1. The Thrill Is Gone (1969 Single Version)- B.B. King

• "The thrill is gone baby, the thrill is gone away, you know you done me wrong baby, and you'll be sorry someday." I'm not sure I can explain why, but there is something so cinematic about "The Thrill Is Gone". Maybe it's all the strings juxtaposed against B.B. King's guitar licks and howling vocals. In any case this is one of the crown jewels in B.B.'s catalogue and the blues genre in general. Like other King staples ("Sweet Little Angel, "How Blue Can You Get?", "Every Day I Have The Blues") we aren't talking about an original but by the time he's done with it the song is unmistakeably his. I won't try to measure King's importance to blues/American music other than to say it's monumental. His recording career started in 1949 and made such an impact that he received a Grammy lifetime achievement award 24 years ago. Remarkably King is still recording and touring as we speak. To help put that in perspective for me, the guy is older than Joe Paterno, which is to say he may have known Methuselah.

2. Avenues (Acoustic Version)- Whiskeytown

• "All the sweethearts of the world, are out dancing in the places, where me and all my friends go to hide our faces, yea avenues run one way, yea and streets they run the same." Before he became a solo artist Ryan Adams fronted the alt-country outfit Whiskeytown. 1997's "Strangers Almanac" is the album that probably best represents the band. If you have "A.M." or "Being There" by Wilco you have a good sense for the general sound on "Strangers Almanac". Whiskeytown's "Pneumonia" album may be their best, but it's more of an Adams solo project much like "All Shook Down" was more Paul Westerberg than Replacements. A few years back the fine people at Geffen Records released a Deluxe Edition of "Strangers Almanac" with a lot of extra goodies. The "acoustic" version of "Avenues" sounds like a slightly paired down demo of the original studio version (which is also acoustic). It's not Adams' best stuff but it's not bad either. One of the more intriguing inclusions on the Deluxe Edition of "Strangers Almanac" is a rather rough (but enjoyable) cover of Fleetwood Mac's classic "Dreams". Listening to Adams struggle with the vocal makes me feel better for not being able to sing it myself.

3. The Love You Save- The Jackson 5

• (J5) "S is for save it, T is for take is slow, O for is Oh no!, P is for please, please don't go!" (Jermaine) "The love you save may be your own" (Michael) "Some day you may be all alone" (Jermaine) "Stop it!" (Michael) "Save it girl!" (Jermaine) "Baby...ooooh." Last week I spun a yarn about how I acquired Better Than Ezra's "Deluxe" album while working as a painter. It's time I unfurl another tale from my painting days. Each day our painting crew listened to a pretty standard set of songs on our commute to and from our sites. We listened to these songs on cassettes (look it up). Those songs included "ABC", "I Want You Back", "The Love You Save" by the Jackson 5, "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow and last but certainly not least "If I Only Knew" by Tom Jones. Though I sadly can't remember the specific steps there was even a choreographed dance for "The Love You Save". What I do remember more vividly was that our undisputed theme song that summer was Eric Clapton's "Let it Rain". If if rained enough we all got a day off which was much better than the money we were making for work. I can remember my friend John doing a tribal rain dance on more than one occasion (in the yards of our customers) to help the skies open up in our favor.

1. Next Time- BareNaked Ladies

• "It's a shame I have to wait until the ending, everything I've yet to break is surely bending, every vow I ever take is just pretending, that this mess I make is worth defending." The studio version of "Next Time" is a solid song from the under appreciated "Everything To Everyone" album. "Everything To Everyone" is the album that had that song about chimps. In conjunction with the release of the album, the Ladies recorded a live in studio DVD featuring acoustic performances of eleven of the album's fourteen songs. Six of those live recordings were released as the "Everything Acoustic- EP". The live acoustic version of "Next Time" is amazing. Save the "Rock Spectacle" (pronounced "Spec-tak") live version of "Break Your Heart" this is the best live recording I've ever heard from the band (and I've heard more than my fair share). Steven Page's vocals are spectacular and balanced perfectly with Kevin Hearn's piano. The backing vocals/harmonies, particularly those of bassist Andy Creeggan, are gorgeous. "Next Time" never speeds up in tempo, in fact it slows down for the bridge, yet the intensity of the song consistently swells throughout. The live version of "Next Time" is worth seeking out.

