Hey vinyl lovers, check out Hoodlums’ best-selling vinyl titles from 2011.
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
Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Bruce Springsteen – Gotta Get That Feeling (RSD)
Black Keys – El Camino (one of the only stores in the US to get a bunch)
White Stripes – Let’s Shake Hands (RSD)
Beatles – Abbey Road (amazingly, the only Beatles LP available)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Roger Clyne & Peacemakers – Unida Cantina (in-store performance)
Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar/Bitch (RSD)
Mumford and Sons – Dharohar Project (RSD)
White Stripes – LaFayette Blues (RSD)
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
Foo Fighters – Medium Rare (RSD)
Wilco – Whole Love
Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire
Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan in Concert
Doors – Riders on the Storm (RSD)
Kings of Leon – Holy Roller Novocaine (RSD)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Havana Affair (RSD)
Tom Waits – Bad As Me
Tom Petty – Kiss My Amps
Black Keys – Brothers
Decemberists – King is Dead
Clash – London Calling
Florence & The Machine – Lungs
Radiohead – OK Computer
Black Keys – Lonely Boy (RSD)
Beatles – Singles (RSD)
Ray LaMontagne – Live Fall (RSD)
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other
Bon Iver – For Emma
Radiohead – King of Limbs
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Adele – 21
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter Wu-Tang
Black Angels – Another Nice Pair (RSD)
Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
Bright Eyes – I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning
Pixies – Doolittle
Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over The Sea
What Laura Says – Talk
Regina Spektor – Four from Far (RSD)
Sharon Jones & Dapkings – Soul Time (RSD)
Social Distortion – Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes
Black Keys – Magic Potion
Strokes – Is This It?
Godspeed You Black Emperor – F#A# (infinity)
Perfect Circle – Thirteenth Step
Strokes – Angles
Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced?
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
John Coltrane – Love Supreme
Built to Spill – Ripple
Rush – Caravan Blues (RSD)
Shins – Oh! Inverted World
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
Tool – Opiate
Pixies – Surfer Rosa
She & Him – Volume one
Elliot Smith – Either/Or
Pearl Jam – Vs.
Nas – Illmatic
Black Angels – Phosgene Nightmare
Mayall/Clapton – Lonely Years (RSD)
Beach Boys – Good Vibrations (RSD)
Sonic Youth – Oz Tour 1993 (RSD)
Lady Gaga – Born This Way (RSD)
Velvet Underground – Loaded
Black Keys – Thickfreakness
Ryan Adams – Gold
Tool – Undertow
Flaming Lips – In a Priest-Driven Ambulance
Cursive – Ugly Organ
Arcade Fire – Suburbs
Guns N’ Roses – Appetite for Destruction
Radiohead – Kid A
Radiohead – Bends
Jason Isbell & 400 Unit – Here We Rest
Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
Johnny Cash – American VI: Ain’t No Grave
Junior Kimbrough – All Night Long
O’ Brother Where Art Thou? Soundtrack
Bad Brains – Pay to Cum
John Lennon – Imagine 40th Anniversary box (RSD)
Soundgarden – Before the Doors Live (RSD)
Phish – Party Time? (RSD)
Dream Theater – Metropolis 2 (RSD)
Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Contrary to media-fueled misconception, people are still buying lots of CDs (and LPs). In fact, 2011 was a good year for Hoodlums (and music in general). Of course, we thank all of you for buying so many of your CDs (and LPs) here.
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
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers – Unida Cantina (in-store performance)
Adele – 21
Decemberists – King is Dead (S, K)
Black Keys – El Camino (S)
Mumford and Sons – Sigh No More
Abigail Washburn – City of Refuge (in-store performance, K)
Ryan Adams – Ashes and Fire (A, K)
Tom Waits – Bad As Me
Black Keys – Brothers
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light
Wilco – Whole Love
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues
Danger Mouse/Daniele Luppi – Rome (S)
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Jason Isbell and 400 Unit – Here We Rest (A, S, K)
Gillian Welch – Harrow and the Harvest (K)
Social Distortion – Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes (A)
Radiohead – King of Limbs
Florence & the Machine – Lungs
Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong (A)
Cake – Showroom of Compassion
Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What
Sarah Jarosz – Follow Me Down (K)
Ma/Duncan/Meyer/Thile – Goat Rodeo Sessions (K)
Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean
My Morning Jacket – Circuital
Tedeschi/Trucks – Revelator
Fitz & The Tantrums – Pickin’ Up the Pieces
Amos Lee – Mission Bell
Florence & The Machine – Ceremonials
Foster the People – Torches
Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
Chris Isaak – Beyond the Sun
REM – Collapse Into Now
M83 – Hurry Up We’re Dreaming
Adele – 19
Small Leaks Sink Ships – Oak Street Basement (in-store performance)
Gregg Allman – Low Country Blues
Charles Bradley – No Time for Dreaming (S)
Death Cab for Cutie – Codes and Keys
Neil Young – Treasure
Flogging Molly – Speed of Darkness
Bright Eyes – People’s Key
Primus – Green Naugahyde
She & Him – Very She & Him Christmas (in a post… who knew?)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – I’m With You
Amy Winehouse – Lioness: Hidden Treasures
Bill Evans – Piano Player
Daptone Gold – Various Artists
Beastie Boys – Hot Sauce Committee
Ben Harper – Give Till It’s Gone
Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
Arctic Monkeys – Suck It and See
Bruno Mars – Doo Wops & Hooligans
John Hiatt – Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns
Drive-By Truckers – Go Go Boots
Kooper/Bloomfield – Fillmore East: Lost Tapes
Strokes – Angles
Manchester Orchestra – Simple Math (A)
Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal
Avett Brothers – I & Love & You
Aloe Blacc – Good Things
PJ Harvey – Let England Shake
Eddie Vedder – Ukulele Songs
Feist – Metals
St. Vincent
Vaccines – What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?
Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers – Rare Bird Alert
Black Carl – Borrowed (in-store performance)
Jayhawks – Mockingbird Time
Nick 13 – Nick 13 (A)
Tinariwen – Tassili
Beach Boys – Smile Sessions
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto
TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light
Delaney & Bonnie – D & B Together
Cults – Cults
Wanda Jackson – Party Ain’t Over
Raphael Saadiq – Stone Rollin’ (S)
Loudon Wainwright III – Album 3
Rave on Buddy Holly – Various Artists
Decemberists – Live at Bull Moose (RSD)
Sharon Jones & Dapkings – Soul Time (RSD)
Dry River Yacht Club – Family Portraits
William Elliot Whitmore – Field Songs
Old Crow Medicine Show – OCMS
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
Fucked Up – David Comes to Life
Kills – Blood Pressures
Ryan Adams – III & IV
Warren Haynes – Man In Motion (S)
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
Etta James – At Last
Ahmad Jamal – Pittsburgh
Taj Mahal – Natch’l Blues
Mergence – Those Vibrant Young People Are Dead (S)
City and Colour – Little Hell (A)
Kinch – Incandenza (A)
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
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
Brothers- The Black Keys
Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager – Kid Cudi
Sigh No More- Mumford & Sons
Have One On Me- Joanna Newsom
The Suburbs- Arcade Fire
The Colossus- RJD2
Habits-Neon Trees
…Featuring Norah Jones- Many artists
To The Sea- Jack Johnson
Transference- Spoon
Chris (of toddandchris4)
10. Fistful of Mercy “Fistful of Mercy”
9. Drive By Truckers “The Big To-Do”
8. Black Crowes “Crowology”
7. Heart “Red Velvet Car”
6. Black Country Communion “Black Country Communion”
5. The Gracious Few “The Gracious Few”
4. Robert Plant “Band of Joy”
3. Rob Zombie “Hellbilly Deluxe II”
2. Dave Matthews Band “DMB Live in New York City”
1. Tom Petty “Mojo”
-
Jeremy P.
