Madison anyone?
1. Just One More Time-The Derailers 1996 One of the best honky tonk
bands that was thirty years too late, these guys would have been on top
of the country charts in the era of Johnny Cash and Buck. Made two
decent releases for Sire after Seymour Stein bought out Watermelon
Records, then signed up with Sony and lost their music and vision. Tony
Villanueva retired to become a preacher but the Derailers have
continued with Brian Hofeldt leading them fine with a couple of
independent releases that shows their love of Buck and the honky tonks.
2. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner-Black Uhuru 1982 They been around
forever but their glory period was when Michael Rose was lead singer and
the late great Puma Jones added sweet harmonies. Their love of dub
music has been the type of music to smoke herb by.
3. Plenty Of Sunshine-Mellow The Band 2007 Fellow My Spacers made
this album last year and then latched on to Renassiance Records this
year but didn't make much of a dent in the music charts. This song
recalls lots of Pet Sounds era Beach Boys. Renassiance Records have
been selling this through EBAY for about four bucks and haven't heard
much from these guys of late but then again I doubt if they check out
the Crabb Top Ten anyway.
4. Dinner Music Of The Gods-Al DiMeola 1980 After the end of the
world will anybody even read the archives of Crabby in the afterlife?
My first album reviewed of Al Di was his 1991's Kiss My Axe but I have
managed to score most of his classic Columbia albums real cheap via the
five dollar sale at Amazon.com and in the budget bins at HP Books. And
no Russ, Al DiMeola isn't beatnik music but fusion progressive rock with
spanish overtunes. You'd probaly would like Al Dimeola if you give it a
chance. That's how I did it while turning you on to Frank Marino back
in the old days.
5. Take Five-Dave Brubeck 1967 Live version from the Buried
Treasures CD of a unrelased performance at Mexico City, it's a rare
version with no drum solo to speak of but we do get to hear Paul Desmond
solo away. Probaly one of his best performance of this song on CD.
6. I Want You-Beau Brummels 1965 Grew up listening to the edited 45
version of this song to which you can find on the Magic Hollow 4 CD
boxset which is okay to have but I think I perfer the 4 minite complete
version with an extra verse and chorus. But then again most record
companies did chop songs down to the fit the three minite mark back in
the AM years. And so it goes.
7. Around You Now-Matthew Sweet 2008 The guy has been around for 20
years now and still people think his Girlfriend album remains his best
overall. I donno, I find parts of that album a bit bloated for my
liking and perfer the 1999 failure In Reverse. He's still making that
hippy dippy Sgt Pepper influnced rock and roll to this day and his new
album Sunshine Lies is his best since In Reverse. But usually that don't
translate into record sales. Sometimes I think the Crabb Top Ten is
more of a curse than blessing seeing most of not all my selections go
unnoticed. May as well do a top ten of fart sounds. Found used at HP
Books.
8. Always A Friend-Alejandro Escovedo 2008 Loved him in Rank and
File and True Believers but his solo career for me has been off and on.
Didn't care much for the Boxing Mirror to which was a cleansing of the
soul for AE and he still is on the new Real Animal album but it may pop
in on the ten best albums of this year. Since he remembered both True
Believers and Rank And File on songs on his new album, I'll give him
points and perhaps a place in the top ten overall.
9. Farm On The Freeway-Jethro Tull 1987 Requested by Russ for
perhaps doing a cover version of this song for The Townedgers, this is
just me making a mental note to listen to that song. Still gets airplay
on Beeker Street and certain classic album rock stations around the
area. Hell, even The FOX have been known to sneak it in as a Lost
classic.
10. Boys Don't Lie-Shoes 1978 And finally a power pop classic from
the band from Zion Illinois who made this song at home on a four track.
I do have their PVC vinyl debut Black Vinyl Shoes to which I paid 1.99
when I got it from the old BJ Records store in downtown Iowa City; back
when Iowa City had five decent music stores downtown. All that remains
is Record Collector to which I still make an effort to go and say hi to
the fellows down there and Real! Records which I don't visit too
often. Seems like the ladies down there don't know how to count change
very well and don't say thank you for your business. And in this day
and age of the new depression, courtesy gets you a return engagement.
Unfriendly folk and especially those who can't count change usually get a
big raspberry and a search to someplace more friendler. Or we just
wait till we go back up to Madison and buy out those stores.
Choice is everything.
