tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28943833336353278622023-07-19T18:19:31.889+12:00Quest For ManukaCTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-25652594883999625622010-10-27T14:36:00.002+13:002010-10-27T15:05:33.529+13:00I Hacked Your Facebook Today, and I'm Sorry<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/08/500x_hacker-hack-microsoft-script-kiddie.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 306px; height: 203px;" src="http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/08/500x_hacker-hack-microsoft-script-kiddie.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />I'm fairly computer savvy, although not a hacker by any means. I never really had any interest in breaking into other people's accounts, computers, or identities. Until today, when the barrier for doing it was lowered so much that anyone could do it. I was curious: if I could hack into anyone's account, they could do it back to me. I wanted to see how easy it was.<br /><br />And man, is it easy. Yesterday, some guy <a href="http://codebutler.com/firesheep">announced the release of Firesheep</a>, an add-on to the Firefox Browser that allows you to 'sniff' around in a public WiFi channel for logins, passwords, etc. It turns out, that when you are sitting in a coffee shop, or an airport, enjoying the WiFi access, certain websites (most notably Facebook and Twitter) send your username and password 'in the clear' - that is, without encryption. When they do that, Firesheep can read it and use it.<br /><br />It is incredibly easy to use. I went to Starbucks to check it out. I downloaded the software, installed it, and re-started Firefox in about 90 seconds. Then I ran the program and immediately, it found Grace's Facebook account. A quick scan found Grace on the other side of the shop - typing unaware onto her laptop. This was a complete and utter violation of her privacy - it wasn't just that I could see her pages, I was actually logged in to her account as her. I could see photos, chats, messages, everything. I could have sent nasty mails to her friends, her boss, her mom. It was crazy that it was so easy to hijack her account.<br /><br />My view of security and privacy is typically kind of lax - I call it the bicycle lock theory. I used to only buy cheap bike locks -- it keeps out the casual thief, but if someone really wants to steal my bike they will, no matter how expensive a lock I have. I enjoy the internet and social networks too much to worry about obscure security leaks that only sophisticated hackers can exploit. Even when people got enraged at Facebook's privacy policies I was ambivalent - I mean I get all of Facebook for free, so if they want to profile me to target some ads so be it.<br /><br />But now I feel different. The barrier is too low. If I can do it, anyone can. And apparently, <a href="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/102610-firesheeps-a-huge-hit-with.html">they are</a>. News reports of <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9193201/How_to_protect_against_Firesheep_attacks">how to protect against Firesheep attacks</a> are not easy to understand for the lay person. I applaud the developer of the software, he is trying to expose the security problems, and thought this was the most effective way (he was right!). In fact, in <a href="http://codebutler.com/firesheep-a-day-later">a followup blog post</a>, he explains, in pretty common language, what the problems are, and what you can do about it. Apparently, the fixes aren't hard, but it takes the Facebooks and Twitters of the world to change (apparently they need to use something called SSL). He should win some kind of security Nobel Prize as far as I'm concerned.<br /><br />So, until Facebook adopts SSL, no more Facebook on public WiFi for me. And as for Grace, I'm sorry, I really am.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-73804380958163396472010-02-21T15:14:00.003+13:002010-02-21T15:35:08.589+13:00Everything's Wrong But It's Alright<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lauraforlino.it/laura/Goo%20Goo%20Dolls.Hold_me_up.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.lauraforlino.it/laura/Goo%20Goo%20Dolls.Hold_me_up.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />#4 Hold Me Up: Goo Goo Dolls. I lived in Buffalo from 1988 to 1992 and there was no bigger band than the Goo Goo Dolls. At this time they were a bunch of local guys who had managed a little bit of national press by having a few minor college radio hits. They were known for their punk sensibilities, drawing from the Stooges, Ramones, Husker Du, and (especially) The Replacements. They were loud, they screamed, they broke stuff, they slept in their car, and they sang angry anthems with titles like "Up Yours". <br /><br />Six years later they would be on top of the world, with huge megahits and every 14 year old begging their mom for a few bucks to go to the mall to get the latest CD with a weepy song from the latest weepy movie and a Johnny Rzeznik