100 Albums, 100 Words (40-31)

40. Simon and Garfunkel – Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (1966)

Although Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water receive far more attention, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme is certainly the most varied and possibly the most affecting Simon & Garfunkel album. The raucous “Simple Desultory Philippic” and the deeply sorrowful “7 O’Clock News/ Silent Night” are like little else in popular music, and are certainly exotic yet brilliant excursions within the Simon & Garfunkel catalog. Other tracks such as the wistful “Homeward Bound,” the bouncy “59th Street Bridge Song” and the reflective “Dangling Conversation” may follow familiar models, but do so with a graceful delicacy that makes them memorable, not generic.

39. Prince – 1999 (1982)

Following Dirty Mind, Prince knew he had a unique sound, but was unsure of how to develop it. He tried to elongate songs and be over-the-top in his political declarations on Controversy, but a year later he learned how to control the raw power naked funk unleashed on 1999. Prince’s breakthrough, the album contained three top twenty singles, two of which remain classics (“1999,” “Little Red Corvette”). Prince learned more artistically mature ways to politicize his music with “Lady Cab Driver” and “Free” and still managed to keep up his sultry leer on “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” and “International Lover.”

38. Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St. (1972)

Putting on Exile makes you feel like you’re stepping down into a speakeasy, replete with boogie-woogie piano licks, horns and gospel singers. Once inside, exiled from the mainstream, the album envelops you in cathartic celebration filtered through a whiskey-soaked drawl. “Shake Your Hips” is a leering blues. “Shine the Light” is an elegy. “Sweet Virginia” could be a backwoods ode to the state itself. Taken altogether, this is the apotheosis of what Gram Parsons (a close friend of Richards who worked on the album) termed “cosmic American music,” this roots-infused album of juke joint jive feels simultaneously grimy and rejuvenating.

37. The Doors – Morrison Hotel (1970)

Even though Jim Morrison moans that this is the strangest life he’s ever known on “Waiting For the Sun,” Morrison Hotel may be the most normal album The Doors ever released, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. No twelve minute songs about incest, no wigged out poetry readings – just the essence of rock. Robbie Kreiger’s guitar carries all the barroom swagger he can muster on “Roadhouse Blues.” Ray Manzarek’s hands flutter across his organ on the nuevo-funk masterpiece “Peace Frog.” The compositions are tight, leaving none of Soft Parade’s filler. The older I get, the better this record sounds.

36. The Who – Live At Leeds (1970)

Pete Townsend used the studio to great advantage to create pristine recordings unparalleled for their majesty and breadth. Then, in concert, his bandmates destroyed them with virtuosic power as a completely maniacal trio with a really pretty guy who mostly just stood there but occasionally sang. A blend of perfectly nailed covers (“Shakin’ All Over,” “Young Man Blues”), extended jams of songs that go leagues beyond their original incarnations (“Magic Bus,” “My Generation”), and a concise smattering of mostly straight-forward hits (“Substitute”), Leeds provides the perfect introduction to what the Who do best, and that is rock like wild wildebeests.

35. Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run (1975)

Born To Run is a street fantasy, an “opera out on the turnpike,” and a glimpse into the kind of world that plagued Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. The urban underbelly Springsteen creates is populated with a vivid cast of characters, including Bad Scooter, the Magic Rat, and the Duke Street Kings. Behind the gritty tales, though, lies a lush and tender soundscape. Roy Bittan’s nuanced piano invites the listener in while Clarence Clemons tight, bright horn leads shoot right through them with pained solos. More than anything else, this is the sound of E-Street, distilled to its finest essence.

34. The Band – Music From Big Pink (1968)

Coming down the wire from a big pink barn, this idyllic album slowly unravels its strengths. A muted organ begins spreading creaky chords among earthy voices in the gospel strains of ”Tears of Rage,” but by “We Can Talk” Garth Hudson is rocking it like a swamp, building to a peak in “Chest Fever.” Following this up is Richard Manuel’s most aching vocal on this album, “Lonesome Suzie.” The musicianship developed while a Toronto bar band and the sound honed with Bob Dylan in the basement of Hi-Lo-Ha reach their logical conclusion in this blissful blend of smooth country sounds.

