The Thnairg Music Hall Of Fame

This was originally going to be two separate lists: my Top 5 all-time favorite artists, and my Top 3 recent favorite artists. I had chosen the year 2002 as the boundary between the two lists; I figured five years ago was as good a demarcation as any. The trouble is, though, I'm such a music fan that I had a lot of difficulty limiting myself to eight favorite artists, so I decided to combine both lists into one, and bump it up to an even Top Ten by throwing in another two favorites. (Seven to three turned out to be a natural ratio between all-timers and recent favorites.)

I've tried to keep a sensible balance of emotion and logic when ranking the artists on this list -- while the magnitude of my adoration of an artist certainly plays a part, so does the length of time I've been listening to them. It seems kind-of cruel that the newer the artist is (in my "sphere of awareness", at least), the lower they would rank in the list -- but it also makes a certain amount of sense. I'm a bit surprised myself at how the list came out, seeing as how some artists I've told people were in "my Top 5" have turned out not to be, and vice versa ... at least as far as this list is concerned. But then, one usually doesn't consider their entire music-listening history when raving about a relatively new artist.

So anyway, I hope you appreciate all the hard work and thought that went into this list, and I hope you're enlightened and entertained by it as well. And now, without further ado, I present ... My Top Ten Favorite Artists of All-Time!!!

Honorable Mention: John Williams -- Between the "Star Wars", "Jaws", "Superman", and "Indiana Jones" themes, the compositions of John Williams are probably the most recognizable of any in modern history ... perhaps even more so than the songs of The Beatles. He's the best film score composer of all time, period. Considering how long I've been buying his music, he probably should be in my Top Ten, but I'm not as big a fan of movie music as I once was ... plus, it's been awhile since he was at what I feel was the top of his game. As fate would have it, ten other artists managed to just barely edge him out.

#10 --> Erik Faber/Espen Lind (tie) -- Yes, a "tie" has been used far too often just to squeeze one more item into a favorites list, but this one is justified. Though they've never recorded together (that I'm aware of), they're both Norwegian pop singer/songwriters of a vaguely similar style. I discovered Erik Faber less than a year ago, not too long after Espen Lind's latest album, with which I was a bit disappointed. I've warmed up to Erik's music more quickly and enthusiastically than just about any artist I've ever encountered, but I can't quite bring myself to knock Espen (of whom I've been a big fan for over six years) out of the slot just yet ... so, all things considered, they're both entitled to share the #10 berth.

#9 ---> Five -- While the rest of America was divided between Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, I was rockin' out to UK boyband Five. I can't describe how or why, but I feel an energy in their songs that goes beyond the music and the lyrics -- a kind of energy that I just don't feel from NSYNC or BSB. And you wanna know the really ironic thing? I hate rap, yet Five have managed to win me over despte the presence of rap in a fair portion of their songs. Any group that makes a heretofore intolerable genre of music listenable to me definitely makes it onto the list.

#8 ----> The Moffatts -- Damn, I miss these guys. This Canadian brotherly quartet of pop-rockers only recorded two albums plus about a dozen-and-a-half B-sides, but their final album was a doozy: the utter masterpiece that is "Submodalities" still stands firmly as my absolute favorite album of all time -- and remember, I own over a thousand. That feat alone (plus the appeal of Bob & Clint's subsequent incarnations in the groups Hidell and Same Same) lands them firmly in my Top Ten.

#7 -----> McFly -- The only reason these guys aren't in my Top 5 is because they've only been recording for a few years. They've put out three albums, each a little bit better than the last, and all of them packed full of incredibly appealing pop-rock music, in the best tradition of groups ranging from The Beatles to Huey Lewis & The News to Green Day. They write their own songs, play their own instruments, and are adorable to boot. What more can one ask?!?

#6 ------> The Rippingtons -- Contemporary jazz doesn't get any better than Russ Freeman and company. I'm sorry to say that the last album of theirs that I really liked was seven years ago, and most all of the members from my favorite era of the group have gone on to other things, but they're just about the only group from my jazz/new-age phase that I still regularly listen to. Best of luck to another twenty years of success, Ripps.

#5 -------> The Connells -- As I mentioned in a previous post, I stumbled upon North Carolinians The Connells basically by accident, having selected a song of theirs to fill up space on a made-to-order cassette. Before I knew it, I was buying each and every album of their REM-ish melodic jangle-rock, and remained a faithful fan right up to the bitter end of their recording career.

#4 --------> Duran Duran -- They were an absolute sensation, and they deserved to be. Their fashion-model good looks made them perfect for the emerging MTV generation, plus their music was ahead of its time for years and years. They've enjoyed two comebacks (in 1993 with "The Wedding Album", and in 2004 with the reformation of their original lineup on the album "Astronaut") and, except for the peculiar covers album "Thank You", I've enjoyed them consistently.

#3 ---------> Barenaked Ladies -- I discovered the Ladies upon the original release of their first album, "Gordon", and never looked back ... even through the anti-BNL backlash that came with the (perhaps more-than-deserved) success of their single "One Week". They've never failed to deliver album after album of enjoyable melodies and lyrics, ranging from humorous to melancholy to scathingly critical ... I just plain love 'em and will never stop.

#2 ----------> Men At Work/Colin Hay -- Technically, these are two different acts, but Colin Hay was the primary creative force behind (and, of course, the vocalist and frontman for) Men At Work, so I consider it just the "first phase" of his recording career. Men At Work were pretty-much my favorite band of the '80s and, with the exception of a few years of unawareness, I've been devotedly following Hay's ongoing solo folk-rock career ever since. It'd be nice to see him receive one more burst of major chart success, but I know he's perfectly content with the far-longer career and closer-knit fan base that his independent-label status provides.

#1 ----------->> "Weird Al" Yankovic -- I feel a little odd declaring him my favorite artist of all time, thinking it will prevent people from taking my taste in music seriously. But, after taking everything under consideration, he's clearly the winner. To this day, I vividly remember the moment I first ever laid eyes on his debut album in the record store, 26 years ago. I've bought each and every one of his albums, without hesitation and with the same giddy anticipation, as soon as they've come out, and have never been disappointed in any of them. Al never goes out of style, because he constantly changes with it. And, most importantly, his music has always cheered me up whenever I've felt bummed out. And when you think about it, isn't touching someone's heart what music is all about? That's why "Weird Al" Yankovic is Number One to me.