Have you ever wondered what Yim Yames, M. Ward, and Conor Oberst would sound like in a super group? Throw in Mike Mogis, also from Bright Eyes, and you get Monsters of Folk. I like the lyrics of this song and the harp loops.
2. Hold On – Tom Waits
Although I’ve been aware of Tom Waits for many years, it was just recently that I acquired some of his albums. I like his weird stuff, but I thought I’d add this beautiful tune since it’s more palatable.
3. Rosa Branca – Mariza
This March, Aimee and I went with several friends to see Mariza perform at the Nashville Symphony. It was probably one of the most emotionally intense concerts I have attended.
4. Moment of Surrender – U2
I like the new U2 album. Is it their greatest? No. Is it even in their top three? Probably not. Is it as experimental as they claimed it to be? Nope. Is it better than Atomic Bomb? Most definitely. Brian Eno wanted the band to release this sprawling modern hymn as their first single, just to make a statement. I think they should have. The song was recorded in one take. Not only that, it was the first time they played the whole thing through as a band. Eno called it a musical miracle. I tend to agree.
5. Dancing Days – Stone Temple Pilots
Would it be blasphemous to suggest that this version might actually equal or surpass the original? I’ve been going through a Zeppelin and an STP kick this year. This seemed like an obvious compromise.
6. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn – The White Stripes
I finally got around to listening to Icky Thump. Good, not great. However, I really got into Jake White’s more acoustic stuff. I even picked up the Cold Mountain soundtrack, which has several of his bluegrass songs. But I had to pick something from The White Stripes just so I could imagine Meg White bouncing behind those toms.
7. Close to Me – The Cure
When I was in the seventh grade I would try to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live. I always fell asleep before the first musical number and then I would wake up after the show ended. Sometimes, there was this program of music videos. I have a powerful memory of waking up and seeing this band playing in a wardrobe and then fall off a cliff into the sea. It wasn’t until years later that I learned it was The Cure. The horns on this version really do it for me.
8. Holly Up on Poppy – XTC
Matt Wilson introduced me to XTC in the ninth grade. He played me “Love on a Farmboy’s Wages” from Mummer and “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” from Nonsuch. We had a sleep over and XTC was the soundtrack. “Holly Up on Poppy” could have been a Paul McCartney song, especially that bass line.
9. The Guitar Man – Cake
Fashion Nugget was an important album in high school. It might as well be the official soundtrack of senior year. I didn’t keep up with Cake after the mission so it has been fun to discover what they have done since then. I like this cover of the Bread classic.
10. Am I Wrong – Keb’ Mo’
Unlike most teenagers in the mid-1990’s, I was raised on a healthy dose of Delta blues, especially the modern iterations. Keb’ Mo’ and Catfish Keith, for example, played their music in our home about as much as Clapton or Zeppelin. My dad introduced me to so many different styles of music and for that I am grateful.
11. How Much for Your Wings? – The Black Crowes
The first time I saw The Black Crowes play “Sometimes Salvation” on SNL I was hooked. I remember my dad telling me that if I could sing like Chris Robinson then I could drop out of school and become a rock star. Too bad my singing has only been marginally good all these years. I love how this song breaks down in the middle.
12. Ties That Bind Us – 7 Worlds Collide
Who knew Phil Selway (Radiohead’s drummer) could play guitar and sing? I had no clue until listening to this album.
13. I’ll Fight – Wilco
One of the things I like about Wilco is that you don’t have to wait four or five years between albums. I think I would rather have three middle-of-the-road Wilco albums instead of just one great album.
14. Shelter From the Storm (live) – Bob Dylan
I have come to appreciate Dylan’s work over the past few years, especially his early stuff. I’m just glad he plugged in his electric guitar and ruined folk music forever. This version is groovilicious.
(Doug Moore designed the cover. I found the picture and said, "Do something with this." [I was busy packing and moving and whatnot at the time, otherwise I would have done it.] It's a good thing there are arrows because without them I'm not sure we could tell the two apart. They both wear red.)
2. Hold On – Tom Waits
Although I’ve been aware of Tom Waits for many years, it was just recently that I acquired some of his albums. I like his weird stuff, but I thought I’d add this beautiful tune since it’s more palatable.
