GETTING IN TUNE: Fritz Schrank has a link that's been circulating among members of the blognoscenti, wherein you gauge your musical hipness by seeing how many albums from a preordained list you have in your collection. (As for the "Guardian" list, the Amazing Techie Girlfriend and I have U2, Dido, Alanis Morrisette, David Gray, Oasis and Bob Marley. That puts us halfway down the road to the Dido Demographic. Hmm.) Anyway, here's my short list. The Amazing Techie Girlfriend, who is a little younger than me, might call this a checklist for the Hipster Doofus Demographic. These entries are not listed in any particular order.

REM, "Murmur": I was in high school when this album, REM's first, came out. It was unlike anything I'd ever heard. I still play it a lot. "Pilgrimage," "Talk About the Passion," "Laughing." As the kids say, it's all good.

The Clash, "London Calling": Another album from my youth. As far as I'm concerned, side two of the first album of this collection is one of the finest vinyl sides in history. (That's tracks 5-10 on the disc.) "Spanish Bombs," "The Right Profile," "Lost In the Supermarket," "Clampdown" and "The Guns of Brixton" knocked me on my 14-year-old butt. In some important ways, I haven't gotten up yet.

Toots & The Maytals, "Funky Kingston": I was into reggae as a young man, and this was the first reggae album I ever bought. "Got To Be There" is among my all-time favorite songs. "Time Tough" is up there, too.

Oasis, "Definitely Maybe": Like millions of drunken football hooligans, I, too, fell for the hype surrounding this band. I've been progressively disappointed by their output, but this album has some fantastic tunes. If you can get past Liam Gallagher's nasal whine, "Live Forever," "Cigarettes & Alcohol" and "Slide Away" are great songs. "Live Forever" is one of my all-time favorites. In late 1994, I probably played it on my car stereo like 800,000 times.

John Coltrane, "Giant Steps": On the jazz tip is this classic by the sax icon. I like "Cousin Mary" and "Naima." Music to read a book by.

ZZ Top, "Fandango" (Side 2 only): Yee-haw! I'm not a huge fan of the live first side, but Side 2 has the classics "Tush," "Heard It On The X" and "Blue Jean Blues." My favorites are "Nasty Dogs & Funky Kings" and the politically incorrect "Mexican Blackbird." Unfortunately, this band's suckiness appears to be proportional to the length of their beards, which were down around their testicles by the early 1980s and the "Eliminator" album.

Bruce Springsteen, "Darkness on the Edge of Town": That rarest of albums in which every song is great. "Badlands," "Candy's Room," "Promised Land." As an album, this beats the crap out of "Born To Run," and that's saying something.

The Replacements, "Let It Be": Discovered these guys, appropriately enough, in college. "I Will Dare" still sounds great after, what, 15 years? (Jesus, has it been that long?)

Steely Dan, their entire catalog: They're kind of the "quiet storm" of ironic jazz/rock.

The Rolling Stones, "Some Girls": This had the hit "Miss You" but I like "Some Girls," "When The Whip Comes Down," "Just My Imagination" and one of my all-time favorites, "Before They Make Me Run." (Not to mention the country-fried "Far Away Eyes.") Mick & The Boys sounded a little drunk when they recorded this, which makes it that much better when you're drunk.

The Allman Brothers, "Brothers and Sisters": This has "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica." The latter was co-opted by some car company a couple of years ago, but it's still the perfect driving-through-the-country-on-a-sunny-day-while-drinking-a-beer-from-a-paper-bag song. (Not that I do that sort of thing anymore.)

The Who, "Live at Leeds": "Young Man Blues" is the best live rock song ever. It's so good, I think it's been banned by all Holiday Inns around the world.

Boston, "Boston": This came out when I was in like the fifth grade and I STILL like it. I'm a little ashamed to admit it, but when I hear "Peace of Mind" on the car radio and I'm nearing the house, I drive around the block an extra time so I can listen to it all the way through.

BoDeans, "Thick as Thieves: Best of the BoDeans": I'd seen these guys live like five times before I bought this disc. I promptly played it to death. "Idaho" and "You Don't Get Much" are overlooked classics.

Nick Lowe, Basher: The Best of Nick Lowe: I was aware of this guy from "Cruel to be Kind" and from his production work for Elvis Costello, but his material just blew me away when I got this disc about eight years ago. Sorry I missed out for so long. Choice cuts: "When I Write The Book," "The Rose of England," "Heart of the City," "Switchboard Susan," "Cracking Up."

Wynton Marsalis, J Mood: This was one of the jazz maestro's first albums, and it's one of his best. It's worth buying the disc just to read the liner notes by Stanley Crouch. An excerpt: For Wynton Marsalis, the J Mood expresses everything from gutbucket to ethereal passion. On one hand, it is the ruminative repose that follows the intimate dialogue of actual romance, the sweet silence and soft breathing after the act of love. On another, it is the kind of clarity that comes of solitude and provides the resolve that makes for refinement. The bittersweet knowledge of the aches and pains of life is also part of the J Mood. Raw or smooth in intensity, J Mood is the suave soul at the center of swing. Further, J. Mood is finesse, proof that elegance is the most sublime manifestation of vitality. Put this disc on before you go to sleep. You'll be out by the end of "Presence That Lament Brings." But in a good way.

Randy Newman, "Good Old Boys": A collection of songs both funny and poignant. From the decidedly un-PC "Rednecks" to the touching "Marie" and the hilarious "Naked Man," this is a great all-around album.

The Police, "Zenyatta Mondatta": I'm a big Police fan, but I like this one the best. After 20 years, "Voices Inside My Head" is still stuck in my head.

UPDATE: The Amazing Techie Girlfriend wrote in and demanded a clarification. The Oasis albums are mine, not hers. She just wants everyone to know that. (By the way, watch for more "Albums I Like" on days when there's not much going on.)