We think it’s a pretty cool list of stuff, and we are really proud of (and thankful to) our great customers for buying such quality art from their local hoods.  Like the Top-selling CDs of 2011 List, this one is loaded with a diverse group of titles (I love to see the differences and similarities between the two configurations).  If you are a fan of the art, there’s probably something on here you need to add to your collection.

As you can see from the numbers, CD still outsells vinyl… but we are still selling more vinyl all the time (especially as more titles hit the market).

Note: RSD means the title is from Record Store Day or Indie Black Friday.

Hoodlums Top 99 Vinyl Titles of 2011

1. Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
2. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
3. Bruce Springsteen – Gotta Get That Feeling (RSD)
4. Black Keys – El Camino (one of the only stores in the US to get a bunch)
5. White Stripes – Let’s Shake Hands (RSD)
6. Beatles – Abbey Road (amazingly, the only Beatles LP available)
7. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
8. Roger Clyne & Peacemakers – Unida Cantina (in-store performance)
9. Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar/Bitch (RSD)
10. Mumford and Sons – Dharohar Project  (RSD)
11. White Stripes – LaFayette Blues (RSD)
12. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
13. Foo Fighters – Medium Rare (RSD)
14. Wilco – Whole Love
15. Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire
16. Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan in Concert
17. Doors – Riders on the Storm (RSD)
18. Kings of Leon – Holy Roller Novocaine (RSD)
19. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Havana Affair (RSD)
20. Tom Waits – Bad As Me
21. Tom Petty – Kiss My Amps
22. Black Keys – Brothers
23. Decemberists – King is Dead
24. Clash – London Calling
25. Florence & The Machine – Lungs
26. Radiohead – OK Computer
27. Black Keys – Lonely Boy (RSD)
28. Beatles – Singles (RSD)
29. Ray LaMontagne – Live Fall (RSD)
30. Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other
31. Bon Iver – For Emma
32. Radiohead – King of Limbs
33. Radiohead – In Rainbows
34. Adele – 21
35. Wu-Tang Clan – Enter Wu-Tang
36. Black Angels – Another Nice Pair (RSD)
37. Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
38. Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
39. Pixies – Doolittle
40. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over The Sea
41. What Laura Says – Talk
42. Regina Spektor – Four from Far (RSD)
43. Sharon Jones & Dapkings – Soul Time (RSD)
44. Social Distortion – Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes
45. Black Keys – Magic Potion
46. Strokes – Is This It?
47. Godspeed You Black Emperor – F#A# (infinity)
48. Perfect Circle – Thirteenth Step
49. Strokes – Angles
50. Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced?
51. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
52. John Coltrane – Love Supreme
53. Built to Spill – Ripple
54. Rush – Caravan Blues (RSD)
55. Shins – Oh! Inverted World
56. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
57. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
58. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
59. Tool – Opiate
60. Pixies – Surfer Rosa
61. She & Him – Volume one
62. Elliot Smith – Either/Or
63. Pearl Jam – Vs.
64. Nas – Illmatic
65. Black Angels – Phosgene Nightmare
66. Mayall/Clapton – Lonely Years (RSD)
67. Beach Boys – Good Vibrations (RSD)
68. Sonic Youth – Oz Tour 1993 (RSD)
69. Lady Gaga – Born This Way (RSD)
70. Velvet Underground – Loaded
71. Black Keys – Thickfreakness
72. Ryan Adams – Gold
73. Tool – Undertow
74. Flaming Lips – In a Priest-Driven Ambulance
75. Cursive – Ugly Organ
76. Arcade Fire – Suburbs
77. Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction
78. Radiohead – Kid A
79. Radiohead – Bends
80. Jason Isbell & 400 Unit – Here We Rest
81. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
82. Johnny Cash – American VI: Ain’t No Grave
83. Junior Kimbrough – All Night Long
84. O’ Brother Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
85. Bad Brains – Pay to Cum
86. John Lennon – Imagine 40th Anniversary box (RSD)
87. Soundgarden – Before the Doors Live (RSD)
88. Phish – Party Time? (RSD)
89. Dream Theater – Metropolis 2 (RSD)
90. Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
91. Air – Moon Safari
92. Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones
93. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited
94. Tom Waits  – Heart of Saturday Night
95. White Stripes – White Blood Cells
96. Iron & Wine – Creek Drank the Cradle
97. Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
98. Beach Boys – Smile Session
99. Whiskeytown – Stranger’s Almanac (8 copies!)

(RSD) = Record Store Day or Indie Black Friday

Wanna take a look at what you bought? Let’s do it. As a store owner, I’m pretty proud of you guys. That’s a solid list of quality music (as is the Top-selling Vinyl List) and you should be proud of your taste and diversity.

What influences the chart? In addition to noted in-store performances, I’ve included a little “legend” of a few of the notable influences, namely the opinions of the hoodlums at Hoodlums (click here for our Top 10 of 2011 lists), at the bottom.

