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Inspried by Malcolm Gladwell - Something Borrowed (36 tracks, total time: 2 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. Every original track is placed right after the newer song that borrowed from it. Suggestions are much welcome; you may leave a comment or send to my Spotify Inbox. For Pop Songs based on classical works, see my previous playlist (one of my personal favorites).

Clint Eastwood's Musical Works on Spotify

"'Mystic River' was a difficult one, because I couldn't find a theme to that, so I finally looked at - I started thinking about the three main actors - the three boys, played by Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, and Kevin Bacon. They all formed this triangle, so I started writing a triad, playing with that on a piano. And all of a sudden I developed this theme based on this triad, which is nothing terribly complicated, but to me—in a movie, the music shouldn't be terribly complicated. It should be supporting, not overriding." - Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite directors and actors; his sentimental, sparse and atmospheric music convincingly sets the mood for many of his films, which achieved profundity in such efficient, earnest and restraint manner. This playlist is a reverse collection of Eastwood's musical works: films he scored, songs he co-wrote, musicals that he took part in, and a country album he recorded in 1959 (Cowboy Favorites). I selected one track from each album; at the end of the playlist I included an interview, in which Eastwood talks about his score for Flags of Our Fathers, and two non-original tracks from the music-related films he directed: Bird and Piano Blues.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Clint Eastwood's Musical Works: Reverse Chronological Collection (20 tracks from 20 albums). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. For more info see the music section of Eastwood's Wikipedia page.

Oh by the way Eastwood contributed voice and whistle in the first track Eastwood, taken from Brad Paisley's 2011 album This Is Country Music.

Frank Zappa: Chronological Discography (available soon on Spotify)

Zappa's catalog has been added to Spotify recently, though most albums are currently unstreamable (Waka/Jawaka is available on Spotify UK), various sources (including Digital Music News) suggest that a change is indeed gonna come. Personally I think it will be the greatest addition to the streaming catalog in a long time. For other missing links like Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Metallica, their music is familiar to grillions, and their influence is all over the place. But to average music fans, Zappa's catalog is still largely unknown or misunderstood, and the path he paved is not for anyone to follow. In fact, he went to so many places in the music map as if only to prove that "The Road Is Blocked". His output is so vast and kaleidoscopic that it's almost impossible for even a curious fan to explore, without the help of a subscription service (the man himself proposed this idea in 1983). That's why I am so excited about this news and want to share with you immediately.

I put all Zappa albums into one playlist, sorted by release date. From Freak Out!, debut of the Mothers of Invention, to the posthumous release Mystery Disc. You can subscribe to it now and (hopefully) the tracks will be available as soon as the last license issues are sorted out. If you are a premium user, you can set the playlist, or some tracks, as available offline, so you will know when the playlist/tracks become available (to download) without checking everyday.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Frank Zappa: Chronological Discography (available soon) (917 tracks, 56 albums). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. To see the full list you need to uncheck "Hide unplayable tracks" in Spotify preferences first.

I discovered Zappa through Wong Kar-wai's 1997 film Happy Together (the scene accompanied by Chunga's Revenge is one of the highlights), and adored the few albums I bought afterwards. Thanks to the Zappa Family Trust, and content team at Spotify, now I look forward to discover more from this monumental catalog on the best streaming service in the world.

P.S. For interpretations of Zappa's works by modern ensembles and orchestras, check out my previous playlist: Zappa as Composer. For 18th century Italian composer Francesco Zappa (apparently not related to Frank, though the latter claimed so), here's a new release of his six symphonies.

Update: All albums are now available on Spotify UK and some other European countries.

Aphex Twin: Complete Discography on Spotify (Including EPs, Remixes, Collabrations & Covers)

42 tracks selected from 42 releases. Including:

• Flim performed by The Bad Plus, and Trio Elf
• 4  performed by Alarm Will Sound
• Nannou performed by The New Talent Jazz Orchestra
• Icct Hedral orchestrated by Phillip Glass
• All official releases available on Spotify, including those under the aliases The Dice Man, Polygon Window, GAK and AFX.
• Remixes of other artists:  Beck, 808 State, Seefeel, Curve and more.
• Remixes by other artists: from the DJ-Kicks albums and Warp remixes compilations.
• At the Heart of It All on NIN's Further Down the Spiral, created by Aphex Twin.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Aphex Twin: Complete Discography (Including EPs, Remixes, Collabrations & Covers) (42 tracks from 42 albums). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view.

