John McLean is a composer, performer, and publisher member of ASCAP (Tiger Joe Tunes). He is currently compiling the second annual (2015) Table of St. Nicholas, a fundraiser CD to benefit Love INC, a charity in Charlottesville, Virginia. John began playing drums in 1974 and then guitar in 1983. A sample of his creations can be found at joyfulnoisemachine.com.
 | 1. Vince Guaraldi Trio | A Charlie Brown Christmas My favorite album of all time. Complex structures that sound simple to the ear—both sweet and melancholy. It's genius. Great interpretations of Christmas fare and deep, catchy originals. |
 | 2. Style Council | Cafe Bleu Philly soul as interpreted by a young Londoner. I was a big fan of his previous mod revival band, the Jam, but was stunned by the elevation in vocals and compositions in this set. |
 | 3. Sting | The Dream of the Blue Turtles Another post-punker backed by solid instrumentalists. Excellent compositions and playing. Still have the cassette all these years later. |
 | 4. Miles Davis | The Best of Miles Davis "Autumn Leaves" and "Dear Old Stockholm" are phenomenal, but as a whole, these songs capture the tight phrasing I instantly loved about Miles. I played in a band that did a few tunes off Tutu, but even though not in my repertoire, these early recordings resonate best with me. |
 | 5. Jeff Beck | Wired I sill marvel at this guy's fluidity and sense of melody. Blow by Blow and the work he did with Rod Stewart are also strong, but this album is the one I tried to play along with in my early years. |
 | 6. Joni Mitchell | Court and Spark Pop/folk songs? Jazzy structure and meandering vocals over secure backing tracks. |
 | 7. Ella Fitzgerald | The Best of the Song Books: The Ballads Smooth, smooth vocals meld amazingly with orchestra backing. |
 | 8. Doc Severinsen | Merry Christmas from Doc Severinsen Perennial late Christmas Eve favorites. Sturdy backing band allows Doc to stand out in melody. |
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 | 10. Buddy Rich | Best of Buddy Rich Hard to pick a favorite. This selection is actually a multi-disc set. I started drumming at age nine and always thought, "There are two types of drummers: Buddy Rich and everybody else." |
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