Coming up shortly..the 2nd Annual "Boneys"

[T_Bone0806]

Tonight it's The Grammys. But since The Grammys do not usually match my tastes (although admittedly they did better this year than last), I feel compelled to list my favorite cd's and songs of the year just completed. Most of my choices will probably leave you saying "who the hell is that" or "this guy's taste is up his butt",but if my description of an item or two intrigues you enough to check it out, cool! If we agree on some things on the lists, way cool! If you think I have horrible taste in music, well what do YOU know? Oops, I mean, THAT'S cool, too! I do love talking about music, which is nothing if not "beauty is in the ear of the listener".

Going to go grab a soda, then I shall begin...

[T_Bone0806]

We'll start with my Top 20 Albums of the Year...

#20) INSIDES OUT-JORDAN ZEVON. Son of the late Warren Zevon. He may not have the biting wit of his famous dad, but he does know his way around a melody. Also, like his fellow second generation artist, Jakob Dylan, though he can't match songwriting skills with papa, he has a better singing voice.

#19) LEFT OF A DREAM-JEFF LARSON. Early 70's California sound ala The Eagles and America. Easy on the ears and a pleasant listen.

#18) TWO MEN WITH THE BLUES-WILLIE NELSON & WYNTON MARSALIS, Backed by a small combo, these two legends in their respective fields meet in the middle and make great music.

#17) ROCKFERRY-DUFFY. What Dusty Springfield would be doing if she came out today.

#16) ELEVEN MODERN ANTIQUITIES-PUGWASH. Terrible name for an excellent group. Heavily influenced by all eras of The Beatles' career. Moptop, Psychedelia, English Music Hall and Chamber Pop all show up here.

#15) JOIN WITH US-THE FEELING. Another veddy-British Band. Bright and sunny pop with big singalong choruses. Not as good as their terrific 1st disc, but still plenty good.

#14) RAIN-JOE JACKSON. His best since the back-to-back offerings "Night and Day" and "Body & Soul". Very much in that style. Good to have him back.

#13) THE SWEET SMELL OF DECAY-FRANK BANGO. Most folks would probably hate this, due to this guy's voice, which is a VERY exaggerated John Lennon on "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" type of thing. If you can get past that, there is a wealth of delights here. Very clever instrumentation and childlike lyrics throughout. The title refers to the fact that Bango has had serious health issues himself and in his circle. Despite that, the mood is upbeat.

#12) THE BEAUTY ROOM-THE BEAUTY ROOM. If you like Steely Dan, chances are you'll like this. In fact, one of the singers is a dead ringer for Donald Fagen. Beach Boy flavored harmonies show up here and there, but the overall experience is bigtime Dan.

#11) DAY & AGE-THE KILLERS. Like an "I Love the 80's" soundtrack. If you loved Tears For Fears, OMD, Simple Minds, and the like, check this one out. You'll hear all of those bands in here. First time that this band has made me pay much attention to them. Papa likes.

Top Ten next.

[Tocqueville3]

I thought this was gonna be about something else.

[T_Bone0806]

My Top 10 Albums for 2008.

#10) TIME STAND STILL-THE HOOTERS. Yes, those guys that did "And We Danced". Although we all lost track of them after their brief time in the spotlight in the mid-80's, they never really stopped making music and have had some ongoing success overseas. This one was brought to my attention on a music website that I frequent and it makes me wonder what else I have been missing. The guys' voices are a bit timeworn, but it adds character and grit. Meat and potatoes pop-rock, some Celtic flavor, hell, they even throw in a sea shanty! Plus, a love-it-or-hate-it take on Don Henley's "The Boys of Summer", done in a very stark and downtempo style that, to me, REALLY fits the mood of the lyrics. Nice job, guys.

#9) HIGH SOCIETY-THE SILVER SEAS. Piano-based intelligent pop in the style of Ben Folds and "Doctor My Eyes" Jackson Browne, with more harmonies. Easygoing but not sleep-inducing.

#8) POSTERS FADE-DERBY. Another indie group, this drips 1965-1966. If you love 60's music, I can't see HOW you won't like this one. Beatles/Beach Boys/music-hall Kinks.