Hoodlums Top 99 CDs of 2011

1. Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – Unida Cantina (in-store performance)
2. Adele – 21
3. Decemberists – King is Dead (S, K)
4. Black Keys – El Camino (S)
5. Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
6. Abigail Washburn – City of Refuge (in-store performance, K)
7. Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire (A, K)
8. Tom Waits – Bad As Me
9. Black Keys – Brothers
10. Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
11. Wilco – Whole Love
12. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
13. Danger Mouse/Daniele Luppi – Rome (S)
14. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
15. Jason Isbell and 400 Unit – Here We Rest (A, S, K)
16. Gillian Welch – Harrow and the Harvest (K)
17. Social Distortion – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (A)
18. Radiohead – King of Limbs
19. Florence & the Machine – Lungs
20. Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong (A)
21. Cake – Showroom of Compassion
22. Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What
23. Sarah Jarosz – Follow Me Down (K)
24. Ma/Duncan/Meyer/Thile – Goat Rodeo Sessions (K)
25. Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
26. My Morning Jacket – Circuital
27. Tedeschi/Trucks – Revelator
28. Fitz & The Tantrums – Pickin’ Up the Pieces
29. Amos Lee – Mission Bell
30. Florence & The Machine – Ceremonials
31. Foster the People – Torches
32. Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
33. Chris Isaak – Beyond the Sun
34. REM – Collapse Into Now
35. M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
36. Adele – 19
37. Small Leaks Sink Ships – Oak Street Basement (in-store performance)
38. Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
39. Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming (S)
40. Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys
41. Neil Young – Treasure
42. Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness
43. Bright Eyes – People’s Key
44. Primus – Green Naugahyde
45. She & Him – Very She & Him Christmas (in a post… who knew?)
46. Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You
47. Amy Winehouse – Lioness: Hidden Treasures
48. Bill Evans – Piano Player
49. Daptone Gold – Various Artists
50. Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee
51. Ben Harper – Give Till It’s Gone
52. Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
53. Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
54. Bruno Mars – Doo Wops & Hooligans
55. John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns
56. Drive-By Truckers – Go Go Boots
57. Kooper/Bloomfield – Fillmore East: Lost Tapes
58. Strokes – Angles
59. Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math (A)
60. Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal
61. Avett Brothers – I & Love & You
62. Aloe Blacc – Good Things
63. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
64. Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs
65. Feist – Metals
66. St. Vincent
67. Vaccines – What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?
68. Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers – Rare Bird Alert
69. Black Carl – Borrowed (in-store performance)
70. Jayhawks – Mockingbird Time
71. Nick 13 – Nick 13 (A)
72. Tinariwen – Tassili
73. Beach Boys – Smile Sessions
74. Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
75. TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
76. Delaney & Bonnie – D & B Together
77. Cults – Cults
78. Wanda Jackson – Party Ain’t Over
79. Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (S)
80. Loudon Wainwright III – Album 3
81. Rave on Buddy Holly – Various Artists
82. Decemberists – Live at Bull Moose (RSD)
83. Sharon Jones & Dapkings – Soul Time (RSD)
84. Dry River Yacht Club – Family Portraits
85. William Elliot Whitmore – Field Songs
86. Old Crow Medicine Show – OCMS
87. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
88. Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
89. Kills – Blood Pressures
90. Ryan Adams – III & IV
91. Warren Haynes – Man In Motion (S)
92. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
93. Etta James – At Last
94. Ahmad Jamal – Pittsburgh
95. Taj Mahal – Natch’l Blues
96. Mergence – Those Vibrant Young People Are Dead (S)
97. City and Colour – Little Hell (A)
98. Kinch – Incandenza (A)
99. Beatles – Abbey Road (15 copies!)

S = Steve’s Top 10 of 2011 pick

K = Kristian’s Top 10 of 2011 pick

A = Andy’s Top 10 of 2011 pick

RSD = Record Store Day or Indie Black Friday title

Favorite Albums of 2011 

1. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Here We Rest

2. Manchester Orchestra ­­- Simple Math

3. The Horrible Crowes  – Elsie 

4. City & Colour – Little Hell

5. Nick 13  – Nick 13 

6. Ryan Adams  – Ashes & Fire

7. Kasey Anderson + The Honkies – Heart Of A Dog

8. Frank Turner – England Keep My Bones

9. Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong

10. Kinch – The Incandenza

Top Songs of 2011

1. Jason Isbell – “Codeine”

2. Manchester Orchestra – “Simple Math”

3. Ryan Adams – “Lucky Now”

4. Jason Isbell + the 400 Unit- “Stopping By”

5. Moonshine Matinee – “Postcards From Salem”

6. Kasey Anderson + the Honkies – “Exit Ghost”

7. Nick 13 – “Carry My Body Down”

8. The Horrible Crowes – “Behold The Hurricane”

9. Ladylike – “Cinema Kiss”

10. Ryan Adams – “Invisible Riverside”

11. Dawes – “Fire Away”

12. Dead Man Winter – “Nicotine”

13. Less Than Jake – “Life Lived Out Loud”

14. My Morning Jacket – “Holding On To Black Metal”

15. David Bazan – “Wolves at The Door”

16. City & Colour – “Little Hell”

17. Kinch – “That’s Just The Mess That  We’re In”

18. Abigail Washburn – “Burn Thru”

19. Big Talk – “Katzenjammer”

20. Ben Harper – “Don’t Give Up On Me Now”

21. Childish Gambino – “Firefly”

22. The Head & The Heart – “Down In The Valley”

23. City & Colour – “Weightless”

24. Dave Hause – “Melanin”

25. Frank Turner – “Redemption”

26. Decemberists – “January Hymn”

27. Blink-182 – “Up All Night”

28. Social Distortion – “Machine Gun Blues”

29. Dropkick Murphys – “Going Out In Style”

30. Death Cab For Cutie – “Underneath The Sycamore”

TV Shows

Community

Workaholics

Wilfred

Louie

South Park

The League

Top 10 of 2010 Redux

1.  The Gaslight Anthem – American Slang

2. Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues

3. The National – High Violet 

4. Punch Brothers – Antifogmatic

5. Jakob Dylan – Women + Country

6. AM Taxi – We Don’t Stand  A Chance

7. Trampled By Turtles – Palomino

8. Eminem – Recovery

9.  Josh Ritter – So Runs The World Away

10.  Fitz & The Tantrums – Pickin’ Up The Pieces

Good question, eh?

The reason I pose it is due to two factors: 1) My pal Munzy Cat alerted me to the fantastic video (labeled “The Greatest Guitar Solo Ever”) I’ve attached, in which Prince just absolutely goes off on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (along with awesome vocals by Tom Petty and ELO’s Jeff Lynne); and 2) My new iPhone, combined with Garageband, allows me to use any song in my database to create ringtones for my buddies.

So I’m going with the idea of using guitar solos for ringtones, at least for my more rockin‘ friends (hmm, the rockin’ list seems to be heavily composed of guys, which raises another series of questions regarding gender and guitar solos, but I won’t digress, for once). Seriously though, why listen to frogs, horns, and bells when you can do some wankin’?

So what would you want your guitar solo to be?

I’m not talking about the Greatest Ever. I could never put one at the top. The Prince solo on this video is really fantastic (check out the Hendrix-like way he connects with his guitar), but like some of the comments say, “Greatest ever?”. It’s too bold of statement to even make. Hell, I’m not sure I could even decide between the Allman Brothers solos, let alone the rest of the rock and roll (or jazz) landscape.

I’m talking about one that you love.  A solo that lifts your soul… moves your butt… causes you to make rock star faces. If you’re like me, then you know what I mean. I can air-guitar hundreds of solos note for note (as I’ve mentioned previously, I’m a one-man air band).

