Steve’s Top Fives
I must note for the record that doing this is a lot of fun. If I had more time, I could have made up fifty more. I believe with all my heart that music and movies are an amazing thing – and that they are good for my soul.
If you do too… or you want to debate the lists… or you have some lists of your own… come down to the store and we’ll chat. Thanks for reading. Steve
Music
“You Don’t Have this Album” albums (like Jack Black’s comment on Blonde on Blonde).
Beatles – Abbey Road
Van Morrison – Moondance
Rolling Stones – Let it Bleed
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here
Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy
“Watch me sell this” albums (like Cusack about Beta Band).
Paul Pena – New Train
Les McCann and Eddie Harris – Live at Montreaux
Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters – Muddy and the Wolf
Budos Band – Budo Band II
Breakestra – Hit the Floor
Albums that used to be considered Metal in my high school years.
Judas Priest – Hell Bent for Leather
Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy
AC/DC – Powerage
Def Leppard – High n’ Dry
Rush – 2112
Artists I didn’t like at first, but love now.
Bob Dylan
Joni Mitchell
Television
Radiohead
Elvis Costello
Groups that critics hate, but I still love.
REO Speedwagon (pre High Infidelity)
Nazareth (Hair of the Dog and prior)
April Wine (up to Nature of the Beast… not including “Just Between You and Me”)
Boston (first two albums only)
Journey (“Journey” through the non-puppy stuff of “Escape”).
Albums critics love, but I still don’t get no matter how hard I try (I’m still trying)
Nirvana – Nevermind
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
John Coltrane – Ascension
Jeff Buckley – Grace
Captain Beefheart – Trout Fish Replica
Jazz that Always Sells When you play it in the store
Grant Green – Any
Miles Davis – Anything non-”scroncky”
John Coltrane – Ditto
Jimmy Smith – Any
Diana Krall – Live in Paris
Albums to listen to on the road
Wes Montgomery – Talkin’ Verve
The The – Dusk
Bobby “Blue” Bland – Touch of the Blues
Barenaked Ladies – Gordon
Anything that jams… cause there just isn’t time to kenny on the road.
Songs about the Music or Movie Industry
Barenaked Ladies – “Box Set” (as witty as any song I’ve ever heard)
Joni Mitchell – “Free Man in Paris”
Eagles – “King of Hollywood”
Van Morrison – “Big Time Operators”
John Cougar – “Cheap Shot” (any song that starts with “Well the record company’s going out of business… they price their records too damn high” is gonna do alright in my book)
Note: Could I have used Frank Zappa – Joe’s Garage? “A guy from a company we can’t name…”
Jazz albums to recommend to a jazz rookie
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
Dave Brubeck – Time Out
Charles Mingus – Ah Um
Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Armstrong – Ella and Louis
John Coltrane – Blue Trane
Blues albums to recommend to a blues rookie
Willie Dixon – I Am the Blues
Howlin’ Wolf – The London Sesssions
Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Self Titled
Muddy Waters – At Newport
Etta James – At Last
World music albums to spark up your party.
Various Artists – Sabroso! The Afro-Latin Groove
Various Artists – Viva Cubop 2 (or 3… they are both good)
Los Amigos Invisibles – Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey Into Space
Manu Chao – La Radiolina
Mongo Santamaria – Skin on Skin/Anthology
Jam Band albums
Widespread Panic – Space Wrangler
God Street Wine – 1.99 Romances
Allman Brothers – Live at Fillmore
Big Head Todd and the Monsters – Midnight Radio
Derek and the Dominoes – Live at the Fillmore
Politically-motivated musicians
Michael Franti
Frank Zappa
Carlos Santana
Crosby, Stills, and Nash
Gil Scott-Heron
Note: There are many more… amen and hoka hey to those musicians that fight the power and the corporatocracy!!
Beyond-obvious Jamming Rock Guitar Albums
Michael Schenker Band – Built to Destroy
Pat Travers Band – Makin’ Magic
Blind Melon – Blind Melon
Robin Trower – Bridge of Sighs
Riot – Fire Down Under
Albums for my hippie-chick sister.