Roger Dean's Album Covers: Chronological Collection on Spotify

"Roger Dean is an English artist, designer, architect, and publisher. He is best known for his work on posters and album covers for musicians, which he began painting in the late 1960s. The covers often feature exotic, fantasy landscapes. His work has sold more than sixty million copies world-wide." - Wikipedia

Cover of Yes – Keys To Ascension

This playlist is a collection of albums featuring cover art designed by Roger Dean. From 1969's Earth & Fire, to the new album of Asia, released this month; 67 albums in total. I picked one standout track, or my personal favorite, from every album.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: Roger Dean's Album Covers: Chronological Collection (67 tracks from 67 albums). Albums are sorted by release date. See Album Cover Gallery for selected album covers with comment. By the way, I always thought the cover of Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow was by Dean. It's not, but the album itself was partly inspired by Dean's cover for Fragile.

Ctrl (CMD) + G to enable album view; enlarge album cover to browse.

Touched By The Hand Of Eno: 150 Tracks From 150 Brian Eno Recordings on Spotify

"Ambient pioneer, glam rocker, hit producer, multimedia artist, technological innovator, worldbeat proponent, and self-described non-musician -- over the course of his long, prolific, and immensely influential career, Brian Eno was all of these things and much, much more. Determining his creative pathways with the aid of a deck of instructional, tarot-like cards called Oblique Strategies, Eno championed theory over practice, serendipity over forethought, and texture over craft; in the process, he forever altered the ways in which music is approached, composed, performed, and perceived, and everything from punk to techno to new age bears his unmistakable influence."  - AllMusic

This playlist features 150 tracks handpicked from 150 albums/EPs/singles that credit Eno as composer, instrumentalist, vocalist, mixing engineer or producer, sorted in chronological order. No cover version here, though every Eno fan should hear Music for Airports played by Bang On A Can, and Icebreaker's rendition of Apollo. Below is a list of albums included; titles are linked to articles in which details about Eno's involvement can be found. His contribution to the selected tracks are noted in the brackets.

