Southwest Washington, D.C., boothy443, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
A few weeks ago, I offered Americans a chance to end my boycott of American music if they voted to give the Democrats both houses of Congress in this year’s midterms. I wanted to see clear evidence that Americans were determined to rejoin the group of civilized nations by rejecting authoritarianism and restoring the checks and balances built into the Constitution.
Then the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Several red states acted quickly by gerrymandering Democrat-leaning, African-American districts out of existence, bringing Jim Crow back to the South. The rigging of the midterms is far from over. Twenty-eight states are under full Republican control, compared to 18 for the Democrats, so even if the Democrats fought back with their own gerrymandering, their odds of taking the House are no longer a safe bet. And who knows what sort of crap Voldemort and his minions will come up with to ensure GOP control of all three branches of government? End mail-in voting? Station ICE agents at the polling places? Declare a state of emergency?
Given all the political hijinks, my boycott now feels somewhat draconian. I am therefore withdrawing my conditions for ending the boycott and will resume reviewing American music shortly. This change of plans will not affect the reviews I previously announced in my “Decisions” post. I’ll squeeze in the Americans when I can.
Two other developments factored into my decision to give the Yanks a break. First and foremost, I managed to convince my director of my value as an outsider and signed on for another two-year gig with the EU. This allows me to continue to work from home for the most part so I can take care of life priorities (sex and music) while still working to preserve human rights. The second development was the realization that I cannot possibly complete a study of a century of timeless popular music without the Yanks. I already knew that, but something caught my eye that told me I’d better start cracking and get to work.
That something was something I look at every single day: the menu bar on the home page. I have written 256 reviews of American albums, but a peek at the menu bar told me that something was amiss. 17 artists have been honored with a spot on the menu bar for reaching the 5-review threshold. Here’s a breakdown of those artists by country:
- U.K. (14)
- Canada (2)
- United States (1)
The only American to make it to the finish line is Phil Ochs. Miles Davis, the Doors, and the Grateful Dead are close with four. Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Steely Dan are two short. I could easily close those gaps, and a few others might have a shot. There are also several American albums and artists of historical significance that I feel obligated to review, as well as the occasional “I like it, and I don’t give a shit if anyone else does” selections.
I always like to get ahead of things, so a few weeks ago I came up with a working list of the American albums I wanted to review once the boycott ended. I can’t promise I will get to all of them, but I thought I’d share the list with you so you can get the drift of my thinking. You will notice that one of the artists on this list was on my no-fly list for years, but you gotta love a guy who is actively protesting against a “corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.”
| Bernstein-Sondheim | West Side Story Original Soundtrack |
| Beyoncé | Renaissance |
| Billy Joel | TBD |
| Bob Dylan | Another Side of Bob Dylan |
| Bob Dylan | Blonde on Blonde |
| Bob Dylan | John Wesley Harding |
| Bob Dylan | Blood on the Tracks |
| Bruce Springsteen | Born to Run |
| Bruce Springsteen | Darkness on the Edge of Town |
| Bruce Springsteen | Nebraska |
| Chicago | Chicago II (Steven Wilson Remix) |
| Country Joe and the Fish | I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin-to-Die |
| Dave Brubeck | Time Out |
| Dolly Parton | Coat of Many Colors |
| Goo Goo Dolls | Dizzy Up the Girl |
| Grateful Dead | TBD |
| Green Day | Dookie |
| Harry Nilsson | Pandemonium Shadow Show |
| Harry Nilsson | Harry |
| James Taylor | Sweet Baby James |
| John Coltrane | Blue Train |
| Marvin Gaye | TBD |
| Mary Wells | Compilation |
| Miles Davis | TBD |
| Pat Benatar | Gravity’s Rainbow |
| Song Series | Surfin’ |
| Song Series | Teen Idols |
| Sonic Youth | Goo |
| Steely Dan | TBD |
| Stevie Wonder | TBD |
| Taylor Swift | Folklore |
| Taylor Swift | Evermore |
| The Doors | Waiting for the Sun |
| The Trucks | The Trucks |
| Thelonious Monk | TBD |
| Todd Rundgren | TBD |
| Tom Petty | TBD |
| Velvet Underground | Velvet Underground and Nico |
| Wayne Shorter | TBD |
| Weather Report | Heavy Weather |
“Wait a minute!” I hear you say. “I thought you hated musicals.” Yes, I expressed those feelings several times, but I should have used more precise language. I hate watching musicals, but I like listening to some musical soundtracks . . . like West Side Story.
Now listen up, Yanks! Just because I’ve ended the boycott doesn’t mean that you’re off the hook for the midterms. DO WHAT THE MAN SAYS!
And if that’s not enough to motivate you to vote, next week’s review covers an album that depicts the future that awaits you if you do nothing . . . and it sure ain’t paradise.
