Top CD Releases of 2006 - Part I

Today's "Top 5" is really the beginning of a three-part series of the best cds of 2006, so stay tuned over the weekend for the rest of the countdown:

I'm having trouble rating these in any order, so they'll all be randomly played, with the exception of my favorite album of the year, which will play last.

Star Witness from Fox Confessor Brings The Flood - Neko Case

Slide Away from Nuclear Daydream - Joseph Arthur

Summertime from Subtitulo - Josh Rouse

No Backbone from The Lemonheads - The Lemonheads

Funny Little Frog from The Life Pursuit - Belle & Sebastian

Cover Me, Errr or Cover Bruce

It's a Springsteen covers podcast today:

A show of Springsteen covers, with Bruce covering a Zevon song at the end!
Atlantic City - Professor "Louie" & The Crowmatix

Seaside Bar Song - Tich Turner

Because the Night - 10,000 Maniacs

Stolen Car - Patty Griffin

Thunder Road - Tortoise and Bonnie "Prince" Billy

My Ride's Here - Bruce Springsteen

Random Thoughts On This Day

R.I.P. James Brown - Passed away today at age 73. All gold lame outfits should be worn at half staff in his honor.

If Santa eats two cookies at every household, how does he fit into a sleigh that can be pulled by eight tiny reindeer?

The Beatles' Love album is an awesome listening experience.

After watching A Christmas Story for the third time, I'm ready to slap ole' Ralphie upside the head with his Red Ryder rifle.

How come it takes two hours to wrap stuff, but only 10 minutes to pull it all off?

Who takes the gifts to Santa's house?

On the way home from our annual visit to Aunt J and Uncle R's place, we ticked off what was closed: Target-CLOSED. McDonald's-CLOSED. Gas Station-CLOSED. Stop N' Shop-CLOSED. Cheng Du Chinese Restaurant - OPEN! (and a hat-tip to A Christmas Story here...Deck the Harrls with bows of hawrry!)

Merry Christmas, Friends!

Illustration by John Leech

I will honor Christmas in my heart,
and try to keep it all the year.
- Charles Dickens

Merry Christmas To All Of My Christmas-Observing Blog Friends!

Top 5 On Friday

Top 5 Albums of 2006

Oh, this one's a tough one for me, since I have quite a few favorites from the year. I've already made a Top 25 list for work (the boss posts staff lists every year.)

5. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

4. The Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing And A Curse

3. Lindsey Buckingham - Under The Skin

2. Bob Dylan - Modern Times

1. Josh Ritter - The Animal Years

I'll post my entire list next week, as we approach Dec. 31!

Podcast will be up later.

The SNL Short

I don't usually link to YouTube videos, but I'm making an exception this time. You know, I still watch SNL every week, even though this season blows. There have been 2 shows so far this season that were just plain "ON." The first was the show Alec Baldwin hosted, with guest spots by Paul McCartney, Steve Martin, and Martin Short. The sketches were hilarious, and Baldwin was in top form. The other show was last Saturday night, with hosting and musical guest duties by Justin Timberlake. Jimmy Fallon showed up, and Timberlake and he obviously had a blast doing their "Barry Gibb Talk Show." What really cracked me up was the SNL short, featuring Timberlake, Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Andy Samberg. The YouTube version is not safe for work or for being in earshot of the kiddies, but I promise it will crack you up.

Check it out right here.

Musical Obsessions - 2006

These are 6 of the songs that caused me to hit the repeat button in my car all year:

Brighter Discontent - The Submarines
The Blues Are Still Blue - Belle & Sebastian
Perfect Stranger - Cheap Trick
Wolves - Josh Ritter
Pull Shapes - The Pipettes
Rock And Roll Queen - The Subways

There are others, of course, but I didn't include all of them in the podcast. Do you think I've got all day?

Podcast is at left or here.

Tell It To Me Tuesday

This week's topic: What Are Your Favorite Holiday Songs Ever and Why?

