Definitely not a favorites list (though some qualify), this is my attempt to come up with 25 albums that were signposts along the way. In many cases they were gateways to new musical and emotional worlds. In many cases I laugh when I think about these now even though I can still enjoy those too…on occasion.

Gateway Drugs
1. Band On The Run – Paul McCartney & Wings [1973]
2. Abbey Road – The Beatles [1969]

These two form some of my earliest musical memories as my mom would play them incessantly in the mid 1970s, bouncing me around the room with her. With Abbey Road, she focused on side two, the one with the medleys. Actually, both of these albums are good examples of McCartney songcraft, not to mention some amazing basslines (“Mrs. Vandebilt” or “Let Me Roll It” from Band On The Run and “You Never Give Me Your Money” from Abbey Road being my favorite examples).

3. Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan [1965]

My dad’s main contribution to my musical upbringing was a steady diet of Dylan, none more so this album, his second of 1965! As a child, listening to this was akin to reading Aesop’s Fables. All sorts of dark “lessons” and characters at the margins of society hobnobbing with T.S. Eliot and Napoleon. A heady brew. And it rocks more than anything else he’s released.

“…and the only sound that’s left, after the ambulances go/
is Cinderella sweeping up on Desolation Row…”

4. Business As Usual – Men At Work [1982]
5. Rhythm Of Youth – Men Without Hats [1983]

When I started getting my own albums, it was often on cassette. I got these two around the same time in ’83. I still listen to them today. Men At Work’s Colin Hay is a brilliant songwriter and Business As Usual doesn’t suffer from the often stifling production of so much ‘80s music. Men Without Hats? Ignore the album at your peril based on the inane “The Safety Dance”. “Antarctica” features Ivan Doroschuk’s best Buddy Holly hiccup laid down over some very catchy Gary Numanesque synthpop. “I Like” is a sarcastic jibe at all the idiots you went to school with. “Ideas For Walls” has…lots of great ideas for walls. You can dance, sing and learn all at the same time.

6. Invisible Touch – Genesis [1986]

Phil’s first divorce 6 years prior to this really messed him up. No, you can’t tell it from “In Too Deep” or “Throwing It All Away” despite the downer sound of the titles. You hear it in album tracks like “Mama” from the self titled Genesis album in ’83 or “Domino” from Invisible Touch. The latter’s got rivers of blood, for god’s sake. What would Walt Disney say? I was going through a rough patch at home, and I could put on my vinyl copy of this one and get lost in the cold, brittle synths and tales of isolation. It didn’t sound so bad to me.

7. The Story Of The Who – The Who [1976-Europe]

I borrowed a copy of this weird import in high school which featured an exploding pinball machine on its cover. It was my uncle Joe’s. He would prove to be quite influential on my musical tastes during these years. Thanks to this double album on cassette, I would be forever fascinated with The Who’s ability to combine melody with power, leading me to explore the entire catalog. Current favorites – The Who Sell Out [1967], Quadrophenia [1973] & The Who By Numbers [1975]. I’ll stop now. I still can’t get enough of the musical interplay between Townshend, Entwistle and Moon, the way they could seem on the verge of falling over the cliff, each playing from their own devil’s hymnal, only to come together in moments of sheer beauty (think “Sparks” from 1969’s Tommy as they build up to Pete’s power chord to end all power chords).

8. Girls, Girls, Girls – Elvis Costello [1989]

One more comp that caused me to eventually delve into an artist’s entire catalog, this time EC’s. It was a 2-CD set that covered his entire Columbia period 1977-1986, curated by the artist himself. His self-penned liner notes are worth the price of admission all by themselves, but it was the Thomas & Thomas rhythm section (Pete on drums, Bruce on bass, no relation) and paranoid, stinging lyrics of Declan MacManus that hooked me. Though he rarely uses the first person, I’m convinced that the most frequent object of his ire is himself. He’s a great alchemist, combining the favorites from his record collection – soul, Tin Pan Alley, British Invasion pop – into something unique. My current Elvis pick to click: Trust [1981].

9. Nuggets: A Classic Collection from the Psychedelic Sixties – Various [1986]

This was one of my first 3 CDs (along with The Beatles’ Revolver and a Lovin’ Spoonful collection). A lot of great tracks on this one from the likes of The Seeds and The Easybeats. The album did a couple of things for me. It cemented my abiding love for garage rock and the perfect 2:30 – 3:00 single and it introduced me to the Rhino Records label. Over the course of the next 15 years (their heyday), their reissues would swell the shelves of my music collection and introduce me to countless bands and songs that have made my life a lot richer.

