who was right and who was wrong

If you've ever done any shopping at the internet retail juggernaut that is Amazon.com, odds are you've noticed the site's penchant for proffering suggestions as to what you might like to spend your hard-earned shekels on. The mechanics of the system are based upon the browsing and purchasing habits of Amazon's gigantic customer base, evaluated and compared to each user's individually displayed tastes (though I'm convinced that certain "hot" items are given extra weight in the process). It's a clever idea in theory, but in practice the results tend to look a lot like this:

(I just know that Kevin Church is somehow responsible for that.)

In the interest of science, I decided to incorporate my own set of Facile Behavioral Generalization Algorithms^TM, derived from years of empirical research, into the user recommendation scripts to see if I could make them more effective. After a lengthy period (two hours or so) of beta testing, I came away feeling confident in the results obtained:

(I know you will be very unhappy with that last one, Jen, but you can't argue with science.)

Penetration - On Reflection (from Coming Up for Air, 1979) - Another album and band I don't listen to as often as I should. Pauline Murray comes off at times as a poppier, generic off-brand Poly Styrene, but it's still pretty charming and very listenable stuff. Both Coming Up for Air and the band's debut LP, Moving Targets, were pretty common (and cheap) finds in the used record stores I used to frequent back in the day, while X-Ray Spex's Germfree Adolescents was only seen, if at all, behind glass and sporting a hundred buck-plus price tag.

Joy Division - Autosuggestion (from Substance: 1977-1980, 1988) - Strangely enough, Joy Division (as "Warsaw") played their first gig in support of Penetration (and the Buzzcocks) in May 1977.

During my freshman year of college, I listened to Substance every morning while waiting for the quarter-to-seven MBTA bus to Alewife to arrive. To this day, hearing the tracks the compliation evokes the chill of a November breeze, the weight of a rucksack on my shoulder, and the acidic, earthy scent of wet fallen leaves decomposing in a gutter.

The Edseys - I've Decided (from This Is Mod, Vol. 6: The United States of Mod, 1999) - Someone's asking $98.44 for this compilation? Asking and having are entirely different things, but still... I guess that makes it another entry on my list of CDs/records I could make a profit unloading, but could never bear to part with.

I know nothing about The Edseys except that they were an American mod revival outfit and they were responsible for this gem of a track. The influence of The Jam is pretty easily discernable, but it has been cut with a more laid back (I'd almost say "Californian") power pop/jangle pop vibe.