Janet says: Note I said holiday songs. There might be a song out there that reminds you of the holiday season, but it isn't particularly a Christmas tune. Then of course there is the Hanukkah category aka, "songs" written by Adam Sandler. You can even get all technical and say you have a favorite "Valentine's" day song since after all, it is a holiday. But then again, we'd all know you were being naughty, not nice.

I have many favorites, but these are my alltime favorites:

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland - Her version carries a bit of melancholy and gives it a little edge.

Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guaraldi - The original from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Diana Krall's is good, too, but you can't go wrong with the kids singing in that Charlie Brown special.

White Christmas - Bing Crosby - Always reminds me of that corny movie, but it's a classic, sung beautifully by that great crooner!

Greensleeves - By just about anyone.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Burl Ives, of course!

New favorites:
Just Like Christmas - Low - The band was traveling through Scandinavia and it started to snow. It wasn't Christmas, but it was just like it!

I'll Be Home For Christmas - Aimee Mann

Los Peces En El Rio - Mannheim Steamroller - Beautiful!

What are your favorites?

Congratulations, You!

Did you know that You were Time's Person Of The Year this year? And just what did You do to deserve such an esteemed honor? Well, You YouTubed, You MySpaced, You blogged, and You podcasted. You took the world by storm, You, with your technological wizardry. So, congratulations, You, and keep up the good work!

Psychedelic Sunday - Annual Countdown Part II

Time for Part Deux of the Annual Psychedelic Sunday countdown! I'll get right to it:

Garnering two votes each:

8. Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash - It's definitely not a psychedelic song, but it's from that era, so it makes the cut.

7. (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet - The Blues Magoos -

6. Journey To The Center Of The Mind - The Amboy Dukes - Come with me, if you dare, to the land inside of your mind, won't you? And bring Ted Nugent.

5. Pinball Wizard - The Who - Try to forget the Elton John version of this one, please. I'll take The Who any old day.

4. Lucifer Sam - Pink Floyd - I went back and forth, trying to decide between this song and I Got A Line On You. I Got A Line finally won my vote because of that mean chiming guitar, but this is one trippy Floyd song. Wait? Aren't they all?

With three votes apiece:

3. I Got A Line On You - Spirit - To me, this song is the ultimate psych-rock song: it's got a groovy bass line, a soaring, chiming guitar solo, and even a scream "OWWWW!" Dig it, baby!

2. Alone Again Or - Love - Just plain groovy with its Spanish-guitar playing, it's awkward harmony, and those horns.

And the top of the heap:

1. All The Young Dudes - Mott the Hoople - David Bowie wrote this song and gave it to MTH, in a last-ditch effort to keep them going. It's still their finest moment, and set the stage for Ian Hunter's solo career.

There you have it for 2006! Stay tuned for new Psychedelic Sunday posts starting up again in January 2007.

If you'd like to hear these songs, the podcast will be posted later today.

Top 5 On Friday

Just HOW did it get to Friday again so quickly?

Top 5 musical discoveries of 2006 (new albums/artists you've discovered etc)

5. Dead Heart Bloom - Dead Heart Bloom - I have not heard an entire cd of songs, but the songs I downloaded from the net have impressed me, especially Letter To The World, which has a John Lennon vibe to it.

4. The Subways - Young For Eternity - What a debut from these three young Brits. Some kickass rock 'n roll!

3. Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther - This cd has a 70's feel to it, much like Josh Rouse's 1972.

2. Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time -Neil Young influenced indie rock.

1. Grace Potter And The Nocturnals - Nothing But The Water - Blues-rock in the Bonnie Raitt vein. Grace raises the heat with a Hammond B-3!

Gabba Gabba Hey, It's Ramones Covers!

It's an all-cover show again, featuring Ramones cover songs!

Danny Says - Tom Waits
Blitzkrieg Bop - Yo La Tengo
Judy Is A Punk - The Vibrators
Beat On The Brat - Pygmy Love Circus
I Wanna Be Sedated - The Adicts

Listen at left or download here.