33. Beatles – Revolver (1966)

Tonight, on Unsolved Mysteries of Rock, we will consider many of the conundrums and confusions surrounding the Beatles’ Revolver, such as what exactly did Dr. Roberts prescribe? Was “Tomorrow Never Knows” inspired by just LSD, or was a time machine also involved? Why do the head lice crawling around on the cover look conspicuously like the Beatles themselves? And, perhaps most importantly, why did the Beatles choose to name this album Revolver? Was it simply to prevent Ted Nugent from one day using the title himself, or was it just that the music on this album completely blows your mind?

32. DJ Jazzy Jeff – The Magnificent (2002)

Baby Black, Pauly Yamz and Chef Word are stars, at least in Philly, the geographical context that this album is a musical metaphor for. The Magnificent creates community, and the lesser known rappers stand shoulder-to-shoulder with giants like J-Live, Raheem, Jill Scott, Shawn Stockman, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. This is undoubtedly the most underappreciated album on my list, which is shameful because the socially conscious rhymes the rappers construct in their lyrical landscapes build up the people, despite occasionally falling into the misogynistic trap that plagues so much otherwise delightful rap. And, of course, Jeff proves fresher than the Prince.

31. Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison (1968)

If you were a prisoner who got to go to a concert, what would you like to hear songs about? (Please check all that apply.)

o Sleeping with your best friend’s wife
o Being so busted broke you have to steal
o Shooting cocaine
o Shooting your woman down
o Shooting cocaine AND shooting your woman down
o Shooting a man just to watch him die
o Getting pictures of mom in the mail
o Hangings and electric chairs
o Failed attempts at pardons
o Flushing down old love affairs
o A fellow inmate’s musings on religion
o Dirty thievin’ dogs
o Prison break attempts
o Prison break attempts that are really suicide attempts

Best of '07

Two months on, I'm bringing it back with some annotated notes to my best of 2007 mix. First, the tracklist:

1. Nellie McKay – Mother of Pearl (from Obligatory Villagers)
2. Paul McCartney – Ever Present Past (from Memory Almost Full)
3. The Hold Steady – Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? (from I’m Not There)
4. Bruce Springsteen – Radio Nowhere (from Magic)
5. Albert Hammond, Jr. – Everybody Gets A Star
6. moe. – Blue Jeans Pizza
7. Gwen Stefani – The Sweet Escape
8. Gym Class Heroes – Cupid’s Chokehold
9. Prince – Chelsea Rodgers (from Planet Earth)
10. Mavis Staples – 99 ½ (from We’ll Never Turn Back)
11. John Doe – Pressing On (from I’m Not There)
12. Glen Hansard – Falling From the Sky (from Once)
13. Nathan – Trans Am
14. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Tom Dula (from Dona Got A Ramblin’Mind)
15. Levon Helm – Got Me A Woman (from Dirt Farmer)
16. Ry Cooder – Footprints In the Snow (from My Name Is Buddy)
17. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Little Margaret
18. Paul McCartney – Mr. Bellamy
19. Nellie McKay – Identity Theft
20. DJ Jazzy Jeff feat. Dave Ghetto – Come On (from Return Of the Magnificent)
21. Blind Boy Grunt – Talkin’ Devil

Now, the annotations:

1. Nellie McKay's "Mother of Pearl"

Taken from Obligatory Villagers, this is the feminist track of the year. With a surgeon's scalpel, Nellie expertly deconstructs patriarchal stereotypes of what feminism is. Gorgeous. The call and response between Nellie and the chorus of males makes it.

2. Paul McCartney's "Ever Present Past"

I wrote Paul off a long time ago as sappy crap, but Memory Almost Full has made me completely reevaluate my feelings on him, and this is my favorite track on it. The poppiness is killer, and it's smart too!

3. The Hold Steady's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window?"

This song is a cover of an obscure electified Dylan single. It doesn't sound like a Dylan single to me, though; it sounds like early Springsteen. This could be an outtake from The Wild, The Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle, minus Clarence Clemons. It isn't only in the arrangement, but in the vocals and the pacing too. Of course, some would have you believe that early Springsteen sounds like Dylan...

4. Bruce Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere"

For the most part, I didn't think that Magic was very magical, but this number, the first single, did stick out. Bruce gets down to business here like he used to.

5. Albert Hammond, Jr's "Everybody Gets A Star"

It may be reminescent of The Strokes (obviously) and also Jet, Franz Ferdinand, etc., but that background hook and drum line is still killer.

