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Clive Gregson & Christine Collister: Home & Away

American Idiot by Greenday. It's sheer rockin' fun.

Brian Wilson: SMiLE; Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company; and a close runner-up, Steve Earle's The Revolution Starts Now.

Old selection re-released on Classic Records 180gm: David & David's Boomtown. New release: Mark Knopfler: Shangrila on SACD.

I dunno.... if it's Red Book, forget it. I got lots of music. If it's 24/96 in a format I can play in my computer, EVERYTHING. In the meantime, I will just keep buying 400GB HDs an those handy RAID cards.

Kapustin: Piano music, played by M-A Hamelin on Hyperion CDA67433.

Jonathan Butler: The Gospel Project

I bought more music from years past this year than stuff that came out in 2004.

White Stripes, White Stripes, White Stripes.

As last year, etc. HAM with Skertflog: Live from Reykjavik in Iceland. It rocks like ...

1) Vivaldi: Il cimento dell

Celtic Harp

Arthur Russell had another good posthumous year with World of Echo, but the recorded music experience of the year was Revenant's Albert Ayler box.

Pink Floyd's Pulse on UK vinyl. It's worth 10s of thousands in equipment upgrades on its own. Truely a reference recording of a reference performance.

Wilco: A Ghost is Born

I am torn between Hymns Of The 49th Parallel by kd lang and The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Krall

Drive By Truckers' The Dirty South. A downright spooky album!

My two records 2 die 4 for 2004 are CDs. First Michael Nyman's Decay Music, Nyman at 60. A three selection set with Michael playing solo piano on two and with help by Nigel Shipway, a percussion set in-between. Subtly powerful and moving. With choral music being amongst my favorite, I choose Bjork

Geraint Watkins: Dial W For Watkins.

Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company

Twentysomething Jamie Callum

1)Tommy by The Who on SACD 2. Gene Harris-Plus One on 45 rpm vinyl from Grove Note

Easier this year than many: SMiLE. "I believe you, Mr. Wilson, ...and I often think about you when I hear your music play." (Ah, a John Cale reference—we love it!&#151Ed.)

The sound quality on the Classic reissue of CSN&Y's Deja Vu is amazing. Especially the bass guitar at the beginning of "Carry On" and the end of "Woodstock." I wouldn't bother to recommend a 30-year-old record as a R2D4, but this makes it on sonics alone. It clobbered a blues record from a well known audiophile label (not saying which) that I played right before Deja Vu yesterday.

1) Metallica's 10 LP Vinyl Box set. Nine 180 gram LPs and a picture disc. A must have for pre-Black Album Metallica fans. 2) Velvet Revolver's debut album. Nothing fancy, just good rock music. Tasty stuff.

SMiLE by Brian Wilson and Naked for the Holidays by Bare Naked Ladies.

Loretta Lynn: Van Lear Rose; John Cale: HoboSapiens. This is a masterpiece from Cale. At 62, he is showing the younger ones a thing or two.

Gov't Mule: The Deepest End; Brian Wilson: SMiLE; North Mississippi All Stars: Live at Bonaroo.

When I Fall in Love by Chris Botti; This Guy's in Love by Steve Tyrell. My first discs by these two artists. I really enjoy the old standards, and these artists each deliver them with a unique, easy style.

kd lang: Hymns of the 49th Parallel