2025 Rock Hall Inductees

      I am pleasantly shocked by the 2025 inductee class. Four of the five artists I voted for ( The White Stripes, Soundgarden, Bad Company, and Chubby Checker ) actually got in. Sorry Oasis. It also seems that the fan vote didn't hold enough sway to secure an induction for Phish, which comes as a huge relief. The puzzling results of the fan vote also failed to keep The White Stripes out. Sometimes, I'm a huge fan of gatekeepers. 

     Rounding out the 2025 class are Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, and Outkast. I'm not surprised that these artists will be inducted and I'm happy for their fans. However, I could make a really tight E.P. of all their songs that I know. That's slightly hyperbolic, but I do know enough to know they aren't my thing. I can't begrudge Joe Cocker for achieving world wide fame from histrionic Beatles covers. And I love "Hey Ya" as much as the next guy, but I have failed to penetrate the rest of Outkast's catalog. And who could possibly be against girls wanting to have fun. My lack of fandom is probably a personal failure on my part. 

     If the induction ceremony were being held in Cleveland, I would definitely go to see The White Stripes and Soundgarden. But it's in L.A., so I shan't be attending. 

     I'm very heartened that The White Stripes got in given their poor showing in the fan voting. But they are a critics band and Jack White is an industry icon, so I was hopeful. Fingers crossed that Jack and Meg reunite for the ceremony. 

     Soundgarden are also well-deserving, but sadly Chris Cornell didn't live long enough to enjoy the recognition. It will be interesting to see if anyone is chosen to fill his shoes for the ceremony, like Geddy Lee did for Chris Squier when YES were inducted. 

     I like Bad Company, but their induction is throwing a bone to dudes who stopped listening to new music 50 years ago that want to be the arbiters of what is and isn't "Rock". However, they do have some great songs and Paul Rodgers was at his peak with Bad Company. 

     And I'm still amazed that Chubby Checker wasn't already in the Rock Hall. 

     In closing, I'd like to quote the great Jack White, "You can't be a pimp AND a prostitute". Peace. 

     

Record Store Day 2025: Leftovers

      Thought I'd toss off a quick post about my trip to the Record Den today to check out the RSD leftovers. I almost picked up the Joni Mitchell live set, but was tipped off by my guy that he had heard the recording had too much crowd noise, so I passed on it. I'll just pick up a copy of Court and Spark and some L.A. Express albums from the used bin another day.

     I did buy two more records and, oddly enough, they are the two best sounding records I got this year. They were also both mastered by Jim Webber, who I'm not familiar with, but they sound amazing. I picked up their last copy of the David Bowie live 2003 show and the Hindu Love Gods. I wasn't really familiar with the Hindu Love Gods, except that it was Warren Zevon and members of R.E.M. What a fantastic record. I was a little concerned when I opened it and the record was filthy. I gave it a quick brush and put it on and it was a dynamic listen. Their cover of "Raspberry Beret" was electric. It had a tinge of a raved up "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me". They also did a solid cover of "Battleship Chains", which had been covered four years prior by the Georgia Satellites. It also has several blues covers, and to their credit, it doesn't sound like an R.E.M. album fronted by Warren Zevon. It's quite muscular with virtually no jangle. 

     The great thing about the Bowie show, besides how it sounds, is the song curation. There are no old Bowie hits. It opens with "New Killer Star" and a fantastic cover of The Modern Lovers "Pablo Picasso". Side two opens with an inspired performance of "Looking For Water". I mainly bought this out of FOMO. It was the last one they had and couldn't pass on it. Glad I didn't. I've been kind of leery about some of these recent Bowie releases, but this one is spectacular. Now, if they'd just reissue the first Tin Machine album I'd be all set. Also, a quick tip of the hat to long-time Bowie bassist, Gail Ann Dorsey. She drives this set and doesn't get the due she deserves. I hope Black Friday is half as good as RSD this year. Peace.

Record Store Day 2025

      What a fantastic Record Store Day! Huge line at the Record Den. I was on a tight budget and picked up all seven releases that were must haves. There were so many great releases this year, I could easily have picked up another 20-30 titles if I had unlimited funds. I will probably circle back in the next couple weeks and pick up a few more. I'm definitely interested in the live Joni Mitchell, because it's from the Court and Spark tour and features Tom Scott and the L.A. Express. I also need to hit the used bin for a bunch of Tom Scott records. He's one of my favorite sax players, but I don't have anything by him. He was interviewed by Rick Beato recently and provided some insight into his time working with Joni Mitchell. There were also many jazz releases I would like to pick up, like Freddie Hubbard, Mulligan and Monk, and Bill Evans. Here's a breakdown of what I did get. Peace.

