2014 New Classical Releases Index (Collaborative Playlist)

Thanks everyone for updating the 2011, 2012 and 2013 New Classical Releases Indices. Let's do it again in 2014 and hopefully next year you won't have to use a playlist to browse the newly recorded/released classical albums of the year.

Same rules as before:

1. One track per album. You can click album titles and browse full albums.

2. Add new tracks at the top of the playlist, so the new additions can be found easily.

3. Please avoid duplicated entries. Use the filter bar to check before adding. For example: before you add Daniel Barenboim – New Year's Concert 2014 / Neujahrskonzert 2014, you can press Ctrl (CMD) + F to bring out the filter bar, input partial title (like Barenboim or new year's concert) to check if the album has already been added.

4. Only add newly recorded albums. No re-issues, re-packages or compilations of previously released material.

Get the regularly updated 2014 classical catalog in one Spotify playlist here: 2014 New Classical Releases Index (No reissues or compilations).

Wagner's Vision - Bayreuth Heritage on Spotify

"This 50-CD set is released to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Richard Wagner, and is an outstanding sound document of the history of the Bayreuth Festival during the first half of the 20th century. The collection includes music from all operas authorised by Wagner for performance in Bayreuth. To complement the edition, scenes and solo titles out of the decades of the festival direction of Cosima, Siegfried and Winifred Wagner are included. They go back to the festival summer of 1904 and communicate impressions from important and famous performances until 1943.

Recordings from New Bayreuth of the Wagner grandsons Wieland and Wolfgang lead to the newest era of the festival. All performances on the 50 CDs are original recordings from Bayreuth and are directed by Siegfried Wagner, Richard Strauss, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Victor de Sabata, Karl Muck, Herbert von Karajan, Clemens Krauss, Joseph Keilberth, Hans Knappertsbusch, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Lorin Maazel and André Cluytens – a role call of some of the 20th century’s greatest conductors." - introduction from The Wagnerian

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist here: Wagner's Vision - Bayreuth Heritage (311 tracks, total time: 34 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. All available titles listed here are on Spotify. More reviews and discussions. For Complete Wagner, see my previous playlist.

2013 New Classical Releases Index (Collaborative Playlist) + 2012 New Soundtrack Releases

Two days into 2013, there are already 46 new classical albums on Spotify, ranging from Lisa Batiashvili's Brahms violin concerto, to a new recording of Rzewski's modern masterpiece The People United Will Never Be Defeated. To search and browse all the new releases more easily, you may want to subscribe to this 2013 New Classical Releases Index. It is a collaborative playlist and everyone can help to update it. A few rules to keep the playlist neat and useful:

1. One track per album. You can click album titles and browse full albums.

2. Add new tracks at the top of the playlist, so the new additions can be found easily.

3. Please avoid duplicated entries. Use the filter bar to check before adding. For example: before you add Peter Maxwell Davies – Maxwell Davies: Piano Concerto - Worldes Bli, you can press Ctrl (CMD) + F to bring out the filter bar, input partial title (like Davies piano) to see if the album is already in the playlist.

4. Only add newly recorded albums. No re-issues, re-packages or compilations of previously released material.

Get the regularly updated 2013 classical catalog in one Spotify playlist here. Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view.

Thanks ferrisc for helping to update the 2012 playlist (which has 1521 albums by now). He has compiled a wonderful 2012 New Soundtrack Releases playlist that includes John Williams's Lincoln, Jonny Greenwood's The Master, Howard Shore's The Hobbit and dozens more.

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).

Notable Spotify Playlists of 2012

1. Radio Rambler and Radio Rambler - previously played

Contemporary classical gems, handpicked by Tim Rutherford-Johnson. Regularly updated. Originally published on his blog.

2. THE AWL'S "DIFFICULT LISTENING HOUR" 100 SPOTIFY TRACKS FROM 2012

Curated by Seth Colter Walls, a great mix of multiple genres. Originally published on The Awl.

