We are back and proud to announce our newest book. On The List:1980s. Out now!!! In this book, we explore that totally awesome decade: the 1980s. Neon clothes, big hair, cassettes, fast cars, MTV, and all the great music from pop to rock to metal to rap to every paisley jangle pub punk out there. It's available now and perfect for under the tree for that audiophile in your life. Available now on Amazon.
Here are the 11 best quotes from people who have read the book:
- "Most Excellent!" - Two wild musicians at the Circle K
- "The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore it." - High School Receptionist
- "I feel the need...the need for this book!" - Naval Pilot
- "Inconceivable!" - Some Guy who doesn't know what the word means
- "It belongs in a museum." - An Archeologist
- "Bitchin'" - kid hanging out back at the Gas N' Sip
- "I came. I read. It kicks ass!" - Paranormal Expert
- "If you read it, you will be happy." - Baseball player
- "It's great. Now you know...and knowing is half the battle." - Military Soldier
- "I'll be back...to read this again and again." Robot from the future
- "This goes to 11." - Metal guitarist
I had a conversation with some friends this week about what artists of the past 25 years will be elected in the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in their first year if eligibility. Recently, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Green Day all accomplished this. We came up with five bands: Beck, Radiohead, Eminem, The White Stripes, and Linkin Park. Though half of our group didn't believe that Linkin Park would make it in (on the first year)...I convinced them of the opposite.
In the past 17 years, Linkin Park has sold over 80 million albums worldwide, 28 million in the US. Their debut album, Hybrid Theory, was awarded Diamond status for selling 10 million copies in the US (27 million worldwide). It was the best-selling album of 2001, the seventh best-selling album of the 2000s, and the best-selling debut album of the 21st century. Their follow-up album, Meteora, has also sold 27 million albums worldwide (7 million in the US). While their third album, Minutes To Midnight, sold 20 million worldwide (3 million in the US). They have 6 number one albums, all of which have debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. They won 2 Grammy awards (5 nominations), 4 MTV VMAs (18 nominations), 5 AMAs (9 nominations), and an additional 25+ international awards. They headlined two of the five highest grossing festivals of the 2000s (Download & Rock Am Ring). They have 3 top ten singles on the Billboard charts (In The End, What I've Done, New Divide), ten #1 singles on the US alternative charts, eight #1 singles on the US mainstream rock charts, and 21 top ten international singles.
But despite all the album sales, the awards, the sold out shows, the legions of fans...there was one thing about Linkin Park that you can't take away. They were original. They may have been lumped in with the nu metal genre but there was no other band who sounded like them. They were a cross between Alice In Chains, Beastie Boys, Minor Threat, Anime, and Video Games. There was no one else like them before them and no one else since. Even though I was a bigger Soundgarden fan, I think this death hit me harder because Chester was the first major star to pass away who was younger than me.
I was a fan. A Thousands Suns was my favorite album. Their live show was inspiring. And unlike a lot of bands, they were creative and they took chances. Sometimes the chances paid off...sometimes they did not. But I would rather root for a band who took a chance and failed than root for a band that always played it safe.
In order to reach the 111 mark, I've included songs from Chester's entire career.
One of my favorite bands of all time is Fleetwood Mac. What makes The Mac so amazing isn't one particular member. The band is a true sum of its parts. They are the gold standard when it comes to the team effort approach to their songs, albums and live shows. Though they are a chameleon of a band who has evolved and changed over time, they have had their share of chaotic times. But difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations. When the group is in sync with each other, there is no one better.
But what if that wasn't true? What if Fleetwood Mac only had one singer? The Mac has been known since their early beginnings as a band who has shared vocal duties. But just for fun...what if that wasn't true? What if they only had one singer? What would an album by Fleetwood Mac sound like? Over the next three days, I want to look at three different versions of The Mac...each one featuring a different singer. What would an album sound like if only Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie or Lindsey Buckingham were the singer? I am not advocating this should be the case...but what if?
Up first, here is the Stevie Nicks version of Fleetwood Mac. I have kept the album to a tight 11 songs, trying to find the best songs that cohesively fit together. It's an interesting experiment and I'd love to know your thoughts. Listen below.
It was a challenge to get to 111...there are a couple of stretches to get there but we made it.
It's been a hard year on music. Another major loss today with the passing of the iconic, Phife Dawg. A legend, whose lyrical mastery inspired a generation of socially-motivated rappers. A wordsmith, a poet, a legend. Your words will live on.
In high school, I bought a four pack of CDs from Costco, featuring four of the Eagles best albums. The set included The Eagles, Desperado, The Long Run and Hotel California. Costco had been packaging four packs of CDs like this for some iconic artists like Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. It was a great doorway drug for a young kid, discovering a classic artist for the first time. I purchased the Eagles because I was growing up in a small town where country music was the mainstream while I preferred rock music. I believed it was a nice alternative to have in my car in case someone found one of my Depeche Mode or Cure CDs lying around. What instantly struck me about the Eagles was their flawless ability to teeter back and forth between two lead singers with strong success. Both of them had similar styles that blended into beautiful melodies and harmonies. Only the Grateful Dead and Fleetwood Mac can brag about having multiple lead singers. But when Weir sang over Garcia or Buckingham over Nicks, there were distinct differences in the songs. The Henley-Frey combo was a needle in a haystack. A perfect union that has forever ended.