1. MJ Lenderman 

     This is a live recording with his band The Wind. It's a two record set on stunning translucent teal vinyl. 

2. The Verlaines - Some Disenchanted Evening

     As you know, The Verlaines are my favorite Flying Nun band, and this is a reissue of their 1990 album on mossy green vinyl.

3. Geddy Lee

     This is a 12" single of the lost demos from his 2000 solo album, My Favorite Headache. 

4. Gorky's Zygotic Minci - Barafundle

     This is the first U.S. LP release of their 1997 album on "Jungle" vinyl. Not sure what they mean by jungle vinyl, but it's cool. 

5. The Grays - Ro Sham Bo

     This album almost made my Top 25 of 1994. It's a 2 LP reissue with bonus tracks. The album title always reminds me of Eric Cartman. IYKYK. 

6. Harvey Danger - King James Version

     This is a first time on vinyl, 2 LP release on "Deep Sea Blue" vinyl that looks very similar to the MJ Lenderman teal. Comes with four bonus tracks.

7. Neil Finn

     This is another first time on vinyl release of Neil Finn's 1999 Sessions at West 54th. I'm very excited for this one. I have the Ben Folds Five LP in this series and it's outstanding. This covers songs from his solo career, as well as Split Enz and Crowded House. 

Free, Free, Set Them Free

     This is a follow up post to my recent entry about downsizing my collection. Despite what I said about wishing I hadn't got rid of my Chavez CD compilation, I am in the middle of a purge. We are closing on a new house, in a new city next week, and officially moving in a couple months. I'm going to miss some things about Cleveland; like the Rock Hall, the Record Den, and my favorite  restaurant Pier W. But I'm sure Columbus has record stores and restaurants and gin. 

     I mentioned before that I rarely listen to CDs anymore because I don't have an adequate device to play them. After some soul searching, I finally wrapped my head around letting go of around 80% of my CD collection. I'm also purging another 125 records that are either duplicates, or things I'm realistically never going to listen to. All told, I'm getting rid of about 900 items. I have to admit, once I got on a roll it was kind of cathartic. I entered a flow state removing things from my Discogs database. It even motivated me to put all of my Funko pop figures up for sale. Other than about 200 CDs, I'm focusing on records and my books. I can't bring myself to purge my books which are mostly; music related, Kafka, Proust, philosophy, Marxist literature, and fantasy novels. It's possible that most of my DVDs will be set free as well. 

     Having said all of this, I still have over a thousand records to box up, move, and display somewhere in our new, down-sized house. I intend to collect more records. I have a huge Record Store Day list for this year. I'm still waiting to get my copies of the new Doves and HENGE albums. I plan on visiting all the record stores in Columbus when we get settled in. Record collecting and cataloging my collection brings me joy, but I have to shift my mindset from quantity to quality. Give me strength. Peace.

     

1995 Deep Dive: Top 25 Songs

      Since I had 80 songs on my preliminary list, I had to narrow it down by setting a limit of one song per band. So, technically this isn't really my Top 25, but it's an amazing collection of songs. I would like to shout out some songs that weren't on albums from my Top 25 and that missed this list: "Stars" by Hum, "Geek Stink Breath" and "Brain Stew" by Green Day, "Waydown" by Catherine Wheel, "Hey Man Nice Shot" by Filter, "Boy Racer" by Morrissey, and "Black Steel" by Tricky. Sorry in advance for already revealing my Top 3 during the week. Peace.

25. CONNECTION - ELASTICA

     I love this song and its homage to Wire's "Three Girl Rhumba". I was also surprised how good this whole album is. It almost made the list.

24. LAUGH TRACK - CHAVEZ

     This was a great rediscovery. Love the combination of lo-fi and walls of guitar. 

23. WAKE UP BOO! - THE BOO RADLEYS

     If you like the idea of George Michael doing Northern Soul this track is for you. Super fun.

22. MY FRIENDS - RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

     I slept on this album when it was released, mostly because I'm not a Dave Navarro fan. However, this song is stunning and Navarro's playing is great. 

21. JEALOUSY - NATALIE MERCHANT

     This song is exquisite. Natalie Merchant is the Carole King of the 90's.

20. ZERO - THE SMASHING PUMPKINS

     "Save your prayers for when you're really gonna need 'em". 

19. SICK OF MYSELF - MATTHEW SWEET

     Textbook definition of power pop.