poster. <br /><br />However, in the midst of their transformation from wrong side of the tracks dirtbags to makeup wearing lightweights, they created some fantastic music combining punk sensibilities and insanely good melodies worthy of - if not surpassing - Paul Westerberg at his best. <br /><br />In 1990, they dropped Hold Me Up, and it was the soundtrack to my life for about two years. It was a perfect mix of garage noise mixed in with beautifully crafted songs. <br />The concerts I went to with all my friends are some of my finest memories of some of my finest times. Even listening to it now, it brings back those good feelings. Maybe this isnt really the fourth best CD of all time, but I cannot separate the goodness of the feelings from the goodness of the music. (why should I?) But, I do think the music is damn good. Listen to Just the Way you Are (not a billy joel cover!), You Know What I Mean, or the great renditions of Million Miles Away or Never Take the Place of Your Man. <br /><br />But the song that makes it is Two Days in February, a beautiful, understated ballad, that hints toward the megahits to come (like Name and Iris). The Goos always made pretty melodies, but they were at their best here when they wrapped 'em in punk, instead of later, when they chose synth and violins. <br /><br />Many of the early fans felt betrayed by the ultimate mega-stardom. I dont fault them for selling out, hell, who wouldnt want to be a real rock star? But the unfortunate thing is that those who judge them for syrupy stuff of the last decade are missing out on the brilliance of their early career.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-25818376587728096702010-02-08T07:20:00.002+13:002010-02-08T07:31:06.518+13:00Strap Your Hands Cross My Engines<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmbLqjfRzecnJkKFgXCYOgklPqGvbaZaYGh0WnpYCSV9WBEDu7eaOHfMK55IEN3WudcFyOk1gbNQOh2p63ZvMWwk1gXvh6FlfmRHOp2WYiTIfiOU-jf39Gh75m9HXio0-VT_bv3GtsUiy/s1600-h/Born2Add.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmbLqjfRzecnJkKFgXCYOgklPqGvbaZaYGh0WnpYCSV9WBEDu7eaOHfMK55IEN3WudcFyOk1gbNQOh2p63ZvMWwk1gXvh6FlfmRHOp2WYiTIfiOU-jf39Gh75m9HXio0-VT_bv3GtsUiy/s200/Born2Add.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435570829354172658" /></a><br />#5 Born To Run: Bruce Springsteen. This is one of the bedrock albums of rock n roll, an epic describing the trials and tribulations of life "somewhere in the swamps of Jersey". Springsteen is a master of painting vibrant portraits of characters just trying to get by and have a little fun. This was a culmination of a maturing of Springsteen's sound, which was a little raw and meandering on his first two CDs - this one tightens it all up. Everyone knows about the classic rock staples on here, , but what makes this great is the power packed intensity of songs like Night and She's The One (probably his most underrated song). Very few not named Dylan can bring to life characters (Born to Run) or scenes (Jungleland) like the Boss does here. Still a thrill to listen to.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-7945910237091926902010-01-30T14:10:00.002+13:002010-01-30T14:36:16.750+13:00Looking Back at TenHere is my list of the best of the years 00-09. You 'aught' to like it! <br /><br />Lame jokes aside...I dont get exposed to a lot of new music - mostly in my house I get to hear High School Musical and Hannah Montana. But I try to keep up by listening to NPRs All Songs Considered, and online at stations like Philly's WXPN and Seattle's KEXP. A few times a year, I am moved to buy (yes, buy) a CD. iTunes makes it so easy to scan the last 10 years and see what held up over the decade. Let me know what you think!<br /><br />By the way, for those of you new to this blog, I've been going through my top 50 CDs of all time...it is taking my quite a while. See below to see the list through #6. This list below might not be totally consistent with the other list - that's because my tastes might have changed in the year and a half it has taken me to get through the top 50!<br /><br />1 The Crane Wife - The Decemberists<br />2 Elephant - White Stripes<br />3Guero - Beck<br />4 In Rainbows - Radiohead<br />5 Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco<br />6 American Idiot - Green Day<br />7 Get Away From Me - Nellie McKay<br />8 Acid Tongue - Jenny Lewis<br />9 Fever To Tell - Yeah Yeah Yeahs<br />10 Narrow Stairs - Death Cab For Cutie<br />11 Garden State Soundtrack<br />12 Last Broadcast - Doves<br />13 GaGaGaGaGa - Spoon<br />14 In Between Dreams - Jack Johnson<br />15 Is This It - Strokes<br />16 Corinne Bailey Rae<br />17 Shine - Trey Anastasio<br />18 Keep It Together - Guster<br />19 Veni Vidi Vicious - Hives<br />20 Franz Ferdinand<br />21 The Meadowlands - Wrens<br />22 Drastic Fantastic - KT Tunstall<br />23 The Rising - Springsteen<br />24 Electric Version - New Pornographers<br />25 We Started Nothing - Ting TingsCTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-23545722659783922942010-01-30T13:46:00.003+13:002010-01-30T14:09:37.959+13:00A