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Devoted, longtime fan of Finzi here. I think every one of his (mature) short choral works is outstanding: all the anthems, the partsongs, the Drummond elegies... And it's hard to find a more perfect choral work than In Terra Pax. There's great stuff in For St. Cecilia too; only in Intimations of Immortality did he perhaps reach beyond his means. If only he hadn't died so young... With the choral pieces, the amazing songs, and the best of the nonvocal music, Finzi hits a sweet spot of music that's accessible, well crafted and satisfying. He earns his place in the repertoire and everyone loves him.

For In Terra Pax I still adore John Shirley-Quirk and the London forces with Hickox. For the smaller works, I expect you know the Finzi Singers' disc from 1990, which I still think surpasses all others; here is the gorgeous Nightingales. They made many excellent recordings esp. of RVW & Howells, like the latter's ethereal The House of the Mind. Those three composers left an extraordinary choral legacy.

For the Skatalites and original Jamaican ska specifically, there're a lot of excellent Studio One compilations. I like Foundation Ska a lot.

Also check out Stretching Out, the live recording from the Skatalites reunion in early 80s, pretty much the whole original lineup. A lot of accomplished ska musicians point to this album as a huge influence mainly because the recording is so good and you can pick up the rhythm and style a lot better than any of the original studio stuff, which was all mono and generally one mic in a room.

I don't see any classical music around here, so here goes nothing!

Louis Hardin aka Moondog, also known as "The Viking of 6th Avenue" is one of the biggest icons of the last century. He's never been widely known or mainstream, he has his own style and genre. People like Philip Glass and Steve Reich were influenced by his work, but Moondog can't be compared to any other artist out there.

Blind and dressed as his own interpretation of the Norse god Thor, he made the streets of New York his home for 20 years, where he wrote his music and poems. He's lead an incredible life and I wholeheartedly recommend to read his biography.

Although most of his songs are minimal and may seem simplistic on the first listen, I find his compositions to be incredibly complex and intriguing. Here is another example of his genius, this is the song that Janis Joplin made famous.