18. LUMP - PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

     "She totally confused all the passing piranhas". 

17. TOM COURTNEY - YO LA TENGO

     I'm not a huge fan of the band, but this song is fun. It makes multiple references to the Beatles' movie HELP! 

16. WHEN YOU DISCOVER - BUFFALO TOM

     The lyrics are delightfully vicious.

15. KENNEL DISTRICT - PAVEMENT

     The textbook definition of Slacker Rock. The intro is quite Guided by Voices-esque.

14. BURGER CHRIST - DEAD HOT WORKSHOP

     This was the biggest challenge for sticking to one song per band. I also love "River Otis". However, the lyrics are tremendous on this track. "And on the screen of my TV something's telling me, don't ever come clean". 

13. HARNESSED IN SLUMS - ARCHERS OF LOAF

     "You let me down for the second time straight".

12. SPLAT - BAILTER SPACE

     Love these guys. Probably my second favorite Flying Nun band. 

11. RAINMAKER - SPARKLEHORSE

     The most conventional 90's rocker on this album. 

10. NAME - GOO GOO DOLLS

     "Grew up way too fast. Now there's nothing to believe and reruns all become our history. A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio and I won't tell no one your name".

9. ROUTE - SON VOLT

     "Standing in the neutral zone livin' on sleep deprivation".

8. CHAMPAGNE SUPERNOVA - OASIS

     "Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball".

7. OH, GEORGE - FOO FIGHTERS

     The chord progressions are sublime. So is the George Harrison style guitar solo.

6. BOX FULL OF LETTERS - WILCO

     "I wish I had a lot of answers, cuz that's the way it should be. For all these questions bein' directed at me".

5. ABANDONED HOSPITAL SHIP - THE FLAMING LIPS

     Come for the fragile beauty, stay for Ronald Jones' guitar pyrotechnics.

4. GAME OF PRICKS - GUIDED BY VOICES

     "I never asked for the truth, but you owe that to me". This was my gateway to obsession.

3. THE BENDS - RADIOHEAD

     I'm committed to learning this song on guitar. "Where do we go from here? The words are coming out all weird. Where are you now when I need you?"

2. UNDERGROUND - BEN FOLDS FIVE

     I may be insane, but this might be the "21st Century Schizoid Man" of the 90's. Musical genius. "Well there's got to be something else. Let me tell you something else". 

1. SPARKY'S DREAM - TEENAGE FANCLUB

     I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is my favorite song of all time.

1995 Deep Dive: Part Five

      On one hand, my 1995 Top 5 is an anti-climax. My 1995 Mt.Rushmore remains unchanged and number 5 is probably obvious at this point. On the other hand, the Top 4 albums in this dive are Top 20 all time. As I mentioned before, they are 1a, 1b, 1c, and 1d. So, once more for the record...

5. Oasis - ( What's the Story ) Morning Glory? ( 5 Stars )

     Oasis are a polarizing band. Their recent Rock Hall nominations and upcoming reunion tour have only served to exacerbate the divide. But it takes an entrenched hater to deny Morning Glory is a near perfect album. Every track is a stadium sing-along. I don't need to list them all. How does a band follow-up one of the most successful debut albums ever, with songs like "Supersonic" and "Live Forever"? They write "Champagne Supernova", "Wonderwall", and "Don't Look Back in Anger". No sophomore slump for the Fighting Gallaghers. There's also no denying Noel Gallagher is a gifted songwriter. If you don't believe me, check out his High Flying Birds albums. 

4. Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix ( 5 Stars )

     My all time favorite song is "Sparky's Dream". It is power pop perfection. Not far behind are tracks like, "About You", "Discolite", and "Don't Look Back". Teenage Fanclub had three singer-songwriters. I tend to like the Gerard Love songs best. Unfortunately, he's no longer in the band. They had a tremendous run of albums from Bandwagonesque in 1991, to Songs of Northern Britain in 1997, but for me, Grand Prix is  nearly flawless. 

3. Son Volt - Trace ( 5 Stars )

     What haven't I already said about Trace? I named one of my dogs after it, Jay Farrar is one of my favorite singers, it's my favorite alt-country record, etc. Any other year it's probably Number One. 

2. Sparklehorse - Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot ( 5 Stars )

     Eerily, I'm writing this on March 6th, which is the 15th anniversary of Mark Linkous committing suicide. I didn't realize until I saw a Facebook post about it in my feed. No album in my collection moves me more than Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, with its fragile beauty and makeshift soundscapes. Only a tormented soul could have penned this collection of Southern Gothic tales that are more like literature than songs. This is Mark Linkous at his most raw and vulnerable. I get goosebumps every listen. 

