With all the problems that I have been having I have forgotten the
fact that prom season has already come and gone and already the
Springville Kiddies are be gradurating this weekend. It's a frightening
thought to know that my best friend's son Matt will be gradurating next
year! And I'm sitting here wondering where is all the time is flying
to.
Speaking of which, stay tuned for my 20th anniversity of being at
Pearson Inc. on the 15th. Don't mind me folks, I'll be pulling gray
hairs off my sideburns to bullshit people that I'm younger than my age.
The Top Ten Of The Week Songs.
1. Come Together-The Beatles 1969 I've been listening to their
Anthology Series Volume 3 and it's basically outtakes and demos and not
required listening. But even on the demos and the flubs, even The
Beatles can mess up a song before fine tuning it for the ages. Why do
The Beatles sound vital today than anything on the radio? Melody and
catchiness. Which is the reason why you don't see any Beatles in the
dollar section but lots of Mariah Carey and Britney Beers.
2. Snakedance-The Rainmakers 1987 One thing about going to Madison
was that I found a better CD copy of Tornado, their second album. The
one I found was fifty cents at the pawnshop but looked like it got
dragged on first avenue and skipped in spots. These guys made three
great albums for Mercury and one so so on a independent label but nobody
talks about The Rainmakers anymore. Which is why I have the Top Ten Of
The Week, to let the fifteen faithful readers out there what to look for
when they go bargain hunting.
3. Can't Find My Way Home-Blind Faith 1969 The first get together of
Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton made a very spotty album, the price
supergroups pay when the sum of the parts don't equal the band but this
is one of the better Steve Winwood songs out there. BTW, I did buy the
remastered edition which only has the band picture and not that one of
the naked teen girl holding a airplane. Never quite understood what the
hell that meant. (Oh I know, art! rrrrright).
4. Malignant Narcissism-De Stagworker-Rush 2008 I wasn't going to
buy this album but I found it 20 percent off used at Frugal Muse
Bookstore in Madison, so therefore I picked it up. Two hours and forty
minites on 2 CDs of live Rush, and I chose the Neil Peart drumsolo,
including his part two of the jazz drum solo with faux paus keyboards
imiating a jazz band. For a Live Rush album, this isn't that bad
despite way too many songs off Snakes and Arrows (I know it's called
Snakes And Arrows Live-Geez) and Geddy Lee blows the high notes on Free
Will (he sounds shrill on the bridge) but they do have a rockin version
of Limelight and somebody remembered Entre Nous. Which surprisingly as a
hit single, it didn't make the Chronicles best or, or the Retrospective
albums 1 and 2. It's also one of my all time favorite Rush songs
(don't tell Russ, he'll play it till i'm sick of it).
5. Dead Flowers-Rolling Stones 1971 The Stones today are just money
grabbing out of time rockers who time has passed long time ago and now
are the Baby Boomers answer to Lawrence Welk when he was alive. Only
difference is that Lawrence Welk wouldn't charge 165 bucks to see a
screwed up version of Get No Satisfaction. But this song showed that
the Stones could make a decent country song back when they had shitloads
of inspiration. The well has dried up long ago but thankfully we have
the past to go back to hear greatness.
6. A Passion Play-Jethro Tull 1973 Yep, both A and B sides of this
including the children's tale of The Hare Who Lost His Spectacles. A
lotta people got off the bus after Thick As A Brick and this followup
bombed but I think it's more listenable than say Metal Machine Music, or
Appatite For Distruction.
7. Best Years-Whitesnake 2008 Really, this is a very good
Whitesnake album. It's a lotta fun, more than their S/T breakthrough and
the garbage that's called Slip Of The Tongue. If it was 1988, this
album would get lots of airplay on real rock radio. Nowadays, rock
radio won't play it. Major labels and FM radio suck today. Thank Clear
Channel and the Telecommuncations Act of 1996, one of Clinton's follys
but it was a Republican controlled congress that passed it. But then
again any Republican never does anything wrong. They're perfect.
8. 19-Old 97's 1999 Do you know the Old 97s have a new album out?
And that Best Buy didn't have it? Gawd I miss the days of Relics when I
know they would have had it.
9. You Got A Hard Time Comin-The Remains 1966 Welcome aboard our
new friends The Remains to the Crabb House Of Pancakes and Tunes.
Garage Rock classic.
10. In The Court Of The Crimson King-King Crimson 1969 And finally,
the album that actually started progessive rock. I remember buying this
album at the Church next to Longfellow School without having any
knowledge of what I was getting. I think I got the album for a quarter.
My Dad hated that album just like he did with the MC5's Kick Out The
Jams. ah, memories.