2. This Time Of Year- Better Than Ezra

• "Well there's a football in the air, across a leaf blown field, yeah and there's your first car on the road, and the girl you'd steal." "This Time Of Year" is a nice acoustic song from Better Than Ezra's debut album"Deluxe". It's the album that put the band on the map with the mega-smash "Good" (dat's right!). I can vividly remember how I acquired "Deluxe". It was the summer of '95 and I was the foreman of a painting crew...not that I had ever picked up a paint brush prior to that summer. Working in Delaware, Wilmington's WSTW 93.7 FM offered the best variety of modern hits (though I was never quite comfortable that they played a version of TLC's "Waterfalls" that edited out Left Eye's rap verse). Listening to WSTW one morning we heard the announcement that they were giving away free tickets at a promotional spot nearby to see Firehouse at the Big Kahuna (a.k.a Kahunaville). For those that don't remember, Firehouse was the hair-metal band that sang "Love of a Lifetime". You can only imagine our excitement. I immediately called for a lunch break even though it couldn't have been past 10:30 in the morning. When we met up with the "prize patrol" (no idea if they called themselves that) they had to inform us that we couldn't have tickets because we were under 21. My one friend/painting colleague Ryan told them that we "just bolted from our jobs!" (true), "could be fired!" (doubtful) and "we don't care because we want to see Firehouse!" (flat out lie). They felt bad enough to let us each have a CD, and "Deluxe" has been mine ever since.

3. Only Happy When It Rains- Garbage

• "You want to hear about my new obsession, I'm riding high upon a deep depression, I'm only happy when it rains. Pour some misery down on me." I remember "Only Happy When It Rains" for being a popular radio song in the late 90s but I mostly remember it for being used in an episode of the X-files. The episode had nothing to do with the song so maybe what I really remember is the episode. That episode, "Terms of Endearment" from season six concerns demon fetal harvesting. Yes, demon fetal harvesting. This demon guy, who Mulder suspects could be the devil himself, keeps spawning demon babies- complete with horns and a tail. He keeps knocking up different women but the poor guy just wants a normal baby. At the end of the day the joke is on him when a demon woman ("demon woman, woman demon") uses him so she can have a demon baby. A few years ago one of my best friends had a daughter- I asked if she was born with a vestigial tail and got no response. I found that kind of suspicious. In any event I read on the Interweb that Garbage is working on a new album. Good to know.

1. Half a Heart- BareNaked Ladies

• "Standing on a crumbling wall, tethered to a cannonball, anyone with half a heart would help me out, before they ever let the other half find out." Not to be confused with "Half of My Heart" (a song John Mayer recorded as a vehicle to knock Taylor Swift's country boots from here to Czechoslovakia) this is BNL song that does not feature any teen tarts. "Half of My Heart" comes courtesy of the "BareNaked Ladies Are Men" album; a rapid fire follow up to "BareNaked Ladies Are Me". I like the idea that the title of their 8th studio album could be used to clear up any ambiguity with the band's name....15 years into their recording career. On "BareNaked Ladies Are Men", "Half a Heart" serves a much welcomed mid-tempo acoustic number. It is surrounded by a number of upbeat/up-tempo electric guitar rock songs that are a bit too peppy, collectively speaking. "Half A Heart" is a cardio cool down on the treadmill of life. With no more insight into this song and space to fill, I feel the urge to share a story from the day I met the BareNaked Ladies. I remember being struck by seeing Kevin Hearn (piano, accordion, guitar, et al) relaxing with a copy of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov", presumably reading it for pleasure. Having read the book for an AP English class in high school I couldn't imagine it as light reading for anyone but there we were. I told Kevin when he was done with the book to check out the film as it features William Shatner. He seemed both surprised and amused. Books are always better than the movie but when Shatner is involved all bets are off.

2. Nightingale Song- Toad The Wet Sprocket

• "And little ever changes when you view it from the sky, and the damage we encounter, the earth just passes by, and little ever changes if anything at all, just reminds ourselves how small we are." What is it about a sweet acoustic guitar riff, great lyrics/vocals/harmonies, and hand claps that I like so much? Oh yea, all of it. A tambourine is a nice touch as well. "Nightingale Song" gives me all that in 2:03. Toad The Wet Sprocket, who are touring as we speak, really hit their stride in 1991 with the album "Fear". The album is most remembered for songs like "Walk On The Ocean" and "All I Want" but it's superb from top to bottom. "Fear" found an audience when alternative rock was alternative; a pre-grunge era when the college charts bore no resemblance whatsoever to the pop charts. In the interest of full disclosure I didn't find out about this album until I was in college. In 1991 I was far too immersed in Public Enemy in particular and overthrowing the establishment in general to appreciate songs like "Butterflies" and "I Will Not Take These Things For Granted." These days I enjoy my Glen Phillips autographed guitar and long walks on the beach.

