Vote

I have to say that I am very very glad that Ms. Roseanne Cash has her voice back and her new effort Rules of Travel is every bit as great as Stereophile wrote.

CCR Green River

This year I started to explore Opera and Jazz. I had heard most of the major opera and had a copy but this year I started chooing opera when I turned to classical. I was never much of a jazz fan but this year Mosaic's vinyl turned me on to Miles Davis. I cannot pick a best reissue but I have them all. A mjor investment of money and time.Time well spent.

John Coltrane - Soultrane

Only one, Wow, at least the good news is that I had to think about it. You did her justice in a feature earlier this year. I am so glad her voice is back and she sounds better than ever. With apologies to Mr. Fremer but in "heavy rotation" since new Roseanne Cash-Rules of Travel

a hybrid

Boulez conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 3. Jaw-droppingly beautiful playing by the Vienna Philharmonic. Astonishing concentration and execution. Very nice recording too!

The Transfiguration of Vincent by M. Ward (Merge Records). Our local paper described his sounds as post-indie-rock folk, which fits. The sound only gets 3.5 stars (out of 5), but the music is a 6!

White Strips

Royksopp's "Melody A.M." was my pick for the year with "The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 1" not making top honors since I only bought it four days ago. Everything really good that I bought this year came out in 2002 like "Out of Season" by Beth Gibbons and Nuspirit Helsinki's last release.

The Rolling Stones Remastered. Abckco's reissue of this series of albums recorded by The Rolling Stones on London Records is at the top of my list. I have to apologize and first say that I have not yet listened to everything. I have been slowly working my way through the catalog, one album at a time, and I've only gotten through Between the Buttons. I kind of get hooked on one album and can't stop listening to it. But, even that is telling; this stuff is so good that even though I've heard "Mona" a hundred times before, this series makes me want to hear it a hundred times more. Abkcco has done a great job of listening to what's in the vaults, and selecting some really clean and highly detailed recordings for us. They have left the sense of rawness in The Rolling Stones intact; I think that comparing some of my older LP's and CD's illustrates this. The Stones were a lot more visceral than the images we have had of them up to now. These were really bad boys. But, it's great music, and Abkcco put these remasters on LP, and on SACD, and since they chose a hybrid SACD, CD listeners can benefit as well.

Dino Saluzzi reissue of Vivencias, his entry point to jazz. A great job by the argentinean newspaper Pagina 12 at a bargain price, with good quality and a great booklet with all the information.

the flaming lips 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 5.1'