Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Top Ten Of The Week-Winter Whateverland

f you haven't guess by now, or been hiding under a rock you may have noticed that we have our 2nd winter storm of the week.  So far we received about 10 inches of the white crap thus assering us of another white christmas.  Envy us Louisana.

I'm not sure about Global Warming but I do think we are in the beginnings of an new ice age.  Seems that way the last three freaking winters.

So I spent most of the day shoveling snow and trying to keep it off the car and watching it get covered in snow all over again.  Whatever is getting lost in Greenland or the polar ice cap seems to make its way here.  December weather in Iowa, one big suckathon.

Yes Sassy Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers turned 62 Tuesday.

And of course my favorite independent artist Liz Chaffe popped in to say Howdy.  Howdy back.  In a perfect world Lizzy Williams would be played on radio all across the nation.  Magic 8 remains one of the essensial albums of this decade.  And Liz always is nice enough to check in too.  Keep a rockin y'all!

My other half has compiled a Christmas top ten (and then some) and you will be able to see it two weeks from today.  I'm still in the process of editing some of it.  But in the meantime, Mr. S will give you another ten reasons why my radio station is better than your radio station (But not as good as AM740) 

1.  Take It Slow-Lizzy Williams 2005  As forementioned, this track always sounded good leading off an album and Magic 8, as I said before remains one of my favorite albums of the 00's.  I haven't kept a log of repeated songs in the top ten but Take It Slow has been on the list a few times, alongside Can't Be Who You Want Me To Be.  I'm sure you can find copies at CD Baby.  CD Baby remains a great place to discover the everyday rock and roller that still loves music for it is; good tunes.  And good music is timeless, like Magic 8.

2.  I'll Be Back-The Beatles 1964  Amazing to know that anywhere you go and whatever is played on the radio that new music you cant remember like I can't remember it but when you go to a McDonalds and they're playing something from The Beatles that you can.  No it wasn't a hit but it seems to stand out better than what they play for music there.  And it's a oldies station they play.  The McDonalds that I frequent plays music from the 60s and 70s and has MSNBC so I get entertained easy by Miss Maddow and Mr. Olbermann although the Tiger Woods news is a bit too much.  I don't care about Tiger and his mistresses (all 9 of them) and neither should you.

3.  A Girl In Trouble Is A Temporary Thing-Romeo Void 1984  Maybe it was the VH1 Bands Reunited that got me interested in this band, didn't care much about them in the mid 80s but did find an album from theirs on the wasted trip to Ames/Des Moines.  This still can be heard on 80s radio stations around the area.

4.  Detroit City-Drivin N Cryin 2009  I still care and I'm still a fan of Kevn Kenney and Tim Neilsen and their first album in 12 years showcased some great rock and roll.  Kenney's voice isn't for everybody, and he looks like the uncle that you tend to avoid at all costs but he can still rock it.  Which is the point that keeps me interested in new music. Although next year due to lack of shelf space I won't be so generous in discovering the new big thing, but if Drivin N Cryin still puts out new product I'll still listen.

5.  Turn It Over-Eddie Jobson/Zinc 1983  Do you know the biggest one hit wonder of this decade was Daniel Powder's suckfest Bad Day?  Do you really care if I brought that up?  This was a nice one hit wonder from the dude who played in Jethro Tull and Roxy Music and he made a decent prog rock/new age album called the Green Album and had a minor hit with this.  Sounded like Yes in a way.  Found it on CD in Vegas a few years ago and sold it but found the vinyl album in Ankeny during the wasted DM trip.

6.  The Diary Of Horace Wimp-Electric Light Orchestra 1979  I really haven't been much of a fan of Jeff Lynne in my younger years although I did find some ELO albums in the dollar bins to which I brought Discovery on the basis of Don't Bring Me Down.  But the chorus to this song sounds like a rip of the Bee Gees' Night Fever, don't get me wrong this is a cool song but 1979 everybody was apeing the Bee Gees in one way or another.

7.  High And Dry-Poco 1974  Another dollar album found at the pawn shop, this was Poco's final album for Epic before moving on to ABC/MCA Records and I think the first album they did with Mark Harman.  Wounded Bird reissed this for a time but last I checked it's not availble in their catalog.  I suppose in the future I might consider listening to more Poco but we'll see.

8.  Ain't That Just Like A Woman-Chuck Berry 1965  From his forgotten Fresh Berry's, this is a cover of the Louis Jordan number that Jordan had a hit back in the early 40s.  And some people consider Jordan the first true rock and roller but back then it was called jump blues.

9.  Can I Get To Know You Better-The Turtles 1965  The Turtles made some fine fine music of the 60s and this was one of the lesser charting.  But it's still a pop classic in its own right.  I get a smile when I play it and sometimes my better half complains that I don't smile enough.  She might have a point.

10.  Girls With Guns-Tommy Shaw 1984  He was never this much fun in Styx, nor anything after this fun pop ditty either.  And the less said about Damn Yankees the better but at least American Beat did reissue Girls With Guns on CD.