1. Spirit On The Water – Bob Dylan – Reminds me of a girl around that time. She was a sweetie but we couldn’t sustain it… perhaps one of his kindest and loveliest Dylans. He is in the Autumn of his life but a new love brings out the Spring in him.
2. Morning Bird – Sade – Another album that except for the title song couldn’t sustain the world’s interest. She needed a coupla hit singles to go with the 500K Cds sold. This is somberstuff.
3. Julie Ocean – The Undertones – Absolutely beautiful song that U2 couldn’t have written if you paid (and, if memory serves, you paid em lots). Great album as well.
4. I’m The Man Who Loves you – Wikco – Off Jeff Tweedy’s greatest moment, a real good and simple country rock song with a dynamite guitar break.
5. Boulders To Birmingham – Emmylou Harris – Sounds like glossamer wings trapped in a bubble.
6. I’m Coming Up – Diana Ross – Once Diddy picked this to sample for Biggie it was ALL OVER -hip hop officially took over.
7. Welcome To the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance – This song is so big -it is huge in sound and in them, MCR hisappeared afterwards. Four years later Gerard Way is fucked -he has no idea how to continue, the follow up, the return to punk roots? Where is it?
8. Colony – Joy Division – It is hard to remember this is 1979 -it is so of the moment, the percussion is so dodgy and strident and Ian’s voice is terrified and spooked. Plus that first line? “A cry for help, a hint of anaesthesia..”
9. Perpetual Mutual Machine – Modest Mouse – Vaudeville big nothing though a coupla other songs on the EP were pretty good.
10. Hey delinquints – Spider Bags – When folks like me call Dan McGee one of the great rockers os our times, what we means is call calls a song “Hey Delinquints” and makes it stick.
11. Thank You Too (Live) – My Morning Jacket – The evolution from Jim to Yim proves the second law of thermodynamics.
12. Oh Yeah – Chickenfoot – Like the past thirty years never happened -the honest roar of ham.
13. She Said Yeah – Paul McCartney – A Larry Williams song, covered by both the Stones and the Animals and I sweat Macca cuts em all. You wanna hear poetry? “Dum deedle dee dum dum, little girl where did you come from?” And the piano is awesome and Mccartney lets out a scream of pure love and desire. I’ve writter about Run Devil Run before… and we could debate it but… that album was his last great moment. It closely followed Linda’s death and it was a step backwards and side ways at the same time. I did mention the piano solo didn’t I? I must have.
14. Warpath – Dead Prez – Dead Prez are one of those bands I vastly prefer in theory than in practise.
15. Believe (feat D’Angelo) – Q Tip – Did I mention A Tribe Called Quest will be at Rock the Bells but if they wanna really impress me bring out D’Angelo.
16. Wonderful Guy – Nellie McKay – I dunno. If ever a song doesn’t need quirk, this one doesn’t.
17. Tiger Tamer – Arms – One of my gave bands of 2008, this song is alt rock like it was meant to be written. It is all minor keys waiting to jump: “Your daddy’s on fire, your mother’s a liar…”
18. Summerime – Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – Hard to get past Satchmo’s opening solo without hitting repeat but if you can resist you’ll be very happy you did.
19. Do The Panic – Phantom Parade – A coupla years ago they were like a dozen male Hayley Williams and these guys are one. Great pop rock song -very new wavey…
20. Dirty Diana – Michael Jackson – You could believe MJ as a puppy love, hang dog, blah blah but as a stud? Not so much.
21. Leave This Off Your Fucking Charts – Public Enemy – PS? My fave PE album, the scratching is unreal, it is like a lost art form.
22. She’s Her Own Woman – Brad Paisley – Strong women, strong women, suddenly country stars are scared of strong women.
23. You’re My Baby – Robin Thicke – Is to r&b what his dad is to acting.
24. Human Touch (Alternate Version) – Elvis Costello And the Attractions – There is a reason why it is alternate. Steve, put down the coke and move slowly away from the keyboards.
25. A Song For A Son – Smashing Pumpkins – Coulda sworn I deleted this. I know I meant to.