Picasso or a Garfunkel#6 Gordon: Barenaked Ladies. I know what Trevor's thinking....I waited 100 days for <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span>? But this is my list, not his. And Gordon transports me back to a place and time. This was released in the Summer of '92, and I was on my way driving X-country to Seattle -- after living my whole life in NY, I was breaking out and driving solo to a far away place, and this album was my companion. BNL were from Toronto, where they were cult heroes -- their popularity extended across to Buffalo, from where I had just graduated college. I had never heard a CD that was such a complete mixture of fine musicianship and side-splitting humor. This CD is just so much fun. The snarky humor of Be My Yoko Ono and $1,000,000, the absolute goofiness of Grade 9 and King of Bedside Manor, and brilliant, brooding songs like Hello City and especially the beautiful Brian Wilson. It was the soundtrack for that cross-country trip - full of hope and fear and laughs. <br />Another gem on that album is Box Set, where they chronicle the life cycle of a pop band that hits heights and crashes down. The story of Box Set almost came true last year, as BNLs lead singer Steven Page became a cliche with a bizarre drug bust in NY and then getting booted from the band. They are not the same without his soaring vocals and biting satire. But they are still one of the most fun bands live you will ever see - just dont forget to bring the macaroni and cheese!CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-53808720787794528162009-10-10T15:49:00.002+13:002009-10-10T16:03:47.257+13:00Since I Met The Devil I Ain't Been The Same<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e1/Morphine-Cure_for_Pain_%28album_cover%29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e1/Morphine-Cure_for_Pain_%28album_cover%29.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />#7 Cure For Pain: Morphine. Morphine might be the best band that almost nobody knows about. It is very rare for a band to have a sound that is unique, just to them, but that is what Morphine was: a low-fi crooning sound with basically a baritone sax, a two-string (!) bass, and a snare drum. What you get is a very atmospheric, deep sound that just cuts right through you. Plus Mark Sandman's deep dark and mellow vocals leading the way. All their CDs are good, but this one is the best - with classics like Buena, Thursday, and the title track. It is all very sax-heavy - and that low, deep groove of the baritone sax is just a great sound. I saw them in concert once and the awesome sax player played TWO AT A TIME! Wouldnt believe it if I didnt see it. <br /><br />Mark Sandman tragically dropped dead on stage about 10 years ago of a heart attack. Damn shame - they only got to make 5 albums.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-7859998787068461822009-10-04T06:55:00.005+13:002009-10-04T07:11:36.092+13:00The Dead Lay In Pools of Maroon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/04/PearlJam-Ten.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 170px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/04/PearlJam-Ten.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />#8 Ten: Pearl Jam. My senior year in college - I was never too far from this CD - it was everywhere. The Pearl Jam formula is familiar, heavy chords, a powerful singer, and songs about deadbeats and outcasts - but somehow they sounded more sincere, more urgent, emotionally deeper. This CD is a standout from start to finish, and some some of the lesser known tunes are some of the best - Porch, Once and Why Go are some of the best on here. Alive is the one that really stays with me the most - the last two minutes are an extended guitar solo by Jeff McCready that just makes me want to close my eyes and do the rocker back and forth head shake the whole time. It was hard to see how these guys could top this, and they never quite have - I cant say that any of their subsequent albums come anywhere close to this one.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-27514741117470138372009-09-10T14:55:00.003+12:002009-09-10T15:12:23.319+12:00Bring Your Own Lampshade, Somewhere There's A Party<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/TheReplacementsTimalbumcover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 197px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2a/TheReplacementsTimalbumcover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />#9 Tim: The Replacements. It took me a long time to get around to liking the Replacements. My college roommate was a big fan, but he was a fan of the early stuff, the 'Sorry Ma' stage, and I just couldnt get into songs like "Gary Has A Boner". But every so often I would hear a song on the stereo and I would think...hey that is a pretty cool song. And then, I listened to one of their CDs - - and I realized that behind the garage-band-drunk-loser vibe of the band were these incredibly honest and powerful lyrics. That is the beauty of the Replacements and every time I listen to them I hear another gem. <br /><br />On Tim, the Replacements matured just enough to stop singing about their friends getting their tonsils out, but not so much that they cant sing a fun, silly song like Waitress in the Sky, or Kiss Me on the Bus. They can still bring the rock on Lay It Down Clown but then be incredibly sweet and melancholy on Swingin Party. Its an album with a lot of moods and totally unexpected from a bunch of punks from Minneapolis. Tim was their sweet spot, right in the middle of a great triumvurate of CDs which transitioned them from garage teenagers to mellow middle agers.