6. moe.'s "Blue Jeans Pizza"

Some of you may mistake this for warmed up jam band leftovers, but there is something mystical going on between those bass notes and piano chords.

7. Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape"

This song is a 1950s throwback, and that's what I love about it. Gwen Stefani manages to pull off the sound of a naughty pin-up girl, blending herself as naive ingenue and dirtier-than-Christina sex pot (ironically, the first time I heard this on the radio, I thought it was Christina). I'm not a fan of Stefani necessarily, but this song blows me away.

8. Gym Class Heroes' "Cupid's Chokehold"

They may seem like second-rate Biz Markies, but this song is a lot of fun and, with the help of Supertramp, catchy as hell.

9. Prince's "Chelsea Rodgers"

Planet Earth may have been the most disappointing album of the year for me, but this song still manages to succeed. Granted, Prince is trying to stay relevant by ripping off his most talented pupil with calls of "shake it like a juicy-juice," but this is still some seriously funky shit.

10. Mavis Staples' "99 1/2"

When I saw Mavis in concert, I REALLY wanted to hear this. As it was, I was perfectly happy to hear "The Weight" and "I'll Take You There," but damn this song is hot! That beat is just so freakishly funky. White-hot gospel at its finest.

11. John Doe's "Pressing On"

This is the highlight of the I'm Not There soundtrack, and its sung by an atheist. This makes me wish Dylan would have taken the time to make Saved the way it should have been made, and makes me wish for the more practical issueing of one or several of Dylan's gospel concerts. I want the Toronto 80 soundboard recordings and the complete stay at the Fox Warfield in San Fran. I also wouldn't mind a collection of all of the various as-of-yet-unreleased gospel songs in whatever versions exist. Come on Columbia, get it in gear already.

12. Glen Hansard's "Fallen From the Sky"

Glen Hansard is the breakout artist of the year, and I mean that in the consummate sense of artist. This guy can handle anything with nuance and beauty. Once is amazing.

13. Nathan's "Trans Am"

An underrated female singer-songwriter, Nathan could be the next Kasey Chambers.

14. Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Tom Dula"

This trio of Americana neophytes already plays it like the old-timers. Perhaps the most unexpected album by a trio of young urban blacks to come out this year, Dona Got A Ramblin' Mind is also among the best album by any.

15. Levon Helm's "Got Me A Woman"

Having fought throat cancer, Levon Helm knows a thing or two about being a badass. He's ten times cooler than Robbie Robertson in my book, so I knew I'd love Dirt Farmer. I didn't know that it was mostly covers, but I didn't care cause they are all good. This one is my favorites. I know what its like to find a woman who will shave your beard. Now, if I could only find a monkey and a Chinese acrobat....

16. Ry Cooder's "Footprints In the Snow"

My Name Is Buddy is the best concept for an album ever and the best packaging for an album ever. While I found most of the songs themselves sadly derivative and not quite strong enough to carry through on the genius of everything else, this song is a definite stand out. Jive on that tex-mex accordian and then lay back for the banjo solo.

17. Carolina Chocolate Drops' "Little Margaret"

Wow. A capella performance of the decade. Great story too. Dappled roans and ivory combs.

18. Paul McCartney's "Mr. Bellamy"

Opening with some melodramatic strings, the ominous piano kicks in, and then drops in this phat bass beat, and you have to wonder, how did macca go from "Ebony and Ivory" to this? This song just layers the hook and has a more genuinely mysterious lyric than anything John ever wrote.

19. Nellie McKay's "Identity Theft"

I'm not totally sure that I agree with Nellie on the university thing -- I definitely try to teach empathy -- but who else is rhyming about Ray Bolger these days? McKay comments on both loss of civil liberties and how corporate marketing steals an artist's identity and transforms it into something easily fit for the marketplace.

20. DJ Jazzy Jeff and Dave Ghetto's "Come On"

Pulling a sample from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell ("You're All I Need To Get By"), DJ Jazzy Jeff creates a laidback peace whose optimism clashes with Dave Ghetto's toasts and tales of black disenfranchisement and loss of agency.

21. Blind Boy Grunt's "Talkin' Devil"

Recorded over forty-five years ago, this obscure Dylan fragment was released this year. It blends his belief in religion with his hatred of the KKK. Whoever didn't see the born-again period coming just wasn't listening.