• 1971 Cornelius Cardew: The Great Learning (as member of the Scratch Orchestra) 
• 1972 Roxy Music: Roxy Music (Eno produced some self-styled "lunacy" when Ferry asked him for a sound "like the moon" for the track "Ladytron")
• 1972 Matching Mole: Little Red Record (synthesizer on "Gloria Gloom")
• 1973 Roxy Music: Pyjamarama (Single, Eno as band member)
• 1973 Roxy Music: For Your Pleasure (Eno is very present in the final song/title track from the album)
• 1973 Brian Eno: Here Come The Warm Jets
• 1974 Robert Calvert: Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters (Eno on synthesizer, as Brian Peter George St John La Baptiste De La Salle)
• 1974 John Cale: The Man Who Couldn't Afford to Orgy/ Sylvia Said (Single from Fear)
• 1974 John Cale: Fear ("Gun" features an unusual two-man guitar solo from Manazanera and Eno, with the latter using a synthesizer to process the former's guitar playing in real-time)
• 1973 Various Artists: June 1, 1974 (Eno played synthesizer on Nico's cover of The End)
• 1974 Lady June: Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy (Eno helped out on "Tunion" and was also sole composer of the music for one of the other tracks, Optimism.)
• 1974 Nico: The End (Eno on synthesizer)
• 1974 Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)
• 1974 Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (adding vocal F/X on Gabriel's voice during The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging, another source)
• 1974 John Cale: Slow Dazzle (Eno on synthesizer)
• 1975 Phil Manzanera: Diamond Head ("Big Day" co-written and sung by Eno)
• 1975 Quiet Sun: Mainstream (Eno - synthesizer, treatments & Oblique Strategies)
• 1975 Robert Wyatt: Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (Eno played guitar & synthesizer on "5 Black Notes And 1 White Note")
• 1975 Robert Calvert: Lucky Leif And The Longships (Produced by Eno)
• 1975 Brian Eno: Another Green World
• 1975 John Cale: Helen Of Troy (Eno on synthesizer)
• 1975 Gavin Bryars: The Sinking Of The Titanic (Produced by Eno)
• 1975 Brian Eno: Discreet Music
• 1975 David Toop / Max Eastley: New And Rediscovered Musical Instruments (Produced by Eno)
• 1976 Michael Nyman: Decay Music (Produced by Eno)
• 1976 Simon Jeffes: Music From The Penguin Cafe (Produced by Eno)
• 1976 Harold Budd: The Pavilion Of Dreams (Produced by Eno)
• 1976 Brian Eno: Music For Films
• 1976 801: Live (Eno – keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, tapes and vocals)
• 1976 David Bowie: Low (Produced by Eno)
• 1976 Ultravox: Ultravox! (Produced by Eno)
• 1976 Harmonia 76: Tracks & Traces (collaboration with Harmonia)
• 1977 Brian Eno: Before And After Science
• 1977 Cluster & Eno: Cluster & Eno
• 1977 801: Listen Now (Eno - guitar treatment, chorus piano, synthesizer)
• 1977 David Bowie: Heroes (Produced by Eno)
• 1977 Camel: Rain Dances (Eno - Mini Moog, Electric piano and Piano on "Elke")
• 1978 Devo: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (Produced by Eno)
• 1978 Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings And Food (Produced by Eno)
• 1978 Eno / Moebius / Roedelius: After The Heat 
• 1978 Brian Eno: Music For Airports
• 1978 David Bowie: Lodger (Produced by Eno)
• 1979 Talking Heads: Fear Of Music (Produced by Eno) 
• 1979 David Byrne/Brian Eno: My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts
• 1980 Talking Heads: Remain In Light (Produced by Eno)
• 1980 Laraaji :Day Of Radiance (Produced by Eno)
• 1980 Jon Hassell / Brian Eno: Fourth World No. 1: Possible Musics
• 1981 David Byrne: The Catherine Wheel (Eno co-wrote, played bass and piano on "Two Soldiers")
• 1982 Brian Eno: On Land
• 1982 Material: One Down (Eno co-wrote "Holding On")
• 1983 Brian Eno: Music For Films, Volume 2
• 1983 Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno: Apollo - Atmospheres & Soundtracks
• 1984 Harold Budd / Brian Eno: The Pearl
• 1984 U2: The Unforgettable Fire (Produced by Eno)
• 1984 Brian Eno: Dune (collaboration with Toto)
• 1984 Jon Hassell: Power Spot (Bass on "Wing Melodies")
• 1985 Brian Eno: Thursday Afternoon
• 1985 U2: Wide Awake in America (Produced by Eno)
• 1985 Michael Brook: Hybrid (Produced by Eno)  
• 1985 Roger Eno: Voices
• 1985 Teresa De Sio: Africana (co-wrote and played on the last track)
• 1986 He Said: Hail (Eno played a Yamaha DX7 synthesiser on the track I Fall into Your Arms)
• 1987 U2: The Joshua Tree (Produced by Eno)  
• 1987Jon Hassell: The Surgeon Of The Nightsky Restores Dead Things By The Power Of Sound
• 1987 Harold Budd: The White Arcades (Produced by Eno)
• 1987 Pieter Nooten / Michael Brook: Sleeps With The Fishes
• 1988 Jon Hassell / Farafina: Flash Of The Spiri (Co-produced by Eno)
• 1988 Brian Eno: Opera Soundtrack
• 1988 U2: Rattle & Hum (Eno - keyboards on "Heartland")
• 1989 Zvuki Mu: Zvuki Mu (Produced by Eno)
• 1989 Daniel Lanois: Acadie (Eno co-wrote "White Mustang II")
• 1989 Terry Riley: In C (mixed by Eno)
• 1989 John Cale: Words For The Dying (Eno co-wrote most tracks)
• 1989 Neville Brothers: Yellow Moon (Eno - keyboards, sound effects, vocals on "A Change Is Gonna Come")
• 1990 Geoffrey Oryema: Exile (Eno co-wrote and played on "Land of Anaka")
• 1991 The Walkabouts: Scavenger (Eno: Synthesizer and back-up vocals on "Train to Mercy")
• 1991 U2: Achtung Baby (Produced by Eno)
• 1992 Michael Brook: Cobalt Blue (Eno co-wrote "Ultramarine")
• 1992 Brian Eno: Nerve Net
• 1992 Peter Gabriel: Us (Eno - additional keys on track 2)
• 1992 Brian Eno: The Shutov Assembly
• 1993 Depeche Mode: I Feel You (Remixed by Eno)
• 1993 Brian Eno: Neroli
• 1993 Slowdive: Souvlaki (Produced by Eno)
• 1993 U2: Zooropa (Produced by Eno)
• 1993 Jane Siberry: When I Was A Boy (Produced, and played Shaker and oboe on track #1 "Temple") 
• 1993 James: Laid (Produced by Eno)
• 1993 Geoffrey Oryema: Beat The Border (Eno - Keyboards on track 8)
• 1994 Depeche Mode: In Your Room (Remixed by Eno) 
• 1994 Bryan Ferry: Mamouna (Keyboards on ""Wildcat Days") 
• 1994 Laurie Anderson: Bright Red (Co-wrote and produced "Poison")
• 1994 James: Wah Wah (Produced by Eno)
  