Toothpaste For Dinner (Or Dessert!)

toothpastefordinner.com

Because I Have No Original Thoughts These Days

I stole this from Denise. Do it if you want (let me know if you do).

The things that I have done are in bold, things I would like to do are in red.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror (Nat's note: in the audience participation thing)
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost 100 pounds (close to it)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Tell It To Me Tuesday

Janet's game involves a little explanation this week:

For this week's TITMT I am going to step away from music, trivia and list making requests. Instead, I'm going to ask you for your opinion on a scenario. The scenario itself is deliberately vague on details to see what you would do without too much information. On Sunday I will elaborate more and reveal what we actually did.A few months ago, my boyfriend and I were on our way home from Philadelphia.

On the way we spotted a man pulled over to the side of the road. Assumably his family was waiting in the car. He was flagging drivers down and my boyfriend pulled over. He told us that his car had broken down and that help was on the way, but that unfortunately he did not have all the money he needed to pay for the tow truck. So he was asking strangers, out of the kindness of their hearts, for anything up to fifteen dollars to contribute to the total cost. He also offered to pay us back if we were willing to give our address to him.

My questions to you this week are this:

1. Would you have stopped in the first place? Why or why not?

Probably not, plain and simple, especially if I were alone. Too often you see things in the media about crimes being committed by so-called "people in need." I mean, we tell our kids not to talk to strangers, but then we are willing to do so ourselves. I know I'm jaded and probably even cynical, but that's the reality of life today. I'd rather be safe than sorry. That said, every circumstance is different, so if I would have been with my husband in the car, I'm sure we'd have discussed it and then decided.

2. Are there any factors that would contribute to your stopping or not stopping that would ultimately change your answer?

Sure. If it was dark and the road wasn't too busy, that'd be a definite "no stop" situation. If the guy was driving a BMW or a minivan or something and had a suit on, I'd be more likely to stop. But if there was a leg hanging out of his trunk or something, that'd be a no. I don't think Guido from the local Sopranos needs my help! (and I would NEVER stop if I were alone in my car! NEVER!)

3. If you stopped, would you or would you not give him the money he asked for?

Nope. I'd offer to call AAA or something. Most towers take debit and credit cards, so no cash really needs to be in hand. (Most people have one of those. If they don't, I don't know what I'd do. I just would not feel comfortable handing over cash.)

4. If you gave him the money, would you supply your address?

No. The $$ would be a gift. He asked for 15 bucks or less, so I'd let that go.

5. Does time of year or time of day effect your answer?

Sure. I already said I would not stop in the dark! I'd feel that ingrained Catholic guilt for quite some time, too. You know, that Good Samaritan is nice and all, but it's just not practical in today's world. I'd stop if someone were hurt or I'd call cops if I'd seen a crime, but hey, my family needs me more than the potential stranded family in a vehicle does. And if it's really cold out? I'd get that extra layer of guilt to work through.

So, what would you do?

Psychedelic Sunday - Annual Countdown

Welcome to the first ever Psychedelic Sunday year-end countdown! (I'm bursting with original thought, eh?)

Your votes are in, and the #1 vote-getter is a surprise to me, since it's more glam than psychedelic, but that's ok. I use the term "psychedelic" very loosely, as if it applies to anything that rocked in a rather trippy way from the mid-60's forward. I know that's incorrect, but so what? My blog. My rules. (Repeat after me: Nat is a megalomaniac!) Besides, glam still carried the vestiges of psych. rock with it, so it still counts.

Anyway, a little explanation of the results. 15 songs received votes, and there were lots of ties, so I'm just going to podcast all that received votes. It's a longer podcast, but good music should be heard, don't you think?

And now, without further ado: The Countdown

15. Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out) - The Hombres

14. One - Three Dog Night

13. Coming into Los Angeles - Arlo Guthrie

12. Miserlou - Dick Dale & the Del-Tones

11. Mama Told Me (Not To Come) - Three Dog Night - Wow, they weren't even a psych. rock band and they've got 2 songs in the countdown. That's ok, there are some psych. elements in this song.