10. Operation: Mindcrime – Queensryche [1988]

My friend James and I would drive to Taco Bell or Rally’s every day for lunch our senior year of high school in South Bend, Indiana. This was often the soundtrack for those trips. The night before finals, we even went to see them play a concert in Fort Wayne. I’m not sure if that says more about my dedication to my studies or to the “rigorous” academic training I received in the South Bend school system.

11. Green – R.E.M. [1988]

“I Remember California” is one of the heaviest things they ever did. The record doesn’t hold up as well for me now (they certainly had a lot of better ones) but it was my entry into the world of Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe. Thank goodness they called it a day when Bill Berry retired to his farm in ’97. Wait, you’re saying they’re still together? That’s a shame. Current favorite: Fables Of The Reconstruction [1985]

12. Led Zeppelin IV – Led Zeppelin [1971]

This was my “psych myself up” tape before cross country meets in high school. I can’t imagine John Bonham’s drum kit survived the beating he gave it on “Misty Mountain Hop” and “When The Levee Breaks”.

13. Violator – Depeche Mode [1990]

Moody stuff but poppy melodies sprinkled throughout. Not as many as the early days of the band on singles like “Just Can’t Get Enough”, “New Life” and “Dreaming of Me” but not too many lectures sound as much fun as “Policy of Truth”.

14. Dan Bern – Dan Bern [1997]

When he’s hungry and the audience is actually listening, Dan Bern puts on the best concert you could hope to see. Sometimes it’s just him and a guitar, but he’s no overly earnest folkie. His sense of humor and catchy melodies set him apart in the usually staid folksinger/songwriter genre. Some of his observations: Marilyn Monroe should have married Henry Miller (as opposed to Arthur), the day that Elvis died was like a mercy killing…and he really likes olives. Mountains of them, in fact.

15. Little Plastic Castles – Ani DiFranco [1998]

Hands down the sound of ’98 for me. Ani’s embrace of the rhythm section in her music, rather than detracting from her incisive and insightful words, enhanced her vision. Dance-folk!

16. Electric Version – The New Pornographers [2003]

Pure adrenaline rush. As soon as I heard the harmonies and punchy guitar on “From Blown Speakers” they had a fan for life.

17. Gallowsbird’s Bark – The Fiery Furnaces [2003]

Eleanor Friedberger’s voice is one of my favorites and it’s often put to use on lyrics that don’t make any sort of literal sense at all. But so what. This is one band that understands that how you sing a line can be just as important as the words.

18. Get Away From Me – Nellie McKay [2004]

Nellie was classically trained, but steadfastly does her own unique thing. She frequently sends up the very Tin Pin Alley song conventions that she explores in her songs but it’s playful rather than mean spirited. She saves the vitriol for neoconservatives and people that lack the courage to laugh at themselves.

19. A Ghost Is Born – Wilco [2004]

It was a warm spring evening at Heather’s old place before the album’s release, and this was streaming on Wilco’s website. I loved Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in all its artiness, but the warm sounding guitars and immediate riffs were just what I needed at the time. The long winter was finally over.

20. Milk Man – Deerhoof [2004]

The milk man comes in the night; what are his intentions? This album can be downright spooky, but the clattering drums and slashing guitar combined with Satomi Matsuzaki’s childlike (but not childish) voice are never dull. They’re always moving in unexpected directions, but after listening you think it had to be that way all along.

21. The Ditty Bops – The Ditty Bops [2004]

These two ladies brought music hall into the 21st century though nobody was asking for it. Endlessly singable, these songs feature beautifully blended harmonies and much humor without being campy. Even more fun live when the music comes with costumes.

22. Axes – Electrelane [2005]

These British ladies just pound out one 4/4 beat after another with lots of emphasis on organ and drums along with those downstrokes on the guitar. It’s the flourishes that, along with their never flagging energy, keep it sounding fresh. Found sounds like guitar strings being tightened until they break. Distant train whistles. Men’s choruses. I hope their current hiatus is not permanent.

23. Tanglewood Numbers – The Silver Jews [2005]

David Berman made me empathize with ponies.

24. Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul – Otis Redding [1965]
Way too little soul on this list, but I was trying to keep comps to a minimum and historically soul and r&b have been singles mediums. Otherwise I would have included The Complete Stax/Volt Singles Vol. 1, James Brown’s Star Time box set, and The Very Best Of Sam & Dave among other candidates. But this is one 60s soul album that works completely as an album. In addition to his own “Respect” and “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”, he puts his signature on “Satisfaction”, “Shake” and “You Don’t Miss Your Water” among many other gems. Otis didn’t know how to give less than his all and always his humanity shines through.

25. Acid Tongue – Jenny Lewis [2008]

My favorite of 2008 has many of the hallmarks of Jenny’s work with Rilo Kiley (R.I.P?) – catchy tunes, that crystalline voice. And she makes her brand of introspection so much fun. It helps that she has fun friends on this self-critique. It’s a built in support group, more of a family than she actually had when she was younger, to hear her tell it. It’s also beautifully recorded with that analog sound that fewer and fewer albums have in this highly compressed CD/mp3 age. Let it envelop you.

Current obsession: Middle Cyclone – Neko Case [2009]

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant do a great cover of The Everly Brothers’ 1964 chestnut “Gone, Gone, Gone” (I see that the Krauss/Plant video looks to be one Ann-Margret appearance short of a Ken Russell film, but I digress).

What’s interesting to me is that a band like The Everlys would be knocked off the radio by the very bands that worshipped them.  The Beatles’ close harmony singing was right out of the Phil & Don playbook.  Same goes for the Hollies.  But all the exciting noise out of Britain caused teens and radio programmers alike that year to ignore some really amazing homegrown stuff.  It’s a shame cuz listen to those driving guitars and relentless tom toms.  In a just world, instead of struggling up to #31 on Billboard, “Gone, Gone, Gone” should have been huge for the brothers.  Roy Orbison is another one who had a couple of amazing singles do well in ‘64 (”Oh, Pretty Woman”, “It’s Over”), but by ‘65 his commercial fortunes were pretty much over too until the ’80s.  So while we could justly celebrate the shunting aside of The Singing Nuns and Bobby Vintons of the world, the collateral damage was the great stuff that fell by the wayside in the Anglophilic rush.

I was recently listening to T. Rex’s Electric Warrior from ‘71.  Everybody knows the overplayed “Get It On”, but get past that song and there’s a lot more fun to be had with this album.

No doubt Bowie took inspiration from Marc Bolan’s stage persona when he was cooking up Ziggy.  But what I find interesting about glam is that while everyone was focused on the makeup and the occasional cross dressing frontman, the music went back to the basics.  “Jeepster” and “The Motivator” are good old rock and roll.  The lyrics may not be in the Chuck Berry storytelling mode, but the rollicking guitar and lack of psychedelic pretense or special effects places the band firmly in the “let’s have fun, don’t worry about tomorrow” camp.

Last night I dreamt I was walking through a forest.  Suddenly, rising up through a stand of trees was a large theater with stadium seating.  I heard the strains of The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”, a live version.

I could peek in and see them performing the song in living color on multiple huge screens.  It was a documentary on the band, one I didn’t know existed.  I was so excited, I ran to the ticket counter and said, “I have to see this movie right now!”  So CNN’s Wolf Blitzer handed me a stack of free passes and I went in as the film’s narrator was discussing their 1967 album Something Else.

What could it all mean, other than the fact that it was election week and I love The Kinks…?  Interpretations anyone?

On this holiest of holidays, let’s hear it for the MX-80 Sound!  My favorite version of John Carpenter’s Halloween.

Daryl Hall, a Philly native, will be singing the National Anthem before tonight’s Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia.  Mr. Oates, where are you?  Review to follow…

—————————————————-

Daryl’s got the flu!  But no matter, the very guy I wondered and worried about stepped to the mike and delivered big time.  His voice quivered with feeling, even though the Anthem challenges the most well trained belters.  John Oates, your team thanks you, your city thanks you, and baseball/music fans the world over thank you.

P.S. Get well soon, Daryl!