1. Punch Brothers – Antifogmatic
2. Pain of Salvation – Road Salt One
3. The Black Crowes – Croweology (despite it being a compilation, I count it because the tracks are reworked)
4. Josh Ritter – So Runs The World Away
5. Oceansize – Self Preserved While The Bodies Float Up
6. Robert Plant – Band of Joy
7. Johnny Flynn – Been Listening
8. Blue Giant – Blue Giant
9. The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
10. La Strada – New Home
-
Althea Pergakis
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
-
Mason Thompson
1. Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest
2. LCD Soundsystem: This is Happening
3. The National: High Violet
4. Sleigh Bells: Treats
5. Beach House: Teen Dream
6. Twin Sister: Color Your Life
7. Morning Benders: Big Echo
8. Twin Shadow: Forget
9. Wild Nothing: Gemini
10. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
….Kanye wasn’t close, no matter what Pitchfork might have to say ….
-
Tammy H.
#1 Wolf Parade – Expo 86
#2 The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night
#3 Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
#4 LCD Soundsytem – This Is Happening
#5 Autolux – Transit Transit
#6 Deerhunter – Halycon Digest
#7 Weekend – Sports
#8 Lower Dens – Twin Hand Movement
#9 Beach House – Teen Dream
#10 Women – Public Strain
-
Teresa Burstyn
Movies
1. Welcome to the Riley’s
2. The Kids are All Right
Albums
3 Need You Now; Lady Antebellum
4. Sigh No More : Mumford and Sons
5.30 Years Live: Bad Religion
6. Final Frontier: Iron Maiden
7.A Christmas Cornucopia : Annie Lenox
8. Laws of Illusion : Sarah MacLachlan
9 :Valley Neptune : Jimi Hendrix
10 :God Willing and Creek Rising: Ray Lamontagne
-
James Karcher
1. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
2. Brothers – The Black Keys
3. OMNI – Minus the Bear
4. Dark Night of The Soul – Dangermouse and Sparklehorse
5. Come Around Sundown – Kings of Leon
6. Sigh No More – Mumford and Sons
7. The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
8. This Is Happening – LCD Soundsystem
9. Treats – Sleigh Bells
10. High Violet – The National
-
Matt Rodgers
Menomena - Mines
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and The Cairo Gang – The Wonder Show of the World
Altar Eagle – Mechanical Gardens
Brian Eno – Small Craft on a Milk Sea
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma
Women – Public Strain
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock record
Neil Young – Le Noise
Carlton Metz
Inception (movie)
The Walkmen (show)
Gorillaz “Plastic Beach”
Sonic Youth (show)
Exit Through The Gift Shop (movie)
The Walkmen “Lisbon”
The Inbetweeners (tv show)
Arcade Fire “The Suburbs”
Broken Bells “Broken Bells”
The Black Keys “Brothers”
Shannon Hadley
1. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
2. Deerhunter, Halcyon Digest
3. Tame Impala, Innerspeaker
4. Best Coast, Crazy For You
5. Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
6. Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Band
7. Abe Vigoda, Crush
8. Jonsi, Go
9. Foals, Total Life Forever
10. M.I.A., Maya
Matt Bradley
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Beach House – Teen Dream
Best Coast – Crazy For You
Wavves – King of the Beach
Zola Jesus – Stridulum II
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
Sleigh Bells – Treats
Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be
Beach Fossils – Beach Fossils
Tony Pellum
1. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
2. Robyn – Body Talk
3. Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love
4. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
5. Wild Nothing – Gemini
6. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
7. Janelle Monáe – The ArchAndroid
8. Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be
9. Love Is All – Two Thousand and Ten Injuries
10. The Walkmen – Lisbon
Jake Calegari
1. Sea of Cowards – The Dead Weather
2. Congratulations – MGMT
3. Under Great White Northern Lights – The White Stripes
4. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
5. Dark Night of the Soul – Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
6. Treats – Sleigh Bells
7. Survival Story – Flobots
8. Astro Coast – Surfer Blood
9. Brothers – The Black Keys
10. Contra – Vampire Weekend
Marisa Calegari
1. The Dead Weather – Sea of Cowards
2. Sleigh Bells – Treats
3. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles II
4. The White Stripes – Under Great White Northern Lights
5. Broken Bells – Broken Bells
6. Robert Plant – Band of Joy
7. The Black Keys – Brothers
8. Kid Cudi – The Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager
9. The Dirty Heads – Any Port in a Storm
10. Atmosphere – To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy
Mitch Goyette
1. Breed 77 – Insects
2. Kamelot – Poetry for the Poisoned
3. Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
4. Avenged Sevenfold – Nightmare
5. Circa Survive – Blue Sky Noise
6. Deftones – Diamond Eyes
7. Anathema – We’re Here Because We’re Here
8. Menomena – Mines
9. Turin Brakes – Outburst
10. The River Empires – Epilogue
And a handful of Honorable Mentions for good measure:
Black Country Communion – s/t
CloverSeeds – The Opening
Mutiny Within – s/t
Karen Elson – The Ghost Who Walks
Evelyn Evelyn – s/t
Michael Pang
Favorite New Albums of 2010
1. The Budos Band – The Budos Band III
2. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
4. Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
5. Erykah Badu – New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh
6. Das Racist – Sit Down, Man
7. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
8. Sharon Van Etten – Epic
9. Hot Chip – One Life Stand
10. MGMT – Congratulations
“Papa” Fred Hill
Justin Townes Earl – Harlem River Blues
Black Dub – (Daniel Lanois, Trixie Whitely, and Darryl Johnson)
Robert Randolph & the Family Band – We Walk This Road
Christian Scott – Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
John Hiatt – The Open Road
Jason Moran – Ten
Lee Scratch Perry – ‘Sipple Out Deh’ The Black Ark Years
The Uniques – Absolutely Rock Steady
Gaslight Anthem – American Slang
Bob Dylan – the Witmark Demos: 1962-1964
Jr. Murvin – Police and Thieves Deluxe Edition
Buce Springsteen Darkness on the Edge of Town box set
How Sweet It Was – The Sights and Sounds of Gospel’s Golden Age CD plus DVD
Plus a great read was ‘Just Friends’ Patti Smith’s memoir about her life with Robert Mapplethorpe I haven/t heard Le Noise by Neil I have it on order on vinyl, also I should have put on the vinyl issue of Tom Petty & Heartbreakers Damn the Torpedoes – ahh it just goes on & on so much good music to upllift the spirit.
Emma Ringness
1) Write About Love, Belle and Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian is such a reliably good band—they also craft some of the most timeless records I’ve ever heard. Write About Love is no exception and does not disappoint on any count.
2) Transference, Spoon
The album has a William Eggleston photograph on the cover. So, you know, if Spoon weren’t an amazing band they’d at least be really, really cool. Turns out they’re both. (If you couldn’t tell, this probably wins my vote for best album cover of the year.)
3) This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem
On a whim I listened to this album on NPR as part of their exclusive first listen series. Then I had to hear it again. And again. By the third or fourth listen I was wondering why I hadn’t bought it already. James Murphy’s lyrics are unexpectedly smart and searing with honesty.