3. They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)- Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

• "I reminisce so you never forget this, the days of way back, so many bear witness to fitness, take the first letter out of each word in this joint, listen close as I prove my point." For our next number we are returning to the classics. "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is a tribute to "Trouble" T. Roy, a dancer for Heavy D & The Boyz who died in a tragic accident in 1990. Shortly before his death I saw him perform at the old Spectrum when Heavy D helped open for Public Enemy in 1990. "Trouble" T. Roy is also referenced by Q-Tip on A Tribe Called Quest's "Vibes And Stuff". Pete Rock's work on "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is brilliant. We're not talking about an obvious sample of a hook from an old hit song. The samples-"Today" by Tom Scott (the main sax part) and "When She Made Me Promise" by The Beginning of the End (the intro) are brief moments from rather obscure songs. With a masterful track to work with C.L. Smooth does not disappoint. Instead of the mindless "cash, money, hoes" mantra en vogue in popular hip-hop thanks to rappers like Jay-Z, C.L. Smooth is a lyrical emcee....a storyteller with something to say. This is early 90's hip-hop at it's best before "The Chronic" ushered in an era that pushed positive/conscious/politically aware hip-hop out of the mainstream. Speaking of that 1990 P.E. show, another one of the opening acts was Digital Underground. I did the humpty dance that night along with a then-unknown backup dancer for Digital Underground named Tupac Shukar. Sure, I was at my seat and he was on stage but at that moment Pac and I were together.
  
  

Staff Notes- With a friend in town last night I found myself watching "American Idol" for the first time in years. The most enjoyable part of the show has to be the cutaways to Idol judge Steven Tyler anytime an attractive young girl is performing. You can tell he's enjoying it for all the wrong reasons. This season there is a country rube (don't ask me his name) who can really do the talk-sing-country-twang like it's nobody's business. Last night he sang a song made famous by country great Garth Brooks. At least Randy Jackson (my dog) called Brooks great. Apparently not everyone on the country scene feels that way about Garth. Famous country music artist Waylon Jennings once said "Garth Brooks did for country music what pantyhose did for finger f*cking." I don't know (or care) enough about country music to weigh in but I do know that I can't get enough of Chris Gaines. Anyone know if he's working on any new material?

1. Represent- NaS

• "Straight up sh#t is real and any day could be your last in the jungle, get murdered on the humble, guns'll bust, n*ggas tumble. Could use a gun son, but f*ck being a wanted man, but if I hit rock bottom then I'm'a be the son of Sam." Well then. I suppose to understand NaS one would have to take a look where he came from. Or as rapper B-Real (who could just kill a man) once put it, "how do you know where I'm at when you haven't been where I've been, understand where I'm coming from?" In this case we're talking about Queensbridge, the largest housing project in America. "Tragedy: The Story of Queensbridge" is a documentary that follows lesser known MC (and original Juice Crew member) Tragedy and dives into the Queensbridge culture. People in the film allege that NaS hasn't done a fraction of what we hear in his lyrics. Now that I've cast aspersions on NaS's street cred I want to say that "Illmatic" (the album that gave us "Represent") is a classic. My only issue is that while NaS does indeed represent "Q.B."- where does that get us? As Chuck D said "I never did represent doing dumb sh*t, some gangsta lying- I'd rather diss Presidents." Oh snap.

2. Melissa- Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs

• "Freight train, each car looks the same, all the same, and no one knows the Gypsy's name. In all his deepest dreams the Gypsy flies with sweet Melissa, mmmm." Power pop notable Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (the woman who lit an eternal flame in my heart) teamed up in 2006 to record an album of 1960s covers. The results were smashing; there are a number of great songs and the cover of Neil Young's "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" is phenomenal. In 2009 the duo (who affectionately call themselves Sid and Susie) teamed up again to tackle the 1970s. This time the results are mixed. "I've Seen All Good People: Your Move/All Good People" and "Everything I Own" are brilliant while "I Wanna Be Sedated" is cringe-worthy. "Melissa" is somewhere in between. Of course we are talking about the classic Allman Brothers tune from the famed "Eat a Peach" album. This version won't cause Duane Allman to turn over in his grave but it's also not going to make you forget about the original any time soon. This observer is curious if the duo has any plans to tackle the 80s and if that effort would include any Bangles songs.