10. Time Won't Let Me - The Outsiders

9. Dino's Song - Quicksilver Messenger Service

Podcast is at left, or download it here (available for a few months) or here* (for 7 days.)

Next week: *#8 - #1!

The Polls Are Closed!

The first annual Psychedelic Sunday year-end countdown poll is now closed. Part I of the show begins tomorrow. 15 songs received votes, with 7 songs receiving one vote each, so I'll break up the countdown into two shows. It just would not seem fair to lop off 5 songs just to keep the shows at 5 songs apiece, and I don't want to break this up into three shows. Stay tuned!!

Thanks for voting everyone!

Top 5 On Friday - Lennon Songs

Today is the 26th anniversary of a very sad day in music, so the Top 5 theme is : Top 5 songs written by or performed by John Lennon.

You know, for the longest time, Paul was my favorite Beatle. I mean, what was not to love? His songs were catchy and positive, which reflected the life he had with lovely Linda and their kids. During the Beatle years, he was "the cute Beatle," and he was single during all of those early, fan-crazed years. As I aged and listened with more worldly ears, I came to appreciate John Lennon's contributions. If I had to pick a favorite Beatle now, I'd choose John, and there would be no sentimentality in my choice.

John spoke from a more cynical, worldly point of view, but he harbored such a soft, sweet side to balance it out. John's music reveals both the yin and the yang, and therefore, to me, more completely encompasses life. Which 5 songs would represent all that was John?

5. Power To The People - Power to the people - RIGHT ON! This is the revolutionary John, all anti-war and anti-establishment.

4. Instant Karma - You better get yourself together, pretty soon you're gonna be dead. - The philosophical, yet cynical John.

3. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. Yes, one of the finest lines ever in a pop song. (Too bad he didn't write something like this for Julian.) The is the sweet, loving John.

2. Imagine - This is the one everyone decided to use as a sing-along after John died. You know, I do believe the world would be better off with this philosophy. Too bad we're only human and it'll never happen. Imagine, though, all the people, living life in peace. I'm a dreamer, too. This is the hopeful John, free of cynicism.

1. In My Life - To me, the finest pop song ever written. The simplicity is key here: simple, meaningful lyrics and rather low-key instrumentation. I hope to look back when I'm 80 and think of all the friends and lovers in my life. This is an introspective John, even in his youth.

There you go. Now, all of that said, I must say, I DO NOT have a favorite Beatle. No, not really. They've all been special to me in one way or another for all of these years. I mean, dear George was just that: dear. And RIngo? He's still at it, and still cooking up fun whenever he tours.

Listen To Some 80's Covers

I posted a podcast today, since I'm not sure if I can squeeze in a Top 5 this week. (It's crazy busy time!) So, click below to see what's up on the 80's Covers show!


80's Covers


What Rocks In My World Should Rock In Yours!

Enjoy! -- Nat

MySpace To Develop Tools To Fend Off Sex Offenders

I just read an article on the Excite home page that revealed that MySpace will develop tools to help ward off sex offenders from their site. Since I'm such a bigwig in cyberspace, they let me in on their first draft of one of the tools: a handy questionaire!



Think it'll work?

Contest Winners Update

I.M. Dedd and Mungen Cakes got the connection between the five songs in this post: songs from 1976 (the year of Frampton Comes Alive and, coincidentally, the year I left home to join the Navy!) Congratulations! CDs are coming your way!

Tell It To Me Tuesday

This week's agenda at Janet's Tell It To Me Tuesday: What are you favorite TV game shows of all time and why?

I'm afraid all of mine will be so-called classic TV shows, since I do not watch game shows these days. To be fair, I did give Who Wants To Be Regis' Bitch, and Drug Dealer or No Drug Dealer a chance by watching them a couple of times, but they didn't make the cut. I don't care for the "let's tell the audience this family's story so they can cheer them on" aspect of Deal. Just play the friggin' game, people, and keep the player's bio crap short and sweet.