4) Record Collection, Mark Ronson and the Business Intl.
Once again, I heard this online first. I was instantly hooked and came to Hoodlums to buy it a few days later. It’s ridiculously catchy and vastly underrated.
5) The Boxer, Kele
Even more underrated than Record Collection, The Boxer is such a solid solo album from Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke—the power of his voice alone is enough to have me hooked.
6) Age of Adz, Sufjan Stevens
Though many weren’t fond of the departure from “Mr. Strummy-Strum,” I think the Age of Adz shows Stevens’ true strength as a songwriter.
7) Contra, Vampire Weekend
I was not a huge fan of Vampire Weekend until this year (my friends finally broke me…who am I kidding, I was broken of my own volition). Contra made me reconsider writing off their self-titled debut…and for that matter, the band overall.
Champ, Tokyo Police Club
Frenetic, energetic, concise, indie, post-punk…there are a ridiculous amount of adjectives journalists use to describe this Canadian band. Honestly, they just make really fun records that my young heart goes crazy for.
Top 5 albums new to me in 2010:
It’s a little embarrassing that these were new to me this year, but hey, it’s never too late to acknowledge exceptional albums.
1) Kid A, Radiohead
2) The Boy with the Arab Strap, Belle and Sebastian
3) Is Is (EP), Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4) Modern Guilt, Beck
5) Underachievers Please Try Harder, Camera Obscura
Top 5 songs of 2010 that aren’t off my top albums:
1) “Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show Me State; or, Letters From Me to Charlotte,” Los Campesinos!
2) “Walls,” Shout Out Louds
3) “First Date Kit” Tokyo Police Club feat. Luke LaLonde
4) “Boy From School (Hot Chip Cover),” Grizzly Bear
5) “Heirloom,” Sufjan Stevens
Top 5 Music Videos:
This is really subjective—I’m not a connoisseur of music videos or anything, I just really liked these five (plus the songs that go with)!
1) “Last Leaf,” OK Go
2) “VCR,” the XX
3) “The Bike Song,” Mark Ronson
4) “Giving Up the Gun,” Vampire Weekend
5) “Do Wah Doo,” Kate Nash
Best Concert of 2010: Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens’ show at the Mesa Arts Center was, hands down, the best concert I saw all year and one of the best concerts (if not the best) I have ever seen in my life. I could sit and detail every way it was awesome, but you’d be here all day if I did. Just trust me on this one.
Runner up concert: Phoenix
If Sufjan Stevens hadn’t been so amazing Phoenix would have won out. I did not expect this concert to have the energy that it did; this band can really connect with their audience.
Jason Franz
Here’s my very conventional list:
1. Sufjan Stevens, The Age of Adz/All Enlightened People
2. Vampire Weekend, Contra
3. Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
4. LCD Soundsystem, This Is Happening
5. Cee Lo Green, The Lady Killer
6. Junip, Fields
7. Spoon, Transference
8. The Black Keys, Brothers
9. The Dead Weather, Sea of Cowards
10. Daft Punk, Tron: Legacy Soundtrack
Kerry Howe
Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
Frazey Ford – Obadiah
Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here
Karen Elson – The Ghost Who Walks
Herbie Hancock – The Imagine Project
Laura Veirs – July Flame
Janelle Monae – Archandroid
The Black Keys – Brothers
LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
Rihanna – Loud (good gravy I know its pop, but that girl is taking over the world one single at a time!)
Russ Baurichter
State Champion – Stale Champagne
Cloudkicker – Beacons
Burzum – Belus
Max Richter – Infra
Matthew Dear – Black City
William Ryan Fritch – Music for Honey and Bile
Kammerflimmer Kollektief – Wildling
Maserati – Pyramid of the Sun
Olafur Arnalds – …And They Have Escaped The Weight of Darkness
Beach House – Teen Dream
Stefin Sun Hehman
Robyn – Body Talk
Sleigh Bells – Treats
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today
Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot The Son of Chico Dusty
MGMT – Congratulations
Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
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
Why? a) Because making my lists takes forever, and as you can see, once I get going… I get going; 2) because I am the webmaster (I love saying that) and “poster” of the store lists, so I can push it; and 3) because it gives me a chance to peruse others lists and see if I missed anything.
If you are reading this, it’s possible you keep an eye on things at Hoodlums, so you may have noticed that I have been doing video recommendations about once a week. I love giving my opinion on great albums. The process of making out “best of” lists is another great way to spread the word about good albums, so I take it seriously. If it’s on the lists, I really do dig it.
I teased Joe in his list intro. If Joe were to give me shit (and he does) about my list, he would probably say that I am predictable and safe, which is true. I tend to gravitate towards groove and melody, regardless of genre… and I shy away from things that get to electronic (only actual drummers, please) or “scronky” (love “Kind of Blue”; don’t get “Bitches Brew”… although I’ve tried). There would also be some sort of comment about my excessive love of vintage music.
My ultimate goal is to introduce people to good music. Sure, I am a shopkeeper, and my favorite scenario would be for you to buy one of our recommendations at Hoodlums (or the indie record store nearest you) or on our digital store, but I assure you that I would still take a good bit of pleasure in thinking that your interested was piqued as a result of my list (or those of my comrades)… regardless of your method of acquisition.
Anyway, my Top Ten lists deal with 2009 and the Decade… with both new and vintage discoveries. They are in no particular order. I tried to avoid stuff I had used for my High Fidelity lists from Fall 2008.
Top Picks of 2009
Ten 2009 records that I really think will last for me
Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears
Monsters of Folk
David Bazan
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (Live)
God Help the Girl
Pete Yorn/Scarlett Johannson
Black Crowes
Devendra Banhart
Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetics
Ten 2009 records I liked in the store, but haven’t listened to at home
Built to Spill
Silversun Pickups
Phoenix
Neko Case
Bruce Springsteen
Decemberists
M. Ward
Pearl Jam
Bon Iver
Dark Was the Night
Ten 2009 records I’m going to keep working on in 2010
Todd Snider
XX
Tegan and Sara
Dave Alvin and Guilty Women
Lucero
Wilco
Avett Brothers
Andrew Bird
Phish
Dinosaur Jr.
Five 2009 critically-acclaimed records I’ll probably never listen to again
Animal Collective
Grizzly Bear
Dead Weather
U2 (Boner and the boys lost me ages ago)
Bob Dylan (ditto with new Bob… it doesn’t do much for me)
Ten Movies/TV Shows I Enjoyed in 2009
Star Trek
Inglorious Basterds
Up
The Hangover
Real Time with Bill Maher
Arrested Development – Season 3
Frank Zappa – Making of Apostrophe
Curb Your Enthusiasm – Seinfeld Season
30 Rock – Season 3
NFL Football
Ten Things I’d like To see from the Entertainment Industry in 2010
The end of label/studio financed loss-leading for corporate retail (devaluing music since 1995).
The end of all things “exclusive” (the most confusing word in music retail).
The end of all CD list prices over $13 (even $13 is too high, but we’d take it).
The end of all DVD list prices over $20 (Blu Ray is ridiculous as well).
Reasonable list prices on new jazz & blues (so we can play and sell them).
A fantastic 800 – 1000 capacity venue for music in Tempe (w/no shoe removal necessary).
More Music Performance DVDs from the 60s and 70s (w/the essential lineups).