3. The "complete" John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins

Chronological collection of the jazz greats, sorted by recording sessions. Originally published by Fernando Ortiz de Urbina on his blog.

4. Indie Classical

Originally published on Pitchfork.

5. NPR - Top 50 Albums of 2012

Selected by NPR, playlist compiled by Marty Gregwah.

6. Radiohead Office Charts

Fan-made playlist, after the Office Chart posted by the band on Dead Air Space. From John Luther Adams to J Dilla. Regularly updated.

7. Delos 2012 New Releases and The Delos Catalog

Curated by Delos, "The Great American Label". Their releases cover the easy-to-access classics, core repertoire and edgy new music almost equally well, and their official site is truly impressive and useful.

8. Do I have to make it 10? I must confess that I spent much more time compiling playlists other than looking for them. If you like, please select three more from my over 300 playlists!

Happy listening. Suggestions would be much appreciated.

2013 Grammy Classical Nominees on Spotify

2013 Grammy Classical Nominees:

Best Orchestral Performance

• Adams: Harmonielehre & Short Ride In A Fast Machine - Michael Tilson Thomas, Conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
• Mahler: Symphony No. 1 - Iván Fischer, Conductor (Budapest Festival Orchestra)
• Music For A Time Of War - Carlos Kalmar, Conductor (Oregon Symphony)
• Rachmaninov: Symphonic Dances - Valery Gergiev, Conductor (London Symphony Orchestra) 
• Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 5 - Osmo Vänskä, conductor (Minnesota Orchestra)

Best Opera Recording

• Berg: Lulu - Michael Boder, Conductor; Paul Groves, Ashley Holland, Julia Juon & Patricia Petibon; Johannes Müller, Producer (Symphony Orchestra Of The Gran Teatre Del Liceu)
• Handel: Agrippina - René Jacobs, Conductor; Marcos Fink, Sunhae Im, Bejun Mehta, Alexandrina Pendatchanska & Jennifer Rivera (Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin)
• Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress - Vladimir Jurowski, Conductor; Topi Lehtipuu, Miah Persson & Matthew Rose; Johannes Müller, Producer (London Philharmonic Orchestra; Glyndebourne Chorus)
• Vivaldi: Teuzzone - Jordi Savall, Conductor; Delphine Galou, Paolo Lopez, Roberta Mameli, Raffaella Milanesi & Furio Zanasi (Le Concert Des Nations)
• Wagner: Der Ring Des Nibelungen - James Levine & Fabio Luisi, Conductors; Hans-peter König, Jay Hunter Morris, Bryn Terfel & Deborah Voigt; Jay David Saks, Producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

Best Choral Performance

• Handel: Israel In Egypt - Julian Wachner, Conductor (Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Trinity Choir Wall Street)
• Life & Breath - Choral Works By René Clausen - Charles Bruffy, Conductor (Matthew Gladden, Lindsey Lang, Rebecca Lloyd, Sarah Tannehill & Pamela Williamson; Kansas City Chorale)
• Ligeti: Requiem; Apparitions; San Francisco Polyphony - Peter Eötvös, Conductor (Barbara Hannigan & Susan Parry; Wdr Sinfonieorchester Köln; Swr Vokalensemble Stuttgart & Wdr Rundfunkchor Köln)
• The Nightingale - Stephen Layton, Conductor (Michala Petri; Danish National Vocal Ensemble)
• Striggio: Mass For 40 & 60 Voices - Hervé Niquet, Conductor (Le Concert Spirituel)

Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

• Americana - Modern Mandolin Quartet
• Meanwhile - Eighth Blackbird
• Mind Meld - Zofo Duet
• Profanes Et Sacrées - Boston Symphony Chamber Players
• Rupa-khandha - Los Angeles Percussion Quartet