3. Rosa Branca – Mariza
This March, Aimee and I went with several friends to see Mariza perform at the Nashville Symphony. It was probably one of the most emotionally intense concerts I have attended.
4. Moment of Surrender – U2
I like the new U2 album. Is it their greatest? No. Is it even in their top three? Probably not. Is it as experimental as they claimed it to be? Nope. Is it better than Atomic Bomb? Most definitely. Brian Eno wanted the band to release this sprawling modern hymn as their first single, just to make a statement. I think they should have. The song was recorded in one take. Not only that, it was the first time they played the whole thing through as a band. Eno called it a musical miracle. I tend to agree.
5. Dancing Days – Stone Temple Pilots
Would it be blasphemous to suggest that this version might actually equal or surpass the original? I’ve been going through a Zeppelin and an STP kick this year. This seemed like an obvious compromise.
6. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn – The White Stripes
I finally got around to listening to Icky Thump. Good, not great. However, I really got into Jake White’s more acoustic stuff. I even picked up the Cold Mountain soundtrack, which has several of his bluegrass songs. But I had to pick something from The White Stripes just so I could imagine Meg White bouncing behind those toms.
7. Close to Me – The Cure
When I was in the seventh grade I would try to stay up and watch Saturday Night Live. I always fell asleep before the first musical number and then I would wake up after the show ended. Sometimes, there was this program of music videos. I have a powerful memory of waking up and seeing this band playing in a wardrobe and then fall off a cliff into the sea. It wasn’t until years later that I learned it was The Cure. The horns on this version really do it for me.
8. Holly Up on Poppy – XTC
Matt Wilson introduced me to XTC in the ninth grade. He played me “Love on a Farmboy’s Wages” from Mummer and “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” from Nonsuch. We had a sleep over and XTC was the soundtrack. “Holly Up on Poppy” could have been a Paul McCartney song, especially that bass line.
9. The Guitar Man – Cake
Fashion Nugget was an important album in high school. It might as well be the official soundtrack of senior year. I didn’t keep up with Cake after the mission so it has been fun to discover what they have done since then. I like this cover of the Bread classic.
10. Am I Wrong – Keb’ Mo’
Unlike most teenagers in the mid-1990’s, I was raised on a healthy dose of Delta blues, especially the modern iterations. Keb’ Mo’ and Catfish Keith, for example, played their music in our home about as much as Clapton or Zeppelin. My dad introduced me to so many different styles of music and for that I am grateful.
11. How Much for Your Wings? – The Black Crowes
The first time I saw The Black Crowes play “Sometimes Salvation” on SNL I was hooked. I remember my dad telling me that if I could sing like Chris Robinson then I could drop out of school and become a rock star. Too bad my singing has only been marginally good all these years. I love how this song breaks down in the middle.
12. Ties That Bind Us – 7 Worlds Collide
Who knew Phil Selway (Radiohead’s drummer) could play guitar and sing? I had no clue until listening to this album.
13. I’ll Fight – Wilco
One of the things I like about Wilco is that you don’t have to wait four or five years between albums. I think I would rather have three middle-of-the-road Wilco albums instead of just one great album.
14. Shelter From the Storm (live) – Bob Dylan
I have come to appreciate Dylan’s work over the past few years, especially his early stuff. I’m just glad he plugged in his electric guitar and ruined folk music forever. This version is groovilicious.
(Doug Moore designed the cover. I found the picture and said, "Do something with this." [I was busy packing and moving and whatnot at the time, otherwise I would have done it.] It's a good thing there are arrows because without them I'm not sure we could tell the two apart. They both wear red.)
3 comments:
This was excellent. Then I moved onto some of the demos.
Have you heard Ol' 55 by Waits? That was my introduction to him. I love Hold On, though.
Ah, "Ol' 55" is a great song. Unfortunately, my introduction to it was The Eagle's insipid cover. Yuck. The Heart of Saturday Night and Nighthawks at the Diner were my introduction to Tom Waits.
Hey! Now I know two people that listen to Keb' Mo', the world is new.
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