• 1994 Suede: The Wild Ones ("Eno's Introducing the Band")
• 1995 Laurie Anderson: The Ugly One With The Jewels (Keyboards on track 13)
• 1995 EBN: Telecommunication Breakdown (Eno gives a little creepy breathing room for the track "Homicidal Schizophrenic")
• 1995 Help
• 1995 David Bowie: Outside (Produced by Eno)
• 1995 Passengers: Original soundtracks1 (As band member) 
• 1995 Passengers: Miss Sarajevo (As band member) 
• 1996 Joseph Arthur: Big City Secrets (Vocals on "Mercedes")
• 1997 Tim Booth: Booth And The Bad Angel (Vocals on "Butterfly's Dream")
• 1997 David Bowie: Earthling (Co-wrote "I'm Afraid of Americans")
• 1997 James: Whiplash (Produced by Eno)
• 1997 Robert Wyatt: Shleep ( Arranged and played keyboards on "Heaps of Sheep")
• 1997 Can: Sacrilege (track 1 remixed by Eno)
• 1998 U2: If God Will Send His Angels (Back vocals on "Slow Dancing")
• 1998 Baaba Maal: Nomad Soul (Co-wrote "Lam Lam")
• 1998 James: Millionaires (Produced by Eno)
• 2000 Sinead O'Connor: Faith & Courage (Eno produced, played piano on "Emma's Song")
• 2002 Various Artists: Makrodelia 2
• 2000 Sikter: Now, Always, Never (Eno co-produced, and provided back vocals & piano on "Time and Space") 
• 2001 U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind (Produced by Eno) 
• 2001 Brian Eno and J. Peter Schwalm: Drawn From Life
• 2001 James: Pleased To Meet You (Produced by Eno)
• 2002 Bryan Ferry: Frantic (Eno co-wrote and played on "I Thought")
• 2003 John Cale: HoboSapiens (Drum track on "Bicycle")
• 2003 UNKLE: Never, Never, Land (Synthesizer, effects, sampler on "I Need Something Stronger")
• 2003 Damien Dempsey: Seize The Day (Atmospheric guitar on "It's All Good")
• 2003 Robert Wyatt: Cuckooland (Vocal on "Forest")
• 2004 Rachid Taha: Tékitoi? (Eno co-wrote "Dima")
• 2005 BJ Cole: Trouble In Paradise (Credited for "processing" on "Milkshake Roadmap")
• 2005 Bronagh Gallagher: Precious Soul (String arrangements on "Hooks")
• 2005 Damien Dempsey: Shots (Vocals on first track)
• 2005 Brian Eno: Another Day On Earth
• 2005 Coldplay: X & Y (Synthesizer on "Low")
• 2005 Fovea Hex–Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent (Vocals and fretless bass on opening track)
• 2006 Paul Simon: Surprise (Eno co-wrote and provided sound landscape for "Outrageous")
• 2006 RE-TROS: Cut Off! (Eno played keyboards on this EP during vacation in China)
• 2006 J. Peter Schwalm: Musikain (Vocals on "No Order")
• 2006 Various Artists: Plague Songs
• 2006 Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra: Moving Out To The Country (Eno covers "Dreaming My Dreams With You")
• 2007 Bryan Ferry: Dylanesque (electronics" on "If Not for You")
• 2007 Robert Wyatt: Comicopera (Keyboards on "Stay Tuned"
• 2007 Daniel Lanois: Here Is What Is ( "Blue Bus" is an alternative version of "Deep Blue Day" from Apollo)
• 2007 Belinda Carlisle: Voila (Eno on kerboards)
• 2007 Leo Abrahams: The Unrest Cure (Vocals on"No Frame")
• 2007 Coldplay: Viva La Vida, or Death And All His Friends (Produced by Eno)
• 2007 David Byrne & Brian Eno: Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
• 2008 Grace Jones: Hurricane (Eno - production, keyboards, backing vocals on title track)
• 2008 Dido: Safe Trip Home (Eno co-wrote "Grafton Street")
• 2009 U2: No Line On The Horizon (Produced by Eno)
• 2009 Natalie Imbruglia: Come To Life (Includes the song "Lukas", produced by Brian during sessions with Coldplay)
• 2009 Various Artists: Athens (including a track with Brian and Karl Hyde, "Beebop Hurry".)
• 2010 Bryan Ferry: Olympia (Ssynthesizer on "Alphaville")
• 2010 Brian Eno: Small Craft On A Milk Sea
• 2010 Coldplay: Christmas Lights (Produced by Eno)
• 2011 Fovea Hex: Here Is Where We Used To Sing (Keyboards on "Every Evening")
• 2011 Anna Calvi: Anna Calvi (vocals and piano on "Desire")
• 2011 Seun Kuti: From Africa With Fury: Rise (Co-produced by Eno)
• 2011 Andrea Corr: Lifelines (Eno played keyboards and contributed sounds & backing vocals on "Pale Blue Eyes")
• 2011 Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto (Produced by Eno)

