let me entertain you

newyorker:

My Favorite Records: Alec Baldwin

Steely Dan: “A Decade of Steely Dan”

Becker and Fagen, like Paul Simon, are among the few rock artists who have joined poetic lyrics to great music with almost Sondheimesque skill. (Honorable mention: Talking Heads.)

 Stevie Wonder: “Songs in the Key of Life”

Stevie Wonder’s seminal two-record album, the culmination of his blend of funk, soul, and ballads, has some of the most romantic music of all time. (Honorable mention: any love song sung by Marvin Gaye.)

 The Beatles: “With the Beatles”

This album will be fifty years old next year, yet the Beatles’ originality, passion, and virtuosity remain undiminished, if not enhanced. (No second prizes after the Beatles.)

 Sondheim: “Assassins”

Stephen Sondheim is responsible for many of the greatest musicals of the past half century; this odd, ultimately haunting collection of set pieces is my favorite. Take your pick between the original recording, with the great Victor Garber and Jonathan Hadary, or the 2006 revival with Michael Cerveris and Denis O’Hare. (Honorable mention: the original cast recording of “Les Misérables,” with the remarkable Colm Wilkinson.)

- Above, the first four entries on Alec Baldwin’s list of favorite records. Read the rest of the list, and listen to Baldwin’s Mix Tape on Spotify.

Photograph by Martin Schoeller.