Looking Glass scored a number one hit in the US and UK with this old favorite back in 1972. I remember it was on the radio quite a lot that summer. I like this update from 2020.
(4 votes, average: 8.50 out of 10)
Loading... Happy Monday. Here's a new take on an all-time favorite of mine by John Hartford. Enjoy your work week, citizens. And don't forget, taxes are the price of living in a civilized society.
(1 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)Loading... It was an unusually strong year for music. Several new (to me) artists that quickly became favorites, as well as a number of excellent releases from artists I already dug. Some years it’s tough to come up with a top 10. This year the competition was fierce and some really fine music was relegated to the honorable mentions.
Best of 2023 (in order)
Wednesday Rat Saw God. Album of the year. Great from start to finish. Also picked up all their earlier releases after realizing that Rat Saw God was their fourth album—-all of them terrific, I might add. Throw in Lenderman’s solo stuff and these youngsters from Asheville, NC were far and away my most listened to act(s) of 2023.
Hotline TNT Cartwheel. Plays like a classic from the first wave of shoegaze, yet completely contemporary. A heavy Ride influence with some Swervedriver and a pinch of Sugar thrown in for good measure. Fantastic album.
Squirrel Flower Tomorrow’s Fire. Muscular, brooding indie rock from Chicago transplant Ella Williams. (fwiw, Jake Lenderman plays in her studio band for Tomorrow's Fire, so you know the guitars are on point.)
Laurel Halo Atlas. Instrumental music that is simultaneously dreamy, yet slightly disorienting. Found it to be a great soundtrack for both painting and cooking. She is a frequent collaborator with Bootsy favorite Julia Holter.
Blonde Redhead Sit Down for Dinner. After nearly a decade on the sidelines, BRH return with a lovely, mellow release that grows and grows with repeated listens.
dusk Glass Pastures. Alt-country band from 'Sconi with more than a little late-60’s San Fran, rough-neck/hippy vibe. (Think Moby Grape, right down to the 3 guitar attack and multiple lead vocalists.)
MJ Lenderman and The Wind Live and Loose. Jake Lenderman and his crackerjack band blaze through 14 originals and close with a fabulous cover of “Long Black Veil.” Dude is only 24 years old. He is definitely one to watch.
Deerhoof Miracle Level. What can I say? These guys continue to deliver the goods. Entirely sung in Japanese.
Cory Hanson Western Cum. Like Foxygen covering the Eagles. lol Seriously, an axe-wielding tour de force from the Wand dude. Ridiculously horrible album title, though. (shout-out to Zach for turning me onto Pale Horse Rider a few years back in these same year-end best of's.)
Angel Olsen Forever Means EP. Two of the four songs rate amongst her finest work. I’m on board for whatever Angel wants to do
Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)
Ratboys The Window
Lana Del Rey Did You Know There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?
Sufjan Stevens Javelin
Slow Pulp Yard
Mitski The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We
Feist Multitudes
feeble little horse Girl with Fish
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Loading... Some Girls was probably the last great Rolling Stones album and being the Stones, it had a mix of standard rock, disco, and even punk with the song Shattered. This version absolutely rocks and really shows how much of a showman Jaggar was and that the Stones could still throw down. There’s a lot of crappy, drug addled live versions of this song (including on SNL which I remember watching) from this time period but this performance is sublime, I’m glad I found it.
That's a wrap on 1978, or at least a taste. Hope you all enjoyed.
(2 votes, average: 9.50 out of 10)Loading... Elvis Costello’s second album This Year’s Model and I’ve probably listened to this album more than any other (or close to Abbey Road and Bee Thousand). Pump it Up has a definite punk sensibility and showed that one can still rock out with an organ. I could have chosen from a dozen great live versions of this song.
(3 votes, average: 10.00 out of 10)Loading... The Police brought a reggae vibe to unabashedly punk songs and caused quite the stir. Maybe the genesis of the upcoming secondary ska second wave? But The Police were also influenced by rock and have a very 70s rock jam at the end of this song.
(2 votes, average: 8.50 out of 10)Loading... The Cars first album also came out in 1978 and had a mixture of what we would eventually call New Wave, with traditional rock, and a little punk edge. This live version is a bit heavier than the version on the album and heard on the radio.
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Loading... Ok, now we are moving into a more arty not, necessarily rock direction. I love this video in that the crowd seems to be surrounding the Talking Heads. Also, David Bryne throws down some crazy licks on the guitar. The album More Songs About Buildings and Food was a sign that there was something different out there that was really interesting musically.
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Loading... Coming off of Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen was a genuine rock star and while I think Born to Run created tons Bruce fans, Darkness on the Edge of Town turned that crowd into life-long adoring fans that still exist to this day (did you know Joe Pos once wrote about this album?). I love that the lyrics are screened on the video. Probably my favorite Springsteen song.
This verse is just magic:
There’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I’m heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain’t got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted
(7 votes, average: 9.57 out of 10)Loading... I’m going to start the week with rock and roll because for the most part, rock still dominated popular music. Van Halen came out in 1978 and blew my 15-year-old mind away. This is still one of my favorite songs of all time and this performance really shows what early Van Halen was like alive. I flipped out when I found this video. This album is important because rock was getting a little stodgy (I’m looking at you Foreigner and Styx). Van Halen gave rock a much-needed kick in the ass. The drum solo got a little long, unfortunately.
(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Loading...