The end of Reality TV forever (although I literally watch none).
An instant stop to the escalation of New LP/Vinyl pricing (only labels can kill off a great trend).
A dynamic, diverse, cool radio FM station in the Valley (most people listen to many genres).
Top Picks of The Decade
Twenty of My Favorite Albums Released During the Decade
Michael Franti and Sprearhead – Everyone Deserves Music
Pete Yorn – Music for the Morning After
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
My Morning Jacket – Z
Shins – Chutes Too Narrow
John Legend – Get Lifted
India.Arie – Acoustic Soul
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Village Green – Feeling the Fall
Ryan Adams – Gold
Budos Band – II
Belle and Sebastian – Life Pursuit
Breakestra – Hit the Floor
Drive By Truckers – Blessing and a Curse
James Hunter – People Gonna Talk
Alison Krauss and Union Station – New Favorite
Roy Hargrove – Earfood
Minus the Bear – Menos El Oso
Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block
Josh Rouse – 1972
Bob Schneider – The Californian
Twenty of My Favorites Movies Released During the Decade
Up
Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Lord of the Rings trilogy
Star Trek
Lucky Number Slevin
Batman Begins
Star Wars 3: Revenge of Sith (that’s right, I like both trilogies)
40 Year Old Virgin
Sin City
Boondock Saints
The Hangover
Old School
The Departed
Almost Famous
Wall-E
Garden State
Open Range
Juno
Thank You For Smoking
In case my occupation wasn’t enough evidence that I’m an overgrown teenager… my movie list should leave no doubt.
Seven favorite “non” movie films from the Decade
What the Bleep Do We Know?
Led Zeppelin (2 DVD set)
30 Rock
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Religulous
Ladies and Gentleman…The Rolling Stones.
Midnight Special videos on YouTube
The Vintage Stuff of 2009
10 vintage rock records I’ve discovered and played heavily this year
Savoy Brown – Raw Sienna
James Gang – Yer Album
Dave Mason – Alone Together
Wishbone Ash – Argus
Guess Who – Canned Wheat
Kinks – Lola vs. Powerman
Bonnie Raitt – Give It Up
Tim Buckley – Greetings from L.A.
Rory Gallagher – Calling Card
Steven Stills – Manassas
10 Vintage Jazz and Blues albums I’ve discovered and played heavily this year
Howlin’ Wolf – Backdoor Man
Paul Desmond – Take Ten
Astrud Gilberto – Astrud Gilberto album
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Adventures of Pigboy Crabshaw
Rising Sons (w/Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder)
John Mayall – Crusade (w/Mick Taylor)
Lamberts, Hendricks, and Ross – Everybody’s Boppin’
Cal Tjader – Primo
Baby Face Willette – Stop and Listen
Captain Beefheart – Safe as Milk
10 Vintage Records my fellow record store geeks harass me for… that I still play frequently at home
Head East – Flat as a Pancake
Bob Seger – Night Moves
Eagles – Desperado
REO Speedwagon – Live: You Get What You Play For
April Wine – First Glance
Atlanta Rhythm Section – Champagne Jam
ZZ Top – Deguello
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping
Journey – Infinity
ELO – Greatest Hits
Note: This list is endless, as I still love many of the “critical dogs” I loved growing up.
10 Vintage Records I could sell you by playing them
Bebel Gilberto – Tanto Tempo
Rory Gallagher – Rory Gallagher
Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal
Shuggie Otis – Shuggie’s Blues
Stanley Turrentine – Rough and Tumble
Nina Simone – Sings the Blues
Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstacy
Kashmere Stage Band
Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die
Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis
10 Vintage Albums I would never part with…
Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
Cars – Cars
Dave Brubeck – Time Out
Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – It’s Your World
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – S/T
Beatles – Revolver
Widespread Panic – Everyday
Various Artists – The Roots of Acid Jazz
Frank Zappa – Apostrophe/Overnight Sensation
Elvis Costello – Armed Forces
Ten CDs I’m going to buy from the new batch of 6.99 classics we just ordered*
Journey – Journey (pre Steve Perry)
Dr. Seuss – Fox in Socks (to see if they read it faster than me)
Idrid Muhammad – Power of Soul
Staple Singers – Freedom Highway
Delaney and Bonnie – D&B Together
Spirit – The Family That Plays Together
Dave Brubeck – Jazz Goes to College
Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Sings Newman
Paul Desmond – Desmond Blue
Allman Brothers – An Evening With, 1st Set
* That means you can come in and listen to them whenever you want!
Hoodlums. Each and every one of them. Don’t let their new gigs as teachers, or bankers, or major label big shots, or whatever “real job” they have now, fool ya. They are still hoodlums.
(OK, there might be a suit or two. We still haven’t heard from Martin, Justin, Marla, or Vinny, and we can’t find Ash or Alisa. For all we know, they could be turning their backs on music.)
Anyway, when we put the call out (read: direct video harassment) to our old friends and fellow hoods, many of them reaffirmed our faith in society by actually showing us that they were still listening to new music way into their twenties (and thirties for a couple of the former little shits, eh?).
As you can see, they cover a lot of ground… and like I said in the call out… they all do their lists differently. Sincere thanks to all of our Hall of Famers who took the time to participate.
Wanna know more about these goofballs? There’s still some info on all the hoodlums, current and past, on the hoodlums at Hoodlums page. And now, here’s their lists (except Maria, whose lists is with Joe’s, detailed in the Top Tens of a Diverse Household blog).
By the way… Vinny, you sorry dog, where are you? C’mon now, you OWN a record store.