Password - Allen Ludden was a great host with a quick wit, and I loved his interplay with the celebrity players. Even the home version of the game was fun! If you weren't around in that game's heyday, it was a simple word game. One player teamed with a celebrity, and there were two teams playing. One player on each team received a card with a word on it, and the object was to get your other team member to guess the word. You could give one word clues, and the teams alternated turns. I forget what they won, though, since it was all about the game to me.(I think it was money.) Great players: Tony Randall and Betty White (Ludden's wife.)


The Hollywood Squares - The one hosted by Peter Marshall, not the new one. It was like The Love Boat in game form, with a steady supply of B and C list stars (Charo, John Davidson, Paul Lynde, and Charley Weaver (Rosanna, David, and Patricia Arquette's grandpa) scripted and often "running" jokes, and some good, tough questions. Players also had to strategize a bit, so that made the game more fun. Prizes varied (vacations, cars, etc.)


The Dating Game - Groovy man. Herb Alpert theme music, a mod set, and groovy guy and gal contestants (often out-of-work actors), and STUPID, STUPID questions to answer, often masking sexual innuendo. (after all, it was a Chuck Barris (Gong Show) production. Prize: A chaperoned date with the winner (to ensure there were no would-be rapists or axe murderers who would abscond with the unsuspecting date.)


My alltime favorite, though, is You Bet Your Life, with Groucho Marx. This was really a quiz show, but I'm counting it as a game. Marx was so quick-witted and funny, and the show was really more about his interplay with the player than the actual game itself. It was sort of like a talk show, hosted by a celebrity, with a plain-old-average-Joe guest. (Sometimes the player was semi-famous, but it was still fun!) Groucho could not help being Groucho, so there was often sexual innuendo or "dirty jokes" as my mom would say. One woman contestant, Mrs. Story, mentioned she had nineteen children. Groucho asked her, "Why so many children?" The woman said, "Well, I just love my husband." Groucho replied, "And I like a good cigar, but I take it out of my mouth once in a while." Before the quiz started, the Secret Word would be announced (Groucho, today the secret word is "Mustard"), and if the player somehow uttered that word during the course of the game, they won extra money. The prize: $$, with a whopping $1,000 for the contestant if all questions were answered correctly. Wonder what they did with all that money?

I also liked pre-Alex Jeopardy, The 10,000 Pyramid, and re-runs of What's My Line? (I was too young for the first-run shows.)

Did you like game shows, and what were your favorites?

60's Tunes Podcast

A quickie before I head off to give great customer service at the old salt mine today!

Enjoy the 60's tunes!

1. Can't Find My Way Home - Blind Faith

2. Time Won't Let Me - The Outsiders

3. Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow) - The Monkees

4. A Well-Respected Man - The Kinks

5. I Got A Line On You - Spirit

Hey, have a good day!

Listen at left or here.

Psychedelic Sunday - Smackdown Edition

Alone Again Or - Love vs. Alone Again Or - Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

Alone Again Or, originally recorded by the pretty-far underground 60's folk/rock/psychedelic bands, is an interesting song, written by the band's guitarist, Bryan MacLean, as a tribute to his flamenco-dancer mother (thus, the Herb Alpert-like horn solo and the Spanish-style guitar picking at the outset.)

Arthur Lee, the band's main songwriter, spent the early 60's as a producer, and in that capacity had written and produced a single for Rosa Lee Brooks that included session work from then-unknown Jimi Hendrix. Lee remixed Alone Again Or during Forever Changes' final mixing session and pushed MacLean's recorded lead vocal to the background while pushing his own vocal to the lead. (Not such a nice thing to do when your band is called Love, is it?)

All that aside, it's an interesting song, and the horn solo really adds that late 60's pop flavor to an otherwise rocking song.

Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (The Bangles) covered the song quite nicely in this year's release Under The Covers, Vol. 1. Although they stick rather closely to the original, I much prefer their vocals to that of the original Love release. Not so for my husband, though, who asked me if he was hearing The Chipmunks.

Download and listen and tell me which one you prefer!

Alone Again Or - Love (click song title* to download)

Alone Again Or - Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs (click song title* to download)