For now, I went with Jeff “Skunk” Baxter off of Steely Dan’s “Night by Night” as my general ringtone (one thing you can count on in almost every Steely Dan song is a guitar solo, one reason they are my all-time fave).  My son and I agreed to use to part of Rik Emmett’s first solo off of Triumph’s “Fight the Good Fight” for his ringtone.  Cliche as it may be (because it applies to the contact), I went with the mighty Jimmy Page on the double-necked finale of “Stairway to Heaven” for one of the pals with whom I most connect (sorry Bieber, I couldn’t find any solos by Selena Gomez’s guitarist, er, computer).

The point is: I want the solo to represent the caller. It might take me a while, but it’s a task I relish.

Fortunately, I’ve got a ways to go to finish off the contact list. Of course, I don’t have nearly as many friends as I have solos to consider (although many of the solos are like friends to me), so I’ll need to jam my way through a few more decisions.

Luckily, it’s my day off (although it seems a lot like what I do every day, thank God) so I can stay on it.

So now that you’ve had time to think… which solo would you choose for yourself?  We’d love to see your response on Facebook or Twitter.

(Except for you, Disney Boy, you have to call so I can jam some Zep).

Here are the Top Ten of 2010 lists that we received from our wonderful, creative, opinionated customers.  Just like our Hoodlums’ Staff Picks for 2010, if the list picker numbered ‘em, we left the numbers.  If not, we used bullets.  If our customer wrote comments, we left ‘em.

We hope you enjoy looking at ‘em as much as we do.  We certainly do appreciate the participation from each and every one of you… and we absolutely appreciate the tremendous music that we had to choose from in 2010.

Congratulations to Ian Murphy, the winner of a $50 Hoodlums’ Gift Card in our Top 10′s of 2010 Contest.  We’ll start with his Top 10 and then do ‘em in the order they were received.  Please excuse the formatting “differences”, but just had to do a straight “cut and paste” to save time.  As it is… it took long enough this way.  Oh well, it’s great to get so many, and you live and learn (next year, they’ll ALL be Facebook comments).

Ian Murphy

1- Titus Andronicus: “The Monitor”

2- The National: “High Violet”

3- Sufjan Stevens: “All Delighted People EP”

4- Jonsi: “Go”

5- Mumford & Sons: “Sigh No More”

6- Gaslight Anthem: “American Slang”

7- Sufjan Stevens: “Age of Adz”

8- The Roots:”How I Got Over”

9- Gorillaz: “Plastic Beach”

10- Balkan Beat Box: “Blue Eyed Black Boy”

Kenneth Ballard

1.  Ben Folds/Nick Hornby – Lonely Avenue

2.  Good Old War – Self Titled

3.  Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – Buzzard

4.  Jonsi – Go

5.  The Black Keys – Brothers

6.  The Coral – Butterfly House

7.  Circa Survie – Blue Sky Noise

8.  Guster – Easy Wonderful

9.  Aqualung – Magnetic North

10.  The Dear Hunter – The Branches EP

Dean Ballard

1) Harlem River Blues — Justin Townes Earle

2) Come Around Sundown — Kings of Leon

3) The Big To-Do — Drive-By Truckers

4) You Get What You Give — Zac Brown Band

5) The Guitar Song — Jamey Johnson

6) Sea of Cowards — The Dead Weather

7) Heaven Is Whenever — The Hold Steady

Country Music — Willie Nelson

9) The Promise — Bruce Springsteen

10) The Suburbs — Arcade Fire

Kerry Ann

10. Gaslight Anthem “American Slang”, only thing I don’t like about this album is that I can’t listen to it all at once, it starts to sound poundy and monotonous. As singles, it’s great. They really remind me of the Replacements (but not as good).

9. Florence + the Machine, “Lungs”, I agree she sounds like Bjork (who I think is tolerable) and Kate Bush (who I like a lot) and overall, I really like this album. Fun mash up of Florence with Dizzee Rascal (

8 Avett Brothers I and Love and You makes me want to get in the car and drive for a long time by myself, makes me feel twenty years younger. Now I have to go back to the beginning and get Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions

7 Broken Bells: Broken Bells, electronic great beats, different from most other albums on this list. Just picked this up today after trying it out on Pandora ready to get to know it better.

6 Mavis Staples “You are not Alone” I don’t like to listen to it in it’s entirety, too much of the same thing but mixed up in playlists it is great. She performed with Jeff Tweedy at the Rally to Restore Sanity.

5 Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses “Junky Star” love the song Hallelujah the best. This is probably not his best album, but I want to learn more about this artist. He is talented and has qualities I love, country, spare, great lyrics, can’t put my finger on it with words but when I listen to Hallelujah the short story journey this song takes me on is unique, very cool and magical.

4. Glee 4: Love Gwyneth Paltrow’s cover of Cee Lo Green, Forget You, it’s still catchy and I can play it around my kids. Love “one love” love Glee

3. Kanye My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy listen to it from start to finish, love to hear an album as an album instead of a collection of singles

2. Vampire Weekend: Contra Love this group, love them, love the bits that remind me of Paul Simon, world beat and Talking Heads. Super group. Totally worth the hype.

1. Mumford and Sons “Sigh No More” this album has not gotten old. Love it. Play it all the time.

Garrett Neese

1. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor

2. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot … The Son of Chico Dusty

3. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest

4. Roc Marciano – Marcberg

5. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

6. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

7. Ty Segall – Melted

8. Marnie Stern – s/t

9. Das Racist – Sit Down, Man

10. Ceo – White Magic

Gerald Schoenherr

1 – Grinderman “2″ LP

2 – Sparklehorse, etc “Dark Night of the Soul” LP

3 – Gospel Claws “C-L-A-W-S” (full disclosure, I was assistant engineer on this but that doesn’t stop it from being awesome) CD

4 – Neil Young “Le Noise” CD

5 – Budos Band “Cobra (III)” LP

6 – Sharon Jones & the Dapkings “I Learned the Hard Way” LP

7 – Various “Said I Had a Vision: Songs & Labels of David Lee 1960-1988″ LP

8 – Snake! Snake! Snakes! “self titled” (another full disclosure situation) CD

9 – LCD Soundsystem “This Is Happening” CD

10 – Boris & Ian Astbury – “BXI” CD

Zach Mitchell

10. Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More

9. Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame

8. Broken Bells – Broken Bells

7. Bad Books – Bad Books

6. Vampire Weekend – Contra

5. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You

4. Blitzen Trapper Destroyer of the Void

3. Good Old War – Good Old War

2. Steel Train – Steel Train

1. fun. – Aim and Ignite (technically came out in 2009…but it’s my favorite album ever)