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist here: Brian Eno: Musician, Composer & Producer - Complete Chronological Collection (150 tracks from 150 albums) Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view, and click cover art or album title to browse full album. See this page for an annotated discography. Set the playlist on shuffle and enjoy some Golden Hours on Radio Eno. Look forward to add new recordings soon.

Robert Fripp: Collaborations & Guest Appearances

I used to be a big fan of King Crimson, and collected over 50 DGM CDs (by the way I am 28). I still regard Robert Fripp as a formidable guitarist; his attempt to fight unlicensed services like Grooveshark has my utmost support, but his dogmatic attitude towards digital music finally made me give up listening to King Crimson regularly.

What are successful artists doing nowadays? Beastie Boys gave 50 cameras to fans before a concert, asked them to shoot the gig in different angles and made a feature film. Grateful Dead had a long history of helping bootleggers to tape their concerts, and guess what? When they released a giant 73-CD, $450 box-set of the Europe '72 tour last year, the initial 7200 copies of the limited edition were sold out in four days, and made the Dead $3.24 million. I wonder if the annual revenue of DGM exceeds that figure.

I have no intention to embarrass Mr. Fripp as a businessman. It is his music and his call. But as a fan, I can't help but feel sorry for King Crimson, because the decision of not having their music available on iTunes, Amazon MP3 or any digital service including Spotify is damaging their own legacy. Kids today couldn't care less about your too-precious-to-be-digitized music.

I compiled a playlist for recordings that Fripp played guitar on, or contributed Soundscapes. Including David Bowie's Heroes, Brian Eno's St. Elmo's Fire, Future Sound of London's Flak, various projects with King Crimson alumni (Trey Gunn, Tony Levin, Adrian Belew & John Wetton) and many more.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist here: Robert Fripp: Collaborations & Guest Appearances (75 tracks from 75 albums) Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. Complete discography here. I noticed that when Europa String Choir's album The Starving Moon, originally a DGM release, was re-licensed to other labels and became available on Spotify, the sole track Fripp played on (ironically, it's titled The Saving Grace) was deleted. I admire Mr. Fripp's determination, and sincerely hope he leaves Bowie and Eno alone.

133 Recordings Produced by Rick Rubin on Spotify

The co-founder of the legendary Def Jam label, producer Rick Rubin was one of the key figures behind the commercial and artistic rise of hip-hop, and the mastermind behind the revival (some might say artistic redemption too) of Johnny Cash. He raised more than a few eyebrows producing Slayer in 1986 but now everybody knows he is going to produce the next new album for Metallica, and Black Sabbath. He produced Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's final studio recordings. Dr. Dre called him "hands down, the dopest producer ever that anyone would ever want to be, ever." MTV called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years." Last year he produced Adele's 21.

