Hi Everyone, Here are my lists of favorite albums of 2013. As is my usual custom, I’ve broken this down into several categories, as I’m just not comfortable ranking unlike entities on one list.   Contemporary Categories   Those marked with an * are LP-only releases, those with a **are download-only.   I. Top 100 Albums   As always, I listened to a lot of albums this year, and there were significantly more...

Hi Everyone, Here are my lists of favorite albums of 2012. As is my usual custom, I’ve broken this down into several categories, as I’m just not comfortable ranking unlike entities on one list.   Contemporary Categories   Those marked with an * are LP-only releases and those marked with an ** are download-only releases.  I’m hoping I didn’t forget to include some of the download-onlies: my filing system for them isn’t...

My First Concert By David Bash   In early 1972, The Carefree Sugarless Gum Company (remember them??) had a contest where they asked junior high schools within a 50 mile radius of New York City to send in as many of their product’s wrappers as they could, and the school which sent in the most wrappers would receive, as their prize, an appearance by none other than The Grass Roots!  Even though by 1972 their best days were behind them, we...

My Top 10 Beach Boys Songs of All-Time by David Bash   10. Time To Get Alone-I don’t waltz, but if I ever learn, this would be the song to which I’d do my first! I love all the counterpoint, which had become a Beach Boys staple not long before and would flourish even further in the next few years. The echoed “Deep And Wide” just kills me, as do the strings after the final “aren’t you glad we got...

Three Reviled Men Who Need To Have Their Due By David Bash   As most passionate Beach Boys fans would agree, Murry Wilson, Mike Love, and Eugene Landy have been villified, castigated, even reviled for having done so many heinous things over the years, several in particular which have adversely affected Brian Wilson.  I’m not here to take issue with any of that, other than to say that while these attacks are not errors of commission,...

  David Bash’s Favorite Albums of 2011   Hi Everyone,   Here are my lists of favorite albums of 2011. As is my usual custom, I’ve broken this down into several categories, as I’m just not comfortable ranking unlike entities on one list.   Contemporary Categories   The year 2011 marked the emergence of LP-only releases, as well as download-only releases (I’m not in favor of the download-only model, but I...