Trevor Green

Top 10 Catchy-Ass Albums

• Sleigh Bells “Treats”
• Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”
• Best Coast “Crazy For You”
• Robyn “Body Talk”
• Girl Talk “All Day”
• The Roots “How I Got Over”
• Black Keys “Brothers”
• Erykah Badu “New Amerykah Part Two”
• Bruno Mars “Doo-Wops and Hooligans”
• Cee Lo Green “The Lady Killer”

Top 10 Worst Movies to Willingly Pay Money to See

• Knight and Day
• The Last Airbender
• Jonah Hex
• The Nutcracker 3D
• Vampires Suck
• Burlesque
• Extraordinary Measures
• Sex and the City 2
• Prince of Persia
• Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Laura Wooster-Leyva

1. Brothers- The Black Keys
2. Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager – Kid Cudi
3. Sigh No More- Mumford & Sons
4. Have One On Me- Joanna Newsom
5. The Suburbs- Arcade Fire
6. The Colossus- RJD2
7. Habits-Neon Trees
8. …Featuring Norah Jones- Many artists
9. To The Sea- Jack Johnson
10. Transference- Spoon

TOP TEN ALBUMS (Released in 2010):

10) My Best Friend Is You // Kate Nash

9) Fang Island // Fang Island

Something for Everybody // DEVO

7) B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray

6) I’m Having Fun Now // Jenny and Johnny

5) My Dinosaur Life // Motion City Soundtrack

4) Romance is Boring // Los Campesinos!

3) Contra // Vampire Weekend

2) Scott Pilgrim vs the World OST

1) Sidewalks // Matt and Kim

-

TOP TEN ALBUMS (older but new to me in 2010)

10) Grand // Matt and Kim

9) The Con // Tegan  and Sara

Far // Regina Spektor

7) Voxtrot // Voxtrot

6) Say Anything // Say Anything

5) It’s Never Been Like That // Phoenix

4) Sticking Fingers into Sockets EP // Los Campesinos!

3) Aim and Ignite // fun.

2) Rockin’ the Suburbs // Ben Folds

1) Leaving Through the Window // Something Corporate

Marc Hansen

1. The National – High Violet
2. Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
3. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
4. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
5. Beach House – Teen Dream
6. The Walkmen – Lisbon
7. Spoon – Transference
8. Radio Dept. – Clinging to a Scheme
9. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
10. Vampire Weekend – Contra

Cesar “Astro” Ruiz

• No Age – Everything In Between
• Infinite Body – Carve Out The Face Of My God
• Taylor Swift – Speak Now
• Owen Pallett – Heartland
• Girl Talk – All Day
• Grinderman – Grinderman 2
• Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
• Girls – Broken Dreams Club EP
• Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
• Various Local Musicians – The Chronicles of Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Bret Helm

10. Current 93 – Baalstorm, Sing Omega
09. Katy Perry – Teenage Dream
08. Beach House – Teen Dream
07. Best Coast – Crazy For You
06. Brandon Flowers – Flamingo
03. Of Montreal – False Priest
04. Les Savy Fav – Root For Ruin
03. Robyn – Body Talk
02. The National – High Violet
01. James – The Morning After The Night Before

Joshua Buckley

• Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
• Minus the Bear – Omni
• Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
• Wolf Parade – Expo 86
• Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings – I learned the Hard Way
• Good Morning Magpie – Murder by Death
• The Dark Leaves – Matt Pond PA
• Los Campesinos! – Romance is Boring
• Castevet – The Echo and the Light
• The Extra Lens – Undercard

Joe Milanes

• lcd soundsystem-this is happening
• caribou-swim
• gil scott heron-im new here
• arcade fire-the suburbs
• deerhunter-halcyon digest
• menomena-mines
• royksopp-senior
• laettia sadier-the trip
• sufjan stevens-age of adz
• the black keys-brothers

Adam Studer

• Band of Horses
• Kings of Leon
• The Roots
• Ray LaMontagne
• Black Keys
• Widespread Panic
• Tom Petty
• Neil Young
• She & Him
• The Beatles Remasters

Keith Dellinger

1. Kirkwood Dellinger, Gold
2. Shakira, Sale el Sol
3. The Necronauts, Gauche et Droite
4. Bruno Mars, Doo-Wops and Hooligans
5. Gorillaz, Plastic Beach
6. Gin Blossoms, No Chocolate Cake
7. Juanes, P.A.R.C.E.
8. Dirty Filthy Mugs, All Yobs In
9. Elvis Costello, National Ransom
10. Devo, Something for Everybody

Thomas P.