In 2007, Rubin was listed among Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

This one-track-per-album, chronological playlist can be used as an index of the Rick Rubin production discography. Some albums were partially produced by Rubin, like the lovely Pork And Beans from Weezer's Red Album was produced by Jacknife Lee, so I used another Rubin-produced track from that record. In some albums that I am familiar with, I also tried to select tracks that were significantly influenced by Rubin, thus Give It Away was chosen (an overall "dryer" guitar sound attributed to producer) instead of Under The Bridge, though the later song might never see the light of day if not for Rubin.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist here: Rick Rubin Production Chronological Discography (133 tracks from 133 albums) Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view (most useful feature for a playlist like this). See this Wikipedia page for more information about every album included.

Flea on Bass: Guest Appearances

Just one of my occasional forays into pop music, enjoy.

Flea, originally a jazz trumpet prodigy, is best know as the bassist and co-founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Due to his musical versatility, he has also become a much in-demand session musician, appearing on over 40 albums. This playlist is a collection of his guest appearances, covering a great range of styles, from his 1995 collaboration with Robert Fripp and Cheikha Remitti, the Queen of Raï, to the brand new album he made with Damon Albarn (Rocket Juice & The Moon). Full track list:

• Banyan – Grease The System, on Anytime At All (1999)
• Jane's Addiction – Kettle Whistle, on Kettle Whistle (1997)
• Rocket Juice & The Moon – Hey, Shooter (feat. Erykah Badu), on Rocket Juice & The Moon (2012)
• Ronnie Wood – Spoonful, on I Feel Like Playing (2010)
• Ziggy Marley – Rainbow In The Sky, on Dragonfly (2003)
• Tracy Chapman – Change, on Where You Live (2005)
• John Frusciante – Unreachable, on The Empyrean (2009)
• Sir Mix-A-Lot – Chief Boot Knocka', on Chief Boot Knocka (1994)
• Rambient – Birth Of A Girl, on So Many Worlds (2001)
• Tricky – #1 da Woman, on Blowback (2001)
• Bryan Ferry – You Can Dance, on Olympia (2010)
• Gov't Mule – Down And Out In New York City, on The Deep End, Vol. 1 (2001)
• Pigface – Divebomber, on Notes from Thee Underground (1994)
• Slash – Baby Can't Drive, on Slash (2010)
• Cheikha Rimitti – Sidi Mansour, on  Sidi Mansour (1995)
• Jewel – Barcelona, on Spirit (1998)
• Keith Caputo – Bleed For Something Beautiful, on A Fondness for Hometown Scars (2008)
• Young MC – Bust A Move, on Stone Cold Rhymin' (1989)
• The Mars Volta – Inertiatic Esp, on De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003)
• PORNO FOR PYROS – Freeway, on Good God's Urge (1996)
• Patti Smith – Gimme Shelter, on Twelve (2007)
• PORNO FOR PYROS – Hard Charger, on Rev (1999)
• Johnny Cash – Heart Of Gold, on Unearthed (2003)
• Young MC – I Come Off, on Stone Cold Rhymin' (1989)
• Jane's Addiction – Idiots Rule, on Nothing's Shocking (1988)
• Michael Brook – Ill Wind (You’re Blowing Me No Good), on Albino Alligator (1997)
• The Mars Volta – Miranda That Ghost Just Isn't Holy Anymore, on Frances the Mute (2005)
• Alanis Morissette – Narcissus, on Under Rug Swept (2002)
• Incubus – 4th Movement Of The Odyssey, on Halo 2 Original Soundtrack (2004)
• Jane's Addiction – So What!, on Kettle Whistle (1997)
• Johnny Cash – Spiritual, on Unchained (1996)
• The Mars Volta – The Widow, on Frances the Mute (2005)
• Janet Jackson – What'll I Do (Dave Navarro Mix), on Janet Remixed (2005)
• Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know, on Jagged Little Pill (1995)
• Mike Watt – Against The 70's, on Ball-Hog or Tugboat? (1995)
• Mick Jagger – Out Of Focus, on Wandering Spirit (1993)
• Action Figure Party – Flow, on Action Figure Party (2001)
• Tom Waits – Raised Right Men, on Bad As Me (2011)
• The Weirdos – Cyclops Helicopter, on Condor (1990)
• Jack Irons – Watersong, on Attention Dimension (2004)

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist here: Flea Outside RHCP: Guest Appearances (40 tracks, 3 hours of groove) In some of the albums, he played on more tracks than I selected here, and on a few track he played the trumpet or horn. Click the album titles above for more info.