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-21598240839567923542009-08-30T14:50:00.003+12:002009-08-30T15:02:31.034+12:00I Miss the Comfort in Being Sad#10 In Utero: Nirvana. For all of the talk about how great Nirvana was (and they were), their greatness is really only reflected in 2 albums, this one and that other one. It is quite a reflection of the greatness of both of them that they are considered so good with just these two. Its like hearing that Gilligans Island was only on for 3 seasons, or that Farrah Fawcett was only Charlie's Angel for one.<br /><br />In Utero is really the one that cements their greatness, since it came after they achieved super-mega-stardom, and everyone wanted to see how they would follow up Nevermind. What they did, was come out with something harder, raw-er, less accessible, but with the same power as its predecessor. Its angrier, and more mature than Nevermind, but the songs on here are are at least as good as the best ones there - the singles Heart Shaped Box and All Apologies are all time greats. Other songs like Dumb and Frances Farmer... and Serve the Servants and all the others - they all seem much more personal and soul-ripping, hinting at Kurt's inner turmoil. In many ways, I am more likely to reach for this one off of the CD shelf than the other one if I want to hear some Nirvana, and that is saying something - except for the fact that I never take CDs off the shelf anyore, oh whatever nevermind.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-11263437524988106432009-08-22T13:46:00.004+12:002009-08-22T15:45:57.925+12:00Slow Down, You Crazy Child#11 The Stranger: Billy Joel. Ask yourself this: what is the album/CD that you have listened to the most in your life? It's interesting to think about. It probably has to be something that you listened to when you were a teen - a time when if you liked something you played it over and over and over again. It has to be something that you have enjoyed through your whole life. It probably helps if you have some kind of emotional or cultural attachment to it. Extra bonus if your kids like it, so it is one of the few things you can enjoy together. And a super extra bonus if one of your children is named after a song on it.<br /><br />For me, The Stranger satisfies all of the above. I grew up in the town next to the one where BJ grew up, in fact the guitarist on his early albums went to high school with my sister. Everyone on Long Island grows up a Billy Joel fan - it is ingrained. Billy Joel has very distinct eras - his early stuff is pensive piano-driven music, then he hit his stride with Streetlife Serenade and The Stranger - really great stuff, filled with vivid characters, melodic piano, a jivin' sax and just good rock and roll. Then came popularity and more popularity and some solid CDs followed by the theme park of An Innocent Man and then his downhill slide into oblivion. Billy gets credit however, for curtailing his CD making when he realized he had nothing relevant to say anymore.<br /><br />The Stranger is the best of the whole bunch, with pensive piano tunes (the title track), rockin' character driven tunes (Scenes From an Italian Restaurant), our favorite air-sax bar mitzvah song (Only the Good Die Young), and of course the all time classic, Vienna.<br /><br />By the way, Billy has not aged gracefully. If you hear recent interviews with him, he is an angry, bitter man. Check out Chuck Klosterman's interview/article in his book IV. It's pretty sad.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-67160958444614176642009-08-15T14:03:00.002+12:002009-08-15T14:12:30.001+12:00Soul of A Woman Was Created Below#12: Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin. I might be unusual here, but this is my favorite LZ album - for me it is the album of theirs that best defines rock and roll. They have lots of great moments to come afterwards obviously - they are totally deserving of the Rock and Roll Gods status that they have, but this first CD of theirs just blows me away. Heavy blues stompin, awesome guitar licks, the wailing lyrics of the best voice in rock and roll history, Robert Plant. Their later stuff spawned a million copycat bands that tried to write their own Stairway to Heaven, but no one (including LZ themselves) was ever able to re-create the blues-y deep heavy sound of You Shook Me and Dazed and Confused and then I just love the boogie vibe that it closes with How Many More Times. Damn good.