1. Dinosaur Feathers – Fantasy Memorial

2. Corpus Callosum – Corpus Callosum

3. Fang Island – Fang Island

4. Maps & Atlases – Perch Patchwork

5. MGMT – Congratulations

6. Holy F*ck – Latin

7. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

8. Tera Melos – Patagonian Rats

9. Tame Impala – Innerspeaker

10. The Tallest Man on Earth – The Wild Hunt

Hoodlums’ Top 100 LPs of 2010

1. Bad Religion – The Dissent of Man (in-store appearance)
2. Beatles – Abbey Road
3. Jimi Hendrix – Live at Clark University (Record Store Day limited LP)
4. Gorillaz – White Flag (Record Store Day limited LP)
5. Phoenix – Fences (Record Store Day limited LP)
6. Black Keys – Brothers
7. Muse – Exogenesis (Record Store Day limited LP)
8. Flaming Lips – Dark Side of the Moon (Record Store Day limited LP)
9. R.E.M. – Chronic Town (Record Store Day limited LP)
10. Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
11. National – High Violet
12. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
13. Fela Kuti – My Lady Frustration (Record Store Day limited LP)
14. MGMT – Siberian Dreams (Record Store Day limited LP)
15. Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
16. XX – XX
17. Arcade Fire – Suburbs
18. Radiohead – Kid A
19. Jimi Hendrix – Merry Christmas (Indie Black Friday limited LP)
20. Fun – Aim & Ignite (Record Store Day limited LP)
21. Rolling Stone – Exile in Main Street (cover artist autographed)
22. Jimi Hendrix – Valleys of Neptune
23. Modest Mouse – Moon and Antarctica
24. Vampire Weekend – Contra
25. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
26. Velvet Underground – Andy Warhol (Record Store Day limited LP)
27. Cure – Disintegration
28. Bob Dylan- Highway 61 Revisited
29. Fleet Foxes – S/T
30. Vampire Weekend – S/T
31. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
32. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
33. Them Crooked Vultures – Mind Eraser (Record Store Day limited LP)
34. Pantera – Far Beyond Driven (Record Store Day limited LP)
35. Beach House – Teen Dream
36. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
37. Dr. Dre – The Chronic
38. Velvet Underground – Loaded
39. Clash – London Calling
40. Bon Iver – For Emma Forever Ago
41. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
42. Panda Bear – Person Pitch
43. Radiohead – OK Computer
44. Radiohead – In Rainbows
45. Roky Erickson/Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil
46. George Harrison – All Things Must Pass (Indie Black Friday Exclusive)
47. Doors – Doors (Indie Black Friday Exclusive)
48. Josh Ritter – So Runs the World Away
49. Monsters of Folk – S/T
50. Drive-By Truckers – Thanksgiving Filter (Indie Black Friday)
51. Dr. Dog – Shame Shame
52. Black Keys – Thickfreakness
53. Ramones – Ramones Mania
54. Pantera – Cowboys from Hell (Record Store Day limited LP)
55. Shins – Oh Inverted World
56. Shines – Chutes Too Narrow
57. Band of Horses – Everything All The Time
58. Sonic Youth – Hits are for Squares (Record Store Day limited LP)
59. Strokes – Room on Fire
60. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
61. Joe Strummer – Streetcore (Record Store Day limited LP)
62. Metallica – Live at Grimeys (Indie Black Friday)
63. Blackroc – Blackroc
64. Velvet Underground – Loaded (Colored Vinyl)
65. Velvet Underground – S/T
66. Grandmaster Flash – Message
67. Black Keys – Attack and Release
68. T-Rex – Electric Warrior
69. Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power (Record Store Day limited LP)
70. Sonic Youth – Evol (Record Store Day limited LP)
71. Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
72. Arcade Fire – Funeral
73. Spoon – Transference
74. New Pornographers – Together
75. Animal Collective – Fall Be Kind
76. Budos Band – Budos Band II
77. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
78. MGMT – Congratulations
79. Ray LaMontagne – God Willin’ and the Creek Will Rise
80. Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
81. Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here
82. Mississippi John Hurt – Today
83. Tom Waits – Mule Variations (Record Store Day limited LP)
84. Devo – Fresh (Record Store Day limited LP)
85. Beach House – Zebra
86. Soundgarden – Telephantasm (Record Store Day limited LP)
87. Yeasayer – O.N.E.
88. Deerhoof – Green Cosmos (Record Store Day limited LP)
89. Velvet Underground – S/T (colored vinyl)
90. Otis Redding – Pain in My Heart
91. Velvet Underground – Andy Warhol (colored vinyl)
92. Black Sabbath – Paranoid
93. Velvet Underground – White Light White Heat
94. Meat Puppets – Meat Puppets II
95. Misfits – Compilation
96. Spoon – Kill the Moonlight
97. Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones
98. Sonic Youth – Confusion is Sex (Record Store Day limited LP)
99. Iron & Wine – Creek Drank the Cradle
100. Iron & Wine – Woman King

Thank you for buying your LPs at Hoodlums.  Have a great 2011!

Hoodlums’ Top CDs of 2010

1. Black Keys – Brothers
2. Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
3. Arcade Fire – Suburbs
4. Broken Bells – S/T
5. Jimi Hendrix – Valleys of Neptune
6. JJ Grey and Mofro – Georgia Warhorse (in-store performance)
7. National – High Violet
8. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Mojo
9. Ray LaMontagne – God Willin’ and the Creek Will Rise
10. Florence & The Machine – Lungs
11. Spoon – Transference
12. Bad Religion – Dissent of Man (in-store performance)
13. Dry River Yacht Club – Ugliest Princess (in-store performance)
14. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
15. She & Him – Volume Two
16. Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues
17. Jack Johnson – To the Sea
18. What Laura Says – Bloom Cheek (in-store performance)
19. Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street (cover artist autographed)
20. Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
21. Vampire Weekend – Contra (special edition)
22. Vampire Weekend – Contra (not special edition)
23. Fun – Live at Fingerprints (Record Store Day)
24. Mgmt. – Congratulations
25. Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
26. Bruce Springsteen – Promise
27. Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz
28. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
29. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
30. Johnny Cash – American VI
31. Sharon Jones and Dap-Kings – I Learned the Hard Way
32. Norah Jones – Featuring Norah Jones
33. Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeroes – Up From Below
34. John Legend and The Roots – Wake Up
35. Dead Weather – Sea of Cowards
36. Ryan Bingham & The Mescaleros – Junky Star
37. Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown
38. Sade – Soldier of Love
39. Carolina Chocolate Drops – Genuine Negro Jig
40. Cee-Lo Green – Lady Killer
41. Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
42. Ray LaMontagne – Trouble (our highest charting catalog CD)
43. Drive-By Truckers – Big To-Do
44. Grace Potter and The Nocturnals – Live in Skowhegan (Record Store Day)
45. Robert Plant – Band of Joy
46. Jimmy Eat World – Invented
47. New Pornographers – Together
48. Avett Brothers – I and Love and You
49. Manchester Orchestra – Live at Park Avenue (Record Store Day)
50. Neil Young – Le Noise
51. Sleigh Bells – Treats
52. B. B. King – Indianola Mississippi (Blues Blog)
53. Grace Potter & The Nocturnals – S/T
54. Bob Dylan – Witmark Demos
55. Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
56. Roots – How I Got Over
57. Dr. Dog – Shame Shame
58. Devo – Something for Everybody
59. Massive Attack – Heligoland
60. Rolling Stones – Exile Deluxe (Cover artist autogaphed)
61. Belle & Sebastian – Write About Love
62. Metric – Fantasies
63. Big Mama Thornton – With the Muddy Waters Blues Band (Blues blog)
64. Roky Erickson/Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil
65. Beach House – Teen Dream
66. Peter Gabriel – Scratch My Back
67. Yeaslayer – Odd Blood
68. Budos Band – Budos Band III
69. Cage the Elephant – Cage the Elephant
70. Crazy Heart – O.S.T.
71. Jeff Beck – Emotion and Commotion
72. Jerry Garcia – Jerry Garcia Collection, Volume Two: Let it Rock
73. Lady Gaga – Fame Monster
74. Elton John/Leon Russell – Union
75. XX – XX
76. Charlotte Gainsbourg – Irm
77. Ray LaMontagne – Till the Sun Turns Black (big year for Ray on our charts!)
78. Derek Trucks – Roadsongs
79. Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Butterfield Blues Band (Blues blog)
80. They Might Be Giants – Here Comes the Science
81. Jenny & Johnny – I’m Having Fun Now
82. White Stripes – Under Great White North
83. Eric Clapton – Clapton
84. Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever
85. National – Boxer
86. Ratatat – LP4
87. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago
88. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavillion
89. Los Campesinos – Romance is Boring
90. Mgmt. – Oracular Spectacular
91. Ozzy Osbourne – Scream (in-store autographs next door)
92. Gogol Bordello – Trans-Continental Hustle
93. Jakob Dylan – Women and Country
94. Preservation: Album To Benefit Preservation Hall
95. Susan Boyle- Dreamed a Dream
96. Cee-Lo Green – F**k You (Record Store Day)
97. Weezer – Weezer Ratitude (Record Store Day)
98. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss – Raising Sand
99. Frank Zappa – Hot Rats
100. Grinderman – Grinderman 2