Classical Instrumental Solo

• Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Clavier - András Schiff
• The Complete Harpsichord Works Of Rameau - Jory Vinikour
• Gál & Elgar: Cello Concertos - Claudio Cruz, Conductor; Antonio Meneses (Northern Sinfonia)
• Holst: The Planets - Hansjörg Albrecht
• Kurtág & Ligeti: Music For Viola - Kim Kashkashian

Classical Vocal Solo

• Debussy: Clair De Lune - Natalie Dessay (Henri Chalet; Philippe Cassard, Karine Deshayes & Catherine Michel; Le Jeune Coeur De Paris)
• Homecoming: Kansas City Symphony Presents Joyce Didonato - Joyce Didonato (Michael Stern; Kansas City Symphony)
  Paris Days, Berlin Nights - Ute Lemper (Stefan Malzew & Vogler Quartet)
  Poémes - Renée Fleming (Alan Gilbert & Seiji Ozawa; Orchestre National De France & Orchestre Philharmonique De Radio France)
  Sogno Barocco - Anne Sofie Von Otter (Leonardo García Alarcón; Sandrine Piau & Susanna Sundberg; Ensemble Cappella Mediterranea)

Classical Compendium

• Partch: Bitter Music - Partch, Ensemble; John Schneider, Producer
• Penderecki: Fonogrammi; Horn Concerto; Partita; The Awakening Of Jacob; Anaklasis - Antoni Wit, Conductor; Aleksandra Nagórko & Andrzej Sasin, Producers
• Une Fête Baroque - Emmanuelle Haïm, Conductor; Daniel Zalay, Producer

Contemporary Classical Composition

• Hartke, Stephen: Meanwhile - Incidental Music To Imaginary Puppet Plays Stephen Hartke, Composer (eighth blackbird)
• León, Tania: Inura For Voices, Strings & Percussion - Tania León, Composer (Tania León, Son Sonora Voices, Dancebrazil Percussion & Son Sonora Ensemble)
• Praulins, Ugis: The Nightingale - Ugis Praulins, Composer (Stephen Layton, Michala Petri & Danish National Vocal Ensemble)
• Rautavaara, Einojuhani: Cello Concerto No. 2 'towards The Horizon' - Einojuhani Rautavaara, Composer (Truls ørk, John Storgárds & Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)
• Stucky, Steven: August 4, 1964 - Steven Stucky, Composer; Gene Scheer, Librettist (Jaap Van Zweden, Dallas Symphony Chorus & Orchestra) 

Best Engineered Album, Classical

• Americana - Daniel Shores, Engineer; Daniel Shores, Mastering Engineer (Modern Mandolin Quartet)
• Beethoven: The Late String Quartets, Op. 127 & 131 - Bruce Egre, Engineer (Brentano String Quartet)
• Life & Breath - Choral Works By René Clausen - Tom Caulfield & John Newton, Engineers; Mark Donahue, Mastering Engineer (Charles Bruffy & Kansas City Chorale)
• Music For A Time Of War - Jesse Lewis & John Newton, Engineers; Jesse Brayman, Mastering Engineer (Carlos Kalmar & The Oregon Symphony)
• Souvenir - Morten Lindberg, Engineer; Morten Lindberg, Mastering Engineer (trondheimsolistene)

Producer Of The Year, Classical

• Blanton Alspaugh
• Tim Handley
• Marina Ledin, Victor Ledin
• James Mallinson
• Dan Merceruio 

Get all available recordings on Spotify in one Spotify playlist: 2013 Grammy Classical Nominees (491 tracks, total time: 37 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view.

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.

e.e. cummings in music | Help New Amsterdam Records Rebuild

in the street of the sky night walks scattering poems - e. e. cummings

"e.e. cummings was a paradoxical poet who combined playfulness with seriousness; close attention to rhythm and rhyme with wild experimentation in grammar, spelling, and punctuation; and complicated ideas and images with simple words. His poetry's vividness and quirkiness have attracted many composers, who usually provide his poems with delicate, subtle settings to showcase their typically whimsical tones." - AllMusic

Inspired by Tin Hat's gorgeous new album on New Amsterdam: the rain is a handsome animal (17 songs from the poetry of e. e. cummings), I compiled this playlist, which includes cummings songs by Aron Copland, Morton Feldman, Pierre Boulez, Eric Whitacre, Luciano Berio, and over a dozen more composers. Also featured are pop music based on cummings's text, from Joan Baez, Ra Ra Riot and others. At the end there's three tracks of cummings reading his poetry from three albums.

