Have you ever wanted to learn about classical music without first having to absorb all the theory or wade through lots of tedious music? Well, your most effective introduction to classical music may be the intensely passionate and highly tuneful music of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky. AMG's Blair Sanderson explains why this great Russian composer might be your ideal guide.

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Elizabeth Cotten's "Shake Sugaree" is a delightfully whimsical song that carries at its heart a good deal of wisdom. Cotten developed the simple melody of the song from folk sources, and used it as a lullaby when putting her great grandchildren to bed in the evening. She encouraged the kids to think of words for the song, and they all had a hand in its composition. The song seems to be about hardship and poverty, as the lyrics list all manner of things that the singer has pawned, but the chorus ("didn't we shake sugaree") is upbeat and bears no trace of regret.

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Sure, it was only three years ago, but we are still crazy about 2006's debuts (Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys, Burial), breakouts (Amy Winehouse, Gnarls Barkley), bold makeovers (Christina Aguilera), and early farewells (J Dilla), not to mention the less eventful but nonetheless excellent releases from the established veterans (Ghostface Killah, Jarvis Cocker, Sonic Youth). Over a couple hundred favorite albums and singles of 2006 are listed by our editors. Maybe you'll discover, or be reminded of, a few that you missed. The AllMusic Loves series will continue to roll through this first decade of the 2000s during the next few weeks, as we will revisit 2007 and 2008 prior to looking back at 2009.

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