I’d add a bunch of cool graphics and things like that, but I’ve got to go type the Top LP list.  Happy New Year.  Thanks for the biz.

Michael and Matthew hang out at our 2nd Annual Vinyl Art Show

But the guy is a music fan.  He’s a collector.  Like me.  Like Kristian. Like many of you. He studies, appreciates, and searches out new music. Not just new music like “this week’s new releases”, but things he hasn’t heard.  From whatever era… whatever genre.

Anyway, today Michael was in and I noticed that he had Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book CD in his hand.  I said something about it being a great choice, and he said, “Actually, I was also looking for Songs in the Key of Life.”

I knew it was hit or miss.  While I love the Songs album enough to have written a separate blog about it (I’m Not a Conductor, But I Play One on the Treadmill), it’s still a $21.99 double CD, and although millions of people know what I mean when I say the album is a true classic, when it comes people buying it for that price, they usually say, “That Greatest Hits CD for $14.99 will just do fine.”  So we make it a special order title. It hurts, but that’s the sort of practical decision making you have to make to survive twelve years in a digital universe. Plus, we usually have it around on vinyl, and a lot of people grab it that way.

Sure enough, I was right.  The CD had sales, but mainly on special orders. It was not in stock. Now, Michael has ordered plenty of things from us, so I told him we could get it by Tuesday. However, he winced at the price. I told him we could put in a used special order.

Then he held up “Talking Book“ and said, “You’re not going to believe this, but I just heard him for the first time yesterday.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah.”

He went on to say that he had heard Innervisions and completely loved it, and Andy jumped in to ramble poetic about Talking Book.  We talked about how powerful Stevie was, and customer Rick (the Zonal Wonderboy) said he had seen Stevie with the Stones on Exile on Mainstreet tour (PS.  Do not fail to buy the DVD reissue of Ladies and Gentlemen… the Rolling Stones, it rages).  Then I rambled back to the Tom Moon story (during our “1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die” interview) about how Stevie was fed the lyrics via headphones about ten seconds before he was going to sing them.

Then Andy said, “Will an LP work?”  Michael said yes, and Andy went to look.  Not one stinkin’ copy on the floor.  ”Check backstock”, I said. Andy went back and returned with a “bargain basement” copy from the backroom.  He said it was hidden.  The price: $1.

Wow.  One dollar for an absolute piece of art!  Just a tiny little bit of daily revenue, but I was literally excited for him to get it.  He’s a real fan like me, and I knew it was going to move him (hell, I’m listening to Talking Book right now for inspiration, and it’s moving me again). I rambled on about the amazing history lesson that is “Black Man”, and the collaboration with George Benson and Bobbie Humphries on “Another Star”, and how “As” was worth twenty bucks all by itself.

And then I thought the thought that I think all the time: Wow, I wish I could hear that album for the first time again.

I thought it when I sent Tom the James Gang Rides Again.  I thought it when Paul bought four titles from the Blues for Rockers blog.  I think about it almost every time I know I am putting a classic piece of music in the hands of anyone, old or young, man or woman, that is going to be hearing it for the very first time.

I labeled it as “first-listen jealousy” in the title, but that’s only to a tiny little extent.  Mainly, turning people on to something that can potentially resonate positively with them throughout the remainder of their life is a pretty good feeling.

Because great music is good for your soul.  An investment in your soul.  And I may not have written the music (and by “may”, I mean not a chance), but I can sure as hell help spread it around.  And even though I do it because I believe in music, even though I did it for free in high school and college, and even though I’m sure I’ll spread it around long after there ain’t no more record stores… for now, if I can spread it around and make a living for my family, then I’ll keep owning a record store.

Have a good time Michael.  That was a buck well spent.

Post Record Store Geek Note: I couldn’t help but listen to “As” during the editing process (yeah, I do occasionally cut some rambling).  It’s like an instant burst of pure goodness.  In the middle, there’s the beautiful choruses of humming by the back-up singers, and then Stevie bursts in with the rough Stevie voice, and then the smooth Stevie voice.  I’m telling you this, I don’t know what God is, but at that point… when Stevie assures you that in spite of your troubles “God knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed”, it sure feels like something pretty powerful had to make that guy. One way or the other, that’s my kinda preacher.

September is Blues Month at Hoodlums.  That means that all Blues CDs, DVDs, and LPs are 10% off the regular price throughout the month. New and used.  Special orders too.

It also means we are going to have some fun with the Blues.  In addition to a free live show with J.J. Grey (of J.J. Grey and Mofro), we will be featuring great blues titles in most of our listening posts.

