Last month I noted the addition of four musical recommendations in my right-hand column which, as you can see, have been replaced with four more. I've created a new, aptly named category called Four on the First, under which I'll promote a quartet of compact discs every month. Each month's list will be comprised of music I've enjoyed for years, music I happened upon recently in the library or a long-overlooked gem I finally gave a spin the day before (as is the case with the Pretenders' "Learning to Crawl," see below). Choices will be somewhat seasonal: I tend to wrap myself up with orchestral and electronic works in autumn and winter, while preferring energy in spring and summer. You're certain to get variety. Are my tastes eclectic? Colorful? Interesting? Worth a sliver of your tax refund? Reviews from someone you've come to trust are worth their weight in Tower Records purchases, so I'll write a small paragraph for each record to better describe its appeal (which I haven't done for January or February, to be completed when time permits).
And there we are. As Casey Kasem would say, "back to the countdown."
REVERSE-MIDAS TOUCH: I so much as mention Tower Records and it declares Chapter 11. Does this work elsewhere? Let's try: Kim Jong Il! Iran's mullahs! Drop dead, you bums!