1. Radiohead - The Bends ( 5 Stars )

     The greatest guitar album of all time. One could argue it's the last great guitar album. I had to amend my Mt. Rushmore of guitarists to Alex Lifeson, Tony Iommi, Pete Townshend, and Johnny Greenwood. The difficulty of this post is I've already written quite a bit about these records because I cherish them. The Bends is a masterpiece. The title track is my third favorite song of 1995. Speaking of which, I will publish a Top 25 Songs list, but probably not until Sunday. I haven't had time to cut down my list of 80 songs yet. I decided it would be a lazy, dick move to just post a list of 80 songs. Wish me luck. You already know the Top 3. Peace.

     

1995 Deep Dive: Part Four

     I love this Top Ten. Let's get right to albums 6-10. 

10. Ben Folds Five - Ben Folds Five ( 4.5 Stars )

     Ben Folds is in my Top 5 pianists, and I consider Ben Folds Five the Bill Evans Trio of rock. If you're not familiar, the band's name is ironic as there are only three members; Ben Folds, Robert Sledge on bass, and Darren Jessee on drums. Their genius level songwriting is fully formed on this debut. "Underground" is a masterpiece and my second favorite song of 1995. I will put a video at the end of this post. It's too hard to explain its brilliance. The musicianship is insane. Sledge does things with the bass that I didn't know were possible. Folds clever lyrics, musical references, and singular playing style are jaw dropping. Other highlights include "Jackson Cannery", "Philosophy", "Sports & Wine", and "Best Imitation of Myself". And the closer, "Boxing", is epic. 

9. Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters ( 4.5 Stars )

     Despite everything that's happened over the past 30 years, the Foo Fighters debut (essentially a Dave Grohl solo album) is fantastic. Grohl emerged from the ashes of Nirvana with an album that has, possibly, the greatest 1-2-3 punch on a debut album; "This Is a Call", "I'll Stick Around", and "Big Me". Throw in "Alone + Easy Target" and it's four. And we still haven't even gotten to my favorite track, "Oh, George". It's apparently an homage to George Harrison, because he plays a solo in that guitar style. Even the cover of the album is perfect. Sadly, I've only seen them live once after they became a bloated arena act. It was a drunken sausage fest, and they played a ten minute version of "Monkey Wrench", and NOTHING from this album. WTF Grohl. 

8. The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic ( 4.5 Stars )

     This is the second, and final, album with my favorite lineup of The Flaming Lips; Wayne Coyne, Ronald Jones on guitar, Michael Ivins on bass, and Steven Drozd on drums. While Clouds is just a notch below their other album, Transmissions From the Satellite Heart, it's still spectacular. The opener, "Abandoned Hospital Ship", is a Top 5 Lips track for me and features a blistering solo by Ronald Jones. Steven Drozd's bombastic drumming is all over Clouds. Even on toned down songs like "Placebo Headwound". Every track on Clouds is great, except for one turd in the punchbowl, "Brainville". The other highlight is "Lightning Strikes the Postman". It's a beautiful, fuzzed out mess with the closing line, "And it's hard to read the writing through the flames". "When You Smile" and "Kim's Watermelon Gun" ain't bad either. 

7. Guided by Voices - Alien Lanes ( 4.5 Stars )

     "The club is open". You're probably tired of me going on about these guys, but I can't help it. Alien Lanes is a treasure trove of lo-fi nuggets. "Game of Pricks" was my entry point to GbV. There are so many classics; "Watch Me Jumpstart", "My Valuable Hunting Knife", "Motor Away", "The Closer You Are", "Blimps Go 90", "My Son Cool", "Striped White Jets" and that's just the Robert Pollard tunes. There are also the Tobin Sprout gems "A Good Flying Bird" and "Little Whirl". I had to give it 4.5 Stars because it's just a notch below Bee Thousand and Under the Bushes, Under the Stars, which are both 5 Stars. 

6. Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo ( 5 Stars )

     Don't laugh at me. The Goo Goo Dolls run of A Boy Named Goo, Dizzy Up the Girl, and Gutterflower is flawless. Except, I'm not a fan of "Iris". Every song on A Boy Named Goo is a dinger, with the possible exception of "Slave Girl". I even love the Robby Takac songs. This album contains their breakthrough hits, "Naked" and "Name". They are clearly the highlights of the album, "Name" being my favorite. The lyrics really hit. "All the dreams you never thought you'd lose got tossed along the way". Peace.