Last but not least, we are going to talk about the Blues.  As a Blues lover myself, I wrote a little blog called Blues for Rockers, which you are of course encouraged to check out.  I’ve been hanging around for a while, and I’ve learned about some really classic, cheap CDs… so I’m mildly qualified for such a task.

On the other hand, THIS blog is from perhaps the most qualified Bluesman in Phoenix: Mr. Bob Corritore.

That’s right… the guy that does Those Lowdown Blues on KJZZ.  The guy who owns the Rhythm Room.  The guy who’s played the harp with everyone on either side of the muddy water.  Here’s a couple more relevant links:

Bob’s Webpage

Bob’s Allmusic.com Page

See what I mean?  I am but a mere Blues fan. This guy lives the Blues.

We asked him – but we didn’t think he’d have time to do it.  He did it.  He submitted his list of Essential Chicago Blues CDs. Check it out and see what you think.  We used it to fills some little holes in our blues section.  (That means that Bob is going to cost me some money personally too).

Anyway, check ‘em out.  Don’t forget, they are all on sale throughout September.  In addition, we’ve got Bob’s new CD (pictured), as well as a whole bunch of other great Phoenix Blues CDs… provided by, you guessed it, Bob himself.

Thanks again, amigo.

We’ve decided to make September “Blues Month” here at Hoodlums. That’s because we can pretty much make up whatever we want – and we love the Blues.  That means all Blues CDs, DVDs, and LPs are 10% off regular price.

Now, just like all the other genres, all the hoodlums at Hoodlums have different tastes and specialties within the genre. Kristian loves that Delta, acoustic-sounding stuff more than I do (although I have my share of Delta Blues). Joe and the pups (Andy, Becky, Mandel) don’t play the blues very much… so I’m not sure about where they stand (except if there is such thing as avant-garde blues, Joe probably has a big collection).

Which bring us to our blog author, yours geekly.  I tend to play, love, and promote stuff that’s a little quicker, a little more electric. OK… that’s probably an understatement (I hear some of my former colleagues out there saying, “Steve played three kinds of music: Rock, Blues, and Blues/Rock”).  Although over the past fifteen years I have been responsible for plenty of jazz, soul, and world in-store play, for the first ten years of my Record Store Geekdom that description was pretty close to being right on. Either way, for close to 25 years, I have been listening to the blues and peddling blues to customers.

Those are the qualifications I bring to this table: Love and experience.  So using that love and experience, combined with my desire to spread the blues (in a good way), I have decided to make up a little guide entitled,Blues for Rockers. (NOTE: If you want to read another list, from a man who’s way more qualified than I am, check out “Essential Chicago Blues Albums” by Valley Blues legend and guest blogger Bob Corritore.)

Just like I did with the How to Build Your Jazz Collection blog, I’ll clarify a bit of the logic that went into the list of amazing albums you see below you.  That way, I won’t get harassed by blues purists out there because there’s no Robert Johnson or Son House on the list (I can hear Kristian talking about Leadbelly now). You see, those artists are all in my collection, and I do like, understand, and appreciate their foundational contributions, this isn’t a blog on starting a well-rounded blues collection… it’s a blog to help rockers (like all the goofs I hung with in High School) diversify into another genre.  The genre that gave rock and roll it’s start.

Here’s are the factors that contributed to the list:

Smokin’ Price. It’s a lot easier to turn someone on to something new if the price is right… and every one of these classic titles is under $10 on CD.  I would like to make a list of ten great new blues releases too, but the damn things are all priced in the fifteen dollar zone.  Do we stock them? Yes (or we can special order for nothin’). Am I going to use them to promote blues-conversion? No.

Tempo. Most of these CDs kick a little ass.  You don’t get to be a blues/rock/blues junkie like me without craving the sound of a wailin’ guitar, and these are some of the greatest guitar players (I’m listening to Albert King as I write… the man just kicks) of all time.  There’s more than a few tunes to which you can drink a glass of wine (see Simone, Nina), but don’t expect a ton of puppy stuff.

Love. Amazingly, considering the same idiots still run the music industry, there were so many great blues classics under $10 that I had to really narrow it down to stuff that I know and love the most.  As it is, I wanted to at least get to twenty, but I couldn’t do it.  If you click on the allmusic reviews (linked on each title) you’ll see that most of the albums are critical darlings, but a few aren’t.  I pay that no matter… I love each and every one.  Hell, I wrote down the titles before I started writing anything else.

So if you love the Allman Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, or Eric Clapton… if you dig the Black Keys or Kings of Leon… and you’re ready to take a step back on the chain of rock and roll evolution, here we go.