3. The Flag- BareNaked Ladies

• "The phone rings it's early, it's 7 o'clock, he said I'm sorry I woke you but I just had to talk, you know last night, remember when I tried to choke you? I didn't mean it, I'm sorry, it was only a joke." Have you ever enjoyed an album so much that you decided to listen to it in reverse order (start with the last song and work your way to the first)? Of course not, that would be absurd. If you did, "The Flag" would be the third song you'd hear on "Gordon". Have I mentioned that this album is on my desert island top 5? I enjoy it to the point where I've learned 9 out of it's 15 songs on guitar including "The Flag". On the whole "Gordon" is upbeat, light hearted and comical. However, such is not the case with songs like "Wrap Your Arms Around Me", "What A Good Boy" and "The Flag". Things couldn't be more serious than the tale of domestic abuse heard on "The Flag". The production is intentionally sparse, allowing the song's content to carry it forward. The first recording of "The Flag" appears on an unreleased 1990 demo cassette known as "Barenaked Recess". This demo cassette, sandwiched between the "Pink" and "Yellow" tapes in the release chronology, first surfaced in a digital format last year. Listening to "Barenaked Recess" at a time when former BNL lead singer Steven Page has gone solo and the rest of the band has carried on without him is strange. How do bands (one that started out recording demos in their parent's basement as teenagers in this case) that overcome all the odds to find success not find a way to work it out?

1. Heaven And Hell (studio version)- The Who

• "In the place up above you grow feather wings and you fly round and round, with a harp singing hymns, and down in the ground you grow horns and a tail and you carry a fork, and moan and wail." If you take Peter Frampton out of the equation, how often are you more (or only) familiar with the live version of a song versus the studio version? Not that often. Sure, it happens. Bob Seger's "Turn The Page", Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed", and Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way" to name a few. Oh, and "Heaven And Hell" by The Who... if you're familiar with it at all. The John Entwistle penned "Heaven And Hell" is best known as the first song off the "Live At Leeds" album. It serves the Leeds album well as it hits you over the head with drums, guitar and bass before you can figure out what happened. The studio version was released as a B-side to the 1970 "Summertime Blues" single (taken from the Leeds album) and resurfaced for the 1st time on CD on a no-longer-in-print 1985 compilation "Who's Missing" and subsequently on the 1994 "Thirty Years of Maximum R&B" box set (of course if you are a fan then you know that you already had it). More recently the "Summertime Blues/Heaven and Hell" 7" vinyl single was reissued as a part of the "Live at Leeds 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition". "Heaven And Hell" is one of Who bassist John Entwistle's best songwriting contributions to the group. Given Pete Townshend's songwriting prowess not many people would cite a song written by Entwistle as their favorite Who song yet Jimi Hendrix did with "Boris The Spider". While it is possible this was Jimi's favorite it was widely speculated his selection was meant as an insult to Townshend.

2. Satellite (Remember Two Things live version)- Dave Matthews Band

• "Winter's cold, spring erases, and the calm away by the storm is chasing, everything good needs replacing, look up, look down all around, hey satellite." If I've told the following story on the blog before my apologies. The year was 1994. I was contemplating dropping $20 to see Big Head Todd & The Monsters (I was and still am a big fan of the song "Bittersweet") and The Dave Matthews Band play at the intimate Rec Hall in State College. The venue fits 6 to 7 thousand people at best. For whatever reason I didn't go. Shame on me. Fortunately one of my best friends hooked me up with a ticket to see the band a few years later in Philly at Veterans Stadium. At that point the band was playing venues slightly less intimate. None the less it was a great show and the first of 8 or so times that I've seen the band. If I'm not mistaken Boyd Tinsley and I were wearing the same Kangol hat that night at the Vet. "Satellite" is a great song said to have evolved from finger exercises that Dave Matthews would do on guitar. I for one believe it as would anyone who has attempted to play the song. The band would go on to record the song in studio for their major label debut "Under the Table And Dreaming". My two favorite things about "Satellite" are the transition to the bridge (genius) and when sung live Dave's vocal for the lyric "who's the king of your satellite castle" (priceless).

3. Dreamworld- Rilo Kiley

• "She was the girl with a string around her neck, came with the boy who could only give her less. The wedding bells won't ring but she could care less how you exist, when you're living in a dreamworld." In 2007 Rilo Kiley released their major label debut "Under The Blacklight". It's a great piece of work. Rilo Kiley is fronted by vocalist/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist and all around hotsy totsy Jenny Lewis. Jenny is also a former child actor who's credits include bit parts on shows like Golden Girls, Growing Pains and Mr. Belvedere. "Dreamworld" is the only song on "Under The Blacklight" not written, or co-written by Lewis. Maybe that explains why it's my least favorite song on the album. As far as my favorites, you can't go wrong with songs like "Sliver Lining", "The Moneymaker", "Breakin' Up" and "15". There is a great live acoustic video for "The Moneymaker" on YouTube which shows of Lewis's pipes nicely. A lot of the lyrics on "Under The Blacklight" are bawdy. I mean they are downright ribald. I'm not sure if a guy could get away with singing "15", a song about a young girl and her "developing body". In "Dejalo", Jenny sings "she sleeps on your left side, she gets nailed, I get tied, I sleep on your right side, hundred ways to keep love alive." Holla.