Wild & Wild

After spending some time walking down memory lane with my a few of my favorite Sunset Strip bands (The Doors, Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue and Eagles), I moved on in my CD collection to my Henry Rollins chunk.

I detailed my great affection for Henry Rollins two years ago, so won't rehash that here. What I will say, though, is how great it was to listen to his music again. I've generally been a bigger fan of Henry Rollins' books and spoken word, and haven't found my way into Black Flag, but his solo music is damn good.

I was lucky enough to attend two Rollins Band concerts. Both times, the band played sets comprised mostly of songs from forthcoming or just-released albums, so I knew none of the songs being played. Despite that, both shows were among the best I've ever seen. Henry Rollins always has a good band accompanying him, particularly the bass players he enlists. The man himself is one of the best front men ever, giving every ounce of blood and sweat he can for the benefit of the audience.

I was reminded of all that with the few music CDs I have of his, and I was glad of it.

Here's what my Henry Rollins bit contained:

"The Boxed Life"
Wartime: "Fast Food for Thought"
Rollins Band: "Insert Band Here: Live in Australia 1990"
"Sweatbox"
"A Rollins in the Wry"
Rollins Band: "Yellow Blues"
Rollins Band: "A Clockwork Orange Stage"
"Big Ugly Mouth"/"Short Walk on a Long Pier"
"Think Tank"
"Live at the Westbeth Theater"
"Talk Is Cheap Volume 1"
"Talk Is Cheap Volume 2"
"Talk Is Cheap Volume 3"
"Talk Is Cheap Volume 4"
"Spoken Word Guy"
"Spoken Word Guy 2"
"Nights Behind the Tree Line"

Following Henry Rollins was The Queen of Rock 'n Roll, Ms. Tina Turner. Starting in high school, when the film "What's Love Got to Do With It" came out, I really got into Tina Turner. I've seen the movie many, many times (and quotes from it were an in-joke with some of my friends) and listened to the soundtrack on cassette repeatedly. I've seen her in concert three times and they were all great shows.

With so many CDs in my collection, it's easy to lose some in the mix, and that's what happened with Tina Turner. Her music holds a special place in my life and I know I have to go back to it more often, especially now that I'm the aunt to some fantastic little girls who could definitely benefit from some exposure to Ms. Turner, her strength, grace, playfulness and attitude.

Here is what I listed to today from Tina Turner:

"Tina Live in Europe Disc 1"
"Tina Live in Europe Disc 2"
"Simply the Best"

The going is a bit slower than I anticipated on this CD-listening project and I still have a very long way to go (at this point, it will be months before I can dip into John Mayer again). At least I have some incredible music to look forward throughout this process. Up next, the incredible Brian Setzer, solo, with the legendary Stray Cats and with his amazing Orchestra. Stay tuned!