Levi Stubbs passed away Friday at the age of 72.  His group The Four Tops are often left behind in the discussion of the great Motown artists.  Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that there was no focal point to the group, no breakout star marketed at the expense of the dynamic whole.  Label founder Berry Gordy was grooming Diana Ross for a solo career almost as soon as their career finally took off in 1964 after several commercial flops.  Eddie Kendricks broke off from the Temptations and had a couple of number ones on his own.  Certainly The Miracles could not contain all the poetic genius of Smokey Robinson.  But it was never Levi Stubbs and The Four Tops.  Just Four Tops.  And from 1953 until the 1997 death of Lawrence Payton, the group’s makeup never changed.

As a lead singer, Stubbs may not have had the suave sophistication of a Marvin Gaye nor the precocious all around talent of Stevie Wonder.  But he had power to spare.  Witness the devastating sadness testified to in “Bernadette” or “7 Rooms Of Gloom”.

Their chart fortunes flagged by 1968 as the writing and production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland left the label in a dispute over royalties and control, a not uncommon theme for the artists working on Gordy’s assembly line (this was Detroit after all).  Holland/Dozier/Holland provided the group with their best known tunes.  But after the label moved its headquarters to L.A. in 1972 and the group decided to sign with ABC-Dunhill, they enjoyed a renaissance.  Stubbs probably never had a smoother lead vocal than on “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)”.

I’ve been grooving along with Stubbs’ music this weekend in remembrance.  You won’t regret it if you do the same.

All Hallow’s Eve is fast approaching…

“Last night I was down in the lab

Talkin’ to Dracula and his crew”

Dig this 1977 clip from Iggy & Bowie on the Dinah Shore show of all places!  Mr. Pop was promoting the release of his first solo album The Idiot.  The historical significance of the footage trumps the somewhat sketchy quality.

Has David ever looked cooler than he does at the keyboards during this performance?

As a means of generating some discussion (and keeping the writer’s juices flowing), here are the 3 tracks that just came up on random play on the ‘ol Creative brand mp3 player:

1) “Lazy Line Painter Jane” – Belle & Sebastian from the EP Lazy Line Painter Jane (1997)

This could be subtitled the “last bus out of town” song due to an oft-repeated line.  Stuart Murdoch and friends benefit immensely from the guest vocals of Monica Queen.  She occasionally sounds like Cyndi Lauper, but not as strong vocally.    I also love how the arrangement swells and gains power as they reach the final choruses.

2) “Bad Day” – Juliana Hatfield from Bed (1998)

One of the mainstays in Blake Babies, her solo career began in earnest with 1992’s Hey Babe.  And I do mean earnest…   Here’s a live version of “Bad Day”.  She used to be one of my favorites in the mid-nineties (inventive and melodic guitar work abounds on the first few albums, this song included) but she’s a reluctant performer and a bad live show combined with a couple of draggy records at the turn of the century had me paying a lot less attention.

3) “Don’t Call Her No Tramp” – Betty Davis from They Say I’m Different (1974)

While her music may not be as groundbreaking as husband Miles’ work in the jazz field, you can’t dance to Kind Of Blue.  Betty is a true funkster.  For a sample, this is the title track from They Say I’m Different.  There weren’t too many ladies at the time who fearlessly proclaimed their desires, sexual and otherwise, for all to hear.  Listening to her first two albums, the word that best sums up her sonic attack – feral.

Feel free to add your own thoughts and/or post your own ‘3 at Random’!

Many of my favorite artists can’t sing. No vocal coach would attempt to school their charges on the warbled stylings of Bob Dylan or Lou Reed.  But there is a humanity and a feeling present in those voices that no operatic diva or Three Tenors alum can replicate no matter how many octaves their range might span.

Which brings me to the new Deerhoof that came out Tuesday – Offend Maggie.  On first listen, not as consistently rewarding as Milk Man (2004) or Friend Opportunity (2007), but the crunchy guitars and Greg Saunier’s powerhouse drumming are present and accounted for.  And Satomi Matzusaki’s childlike yelps about pets and fruit add another dimension to the diamond-edged ensemble playing.  Check out “The Tears And Music Of Love”.

Baltimore’s Ponytail is cut from the same cloth.  In this case, the Onoesque pipes belong to Molly Siegel.  Listen to “Celebrate The Body Electric” from Ice Cream Spiritual.  They eschew bass guitar so the focus is squarely on the six-strings and that bewitching banshee wail.  Resist if you can.  Or just go with it and spin madly around the room, reckless, forgetting everything your vocal coach tried to instill in you.