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-48241120151705223972009-08-09T15:39:00.002+12:002009-08-09T15:50:28.709+12:00Waste Another Year#13 Reckoning: REM. Here is where I cheat. I love early REM - they have several CDs that are worthy of this list. But somehow, stylistically, to me, they are all kind of the same - one big collection of awesomeness. So, Reckoning makes the list because it is my favorite, but it could have just have easily been Life's Rich Pageant, or Murmur, or Fables of the Reconstruction, and I didnt want to have 4 REM CDs on my list. Be prepared, the rest of my top 13 is full of such cheats. I know, it's a lame cop out. But Trevor does it too.<br /><br />Anyway, here we are with REM. They make great tunes with great melodies and harmonies. But what makes them unique are Michael Stipe's lyrics. Has there ever been a song of his that has really made sense? But the brilliance is that it might make sense if you think about it hard enough. There are phrases that sound really clever and insightful until you actually try and figure it out. Here is a line from ''Camera", on Reckoning: "If I'm to be your camera, then who will be your face?" Doesnt that sound really deep? But what the hell is he talking about? I guess that is what poetry is. I always hated poetry but I dig Michael Stipe. Go figure.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-55216920512832348452009-08-02T14:42:00.002+12:002009-08-02T14:53:44.829+12:00I'll Show You My Dark Secret#14.3 Rubberneck: The Toadies. This CD is so great, I cannot believe it never became a multi-mega smash. It rocks, hard. Its dark, and uncomfortable, with songs about rapists and stalkers and just generally bad people. They are kind of like Nirvana From Texas. But don't take it from me. Take it from Trev, who is a much better writer than I am, as he describes the night we saw them in concert (opening for Bush (!))<br /><br />"These freaks include one of the butchiest-looking women I've ever seen on bass, a lead singer who seems to be one Ritalin dose from a spastic breakdown, and a totally inbred-looking motherf****r on lead guitar. When he chimes in "I come from the water" during one of the band's songs ... well, you have to <em>believe</em> it. Most amazing of all, the drummer has a pretty ordinary appearance ... <div> The opening band, these "<span class="il">Toadies</span>," rip it up that night. Many concert-goers insist that they put on the better performance that night. Among them: a lanky pre-med student who later buys the band's CD, expects great things from them, and is convinced that the guitar-playing genetic freak will somehow rise above the circumstances of his birth to one day wed Gwen Stefani. I was so close, so close ..."<br /><br />it took them 7 years to follow this up due to a dispute with the label (damn record companies!!) and they never did anything close to this again. But they still tour, and I just saw them last year, and they still kick butt.<br /></div>CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-68192067293927873792009-08-02T14:27:00.002+12:002009-08-02T14:42:23.594+12:00The Son Is Drowning In The Flood#14 (poor counting means we will have at least two #14s) Weezer (Blue Album): Weezer. Weezer breezed into our consciousness in 1994 with a song about a sweater. Somehow this collection of songs about burnouts, losers, surfers, and rockers sticks in your head for a long time. I dare you not to rock out to the first few chords of this album - in fact, My Name is Jonas will always have a special place for me as it was the first song I ever played on Guitar Hero (it is an *awesome* Guitar Hero song). These guys have stayed good through the years, and they are sometimes claimed to be pioneers of emo or geek-rock or something or other. But basically it just shows that you can go pretty far with and enigmatic lead singer, good lyrics and power chords. Oh and dont forget how cool that video to Buddy Holly is.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-17373283973328028312009-07-17T15:55:00.003+12:002009-07-17T16:02:44.578+12:00I've Been Looking So Long#14 Disintegration: The Cure. This is a mood album. It is one of the few on the list here that demands to be listened to in its entirety. Put it on your stereo, on a rainy day , when you are feeling mellow, slump down on the couch - and damn if you won't get up 72 minutes later completely miserable in tears wondering what the hell happened. Now I know that might not sound pleasant but there are beautiful moments here in the misery and frustration. The full 7.5 minute version of Pictures of You alone might make it worthy of this list but it's all great. The only song that is out of place is the song everyone knows, Love Song, which is shiny and happy enough but kind of kills the mood. <br /><br />By the way, the Cure are still putting out albums - and they are still pretty good - and they are still touring. Who