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To refresh memories: In my August 2010 column I asked readers to submit lists of those albums or tracks that contained their personal "mystic chords of memory." My own list was:

1) Linda Ronstadt: "Long, Long Time" (by Gary B. White); from Silk Purse (1970) and The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt (CD, Rhino 76109).

2) Roberta Flack: "Jesse" (by Janis Ian); from Killing Me Softly (1973; CD, Atlantic SD 19154).

3) Gordon Lightfoot: "If You Could Read My Mind," from If You Could Read My Mind (1970; CD, Reprise 6392-2) and…

1) Elgar: Nimrod from Variations on an Original Theme for orchestra, Op. 36 ("Enigma"), Pierre Monteux.

The "burning bush" of music—three minutes of inspirational music that can last a lifetime.

2) Beethoven: 6th Symphony, 4th movement, Norrington.

This movement follows the "storm," and reminds us there is light following the storm.

3) Enya: "On Your Shore" from Watermark speaks to the mystical power of love.

4) Joni Mitchell: "A Case of You" from Blue speaks to love and its power over us.

5) Jennifer Warnes: "…

Hi John,

These are my favorites that bring back the best memories for me.

Here goes:

1) Steely Dan: Aja.

This one jumps out because at first I really could not stand it—it felt kind of jarring and almost atonal to me, so I put it away. After hearing "Black Cow" on the radio some months later, and realizing that it came from Aja, I gave it another spin, and the light went on! It's been one of my favorites ever since.

2) Doobie Brothers: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits.

Not only was the rock and roll great, more…

Special Award for Best Poetry Bob Bray

Dear Mr. Marks,

Here are my five "aural madeleines" for the contest:

1) Gloomy Sunday (sung by Billie Holliday).

2) Dvorak: "New World" Symphony (by I think the Columbia Symphony Orchestra).

3) Give a Little Bit by Supertramp.

4) Wagner: "Wotan's Farewell" from Die Walküre.

5) Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.

Now I know what you said about annotations! But please take a look at the…

Special Award for the Most Poignant Single Pick James Pritchett

Someone who did not actually enter the contest got the biggest "Mystic Chords" emotional reaction from me.

There is a YouTube video of Peter, Paul and Mary singing Gordon Lightfoot's Early Morning Rain. It's a great performance of a great song. You must hear it.

YouTube member "jstrytllr" (James Pritchett) posted this recollection:

"Standing at the end of the flight line at Cam Ranh…

To see Eric Johnson's fingers flying over his Fender Stratocaster as he hits "Cliffs of Dover" out of the park one more time is to enjoy something that is every bit as much an athletic performance and a spectator sport as baseball is. There is a thrill to watching people do difficult things exceptionally well, things that most of us can only take random sidelong swipes…

Having a long career in the temporal world of indie rock, as the Posies have, has its drawbacks. Before I wrote this review, someone sent me a quote about Blood/Candy from the all-powerful world of Internet music criticism, where speed trumps knowledge. "A collection that's thankfully a world away from their largely charmless and invariably dull nineties output for Geffen…