Nico Muhly: Arranger & Composer

Nico Muhly (born August 26, 1981, in Vermont) is a contemporary classical music composer, who has worked and recorded with classical and pop/rock musicians, including Antony & The Johnsons, Björk, Grizzly Bear, Jónsi (singer/guitarist of Sigur Ros), and The National.

Nico Muhly, not Robert Smith without eye shadow

This playlist is a collection of music that Muhly composed, arranged, remixed or transcripted (Philips Glass's Hours for piano). The first half including songs that showcase his elegantly complex arrangement:

Tracks from Jónsi's debut Go and soundtrack We Bought A Zoo;
Tricks Of The Trade from Danish indie band Mew's album No More Stories...;  
So Far Around The Bend, and two tracks on High Violet by The National;
Four tracks from Grizzly Bear's album Veckatimest;
Three songs by Antony & The Johnsons, including Salt Silver Oxygen, which was composer by Muhly;
Brighton by Dawn Landes, featuring some impressive flute arrangement;
Three tracks from Ane Brun's Changing Of The Seasons;
One track from Doveman's The Conformist.

Second half including his sophomore solo effort Mothertongue; three album on Decca: Seeing Is Believing, A Good Understanding and I Drink The Air Before Me; two works on Analekta's  From Here On Out (which also features works by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood and Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry); Detailed Instructions, for Orchestra played by Alan Gilbert and New York Philharmonic; Ta and Clap and Flexible Music for small ensemble; brand new EP Drones & Piano and more.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist here: Nico Muhly: Arranger & Composer (87 tracks, total time: 7hours) Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. Photo by Matthew Murphy. 

Krautrocksampler: Julian Cope's 50 Kosmische Classics on Spotify

Krautrocksampler: One Head's Guide to the Great Kosmische Musik - 1968 Onwards, written by musicologist and former The Teardrop Explodes singer, Julian Cope, is a book describing the underground music scene in Germany from 1968 through the 1970s.

The book comprises a narrative of the rock and roll culture in post-WWII West Germany, along with chapters focusing on individual major artists, including Faust, Tangerine Dream, Neu!, Amon Düül I and II, Ash Ra Tempel, Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser and the Cosmic Jokers and advocate of psychedelic drugs Timothy Leary. It also has an annotated appendix of "50 Kosmische Classics." - Wikipedia

Spotify's Germany team is definitely doing a great job: on day one I already discovered many newly added recordings from German labels: as far as I know, German language version of Kraftwerk (Computerliebe sounds more like the future than Computer Love) and Sergius Golowin appeared for the first time today, and I also saw more recordings from Faust and NEU!. I made this playlist in 2010, when only 24 albums out of Cope's 50 choices were available; today I found 10 more.

Here's the Spotify playlist: Krautrocksampler: Julian Cope's 50 Kosmische Classics (226 tracks, total time: 46 hours) Ctrl (CMD)+G to browse in album view. I haven't read Krautrocksampler (because it's long been out of print and a used copy goes for $200), but Cope's Japrocksampler was such an eye-opener and a great pleasure to read. Get them when  a copy at reasonable price appears, you will find music that other people don't dare to tell you.

Songs of Bob Dylan: After Clinton Heylin's Chronological List

To celebrate Bob Dylan's return to Spotify, I compiled a chronological playlist of songs written by the master, after renowned Dylanlogist Clinton Heylin's two volume companion to every Dylan song from 1957 to 2006: Revolution In The Air and Still On The Road.

Mostly I use Dylan's studio takes for the playlist, with a few live recordings/demos from the official bootleg series, like It's All Over Now Baby Blue & Visions of Johanna from the "Royal Albert Hall" Concert, and a studio outtake of Born In Time - like the other dozen or so outtakes of this song circulating among bootleggers, it sounds vastly superior to the version appeared on the album. Heylin's list ends at 2006, I also included the 2009 album Together Through Life and The Love That Faded from 2011's The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams. Please note no covers are included here - though Dylan's two recordings of traditional folk songs from the early 1990s are up there with Cash's American Recordings - on the other hand, a few songs performed by other artists are included, like Love Is Just A Four-Letter Word sang by Joan Baez, because Dylan never officially recorded it.

Here's the Spotify playlist: Songs of Bob Dylan: After Clinton Heylin's Chronological List (392 tracks, total time: 30 hours) (CMD)+G to browse in album view.

Also check out this awesome blog: Every Bob Dylan Song.