1. Queen Jane Aproximately – Bob Dylan And The Dead – I don’t hate this version the way I did because I don’t hate the Dead the way I did. Indeed, Garcia’s melodic lines are pre country and the solo is tremendous.
2. Fuck And Run – Liz Phair – Should I ruin Helen’s buzz and send this to her? This is the acoustic demo off Secretly demo and honestly? She totally nails the rhythm.
3. Don’t Fake It – P.O.D. – This is the born again of your dreams… I mean it, the guy, the singer? Is a phenom of passion: much better vocalist than those hardcore screamers.
4. New Lace Sleeves (Alternate Take) – Elvis Costello And The Attractions – As a calypso? I don’t think so.
5. Stillness Is The Move – Dirty Projectors – Sorry guys, Solange owns it now.
6. Bullerproof – La Roux – Great song, big hit, but Diplo owns it now.
7. New Lipstick – The Kissaway Trail – Great at Mercury Lounge earlier this year, this is a white moody brooder with an addictive synth line.
8. JuJu Man – Dave Edmunds – Robert Christgau once noted that the difference between Nick Lowe and Edmusds, was that Lowe loved rock for everything implied as culture wheras Edmund loved it for everything ir was as music. This is a pure breeze of rock and roll Off Get It, my fave Edmunds (rockpile redux) album.
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9. Whipping That Old T.B. – Merle Haggard – My fave Haggard albums as well, horrible story, great yodel.
10. C’mon Billy – PJ Harvey – Live killer from a great tour off her best album.
11. Scarlett Johannsen – The Teenagers – A French rock band but really good and their lyric here is so weird it is both pervy and endearing.
12. Stupid Grin – Dragonettes – Maybe they can’t sustain it but this is good enough.
13. She May Call You Up Tonight – Left Banke – Heavy arranged potential pop standard.
14. Slowly (Oh So Slowly) – Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band – Second tier Conor but second tier Conor. How bad can that be?
15. Celebrity – Brad Paisley – The song is a sweet nothing but the lyric is pathetic.
16. The Hunger Within – Psychostick – A hardcore howler about… pizza and submarine sandwiches and “earing all the noodles. Funny stuff.
17. When I’m Sixty-Four – The Beatles – Not that funny, now. Still, Macca never came close writing a British Dancehall song its equal again.
18. A Warm Place – The Downward Spiral – The template for techcore.
19. Peg – Steely Dan – Fame and fortune beckons her away.
20. The Word – Betty Lavette – I don’t begrudge Betty her success, I just don’t wanna hear it.
21. The Static Age – Green Day – A current great GD song. I mean GREAT.
22. Neven Can Say Goodbye – Jackson 5 – The kid had a great voice but part of the trick WAS IN THE ARRANGEMENT. This stripped version is creepy.
23.Tva’li light – Chet Baker – Pure mood, pure riff on melody.
24. The Magnificent Seven – The Clash – During my lunch with Ramona: we all agreed how wonderful Joe Strummer was. Magnigicence.
25. Pow Pow – LCD Soundsytem – One part novelty, one part dance joig.
26. Coming – Paul McCartney – Disco horns, one of Macc’s greatest moments.
27. I Feel A Change Comin’ On – Bob Dylan – Finest moment off a pretty good album.
28. Round And Round – The Rolling Stone – Off Love You Live and unspeakably horrible.
29. Excitable Boy – War
ren Zevon – Mass murder has never been so hummable.
ren Zevon – Mass murder has never been so hummable.
30. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This Before – The Smiths – I’ve heard it before, but that’s cool sing it any way.