Radio Nowhere

"Radio Nowhere," the first single off of Bruce Springsteen's forthcoming album Magic, is powerful. The song hangs on a heavy chord progression which is totally contemporary. Over it, the song laments the lack of diversity on contemporary radio and how the repitition of five or six songs leaves everyone those five songs don't relate to feeling alienated.

As he is apt to do, Springsteen begins the song by evoking the American landscape in turmoil. Attacked by the drone of the radio, he imagines a "satellite / crushing the last lone American night." Elsewhere, the Boss is "searching for the Mystery Train." This reference to Elvis's essential Sun single, written and originally recorded by Junior Parker, brings to life the idea of earthy music made for enjoyment. "Mystery Train," and Presley's other Sun singles, pre-dates the time when people knew what rock'n'roll was supposed to sound like, and more importantly what rock'n'roll had to sound like in order to make some money. This allowed the music to have the room it needed to come to life, and the influence of the market means that thousands of artists who may have brilliant ideas fail to get signed because their music doesn't conform with Top 40 radio.

The line "I want a million different voices speaking in tongues" is brilliant. The idea of diversity is expressed through the variety of sounds made by a million different voices and the idea of speaking in tongues conjures up the idea of people making emotional music spoken from passion rather than thought. This truest way to express the self is where rock gets its unbridled energy. The line also, rather obviously, implies that rock is imbued with spiritual power; this has always been true of Springsteen's music.

Springsteen's "Magic"al titles

So, the track list has been released for the upcoming Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band album due out this fall. It will be titled Magic. Judgving from the song titles, it should be classic. There are a couple clunkers ("I'll Work For Your Love"?), but for the most part they are classic Bruce. "Radio Nowhere" sounds like a companion to that other media wasteland cut, "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)." "Last to Die" sounds like a sequel to "Tougher Than the Rest." "Gypsy Biker" sounds like something out of the ragged glory of early E-Street. Any time you mix gypsies and bikers you can't go wrong. Hopefully Crazy Davey and the Magic Rat make cameos. Finally, "Devil's Arcade." Wow. That sounds like a powerful blend of the outlook on "Devils and Dust" with a rambshackle mix of the wildest imagery. I can't wait.

100 Albums, 100 Words (100-91)

The following list, concieved of in the Spring, represents a ranking of 100 albums, each reviewed in exactly 100 words. The reviews are prefaced by a 100-word working definition of the album. Enjoy.

A good album, like a good review, is poetry -- it's crafted. You have to consider it all: album art, liner notes, production values, ... album order (if you put an album on shuffle and it sounds just as good, it's not a real album). You have to have a concept rather than a song collection, be it a plot, theme, or just a feeling. Thus, compilations can't be albums, unless they have a guiding principle, and live albums don't count if the set is all hits. That said, exceptions exist. If they need justification -- if they deserve it -- they'll get it.

100. John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Double Fantasy (1980)

The lightly veiled racism of America has continuously portrayed Yoko Ono as some sort of evil force which ruined John Lennon’s career by breaking up the Beatles and forcing him to experiment on his own. That’s a crock of shit. Americans were just pissed that they weren’t getting to sleep with John Lennon; they felt betrayed. Lennon’s songs here are mainstream and well crafted, especially the beautiful “Woman.” Ono’s songs are no slouch, though. “Give Me Something” rocks like Lennon’s “Cold Turkey” and “I’m Your Angel” recalls 1930s pop as well as anything since McCartney’s “Honey Pie” on The Beatles.

99. Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing (1987)

Minimalist, new folk, almost world beat, Suzanne Vega’s second album explores a variety of territory with skill. She includes the hit-to-be “Tom’s Diner” in both a capella and instrumental versions. “Luka,” the most well-known track, is a brilliant depiction of child abuse. An English major, Vega’s lyrics are well-drawn, cataloging images better than anyone since Joni Mitchell (who seems to be a musical influence). “Ironbound/ Fancy Poultry” is a gorgeous ballad about what seems to be the bride of an arranged marriage. “In the Eye” is poppy. “Wooden Horse” recalls both the Trojans and Warner Herzog. Listen and be intrigued.

98. The Clash – Combat Rock (1982)

I realize this is not the Clash’s best work, but when I was young I thought this was the holy grail of punk and I still think it's underrated. I was drawn in by “Rock the Casbah,” but I soon found there was much more. “Know Your Rights” is as explicit as protest music gets. “Car Jamming” made me learn who Lauren Bacall was (hey, I was young). “Red Angel Dragnet” made me go buy Taxi Driver. “Ghetto Defendant” got me interested in Allen Ginsberg. “Overpowered By Funk” lives up to its name. An amazing listen from start to finish.