would have guessed that these guys would have this kind of staying power?CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-44661222806327455152009-07-17T15:38:00.002+12:002009-07-17T15:47:15.758+12:00Your Hands and Feet are Mangoes#15 A Picture of Nectar: Phish. I'm not really into the jam band thing. I never got into the Grateful Dead...in fact, I kind of despise them. I cant think of a single song of theirs that doesnt make me turn the radio off. Other jam bands I find either too trippy, or too self-indulgent, or just boring. But the thing about Phish is, they are *fun*. Really fun. Their songs are goofy with silly lyrics and fun wordplay. The musicianship is great - a little jazzy, a little country, a little everything. And a *real* Phish fan (and watch out, they are rabid when you find one) will tell you that all the studio albums suck and that you have to listen to them live to really appreciate them. And I am sure that is true. But I really love this one and it just puts me in a good mood - Guelah Papyrus, Tweezer, Chalk Dust Torture -- these songs all soar in their live shows, here they are a little tighter, but just as much fun. <br /><br />By the way, check out Carrie Brownstein's (of Sleater-Kinney) blog on NPR about learning to love Phish. She "doesn't get it" but is trying to figure it all out. Pretty funny.<br />http://www.npr.org/blogs/monitormix/CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-65006290526643757362009-06-29T13:43:00.002+12:002009-06-29T13:51:21.612+12:00Ticking Away the Moments#16 Dark Side of the Moon: Pink Floyd. When I was a kid, I used to be really into numbers and charts. I loved reading the Billboard Top 20 in the paper, and would go to the library every week to look at Billboard and read the Top 200. I didnt know much about Pink Floyd, but every week, in the top 200 was this album, Dark Side of the Moon. Every other album would have their run and the best would chart for about 20 weeks or so. But DSOTM was there every week, 400, 500, 600 consecutive weeks on the chart. I had no idea what it was all about until high school and college, when I got to experience the music more, um, viscerally. But, you dont have to be altered to appreciate it. It really is a great listen. The songs are each about fundamental human issues: Time, Money, Breath, Death, War, Disease. It is a Big Concept Album. But it is beautiful in its pretension, and remains the best CD ever to listen to with a big-ass pair of comfy headphones that block out the rest of the world for 45 minutes.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-70987521383459393462009-06-29T13:31:00.002+12:002009-06-29T13:43:12.183+12:00So What#17 Kind of Blue: Miles Davis. This is the best selling jazz album of all time, and for good reason. You dont need to be a jazz fan to appreciate it. Only 5 songs, but each one a timeless classic, with melodies that stick in your head, and improvs that demand attention. These songs define what good bebop jazz was all about. A backbone with a great melody, morphing into virtuoso, but restrained solos which work off that melody. Jazz can often be a tedious listen, with talented musicains going overboard with solo sthat show off how many notes they can fit in a bar of music. The best thing about Kind of Blue is that it is restrained...notes are held and allowed to linger, to sigh, to sing. Davis' trumpet style is all about restraint - Coltrane's sax is a bit more exploratory and they play off of each other fabulously. The piano holds it all together. Brilliant.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-90637185122840410752009-06-25T15:45:00.002+12:002009-06-25T15:55:28.783+12:00I'm a Lonely Stranger Here#18 Unplugged: Eric Clapton. I remember going to see Eric Clapton at Giants Stadium back around 1990. I knew all of his classics and knew all the famous guitar solos and the history of British youths declaring Clapton is God. But I thought "how good can a guitarist really be?" I figured I would enjoy the concert, rock out a bit, and go home. But he really amazed me. He really is *that* awesome. In a way that cannot easily be explained, the man makes a guitar sing. His albums don't really capture it. But he won me over in concert. Amazingly, this acoustic CD captures his virtuosity better than any of his studio records. A great collection of songs incl. a brilliant twist on Layla, the heartbreaking Tears in Heaven and Lonely Stranger, props to the blues with Nobody Knows You and Walkin Blues. Plus the best kazoo solo you will ever hear during San Francisco Bay Blues. Listen to the opening Signe and you will be hooked with one great song after another. This was a staple in my first CD player for many years, and it still is an awesome listen.