#7) BRIAN VAN DER ARK-BRIAN VAN DER ARK. Former leader of The Verve Pipe, who had a big FM radio hit with "The Freshmen" back in the 90's. That song didn't make much of an impact with me, but I sure do like this solo disc by the group's frontman. Mostly understated and gentle with a couple of rockers thrown in, 2 of the songs from this one landed in my Top 25 of the year. I like this guy's voice, too.

#6) WAY TO NORMAL-BEN FOLDS. If Ben puts out a cd, it's gonna land on my year-end list. That's how much I like this guy. An Elton John/Billy Joel /Warren Zevon for the modern world, with a biting sense of humor. If there's a more clever songwriter working these days, I can't think of him/her.

#5) LAST DAYS AT THE LODGE-AMOS LEE. Skoop turned me on to this guy a short time ago. She wasn't overly impressed with him, but thought I might be. Boy, was she right on the money with that prediction. He has become my current obsession, as in "must get my hands on everything this guy has recorded".His first disc isthe best, but this 2008 offering is far from a disappointment. Funky, soulful, and mellow Jack Johnson type accoustic-based pop. GREAT GREAT VOICE. I'm a fan, big time.

#4) THE WAY I SEE IT-RAFAEL SAADIQ. The former Tony! Toni! Tone! vocalist switches gear and gives us Motown enthusiasts one to drool over. Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops..you'll hear the influences of 'em all on the original songs on this one..Jackie WIlson, too! Most definitely worthy to set alongside of the legacy of Hitsville, USA!

#3) MEET GLEN CAMPBELL-GLEN CAMPBELL. I know, I know..I can't believe it either. But this is SUCH an enjoyable album that I'm amazed that it got no Grammy love. Glen comes out of nowhere with this collection of songs by mostly contemporary artists (Green Day, Travis, Tom Petty, and so on) and somehow makes it sound current while at the same time sounding lke the best of his 60's output. I STILL can't figure out how they managed to pull it off. All I know is, if this is a "novelty" record, the novelty has yet to wear off for me.

#2) VIVA LA VIDA or, DEATH AND ALL HIS FRIENDS-COLDPLAY. I struggled with whether to place this at #1 or #2. Ultimately it got the runnerup slot because a) it is not an "all moods" listen, and b) the disc at #1 has been out longer and has still not been filed away in my collection, as I still play it often enough to keep it out. Back to Coldplay. They seem to get better with each release. This is a disc that has so many layers to it. Rich, powerful, abundantly melodic, and meaningful. I will be listening to it for years to come.

#1) PRETTY..ODD-PANIC AT THE DISCO. This band's first cd struck me as just another Fall Out Boy clone. Then came this one. Flabbergasted doesn't begin to describe my reaction to it. How did they get from "every song sounds the same" emo mediocrity to THIS in the course of one album??? Well, they changed bass players, granted, but I'm thinking more along the lines of a deal with the devil. The comparisons to "Sgt. Pepper" are not that off base. That's coming from a Beatles fanatic. No, there's no "A Day in the Life" or "Lucy in the Sky" here, but where the comparisons are valid are in the eclectic styles that all mesh cohesively into a whole that make it seem like a concept album without there really being a concept. The wide range of instruments utilized in creating each individual song. And the memorable melodies. Can't forget them. I hear something new every time I play this one. Love it Love it Love it.

There you have it. Top 75 songs for 2008 coming up.

[T_Bone0806]

I thought this was gonna be about something else.

Nah. I was always taught, if ya gotta brag about something, it probably wasn't worth braggin' about.

[Tocqueville3]

I thought this was gonna be about something else.

Nah. I was always taught, if ya gotta brag about something, it probably wasn't worth braggin' about.

Love reading your list. Admittedly, half of these albums I've never heard of. I do like watching the Grammy awards, though.

[T_Bone0806]

Thanks. Either it's the frustrated rock critic in me, or I just need some sort of outlet to champion my favorite music, as my DJ days are past (and the way radio is these days, I couldn't play 98% of this stuff on the air anyway).

[KillerTomato]

I, too, love the new Ben Folds disc, but the only reason it's so high on my own personal list of "Best of '08" is that I just don't listen to that much new music.

