Monday, January 13, 2014

Redemption 1 Bonus

25 of My Favorite B-Sides (non-album tracks; 45 flip sides, bonus tracks on cd singles, the occasional movie soundtrack if'n it wasn't released as an a-side single )

1.  You're My Favorite Waste of Time-Marshall Crenshaw
2. Rock and Roll Friend-Go-Betweens
3.  M-Factor-M
4. Blank Slate-The National
5. Flying to My Home-Paul Mccartney
6. Kolele Mai-Midnight Oil
7. Maidenstone-Squeeze
8. When Time Stood Still-ELO
9. How Can You Be Sure-Radiohead
10. 17 Days-Prince (i know, i know, "Erotic City" should be here)
11. You and I Part One-Fleetwood Mac (if "Silver Springs" wasn't so ubiquitous i'd have picked that one.  "Book of Miracles" is pretty great too)
12. The Retreat-Elton John
13. Needle Hits E-Sugar
14. Summer's Over-Sheena Easton
15. Faces-Yeah Yeah Yeahs
16. You Don't Miss Your Water-Eno/Cale
17. Music from Electric and Musical Industries-Hot Chip
18. The Bells-Smashing Pumpkins (not sure how i am supposed to pick from just the Mellon Collie b-sides, but this one always stands out-if i can't have Glynis or Drown, that is)
19. It-Dr. Dog
20. Soft Parachutes-Paul Simon
21. Changed and Different-Little River Band ("it's just a b-side now")
22. Sand and Ice-Fanfarlo
23. I am the City-Abba (not sure if this was ever a b-side or not, "Put on Your White Sombrero" "Under Attack" and "Cassandra" are all pretty great too)
24. Modesto is Not That Sweet-Hold Steady
25. This Girl, Black Girl-Go-Betweens (they have so many great b-sides)

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Redemption (1b)

Sentimental Favorites (probably wouldn’t fit in my top 25 now, but they were sure my favorites up to college, and I still love them all):

1. Barry Manilow-Even Now
2. Billy Joel-The Stranger
3. Al Stewart-Year of the Cat
 4. Christopher Cross-s/t
5. Gerry Rafferty-City to City
6. Supertramp-Breakfast in America

And although i thought the singles were hard, albums are even harder, so you are going to have to bear with me and read through numbers 50 to 26 first (and a couple caveats: no soundtracks/no greatest hits---although i don't think either would have made my lists, and i tried to avoid putting anything on the list that came out before i was really into albums (which excludes van, the kinks, and the beatles etc, who would have maybe made the list otherwise), and basically tried to keep it to music i found for myself (otherwise miracle legion would have been on this list as well:

26. Icehouse-S/t-Primitive Man (again, these two are so intertwined, can’t possibly pull them apart)
27. Sun Kil Moon-Ghosts on the Great Highway
28. Graham Parker-The Mona Lisa’s Sister
29. Art Garfunkel-Watermark
30. Strokes-Is This It
31. Hold Steady-Boys and Girls in America
32. John Cale-Paris 1919 33. Clientele- Strange Geometry
34. Mountain Goats-The Sunset Tree
35. Jazz Butcher-Fiscoteque
36. Father John Misty-Fear Fun
37. Sufjan Stevens-Illinois
38. Jellyfish-Belly Button
39. White Stripes-White Blood Cells
40. U2-The Unforgettable Fire
41. Smashing Pumpkins-Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
42. Prince-Purple Rain
43. Arcade Fire-Funeral
44. Robin Hitchcock-Element of Light
45. Elvis Costello-Armed Forces
46. M-Official Secrets Act
47. Yes-90125
48. Paul Kelly-Under the Sun
49. Everything But the Girl-Idlewild
50. LCD Soundsystem-Sounds of Silver

 and then finally, the top 25:

1. Midnight Oil-Diesel and Dust (probably always #1)
2. Radiohead-The Bends
3. The National-Alligator (I came in a little before this (Wasps Nest) so naturally this is the one.  If I'd come in at Boxer or High Violet, they'd have been my favs.  All three are just so close for me)
4. Smiths-The Queen is Dead (between junior and senior year---summer of 86---- I had a crappy job working for Daig out in Minnetonka—now part of st. jude---but there was a cool (handsome too) janitor who’d always play music and he had the best taste. He turned me onto REM and The Smiths that summer.)
5. REM-Lifes Rich Pageant (I love a lot of their other albums, but this is the one that still gives me goosebumps)
6. Wilco-Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (I am an American aquarium drinker)
7. Magnetic Field-69 Love Songs (but you used to love me that way)
8. My Morning Jacket- It Still Moves (no idea how I stumbled across this album, but it immediately stuck and spun me backwards through their discography. And I’ve loved how they’ve progressed….easily could have been Z here as well)
9. John Grant-Pale Green Ghosts (maybe it won’t stand the test of time, but there has been no other album in the last 10-15 years that I have listened to front to back so compulsively than this one)
10. Sinead O’Connor-I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (give a listen to the second half of this album and tell me it doesn’t still chill)
11. Marshall Crenshaw-s/t
12. Cure-Disintegration
13. Blue Nile-Hats
14. Eno/Cale-Wrong Way Up
15. Woodentops-Giant
16. Go-Betweens-16 Lovers Lane/ Grant-Watershed (cheating, but I totally can’t pull these two apart)
17. My Bloody Valentine-Loveless (the first 2 or 3 times I heard this album I got a terrible headache. I’m not sure why I kept coming back to it, but I sure am glad I did)
18. XTC-Skylarking
19. Kate Bush-Hounds of Love
20. Grizzly Bear-Vekatimist
21. Rickie Lee Jones-s/t (the most as you’ll ever know…)
22. Waterboys-Fisherman’s Blues
23. 10,000 Maniacs-In My Tribe
24. Prefab Sprout-Atlantis: The Comeback
25. Bon Iver-s/t

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Redemption (1a)

Ok. so this was harder than i thought. But first, before i list out my 25 (sorry, i ended up with 26, because it was hard enough to get down from the 150 with which i started) favorite singles of all time (or at least what i think of as singles), i have to list out a couple bonus tracks that provided my essential single education.


  • Rose Garden-Lynn Anderson (no idea why i love/loved this song, but i did and i still do)
  • Sing-Carpenters (make it simple to last your whole life long--second grade music class)
  • Both Sides Now-Joni Mitchell (we sang this in music class in first grade, even had to print out the lyrics in class, i still really don't know clouds.  at all.)
  • Joy to the World-Three Dog Night (my performance solo in the back seat of our red car, i belted out that "Jeremiah was a bull frog, he was a good friend of mine" at full volume, shocking my parents and annoying my older brother and sister to no end. win and win. can't necessarily say i remember if i remembered any of the other lyrics, but i had that bull frog part down pat)


  1. Pop Muzik-M (naturally, my manifesto and a perfect song.  do you read me?  loud and clear.)
  2. We Can Get Together-Icehouse (i recorded this from the radio on a little cassette player to share with Shelley Christianson-my fellow top 40 fan--before catchecism.  I don't think she was too impressed.  but i still am)
  3. Easy Come, Easy Go-Grant (could have been cattle and cane, streets of your town, right here, trapeze boy or practically anything, but this one gives me the most goosebumps per surface area)
  4. Undercover Angel-Alan O’Day (alllll-right)
  5. D.W. Suite-Lindsey Buckingham (if we go,, go insane, we will all go together)
  6. Video Killed the Radio Star-The Buggles (oh, oh, oh oh oh)
  7. Bloodbuzz, Ohio-The National (abel, mr. november, apartment song, fake empire; there are so many, but this is the one i go back to the most)
  8. Speed of Sound-Chris Bell (i liked it better when this was just my little secret song, but i guess it's nice to hear it unexpectedly, so let the masses enjoy)
  9. Beds are Burning-Midnight Oil
  10. Sir Duke-Stevie Wonder (music is a world within its self, with a language we all understand)
  11. Cars and Girls-Prefab Sprout (something hurt more, much more than cars and girls)
  12. Perfect-Fairground Attraction
  13. Follow You All Over the World-Marti Jones
  14. The Whole of the Moon-Waterboys (I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon)
  15. Blue and Grey Shirt-AMC (so why didn't you call?)
  16. Running Up the Hill-Kate Bush
  17. Hey, Jack Kerouac-10,000 Maniacs (have the boys all grown up, there beauty faded)
  18. Biggest Fool of All-Cock Robin
  19. Never in my Life-Babyface (pretty hokey and maudlin i know, and nobody else knows it.but they were from Eau Claire and it was such an ear worm for me)
  20. Everyday, I write the Book-Elvis Costello (even in a perfect world, where everyone was equal, i'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel)
  21. Bring on the Dancing Horses-Echo and the Bunnymen
  22. Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want-the Smiths
  23. True Faith-New Order
  24. Throw Your Arm Around Me-Hunters and Collectors
  25. Better Be Home Soon-Crowded House
  26. Brother Sport-Animal Collective (open up your throat)

*I reserve the right to add/subtract to the this list as whim and weather strike me.