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-56600568838908562572009-05-27T15:48:00.002+12:002009-05-27T16:00:39.095+12:00Makes Me Sweat#19 Kick: INXS. Yes, for real. This is one of the few radio dominating albums of the 80s that I can still listen to and enjoy. It's filled with great moments - the sweaty sensuality of Need You Tonight is the high point, but all the pop hits have an edge to them that still make them cool. In their earlier days, INXS had a mysterious, backwoods, exotic vibe to them, but on this one the sound is mature, confident, melodic rock. I'm also a sucker for a rock band with a strong sax vibe. Not a bad song in the bunch.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-89669843828203065942009-05-18T13:09:00.002+12:002009-05-18T13:17:28.606+12:00Hell Yes#20 Guero: Beck. Beck is pretty cool. I've always liked him but never really enjoyed his CDs in total until this one came out. Fans will say that this was trying too hard to sound like Odelay - I actually like this better than Odelay. Strong from start to finish with enough weirdness to make it Beck and enough hooks to stay with you for a long time. By the way, the big hit from this album was that song that goes 'hey, my summer girl' - you could not get this song out of your head (or off the radio) in the summer of '05. The funny thing is, nobody knows if those are the real lyrics. I just checked three sites - one says "summer girl" one says "sun-eyed girl" and one says "cyanide girl". The song is titled "Girl" so that does not help. Anyway, it's great stuff.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-82814585766128784082009-05-18T13:01:00.002+12:002009-05-18T13:09:37.254+12:00Hear the Lonesome Whipporwhill#21 The Trinity Sessions: Cowboy Junkies. Everyone has their mellow-out CDs, right? The perfect mellow - out moment comes with a beautiful sultry voice, paired with soothing melodies, and perhaps a little country twang for that front porch-and-lemonade moment. This one still sounds as good as ever. I love Margo Timmins' voice, and I love their reworkings of "Im So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Sweet Jane" - dare I say both of them are almost as great as their classic originals. These guys had a nice career, and their later CDs are pretty strong, but this was their high point.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-501927326301408882009-04-27T14:35:00.002+12:002009-04-27T14:42:53.004+12:00Hunting the Horny Back Toad#22 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Elton John. Earlier on I dissed double albums and claimed I didnt have the patience for them. That's true, but this one falls through the cracks because my first copy of it was on CD, and it fits on one CD! So there! I have a friend who is also <a href="http://blogmadcity.blogspot.com/">blogging his favorites</a>, and we are in surprise agreement on some things. We even both had this one at #22! So we must be right. Anyway, lots of classic rock CDs dont hold up to the passing of time. I have found, somewhat surprisingly, that Elton John does. His first eponymous CD (which for some reason is always playing in my favorite sushi restaurant) is an underrated low-fi gem. This one, I think, is his best. Just a great straight-forward rock record, with great piano playing, epic songs, and a brilliant close (Harmony). A few throwaway tunes, but worth revisiting.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-74803551002390557142009-04-27T14:23:00.002+12:002009-04-27T14:35:10.277+12:00There Goes the Fear#23 The Last Broadcast: Doves. I'm having a hard time coming up with a good description of why I love this CD so much. I was going to say that the songs have a soaring quality but that sounds like a lame Dove reference. So, nothing very clever insightful here. Maybe I'm just pissed off because the Yankees are about to get swept by the Red Sox. But this CD really is great. I just can't tell you why right now.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2894383333635327862.post-44370701320422458012009-04-23T14:49:00.003+12:002009-04-23T15:00:39.964+12:00I Left My Soul There#24 Big Calm: Morcheeba. The late 90s are kind of an empty period for me musically - except for a brief phase that I had exploring electronica: not loud house music, but trip-hop, drum-n-beat, downtempo, chillout stuff. I listened to an online radio station called MonkeyRadio - I had no idea who the artists were or the songs, but I thought it was a good vibe. Morcheeba comes out of that phase...basically trip-hop with a pop sensibility. I scooped up all of their CDs and wore them out for a few years. This is the best one.<br /><br />As I am writing this I realize that there is a better CD from this era and genre that I dont have on my list, but I need to add, so lets do it here at #23.5: Dummy: Portishead. Dummy came out a few years earlier and basically started the whole trip-hop scene - electronic beats, dreamy, ethereal vocals and just a real coolness. Sour Times is the most recognizable song from the CD, and it has this weird shaky cowbell sound that permeates it. I know that sounds awful but the song has a lot else going on, especially Beth Gibbon's slithery vocals, that make it a classic.CTVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750061881414106196noreply@blogger.com0