The Hoodlums Hall of Famers Top Tens
Amanda the Hoodlum
No suprises from me! (except that I didn’t love the new Shakira)
Neko Case- Middle Cyclone
Sarah Jarosz- Song Up in Her Head
Mos Def- Ecstatic
Pete Yorn/Scarlette Johanson- Break Up
Regina Spektor- Far
Flo Rida- R.O.O.T.S
Paramore- Brand New Eyes
Norah Jones- The Fall
Mum- Sing Along to Songs You Don’t Know
John Mayer- Battle Studies
Dominec the Hoodlum
Music:
1.) Serengeti & Polyphonic – Terradactyl
2.) Converge – Axe To Fall
3.) Dan Deacon – Bromst
4.) Propagandhi – Supporting Caste
5.) The Xx – XX
6.) Burnt By The Sun – Heart of Darkness
7.) The Antlers – Hopsice
8.) Ulcerate – Everything Is Fire
9.) Gaza – He Is Never Coming Back
10.) Bibio – Ambivalence Avenue
Favorite Reissue: Company Flow – Funcrusher Plus
Movies (not exclusive to 2009):
1.) 3-Iron
2.) Walkabout
3.) The Elephant Man
4.) The Piano Teacher
5.) In The Mood For Love
6.) Persona
7.) Do The Right Thing
8.) Ikiru
9.) Ponyo
10.) Let The Right One In
Heath the Hoodlum
Top Eleven (no order):
Atlas Sound “Logos”
The Antlers “Hospice”
A Sunny Day in Glasgow “Ashes Grammar”
The XX “XX”
Drake “So Far Gone” Mixtape
Lightning Bolt “Earthly Delights”
Freddie Gibbs “Miseducation of Freddie Gibbs” Mixtape Baroness “Blue Record”
Japandroids “Post Nothing”
Animal Collective “Merriweather Post Pavilion”
Fuck Buttons “Tarot Sport”
Honorable Mention:
Miike Snow “S/T”
Real Estate “S/T”
Raekwon “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. 2″
Volcano Choir “Unmap”
Phoenix “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix”
Neon Indian “Psychic Chasms”
Mayer Hawthorne “Strange Arrangement”
Re-discoverd:
Sonny Clark “Sonny Clark Trio”
Shameless Promotion:
Ribbons “Daytrotter Session 10/31/09″
Not with a Top Ten foot pole:
Girls “Album”
Fever Ray “S/T”
Dirty Projectors “Bitte Orca”
Lloyd (original co-owner and hoodlum)
Here’s what I enjoyed this past year:
U2 – No Line On The Horizon
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Up From Below
Miike Snow – Miike Snow
Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke
Harper Simon – Harper Simon
The Sounds – Crossing The Rubicon
Fun. – Aim & Ignite
Diamond District – In The Ruff
Kitty Daisy & Lewis – Kitty Daisy & Lewis
Imogen Heap – Ellipse
My 2009 Playlist…
1. Passion Pit – Little Things
2. Donkeyboy – Sometimes
3. Camera Obscura – The Sweetest Thing
4. La Roux – Bulletproof
5. Ryan Leslie – Never Gonna Break Up
6. Jack Penate – Pull My Heart Away
7. The XX – VCR
8. Phoenix – 1901
9. Taking Back Sunday – Sink Into Me
10. Fun. – All The Pretty Girls
11. Pearl Jam – The Fixer
12. Kitty Daisy & Lewis – I Got My Mojo Working
13. Throw Me The Statue – Hi-Fi Goon
14. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Janglin, Home
15. Harper Simon – Shooting Star
16. Tragically Hip – Morning Moon
17. Tinted Windows – Nothing To Me
18. Franz Ferdinand – No You Girls
19. Sam Roberts – Them Kids
20. Miike Snow – Animal, Burial
21. The Sounds – Underground
22. Iglu & Hartly – Jump Out Of Your Car
23. U2 – Unknown Caller
24. Luke Tierney – My New Best Friend
25. Katy Perry – Waking Up In Vegas
26. Neko Case – People Got A Lot Of Nerve
27. Wilco – Wilco (the song)
28. Green Day – 21 Guns
29. Ladyhawke – My Delirium
30. Diamond District – Streets Won’t Let Me Chill
Other Things…
Tom Petty Live Superhighway website
Hall & Oates Box Set
Big Star Box Set and Replacements reissues
My daughters’ interest in random Paul McCartney songs (No More Lonely Nights, Take It Away)
Weeds
30 Rock
Eastbound & Down
U2 at the Rose Bowl
30+ Favorite Albums of the 2000′s (in no particular order):
1. The Format – Interventions & Lullabyes
2. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
3. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
4. Kanye West – College Dropout, Late Registration
5. Supergrass – Supergrass
6. Rival Schools – United By Fate
7. Chromeo – Fancy Footwork
8. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
9. Ryan Adams – Gold, Easy Tiger
10. Pete Yorn – musicforthemorningafter
11. The Kooks – Inside In/Inside Out
12. Bruce Springsteen – Magic
13. No Doubt – Rock Steady
14. Matt Costa – Unfamiliar Faces
15. Shelby Lynne – I Am Shelby Lynne
16. Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s – The Dust Of Retreat
17. Kathleen Edwards – Failer, Back To Me
18. David Mead – Mine & Yours
19. Rooney – Rooney
20. Brendan Benson – Lapalco, Alternative To Love
21. Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
22. Tom Petty – Highway Companion
23. Damone – Out Here All Night
24. The Roots – Game Theory
25. Tift Merritt – Tambourine
26. Van Hunt – Van Hunt
27. Radiohead – Kid A
28. Rhett Miller – The Instigator
29. Robin Thicke – The Evolution Of Robin Thicke
30. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – Live Anthology, Runnin’ Down A Dream movie
30 Favorite Songs Of the 2000′s
1. All These Things I’ve Done – The Killers
2. Elevator Love Letter – Stars
3. The First Single – The Format
4. Square One – Tom Petty
5. I’m Dead – Instruction
6. No Tomorrow – Orson
7. Let’s Talk Turkey – Ima Robot
8. Down Here In Hell With You or Dust – Van Hunt
9. Closet – Pete Yorn
10. Good Things – Rival Schools
11. In The Music – The Roots
12. Fury – Little Big Town
13. California Waiting and Sex On Fire – Kings Of Leon
14. Out Here All Night – Damone
15. The People – Common
16. 99 Problems – Jay-Z
17. Idioteque – Radiohead
18. Walk On, City Of Blinding Lights, Unknown Caller- U2
19. St. Petersburg – Supergrass
20. Longest Days -John Mellencamp
21. Big Brat or Do The Panic – Phantom Planet
22. Too Young – Phoenix
23. Wait It Out – Tift Merritt
24. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House – LCD Soundsystem
25. Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
26. Golden Age – TV On The Radio
27. The Way We Get By – Spoon
28. New Slang or Phantom Limb – The Shins
29. If I Ain’t Got You – Alicia Keys
30. Pop Goes My Heart – Hugh Grant
Meet Joe and Maria, Hoodlums’ most diverse musical couple, and one of the most diverse music-loving households in America.
Of course, any household that includes the tastes of the Hoodlums’ store manager is automatically in the running for this title. If you’ve been around the store awhile, you probably know that Joe is the most “eccentric” listener of the Hoodlums’ hoodlums.
What do I mean by eccentric? Have you heard of Pink Floyd’s song “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict”? Well, Joe probably doesn’t like that song (because it is a Pink Floyd song and Joe doesn’t do groups that have sold eight gazillion albums), but for sure if there was an actual field recording of those small animals in that cave, it would probably make Joe’s list (it might actually be on the list below).
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying (although I have wondered) that Joe listens to certain types of music just to be contrary to popular opinion (I have asked “why” occasionally, and he always has solid explanations). I am saying that he doesn’t just walk his own path… he’s in an entirely different forest.
Am I kidding? Yes and no. I love to give Joe a hard time in general (and he gives it right back, while taking it like a champ), so the angle of this blog is amusing me, but he would be the first to acknowledge that we don’t necessarily subscribe to the same musical philosophy. That’s one of things, in my opinion, that makes Hoodlums a good place to shop: Lots of diversity in staff tastes.
Which brings us to the other half of this equation, his girlfriend, roommate, and Hoodlums’ Hall of Famer, Ms. Maria. While equally opinionated, Maria’s list can be counted on to be a little more “accessible” than that of her hubby (as are yours, mine, Andy’s, Becky’s, and the entire Hoodlums’ Hall of Fame) .
What do I mean by more “accessible”? Uh, there’s a melody.
(OK, that was a bit over-the-top on poor Joe. I’m sure some of the stuff I can’t pronounce is melodic.)
Anyway, Maria, like many of our Hall of Famers, was cool enough to submit a list, which is included below Joe’s lists, so you can see what I mean.
Doubting my claims? Here’s what you do: Put together a playlist, alternating from Joe’s list to Maria’s, and put it on. Then buy, adopt, or inherit double digit pets, and you’ll see what we mean about a diverse musical household. It’s a veritable cornucopia of sensory stimulation. We’ll expect a report.
Welcome… to Joe and Maria’s lists.