97. The Dixie Chicks – Fly (1999)

Anyone who was truly surprised when Natalie Maines made her anti-Bush comments simply wasn’t listening to their music; on Fly the girls grow wings and become liberated women. “Goodbye Earl,” a single with crossover appeal, justified the murder of a spousal abuser. Murder ballads are nothing new in country, but not since ‘Frankie and Johnny” has the woman won out, and Frankie felt guilty. “Sin Wagon” is simultaneously a barnstormer and a paean to, well, sin. The liner notes include the term “booty call.” I don’t like pop country; this is pop country, but it’s not your typical Toby Keith.

96. Weezer – Weezer (1994)

It should come as no surprise that Ric Ocasek produced Weezer since it employs a straight-forward rock sound that hadn’t been achieved since The Cars' debut album. “Buddy Holly” is the most well-known song, a deconstruction of the myth of 50s culture as regarded in the nineties (how else can you explain a song called “Buddy Holly” opening with “What’s with these homies dissin’ my girl?”). “Say It Ain’t So” features poppy hooks throughout played with majestically chunky chords. And any album that opens up with a reference to Jonas and the whale definitely deserves a spot in my collection.

95. Thicke – A Beautiful World (2003)

Before he added his first name to his moniker, Robin Thicke was making underappreciated music that fused Michael Jackson, hip-hop, Joni Mitchell and a political consciousness; unfortunately, his lyrical inconsistencies made him seem laughable. “A Beautiful World” paints a bittersweet melodrama that pits man against the nature of the machine and finds man victorious through the beauty of nature … and centerfold models. Elsewhere, his inner feminist claims that a girl being “tha shit” makes her his “equivalent.” That doesn’t even rhyme. Still, the musical ripoffs of Stevie Wonder and Carlos Santana sound as good as what their modeled on.

94. White Stripes – White Blood Cells (2001)

Armed with a distorted tube amp and an arsenal of power chords, Jack White’s guitar launches an assault against overly produced fluff. Amazingly, the band sounds full despite being only two people. The short songs (“Little Room” may be the best song shorter than a minute) mean that the album shifts fast and no song wears out its welcome but is a barn-storming tour-de-force able to do all its business as a breakneck pace. “I Think I Smell A Rat” is all surface, and once you accept that aspect, the licks become irresistible. The rest of the album follows suit.

93. Natalie Imbruglia – Left of the Middle (1997)

Simple yet catchy melodies, innate charm and well-crafted hooks should have made Natalie Imbruglia a breakout sensation, and they did for about fifteen minutes. Everyone remembers “Torn,” but everyone should remember “Smoke,” “One More Addiction” and “Wishing I Was There” as well, as they were all fantastic songs more or less ignored by the media. The press treated the Australian soap opera chanteuse like an amateur, doubting she could mature beyond what she had done. In truth, she deserved more credit than she got for this excellent collection of immediately contemporary yet warm pop songs shot through with mellow strength.

92. Bruce Springsteen – Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ (1973)

This album’s title sounds like a Hallmark card, and thematically that’s what it is: a love letter to the confused homeland that birthed The Boss. Lyrically Springsteen is said to be copying Dylan here, and while “Blinded By the Light” seems somewhat like an unfocused “Tombstone Blues” and “Mary, Queen of Arkansas” is akin to “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” much of it is pure Bruce from the start. “For You” is as mature a song as has ever been written. “Spirit In the Night” shows a gift for hooks and structure that portray the extent of Springsteen’s artistry.

91. Traveling Wilburys – Vol. 1 (1988)

The greatest post-Beatles Beatle side project, The Traveling Wilburys were democratic enough to let George Harrison’s talent shine. In addition to his crack melodicism, you have Roy Orbison’s angelic voice, Tom Petty’s rhythm guitar, Bob Dylan’s playful lyricism and Jeff Lynne’s sleek production to fill things out. The contributors often work best when they share duties, like on “Handle Me With Care.” The hilarious coda of “Dirty World” always brings a chuckle. Perhaps the finest moment, however, is the aching sorrow of Dylan’s “Congratulations;” the only non-upbeat song on the album, it stands as one of his most heartbroken ballads.