Well, I'm back, and what do I find? Another argument over brussels sprouts. "They taste GOOD!" "No they don't!" I realize that's what these lists are for, but, my goodness, it seems to come with all sorts of claims: clairvoyance as to what the composer was thinking at the time or as to the motives for writing and the ability to read the future. I agree totally with Chris Webber when he says that he listens for the "here-and-now." Why do I really care about posterity -- the good opinion of people I will never even meet? I should listen because I enjoy (at some level) the music. Phil Glass's music floats a lot of boats. He's one of the few composers who actually makes a living at it, and he's done so largely without the help of traditional performance organizations or grant agencies. This alone is a tremendous achievement and, in our time, very rare indeed. The people who enjoy his music (I've never been one of them) aren't necessarily musical idiots. That said, I prefer Adams's "minimalist" works, Riley's, and Reich's to Glass's. BMG is currently having a sale of, like, $2.99 a CD and there are some interesting things to take a chance on, including a Reich disc with the Kronos and Gubaidulina's (NOT a minimalist) St. John Passion. Steve Schwartz