Get this collection in one Spotify playlist: e.e. cummings in music (121 tracks, total time: 6 hours).Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. Some song text can be found here.

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The New York based New Amsterdam Records is a central force in creating the "indie classical" scene since 2008, and so far has released dozens of compelling (both sonically and visually) albums that otherwise might never be heard. Unfortunately its headquarters in Red Hook, Brooklyn was devastated by Hurricane Sandy. If you would like to donate to their recovery effort (I did), please visit this official page. Thank you.

Pictures at an Exhibition - Orchestrations & Arrangements for Other Forces

"Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists. It has become further known through various orchestrations and arrangements produced by other musicians and composers, with Maurice Ravel's arrangement being the most recorded and performed." - Wikipedia

This playlist consists of over 30 arrangements of Pictures, including over a dozen orchestrations, from Henry Wood, Leo Funtek, Maurice Ravel, Lucien Cailliet, Leopold Stokowski, Sergei Gorchakov (the RCA recording by Rickenbacher comes with colorful narrations), Lawrence Leonard (for piano and orchestra), Vladimir Ashkenazy (sounds much more Russian than Ravel's), Emile Naoumoff (for piano and orchestra), Leonard Slatkin (compendium version), Peter Breiner (for large orchestra). In addition, there's also arrangements for brass ensemble, piano trio, organ, trombone and piano, accordion, two accordions, cello and bass ensemble, wind orchestra, bassoon ensemble, piano and percussion, marimba duo... and yes, rock bands (ELP and metal band Mekong Delta). For solo piano, I included Kissin's performance of the original, plus Horowitz and Moiseiwitsch's own revised versions.

Get this collection in one playlist: Pictures at an Exhibition - Orchestrations & Arrangements for Other Forces (505 track, total time: 20 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. For complete list of arrangements, see Wikipedia.

The 7th Set of Bach Cantatas on Spotify

A new one voice per part (OVPP) series of Bach cantata recordings by La Petite Bande and conductor Sigiswald Kuijken is underway on Accent Records. The series will comprise 17 (some say 20) hybrid SACDs; not a complete set, but enough for a complete liturgical year. Classic FM comments: "The surround-sound experience, in which all voices register clearly within the setting of a large, reverberant space, aids contemplation of words and music. Then there is the sheer quality of Las Petite Bande's musicmaking, which blends impeccable period style with genuine substance of expression."

Get Kuijken's Bach cantatas set in one Spotify playlist: Bach Cantatas - Kuijken (310 tracks, total time: 15 hours). Ctrl (CMD) + G to browse in album view. An earlier Kuijken/LPB/Accent recording of Bach's cantatas for solo voices is not part of the series, but I included it at the end of the playlist. More links: discussions on this set at Bach Cantatas; a video of La Petite Bande Live at Ambronay 2009.

I made playlists for the other six complete sets of Bach cantatas in 2010: Rilling, Suzuki, Gardiner and Harnoncourt & Leonhardt, Leusink, Koopman (check out those posts for useful links). At that time many recordings were missing on Spotify; now every released recording from those sets are available, and the playlists were updated (if you already subscribed to them, they will update automatically in your place).

Playlists for the other six sets:

Bach Cantatas - Gardiner (1119 tracks)
Bach Cantatas - Harnoncourt & Leonhardt (1239 tracks)
Bach Cantatas - Koopman (1518 tracks)
Bach Cantatas - Leusink (1219 tracks)
Bach Cantatas - Rilling (1143 tracks)
Bach Cantatas - Suzuki (1213 tracks) 

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

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.

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.