My own #1 would go to a disc that was actually released in '09, by default, because it's simply one of the best I've heard in a couple of years: "Working on a Dream" isn't the best of the best of Bruce Springsteen, but -- other than the dull title track -- it's outstanding from start to finish. When "Magic" came out a year or so ago, I thought the best song on it was "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," which just slayed me. Well, "Dream" has a couple of songs that are as good as that song, and I can't stop listening to it.

"Way to Normal" is probably #2. There are a couple of clunkers ("Dr. Yang"? Really, Ben? That's the best you can do?), and the "astronaut put on a pair diapers" section of "Cologne" just didn't work for me (although I love the chorus to that tune). But "The Frown Song" and "Free Coffee" and "Bitch Went Nutz" and especially "Effington" are SO good, they make up for the clunkers. Considering that I was less-than-impressed with "Songs for Silverman," the fact that I've enjoyed "Normal" so much says a lot. It's not quite as good as "Rockin' the Suburbs," but it's close.

[T_Bone0806]

I, too, love the new Ben Folds disc, but the only reason it's so high on my own personal list of "Best of '08" is that I just don't listen to that much new music.

My own #1 would go to a disc that was actually released in '09, by default, because it's simply one of the best I've heard in a couple of years: "Working on a Dream" isn't the best of the best of Bruce Springsteen, but -- other than the dull title track -- it's outstanding from start to finish. When "Magic" came out a year or so ago, I thought the best song on it was "Girls in Their Summer Clothes," which just slayed me. Well, "Dream" has a couple of songs that are as good as that song, and I can't stop listening to it.

"Way to Normal" is probably #2. There are a couple of clunkers ("Dr. Yang"? Really, Ben? That's the best you can do?), and the "astronaut put on a pair diapers" section of "Cologne" just didn't work for me (although I love the chorus to that tune). But "The Frown Song" and "Free Coffee" and "Bitch Went Nutz" and especially "Effington" are SO good, they make up for the clunkers. Considering that I was less-than-impressed with "Songs for Silverman," the fact that I've enjoyed "Normal" so much says a lot. It's not quite as good as "Rockin' the Suburbs," but it's close.

I'm still warming up to Bruce's newest. I like it , but not as much as "Magic" at this point. I think my favorite so far is "This Life", probably because it reminds me of "Summer Clothes", which is also my favorite from "Magic". That song makes you ache with its beautiful simple melody.

"Rockin' The SUburbs". A near perfect album. Skoop has my eternal gratitude for introducing me to that album and opening the world of Ben to me.

[KillerTomato]

Hey, if you want Folds at his funniest, make sure you listen to "Song for the Dumped" and "Underground" from Ben Folds Five's eponymous (I LOVE that word!) debut disc. Although "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" is a close third.

OTOH, "Cigarette" and "Fred Jones Part 2" on "Whatever and Ever Amen" and "Suburbs" are simply heartbreaking in their simplicity and emotion.

[T_Bone0806]

Hey, if you want Folds at his funniest, make sure you listen to "Song for the Dumped" and "Underground" from Ben Folds Five's eponymous (I LOVE that word!) debut disc. Although "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces" is a close third.

OTOH, "Cigarette" and "Fred Jones Part 2" on "Whatever and Ever Amen" and "Suburbs" are simply heartbreaking in their simplicity and emotion.

Oh, I've got 'em all, including his work on the "Over the Hedge" soundtrack. Once I latch onto an artist wholeheartedly, I'm relentless in completing the collection.

[Ritterskoop]

I look forward to investigating these when I get home. I have latched on to plenty of bands because of these collections.

Of these, I love The Killers' Day and Age, of course the Ben Folds, Coldplay and The Feeling. At least I think I have this album. Might be an earlier one, in which case I will be happy to get a new one.

New or in the mail for me:

Adele, 19
Melinda Doolittle, Coming Back to You - I am drooling waiting for this one
the new Springsteen
the new Franz Ferdinand

In the car right now, very loud:

FallOut Boy, Infinity On High

[secondchance]

Looking forward to checking out a lot of your recommendations, t-bone.