Joe the Hoodlum
Top Releases of the Year (in no order and a couple might be from late last year actually but I couldn’t bear to narrow it down any further so…)
1. Philip Jeck – “Suite – Live in Liverpool”
2. SND – “Atavism”
3. Skepticism – “Alloy”
4. Mika Vainio – “Aineen Musta Puhelin”
5. Phill Niblock – “Touch Strings”
6. Alva Noto – “Xerrox Vol. 2″
7. Fever Ray – S/T
8. Mika Vainio / Lucio Capece – “Trahnie”
9. Dawid Szczesny – “Luxated Symmetry”
10. Luigi Archetti / Bo Wiget – “Low Tide Digitals Vol. 3″
11. Stephen Steinbrink – “Ugly Unknowns”
12. Yoshio Machida – “Steelpan Improvisations”
13. Evan Parker – “The Moment’s Energy”
14. KK Null – “Oxygen Flash”
15. Tegan & Sara – “Sainthood”
Note: For all the shit I give my colleague, we wouldn’t trade him for nothin’. Joe has been our alltime champion employee, and he represents a wealth of knowledge about the stuff he digs, as well as a ton of the stuff you dig. This place wouldn’t be the same without his unique talents and contributions, and I could do a separate Top 10 list of all the great stuff he has turned me on to in the last nine years. Thanks Joe!
Top Reissues / Archival Releases
1. BBC Radiophonic Workshop – “John Baker Tapes Vol. 2″
2. VA – “Japan: Noh – Biwa – Shakuhachi 1941″
3. Stockhausen – “Spiral – Pole – Etc…” EMI Classics
4. Oren Ambarchi – “Persona”
5. Edward Williams – “Music from the 1979 BBC Series Life On Earth”
Top records that I have been listening to this year that aren’t new:
1. Derek Bailey – “Pieces for Guitar”
2. Oval – “Dok”
3, Barton Workshop – Performs Morton Feldman 3-CD Set
4. Voivod – “Negatron”
5. Buffy Sainte-Marie – “Illuminations”
Top Ten Records of the Decade. In no order!
1. Keith Fullerton Whitman – “Playthroughs”
2. Six Organs of Admittance – “Dark Noontide”
3. Gas – “Pop”
4. Steve Tibbetts – “A Man About a Horse”
5. Immortal – “Sons of Northern Darkness”
6. Radiohead – “Kid A”
7. Wilco – “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”
8. Boredoms – “Vision Creation Newsun”
9. Boards of Canada – “In a Beautiful Place Out In the Country”
10. Andrew WK – “I Get Wet”
Maria the Hoodlums Hall of Famer
Here’s my top 10 of 2009:
1.Florence + the Machine -LUNGS
2.Chris Isaak- Mr. Lucky
3. Phoenix-Wolfgang Amadeus
4.Orenda Fink- Ask the Night
5.Neko Case- Middle Cyclone
6.Tegan and Sara- Sainthood
7. Amerie-In Love and War
8.Band of Skulls- Baby Darling Dollface Honey
9. Camera Obscura- My Maudlin Career
10. Fanfarlo-Reservoir
Note: In our experience, Maria has tended to favor female vocalists (Read: she never actually played a male vocalist in her history at the store). Amazingly, there a multiple singin’ dudes on this list. Joe is apparently having some influence?
5 things I hate about the Entertainment Industry/ Media at the moment:
1. Reality TV and the people reality shows make famous.
2. the need to continue to keep Lindsey Lohan’s name floating around. Seriously, wasn’t her last movie like 4 years ago?
3. the decision to create a new ‘Girls Next Door’…extremely bad. This is also tied with continuing to let Britney Spears release music.
4. They cancelled ‘Dollhouse’, one of the few original pieces of TV worth watching. Bastards!
5. Remaking/ ‘Updating’ classic movies. Just stop it!
5 things I am not minding about the Entertainment Industry/ Media at the moment.
1. the continued work towards preservation and release of classic films.
2. the rare release of music that is not only great but written, produced, and sung, and performed live not lyp-synched by the actual artist/group.
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox. This movie is awesome! My favorite 2009 release.
4. Finally starting to admit more and more that female actresses/singers with some curves is okay and curviness is *gasp* kind of the norm.
5. The shunning of Kanye West.
Becky is the girl. The girl that works at the store. She isn’t the first girl (Hall of Famer’s Maria and Amanda have submitted top tens, and I’m sure we would have gotten them from Mza, Ashlea, and Alisa if I knew how to contact the toads), but she is the only current female Hoodlum.
Thank goodness. In addition to rolling their eyes when the BS gets too deep, the girls usually play different and often interesting stuff, which means the old guys (read: me) get to hear even more diverse selection of music (than strictly guy junk..which I also love).
Like the girls that have ventured into Guyville previously (record stores have always been lopsided on male geeks), Becky is one of us. An actual hoodlum and a true record store geek. Like the rest of us, Becky is here because she is a music nut. She hung around the ASU store for years, while taking on about nine different jobs in the ASU and Tempe “music biz” (kind of like our friend Ash, who should have sent us top ten lists, but didn’t). She finally got hired in 2009 (the interview was in 2006, truly), so she’s not a rookie anymore. That’s her very first Hood cartoon, revealed in this blog for the first time.
Becky can be found in the store on various nights and weekends. She helps us set up the bands that you see on the Hoodstage.
Check out her Top Tens of 2009 and then come down and have her play some cool stuff for you.
Becky the Hoodlum
Top 10 Albums of 2009
1. Fever Ray – Fever Ray
2. Neko Case – Middle Cyclone
3. Kurt Vile – Childish Prodigy
4. The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
5. Screaming Females – Power Move
6. Music Go Music – Expressions
7. David Bazan – Curse Your Branches
8. Lightning Dust – Infinite Light
9. Built To Spill – There Is No Enemy
10. Real Estate – Real Estate
Top 5 albums I enjoyed in 2009 that were not made in 2009
1. Lydia Lunch – Queen of Siam
2. Red Lorry Yellow Lorry – Nothing Wrong
3. Wanda Jackson – Wanda Jackson
4. Mike McGear – McGear
5. Blondie – Quarters to Dollars
Top 10 local acts of 2009
1. Bangarang
2. Soft Drink
3. Stephen Steinbrink
4. Chandails
5. Earthmen & Strangers
6. Becky Lee & Drunkfoot
7. The Whisperlights
8. Back Ted N-Ted
9. Gospel Claws
10. Owl Out
Top 5 albums I wish I’d spent more time with in 2009 and will in 2010
1. Jim O’Rourke – The Visitor
2. Turbo Fruits – Echo Kid
3. Baroness – Blue Record
4. Jemina Pearl – Break It Up
5. Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band – Between My Head and the Sky
Top 10 concerts of 2009
1. Jeff Tweedy – The Orpheum
2. Davila 666 – The Trunkspace
3. The Donkeys – Yucca Tap Room
4. Metric – Martini Ranch
5. The Grates – Modified Arts
6. Yo La Tengo – Marquee Theatre
7. Wilco and Grizzly Bear – Centennial Hall
8. Bruce Springsteen – Jobing Arena
9. Flight of The Conchords – Dodge Theatre
10. Blondie – Dodge Theatre
These lists are from young Andy, who you will find working nights and weekends. That’s his cartoon over there (we just unveiled it, he’s kind of a scruffy character, eh?). It should have been drawn sooner (sorry, pal).
He did a great job, and provided lists from 2009, as well as every year of the decade. As you will see from his “top sixes” and that sort of thing – it’s exactly like I described it in the Top Ten Lists are Fun blog: Not exactly what you asked for… but full of real music lovin’ passion.
