Freddie P's Blog

October 19, 2007 @ 15:51

Yesterday when I wrote the piece "Top Beavers Of All Time" I included a note saying music taste is subjective and it's so true, because the results I got on my blog and the reaction in today's Toronto Star proves it.

People actually get annoyed with other people for making certain selections but you just can't do that when it comes to opinion on the arts.

I had a few people e-mail and question my choice of "Gordon" by Barenaked Ladies and "Glider" by Ian Thomas.

There's no other explanation other than I like them because like any of you, I received them in a special way.

I like the Barenaked Ladies and I especially like Gordon because it brings back memories of me and my kids.

Back in 1992 when that album was released I loved it and so did Mel and Dan. Whenever we'd get in the car for a long trip the first thing they'd ask for is for me to put Gordon on the CD player. We knew all the songs and all the words and I'll never forget those times.

As for "Glider" back in 1980 I bought my first good stereo. It was a Technics system, 50 watts a side with a turntable and cassette deck. It came with huge Advent speakers.

Just after I got it, one day I was leaving the CFNY studios and Ivar Hamilton had put a bin outside the music library with a bunch of albums that were of no use to him or the radio station. One of them was Glider.

I took it home and put it on that new stereo system and immediately like it, especially the song Pilot. It sounded so good and I liked all the songs. I liked it so much that just a couple of years ago my wife stumbled upon the hard to get CD and bought it for me.

I'm not going to argue that these are the best Canadian albums in general because I can't, nobody can. That would probably takes us into technical areas that few of us can address.

But from a basic standpoint, for the average music lover, the only right answer is the answer that comes from you heart.