Josh Rouse – 1972
Traffic – Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys
Faces – Ooh La La
James Hunter – People Gonna Talk
India.Arie – Acoustic Soul
Wicked Guitar Jazz Albums
Mel Brown – Chicken Fat
Grant Green – Live at the Lighthouse
George Benson – New Boss Guitar
Boogaloo Joe Jones – Legends of Acid Jazz
Gabor Szabo – The Sorcerer
Albums I discovered at the ASU Hoodlums
Michael Franti – Everyone Deserves Music (and Stay Human… both are great)
Paul Pena – New Train
Wayne Shorter – Adam’s Apple
Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson – It’s Your World
Taj Mahal – Taj Mahal
Albums discovered at the new Hoodlums
Meters – Fire on the Bayou
Roy Hargrove – Earfood
Albert King – Born Under a Bad Sign
Kings of Leon – Only By the Night
Bud Powell – The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1
Vintage albums that I have only discovered recently
Patti Smith – Horses
Laura Nyro – Eli and the 13th Confession
Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails
James Gang – Rides Again
Faces – Every album!
Great current artists for middle-aged cats who still explore music
Spoon
Kings of Leon
Shins
My Morning Jacket
Band of Bees
Sunday-morning albums
Joni Mitchell – Court and Spark
Bebel Gilberto – Tanto Tempo
Doobie Brothers – What Were Once Vices
Zero 7 – Simple Things
John Coltrane – Love Supreme
Classic albums my kids love the most
Crosby, Stills, and Nash – Self-titled
Wings – Band on the Run
Have a Nice Decade – The 70’s Pop Culture Box
Beatles – Revolver
Steve Miller Band – Greatest Hits: 74-78
Steve’s Movies
Movie sequels
T2: Terminator 2
Godfather 2
Aliens
Star Trek 2: Search for Spock
Toy Story 2
Movies you’ve probably never seen
Lonestar
Cookie’s Fortune
The Player
Big Picture
Best Seller
Teenage flicks
10 Things I Hate About You
16 Candles
Breakfast Club
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Porkys
Most resembling real-life high school (in my experience)
Over the Edge
Dazed and Confused (except for the hazing crap)
Juno
Some Kind of Wonderful
Valley Girl
Concert Videos
Led Zepplin – 2-DVD set
The Band – Last Waltz
Rolling Stones – Ladies and Gentlemen… the Rolling Stones
Pink Floyd – Delicate Sound of Thunder
Ray Charles – O’Genio: Live in Brazil
Animated movies that I still love as an adult
Toy Story
Finding Nemo
The Incredibles
The Aristocats
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Note: I just watched Wall-E last night…pretty impressive.
Movies that blew me away at the theater
The Thing
Terminator 2
The Matrix
Die Hard
Lord of the Rings
Movies that left me thinking for days
Broadcast News
The Matrix
Bulworth
Seven
What the Bleep?
Westerns
Outlaw Josie Wales
The Unforgiven
Silverado
Tombstone
Lonesome Dove (although the book is still better)
Movies that actually scared me
The Shining
The Excorcist
Silence of the Lambs
Friday the 13th
The Omen
Comic-book movies
Batman Begins
Sin City
Spiderman
Superman (the original)
Flash Gordon
R-Rated action/adventure I am excited to show my kids when they are ready
Boondock Saints
Terminator
Escape from New York
The Warriors
Escape from New York
R-Rated comedy I am excited to show my kids when they are ready
Animal House
Vacation
Office Space
Stripes
Caddyshack
Mainly kid-friendly movies/TV shows I’ve shared with my ten-year old.
The Princess Bride
Weird Science
Star Wars (although number three is pretty heavy)
Short Circuit
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Misc.
Things the music industry could do to get its head out of its butt
Lower prices on CD and vinyl
Eliminate Loss-leading at the corporate joints
Eliminate exclusives
Scrap the “Special Editions” and give us all the good stuff for a fair price
Stop re-issuing things over and over and over.
Reasons vinyl is better than CD
Better Artwork
Fuller sound (depending on quality of Vinyl and year of CD pressing)
Funner to search for
Lots of stuff not on CD
Cheaper (used vinyl only)
Reasons CD is better than vinyl
More durable
Easy to skip songs
Takes up less space
Can be transferred to digital without hassle
Sound quality (depending on quality of vinyl and year of CD pressing)
Shows I have attended since moving to the Phoenix Area
Pink Floyd – Phoenix Municipal Stadium – 1988
Horde Tour – Compton Terrace (w/Allmans, Big Head, Blues Traveler…) – not sure what year
Paul McCartney – Sun Devil Stadium – 1989
Steve Winwood – Union Hall – 1997?
Lindsay Buckingham – The Roxy
Shows I have attended outside of the Phoenix Area
Boston – Bismarck Civic Center – 1978
Van Halen – Winnipeg Arena – 1984
AC/DC with Fastway – St. Paul Civic Center – 1985?
Roy Hargrove – Village Vanguard NYC – 2004
Pearl Jam – Easy Street Records – 2005