Glenn Frey's legacy is unmatched except only by his brother in arms, Don Henley.
RIP Glenn...Take it easy...
Happy Halloween, ghouls, goblins, and all you ordinary people dressing up. Here's a playlist to keep the frights going.
In these lists, the order is always arbitrary. If I were to publish this list every day...every day there'd be a new order. And I'd look back at the old order and wonder what the heck was I thinking. The old order is nowhere as good as the new order. But I'm not going to do that. I'm going with one order, it's not a new order, it's not an old order, it's the only order. But if you don't like my order and prefer a new order then just hit random and you can have your New Order in any order you want.
September has always had that schizophrenic nature of being placed in the middle of the year, yet it's the month that represents the beginning of many new things in our culture. September is the month that a new school year begins, it's the month when TV shows begin their new season and new TV shows debut, and it's the beginning of the award season for Golden Globes, Oscars and Grammys. It's also the time of the year when record labels begin releasing their biggest albums of the year, gearing up for the holiday season. There are more new album releases in the first two weeks of September than in July and August combined. (I just made that up but it sounds accurate.) To kick off this new start as we head into the end of the year, I've concocted a playlist for such a time. I've chosen a wide variety of music from old artists, new artists, rock to hip-hop to dance and everything in between. Some of these are new songs to debut this month, others are from albums that will be released in the coming weeks. Sit back, enjoy, while watching the new NFL season.
Led Zeppelin made albums. Like others of their generation, Led Zeppelin didn't make music to be radio stars. They didn't make music to be featured in commercials, movies, or TV shows. They didn't make music for any other reason but to make great music. Their albums were islands. Moments in time. A place to journey to. A sonic landscape to escape to. Back then, it was about quality not quantity. There are very few songs that slipped out from in between the cracks. In fact, prior to the Led Zeppelin box set of 1990, the band only officially released one extra song as a B-side (Hey, Hey What Can I Do).
This week sees the final release of the Led Zeppelin remasters series. Though most of the bonus tracks were alternate versions and demos, some better than others (actually, few better than others), there was a handful more unreleased tracks in the overall series.
Led Zeppelin bonus tracks are a rarity. They may exist in small doses but only to draw attention to their larger contributions. They exist like bonus scenes at the end of a Marvel movie. The end credit scenes. Over the course of the remasters and box sets, enough bonus material has come out to form one additional album...an "end credits" album.
With the releases of Led Zeppelin coming to a close, here is the final culmination of their remaining music, compiled in one album, aptly called "End Credits."
Last weekend, I went to my first Grateful Dead concert in Santa Clara as part of the Fare Thee Well mini-tour. I have never been a Deadhead. I have liked the dead, listened to them on many occasions, and I even own a few CDs and a couple of vinyl bootlegs. If this was any other band, I'd be considered a fan. When it comes to the Dead, I'm an outsider. I appreciated the Dead musically but I was always a bigger fan of their studio material than their live jams. American Beauty has been spun on my system as much as any of my favorite albums (I own over 10,000 albums to give you some perspective). As a first timer at a Dead show...this is my impression: now, I get it. I was blown away. This is easily one of the ten best concert going experiences of my life and I've seen hundreds of shows. The musicianship was excellent, even with the few missteps (which should be expected) their craft was better than 99% of the musicians playing music today. Vocally, they were functional...but let's be honest, the Dead were never great singers. They were unique in the vein of Dylan. I always thought they sounded like old men singing...now they live the part. I hate Phish, but thought Trey was a perfect guest to fill Jerry's shoes for this celebration. The show was stunning and will be a great memory to my musical life. I wasn't a Deadhead before the show, I am now. Now I'm off to catch up with 50 years of concerts, albums, and side projects.
I'm shocked by the reactions of some people about the 2015 shows and the abilities of the band. Some say it's a cash grab, which is a petty argument. Aren't all concerts cash grabs? People say the show wasn't the same as in the old days. Of course not, these guys are in their 70s, get some perspective. After listening and watching old shows on Youtube...I'll be honest...they still sound exceptional. Are the 70s shows better? Yes. The 80s shows? Sometimes. The 90s shows? eh. The biggest difference isn't the band...it's the crowd. The Dead culture was as big as the band. That culture no longer exists...which is the bigger aspect of what was missing. The music was sharp as ever. As a concert experience, it was still mind-bending.
This list is meant to be fun. It's not a list of what should have been played. Not at all. It's a list of some of their stronger songs that didn't make the tour. I made a list of live versions of all these songs, so you can enjoy them.