C’mon down to the store, and you will hear this passion in action. The kid is a wealth of knowledge way beyond his years, and he’ll be more than happy to take a good recommendation from you.
And now, Andy’s lists (plenty of good stuff on these… at least in my book).
Andy the Hoodlums’ Top Ten lists
Top 10 from 2009
1. Ben Kweller – Changing Horses
2. John Mayer – Battle Studies
3. NOFX – Coaster
4. Tegan & Sara – Sainthood
5. Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
6. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
7. fun. – Aim & Ignite
8. P.O.S. – Never Better
9. Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows
10. Brand New – Daisy
Most Listened to in ’09
1. Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St
2. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
3. Less Than Jake – Anthem
4. Midtown – Living Well Is The Best Revenge
5. John Mayer – Battle Studies
6. Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
7. NOFX – Pump Up The Valuum
8. Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
9. Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
10. Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
Albums I Probably Overplayed In-Store in ’09
Obits – I Blame You, Cake
Cannonball Adderley ¬- Somethin’ Else
Nat Adderley – Work Song
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses – Roadhouse Sun
Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
Albums To Ride My Bike To in ‘09
Grateful Dead – American Beauty
Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle
Matt Pond PA – Several Arrows Later
Records that rarely left my car in ‘09
The Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.
Less Than Jake – Anthem
Lucero - 1372 Overton Park
Osker – Idle Will Kill
Moonshine Matinee – 219
Older Albums Discovered in ’09
Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St., Sticky Fingers
Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy
Bad Religion – Suffer
NOFX – So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes
Millencolin – Life On A Plate
Steve Earle – Copperhead Road
The Band - Music From Big Pink
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
Grateful Dead – Europe ’72
Cannonball Adderley – Somethin’ Else
Sam Cooke – Night Beat
Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline
Tom Petty – Hard Promises
Records Found Used At Hoodlums in ’09
1. Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
2. Rolling Stones – Exile On Main St.
3. M. Ward – Transfiguration Of Vincent
4. Nas – Illmatic
5. Dwight Yoakam – Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.
6. Grateful Dead – Europe ’72
7. Otis Redding – In Person At The Whisky A Go Go
8. The Band – Music From Big Pink
9. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
10. The Offspring – The Offspring
Records I Bought Late Night Online And May Have Overspent On, But Don’t Really Care
1. The Movielife – Forty Hour Train Back To Penn
2. Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
3. Less Than Jake – Hello Rockview (Picture Disc)
4. NOFX – The Decline
5. Nada Surf – Lucky
2008 Albums I Missed Last Year, But Overplayed This Year.
1. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
2. Old Crow Medicine Show – Tennessee Pusher
3. Valencia – We All Need Reason To Believe
4. Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
5. Street Dogs – State Of Grace
Movies Found in ‘09
The Hammer
Trailer Park Boys – The Movie
Fanboys
Inglourious Basterds
The Hangover
Favorite TV Shows of ’09
How I Met Your Mother
The League
Bored To Death
Community
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Most Anticipated Albums For 2010
Good Old War
Alkaline Trio
Josh Ritter
Jimmy Eat World
Josh Rouse
The Gaslight Anthem
Blink 182
Matt Skiba
Concerts I Went To In ’09
Bruce Springsteen in April at Glendale.
Bob Dylan at the Fair
Blink 182 in Tempe
Jimmy Eat World – Clarity Tour in Tempe
Jim Adkins at Modified
Yonder Mountain String Band in Flagstaff
Less Than Jake/NOFX/Bad Religion at Warped
Gaslight Anthem in Tempe
Less Than Jake in Tempe
Good Old War/Rx Bandits in Tucson
My Albums of the Decade (according to me in Dec. 09)
Top 5 from 2000
1. Midtown – Save The World, Lose The Girl
2. Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
3. The Movielife - This Time Next Year
4. Ryan Adams – Heartbreaker
5. The Wallflowers – Breach
Top 10 from 2001
1. Osker – Idle Will Kill
2. The Benjamins – The Art of Disappointment
3. Rx Bandits – Progress
4. Alkaline Trio – From Here To Infirmary
5. Brand New - Your Favorite Weapon
6. Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
7. Sparklehorse – It’s A Wonderful Life
8. The Dog & Everything – Bandshell
9. Pete Yorn – Music For The Morning After
10. Ryan Adams – Gold
Top 5 of 2002
1. Midtown – Living Well Is The Best Revenge
2. Allister – Last Stop Suburbia
3. Millencolin – Home From Home
4. Counting Crows – Hard Candy
5. Tom Petty – The Last DJ
Top 10 of 2003
1. Less Than Jake – Anthem
2. Limbeck – Hi, Everything’s Great
3. Ray LaMontagne – Trouble
4. Alkaline Trio – Good Mourning
5. Rise Against – Revolutions Per Minute
6. The Movielife – Forty Hour Train Back To Penn
7. Brand New – Deja Entendu
8. The Format – Interventions & Lullabies
9. Guster – Keep It Together
10. The Jayhawks – Rainy Day Music
Top 6 of 2004
1. Midtown – Forget What You Know
2. Jimmy Eat World – Futures
3. Bad Religion – The Empire Strikes First
4. Hanson – Underneath
5. Reubens Accomplice – The Bull, The Balloon, and The Family
6. Old Crow Medicine Show – OCMS
Top 10 of 2005
1. The Wallflowers – Rebel, Sweetheart
2. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cold Roses
3. The Academy Is… – Almost Here
4. Limbeck – Let Me Come Home
5. Nada Surf – The Weight Is A Gift
6. Anberlin – Never Take Friendship Personal
7. Jack’s Mannequin – Everything In Transit
8. Park West – Aside The Winding Creek
9. Steel Train – Twilight Tales From The Prairies Of The Sun
10. Death Cab For Cutie – Plans
Top 10 of 2006
1. John Mayer – Continuum
2. Dorian Minor – Alarm Me
3. Ben Kweller – Ben Kweller
4. Old Crow Medicine Show – Big Iron World
5. Rocky Votolato – Makers
6. NOFX – Wolves In Wolves’ Clothing
7. The Format – Dog Problems
8. Albert Hammond Jr. – Everything In Transit
9. Bruce Springsteen – Seeger Sessions
10. The Killers – Sam’s Town
Top 10 from 2007
1. Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests Of…
2. Against Me! – New Wave
3. House Of Fools – Live & Learn
4. Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals – Lifeline
5. Jimmy Eat World – Chase This Light
6. Limbeck – Limbeck
7. Rocky Votolato – The Brag & Cuss
8. Galactic – From The Corner To The Block
9. Steve Earle – Washington Square Serenade
10. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
Top 10 from 2008
1. Less Than Jake – GNV FLA
2. The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
3. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
4. Old Crow Medicine Show – Tennessee Pusher
5. Jakob Dylan – Seeing Things
6. Fall Out Boy – Folie A Deux
7. Mudcrutch – Mudcrutch
8. Nada Surf – Lucky
9. Millencolin – Machine 15
10. Alkaline Trio – Agony & Irony
Top 10 from 2009
1. Ben Kweller – Changing Horses
2. John Mayer – Battle Studies
3. NOFX – Coaster
4. Tegan & Sara – Sainthood
5. Lucero – 1372 Overton Park
6. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
7. fun. – Aim & Ignite
8. P.O.S. – Never Better
9. Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows
10. Brand New – Daisy
Top 20 of The Decade
1. Osker – Idle Will Kill
2. Less Than Jake – Anthem
3. Midtown – Save The World, Lose The Girl
4. Limbeck – Hi, Everything’s Great
5. Midtown – Forget What You Know
6. The Wallflowers – Rebel, Sweetheart
7. Alkaline Trio – Maybe I’ll Catch Fire
8. The Benjamins – The Art Of Disappointment
9. John Mayer – Continuum
10. The Movielife – This Time Next Year
11. Rx Bandits – Progress
12. Midtown – Living Well Is The Best Revenge
13. Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon
14. Jimmy Eat World – Futures
15. NOFX – Pump Up The Valuum
16. Less Than Jake – GNV FLA
17. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals – Cold Roses
18. The Academy Is… – Almost Here
19. The Gaslight Anthem – The ’59 Sound
20. Good Old War – Only Way To Be Alone
“You Forgot It In People” -Broken Social Scene
“Loveless” -My Bloody Valentine
“Moon Safari” -Air
“Kick Out The Jams” -MC5
“The Shape of Punk to Come” -Refused
Watch me Sell this
“Night Ripper” -Girl Talk
“Classics” -Ratatat
“The Crane Wife” -The Decemberists
“Smile” -Lily Allen
“Armchair Apocrypha” -Andrew Bird
Top Five Artists Everyone Seems To Love That I Haven’t Fallen In Love With Yet
The Beatles
Bob Dylan
Radiohead
Sonic Youth
My Morning Jacket
Top Five Artists I Wish I Was/A Member Of.
The Addicts
Broken Social Scene
Daft Punk
Bad Brains
The Chemical Brothers
Top Five Vinyl Records I’ve Heard So Far
“In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” -Neutral Milk Hotel
“Time Out (Take Five)” -The Dave Brubeck Quartet
“Sharpen Your Teeth” -Ugly Cassanova
“Kick Out The Jams” -MC5
“Thick Freakness” -The Black Keys
Top Five Overrated Female Artists
Nico
Meg White
Jenny Lewis
Yoko Ono
Sheryl Crow
Top Five Female/ Female Lead Artists
Celebration
The Grates
Sleater-Kinney
The Sundays
Le Tigre
Top Five Local Artists
The Lymbyc Systym
The Necronauts
Human Mirror
What Laura Says
Get Down To Brass Tacks
Top Five Dance Albums
“Homework” -Daft Punk
“LCD Soundsystem” -LCD Soundsystem
“Thunder, Lightning, Strike” -The Go! Team
“Happy Birthday” -Modeselektor
“Surrender” -The Chemical Brothers
Top Five Most Hyper Albums
“Richard D. James Album” -Aphex Twin
“Wonderful Rainbow” -Lightning Bolt
“Sensuous” -Cornelius
“Holy Fuck” -Holy Fuck
“In Silico” -Pendulum
Top Five Movies That To Wrap Your Head Around
“The Dreamers” -Bernardo Bertolucci
“Savage Grace” -Tom Kalin
“Paradise Now” -Hany Abu-Assad
“Afterlife” -Hirokazu Koreeda
“All About My Mother” -Pedro Almodóvar
Top Five Movies In The Criterion Collection
“The Incredibles” -Pixar/Disney
“Alice In Wonderland” -Disney
“Akira” -Katsuhiro Otomo
“Wizards” -Ralph Bakshi
“Aladdin” -Disney
Top Five Music DVDs
“Directors Label Series” -Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham
“Fearless Freaks” -The Flaming Lips
“I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” -Wilco
“5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem” -Daft Punk
“Screaming Masterpiece” -Björk, Múm, Sigur Rós, Ghostigital (among others).
“You don’t have this?†albums (like Jack Black’s comment on Blonde on Blonde).
Bruce Springsteen – Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ
Whiskeytown – Strangers Almanac
Neil Young – Harvest
Beatles – Rubber Soul
Counting Crows – Recovering The Satellites
“Watch me sell this†albums (like Cusack about Beta Band).
House Of Fools – Live And Learn
Hanson – The Walk
Eric Hutchinson – Sounds Like This
Dr. Dog – We All Belong
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings – 100 Days 100 Nights
Albums for your hippie-chick sister.
Steel Train – For You My Dear
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses
Rosewood Thieves – From The Decker House
Allman Bros. Band – Eat a Peach
Sparklehorse – It’s A Wonderful Life
Groups you didn’t like at first – but love now.
Nada Surf
Wilco
Old 97s
The Replacements
Ray LaMontagne Groups that critics hate – but you love.
The Wallflowers
Midtown
John Mayer
Hanson
Jimmy Eat World
Albums critics love – but you just don’t get.
Radiohead – Ok Computer
Bright Eyes – Lifted…
Arcade Fire – Funeral
Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come
Say Anything – In Defense of the Genre
Albums to listen to on the road
Limbeck – Hi, Everything’s Great
Limbeck – Let Me Come Home
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses (Disc 1 in Tennessee, Disc 2 in New Mexico)
Brand New – Your Favorite Weapon
Old Crow Medicine Show – OCMS
Songs about the Music Industry
NOFX – Dinosaurs Will Die
Allister – Overrated
Jimmy Eat World – Your New Aesthetic
Reel Big Fish – Sell Out
The Format – The Compromise
Punk albums (90’s-now)
Osker – Idle Will Kill
Alkaline Trio – Goddamnit
Descendents – Everything Sucks
Vandals – Hitler Bad, Vandals Good
Millencolin – Pennybridge Pioneers
Jamming Guitar Albums
House Of Fools – Live And Learn
Bruce Springsteen – Darkness On The Edge of Town
The Living End – Roll On
Midtown – Save The World, Lose The Girl
Refreshments – Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy
Albums you found at the ASU Hoodlums
Bruce Springsteen – Darkness on the Edge of Town
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – Cold Roses
The Replacements – Tim
Manu Chao – La Radiolina
Galactic – From the Corner to the Block
Albums you have discovered at the new Hoodlums
Rocky Votolato – Makers
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced?
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
Old 97s – Alive & Wired
Muddy Waters – The London Muddy Waters Sessions
Older albums that you have discovered recently
Bruce Springsteen – Born in the U.S.A.
Ben Harper – Fight For Your Mind
Grateful Dead – Skull & Roses
The Jayhawks – Tomorrow The Green Grass
Nas – Illmatic
Newer artists for middle-aged cats who still explore music
Jakob Dylan
The Gaslight Anthem
Ryan Adams
Wilco
Josh Ritter
Sunday-morning albums
Limbeck – Limbeck
Jakob Dylan – Seeing Things
Grateful Dead – American Beauty
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
Ben Harper – Lifeline
Concert Videos
Gin Blossoms – Chicago 1993
Ryan Adams – Live in Jamaica
John Mayer – Where The Light Is
Alkaline Trio – The Show Must Go Off
The Format – Live at the Mayan Theater
Reasons CD is better than vinyl
Because I don’t have a record player.
I can listen to it in my car.
They weigh less.
You can blind people with a CD if the sun is hitting it correctly.
Better availability
Concerts you have attended
Bruce Springsteen & the Seeger Sessions Band – June 2006, Tinley Park, IL
Steel Train/House of Fools -Â November 2005, at Club Congress, Tucson, AZ
Limbeck/House of Fools – March 2008, at Modified
Counting Crows – June 2006 – Las Vegas, NV
Midtown/The Movielife/Face to Face/Thrice – Cajun House, 2002