21 Blues Albums for Rockers (in no particular order)

1. Willie Dixon – I Am the Blues ($6.99) Why not start with Willie?  The dude wrote a truckload of the songs on many of these blues albums, and literally every single song on this CD has been famously covered by rock bands.  Don’t believe me?  How ’bout “Back Door Man” (Doors); “I Can’t Quit You, Baby” (Led Zep), and “Little Red Rooster” (Stones)… just to cite three.  He’s the one they call the seventh son.
2. Muddy Waters/Howlin’ Wolf – Muddy and the Wolf ($9.99).  Blues meet rock as the rock stars (who helped revive the blues in the first place) team up with my two favorite blues artist of all time (First Wolf, then Muddy).  This CD isn’t Wolf and Muddy together, it is a combo of the Muddy’s Fathers and Sons album, with Butterfield, Bloomfield, Sumlin and more, and Howlin’ Wolf London Sessions, featuring Clapton, Winwood, and the Stones rhythm section of Watts and Wyman.  I would have recommended both albums separately, but the actual Muddy CD is closer to fifteen bucks (the Wolf is $9.99).  I’d still truly recommend both.
3. Butterfield Blues Band – Butterfield Blues Band ($7.99)
4. Butterfield Blues Band – East-West ($7.99)  I could listen to these stinkin’ Butterfield CDs once a week.  They just never get old.  Let’s face it, Mike Bloomfield was one hell of a guitar player, and his impact is long considering his short life.  The self-titled album is my favorite thing he’s ever done, but East/West is a close second.
5. Albert Collins – Truckin’ with Albert Collins ($9.99)  I love Collins’ blistering style and gritty voice, and I had been digging back through his catalog, and I found his first recording at a sweet price, and I was sold.  He’s the master… of the telecaster (Don’t believe me? He’ll tell you himself. Over and over again).
6. Robert Cray Band – Strong Persuader ($9.99)  Along with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Couldn’t Stand the Weather, this is the first blues album I ever owned.  It helped me cross the bridge to the blues.  I had to pick one, and Stevie is in the rock and soul section at the store, so Cray was the choice. This album is smooth and sweet and Robert is a talented dude.  ”She was right next door… and I’m such a strong persuader”.
7. Lightin’ Hopkins – Lightnin’.  Like many of my favorite albums, this album was traded in by a customer.  That’s the great thing about used buying – you get to test all sorts of stuff you wouldn’t have thought to try otherwise.  I tried this and loved it.  Come down to the store and hear it in the listening post and see for yourself.
8. Howlin’ Wolf – Back Door Wolf ($6.99) Another “used buy find” for me (Michael, was that you?).  Once I discovered the price, I brought it right in.  When I play it; it sells.  You need a lot more Howlin’ Wolf than this (Moanin’ in the Moonlight, etc.), but this is a cheap way to start.  From the allmusic bio on Wolf: “no one could match him for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits”.  Wow.  Watching Wolf in his prime in a juke joint would be time-machine journey for me.
9. Albert King – Born Under a Bad Sign ($9.99)  Unquestionably, this is one of the greatest electric blues albums of all time.  Featuring Booker T. and the MGs as a band, Albert’s Stax debut lays down some blistering guitar licks on some of the most recognizable songs in blues history.  One of the most consistent “play it and sell it” albums in Hoodlums’ history.  Great cover too.
10. T-Bone Walker – T-Bone Blues ($9.99)  Even though I try to avoid greatest hits compilations when I’m recommending stuff… it’s hard to avoid comps when you are dealing with the Blues.  This comp is amazing.  The best way to get a dose of T-Bone, who is a blues-rockin’ fool, writing some of the most rock-covered blues songs ever (which this CD proudly sports).
11. Nina Simone – Nina Simone Sings the Blues ($9.99)  This is an album that you might want to play if you are hanging out with a wonderful girl and you want the mood be right (that’s not the way I would have put it in high school). If it doesn’t do the trick, I’d say that wonderful girl may not be that into you. Smart, sassy, sultry, snappy… if there’s an cool adjective that starts with “S”… Nina probably fits the description with this album.  It’s an Allmusic Album Pick – and the review is completely glowing.  ”Do I Move You?” asks Nina on the very first song.  You got that right, sister.
12. Muddy Waters – Hard Again ($9.99) From the opening growl of “Mannish Boy”, you know you are in the presence of awesome blues power.  That testosterone-laced masterpiece alone is worth twenty bucks, and there’s not a bad song behind it.  Johnny Winter leads a top-notch band as Muddy returns to form in all his cocky glory.
13. Freddie King – Burglar ($6.99)  As I type, I am listening to Freddie just tear it up in the wicked “Texas Flyer”, off this fine, inexpensive little masterpiece by one of the three Kings of the Blues.  Here’s a game to play: Try naming rock musicians that have made a living playing like Freddie King.  There’s more than a few riffs on this album to give you a hint or two.  By the way, saying Eric Clapton doesn’t count, since he’s playing on this album on “Sugar Sweet”. (Trivia: What song quotes this about Freddie: “I got to tell ya that poker’s his thing”?)
14. Johnny Winter - Second Winter ($9.99) Long before helping resurrect Muddy’s career, Johnny was tearin’ it up on his own.  Not exactly alone, he has brother Edgar and a great rhythm section behind him.  I still can’t believe all these unbelievable albums are so damn cheap.  That’s why both Johnny and Edgar’s CD still sell so well (that, and they are great).
15. John Lee Hooker – Endless Boogie ($6.99)  Even though allmusic beat this title up a bit, I don’t really care.  The exact reason they didn’t like it, the contributions from guest guitarists like Jesse Ed Davis, Mel Brown, and Steve Miler, is the exact reason I do like it.  Lotsa tasty guitar, lotsa that Hooker growl.
16. Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal ($9.99)  This could possibly be my number one fave of this whole list.  It’s like it just keeps getting better with age.  From the first strains of harmonica on “Leaving Trunk”, you just know this album is gonna be good.  Featuring Jesse Ed Davis and Ry Cooder on guitar, you absolutely need this CD.  (I had its successor, the five-star Natch’l Blues, on the list as well… but I had to include Johnny Winters).
17. Etta James – At Last ($9.99)  Honestly, I listen to Tell Mama a bit more, but it’s still more than ten bucks.  Oh well, including her Chess debut, At Last, wasn’t a tough task.  You gotta have some Etta.  Etta is a bad-ass.  Chicks dig Etta too.  High or low; fast or slow.  Etta can do it all.
18. Rising Sons - Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder ($6.99)  ”Want to see me sell this album?”.  I don’t revere High Infidelity or anything, but anyone who works in a record store knows that some CD just have power.  Add an “it’s only 6.99″ to the conversation, and you’ve got a sale. This Rising Sons album just walks that walk. It jumps right on the customer and makes them walk up and ask. This is the only compilation from the Rising Sons brief career, and it is top notch.
19. Big Mama Thornton – With The Muddy Waters Blues Band ($9.99)  The newest addition to the list.  Like many of the great albums in my collection, Kristian found it and turned me on.  The allmusic bio used phrases like “menacing growl” and “hefty belter”… and her name is Willie Mae… and this is Muddy’s band… so how can you not be curious?
20. BB King – Indianola Mississippi Seeds ($6.99)  Let me see… Kristian found the LP and listened to it.  Then we checked the CD, and it was only 6.99, so he bought it.  Then I listened to it and bought it.  Then we put it in a listening post and sold a bunch. Now we are telling you.  You just gotta have some B.B. King, and although this album is hardly enough to represent such a master, it’s a good one to have.
21. Buddy Guy – I Was Walking Through the Woods ($9.99)  Buddy is the new Muddy, the reigning king of the Chicago Blues.  I saw him at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert, and he is still tearing up. This a comp of Buddy’s early Chess recordings… another in a long line of beautiful albums discovered through a customer trade-in.

There it is… a place to start.  Come down to the store during September, and we can discuss it more.  If these albums aren’t already in a listening post, I will pull them from my personal play list and let you listen to whatever you want.  Thanks for reading.  Long live the Blues.

Five CDs I probably would have included, except they cost more than $10: