1. Box Full Of Letters- Wilco

• "Wish I had a lotta answers, 'cause that's the way it should be, for all these questions, being directed at me, I just can't find the time, to write my mind the way I want it to read." I didn't start listening to Wilco until 2005 or so and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" was my introduction to the band. "Box Full of Letters" comes from their 1995 debut "A.M." and like anything on that album it doesn't have the sound I associate with the band. I'm sure long time followers of the band see "A.M." as a landmark and probably think this is how Wilco is supposed to sound. To me "A.M." doesn't sound that unlike Uncle Tupelo- the band lead singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy was a member of prior to forming Wilco. The alt-country sound is great but I feel like the band didn't hit their stride until their sophomore release "Being There".

2. Pittsburgh- Mason Jennings

• "Grocery stores in the middle of the night shine their own kinda light, high school halls and shopping malls never fit me right, but my heart would swing free like a lasso from my hand, when I'd hear that sound and put the pedal down." Mason Jenning's last studio album, 2009's "Blood of Man" through me for a loop. Gone were the mostly upbeat acoustic songs I had come to expect and in their place I found loud electric guitars and dark lyrics. It turns out the material is brilliant and "Pittsburgh" is a primary example. The lyrics reference abandonment, drug overdose, a cemetery, and a suicide wing for good measure. I don't know if this is autobiographical in any way but "Pittsburgh" is sung with enough conviction that I'm inclined to think this is based on some personal experience. Despite the dark tone, when the song gets to the chorus (quoted above) there is something so uplifting about it....as if the protagonist is going to overcome all the negativity around him. There are a few live version of "Pittsburgh" available that give the song even more energy than on the studio recording. My favorite is the version from the "Live at Fingerprints" limited edition CD.

3. No Stopping Us- Jason Mraz

• "Would it take a baker's dozen to get my point to you, would it take a half a pound to roll a joint for you, would it take some hailing Marys so full of grace to get my sound to you, will you help me break it down and get on through." My favorite album from 2002 would have to be Jason Mraz's "Waiting For My Rocket To Come". It's jam packed with goodies. "No Stopping Us" finds Jason in funk mode. It also leads us to believe that he had a few Earth Wind & Fire records in his collection as a child. In the early stages of his career as an independent artist Jason Mraz was a classic coffee shop singer songwriter- his acoustic guitar and vocals were typically augmented by nothing more than bongos courtesy of long time partner Toca Rivera. As he found more success, more and more instruments found their way into the equation, especially in concert. It all comes together nicely but I prefer his stripped down acoustic sound. The most captivating performance from his last live album "Jason Mraz's Beautiful Mess- Live on Earth" is a solo acoustic version of another song from "Waiting For My Rocket to Come"-"The Boy's Gone".

The first three sides of Sandinista Edition

1. My Generation- The Who

• "People try to put us d-down (talkin' 'bout my generation), just because we get around (talkin' 'bout my generation), things they do look awful c-c-cold, (talkin' 'bout my generation), I hope I die before I get old." In the history of rock lyrics, "I hope I die before I get old" has to sit towards the very top. Pete Townshend would latter regret writing the lyric but it captures the spirit of rock n roll as well as anything anyone ever wrote. In addition to the lyrics, the stuttering vocal also adds to the song's lore. The stutter may have been meant to mimic someone high on pills (this was widely assumed at the time) or as Townshend once suggested it represented someone who "wanted to express himself but c-c-c-cant". If all that isn't enough the music is phenomenal. We get a bass solo, a couple of key changes, an insane Keith Moon drum solo, guitar feedback and a harder sound than anything happening at the time. In 1965 when "My Generation" was released, the Stones were singing "Time Is On My Side" and the Beatles were crooning "In My Life". Tracing hard rock back to this song might not be an overstatement.

2. Tomorrow's Gonna Be A Bright New Day- Jim Croce

• "Well there's something that I've gotta tell you, yes I've got something on my mind, but words come hard when you're lying in my arms and when I'm looking deep into your eyes." Back in the day my parents used to see Jim Croce play a local bars (The Riddle Paddock in Lima, PA probably among them) and I believe he once played the year end party for their bowling league. Yea, my parents are cool. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be A Bright New Day" comes from Jim's first solo album "You Don't Mess Around With Jim". Released in 1972 it includes a number of classic songs including the title track, "Time in a Bottle" and "Operator (That's Not the Way it Feels"). While "Tomorrow's Gonna Be A Bright New Day" is pure folk singer songwriter for some reason it's always reminded me of Jimi Hendrix. The funky rhythm and lyrical imagery make it easy for me to hear Jimi performing it. Tragically like Hendrix, Jim Croce died very early in life. Jim was only 30 years old when his life was cut short.

3. Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground- Coldplay

• "Now my feet won't touch the ground, now my head won't stop, you wait a lifetime to be found, now my feet won't touch the ground." In 2008 "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" was so popular (at the time it was the most downloaded album of all time) that Coldplay had no choice but to follow it up with an EP of leftover material. That would be "Prospekt's March". How good is it? There is a gem or two but nothing earth shattering. The highlight for me is "Life in Technicolor II" which adds lyrics to the instrumental track "Life in Technicolor" that opens "Viva La Vida". We also get a version of "Lost" with the omnipresent Jay-Z but I could live without that. "Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground" isn't bad. In fact it's quite good. The combination of acoustic guitar and Indian/Eastern percussion reminds me of "Black Mountain Side" from Led Zeppelin's debut. The problem with "Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground" is that it reminds one so much of the brilliant "Til Kingdom Come" that concludes the album "X&Y". It sounds just like it but doesn't come close.

1. Top Gear- The Who

• "Top Gear! Top Gear! Top Gear! Top Gear! Ahh, ahh Top Gear!" The Who offer up a series of advertisements on their 1967 concept LP "The Who Sell Out". Rotosound Strings, Premier Drums, Great Shakes, and Coke are among the featured products. "Top Gear" is a great example of the surf guitar/drums sound The Who dabbled in on occasion during their early years. Drummer Keith Moon was a huge fan of the surf genre, so songwriter Pete Townshend would placate him from time to time with this type of song. The most notable songs from "The Who Sell Out" would have to be "I Can See For Miles" and "Tattoo", due to it's inclusion on the "Live at Leeds" album. Speaking of "Live at Leeds", there is now a "super deluxe edition" version which features the bands performance at Hull the following night. The Who originally intended on releasing the Hull performance (which they preferred) but went with the Leeds show due to technical issues with the Hull tapes. 40 years later the Hull show is finally available. While it doesn't vary drastically from the Leeds show, it's a treasure and worth the wait. I have to figure there is a version of me in a parallel universe that has been listening to "Live at Hull" for years and is now just listening to the Leeds show for the 1st time.

2. Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)- The Jacksons

• "I don't know what's going to happen to you baby, but I do know that I love ya, you walk around this town with your head all up in the sky, and I do know that I want you, let's dance let's shout (shout), shake your body down to the ground." If you're the Jackson 5, what do you do when you leave the Motown label but Jermaine stays behind and Motown keeps the rights to your name? Well, you add youngest brother Randy and become The Jacksons. "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" comes from 1978's "Destiny" album. The infectious disco/R&B sound created here is found again a year later on Michael's breakthrough solo LP "Off The Wall" on songs like "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You". Like Juvenline's "Back That Azz Up" this song is very instructional. When it comes on if you aren't already shaking your groove thang you should get down on it. Available on "The Essential Michael Jackson" album, this song belongs in your collection.

3. Ghorgon Master of War- Ryan Adams

• "Ghorgon! Master of war. Death is all around him. Ghorgon! Master of war. This will continue till the systems collapse, under their control, Ghorgon!" Midway through 2010 Ryan Adams released his heavy metal sci-fi concept album "Orion" through his Pax AM record label and website. "Orion" represents Adam's earnest attempt at recording a metal album. The lyrics (which describe an intergalactic war) may be tongue in cheek, but the music is not. I'm not a heavy metal connoisseur so it's hard for me judge how legit "Orion" comes across but it sounds like the real thing to me. "Ghorgon Master of War" starts off with some relatively calm acoustic guitar. It's followed by some ominous synthesizer work and then before we know it we're in the throws of "Ride the Lightning" era Metallica. Adams sings with urgency, as if the battle for the universe is real. I'm not sure the exact role that Ghorgon plays in the "Orion" mythology but I'm pretty sure he's not the good guy. Fans of more traditional Adams material may want to check out the recently released "III/IV" which showcases songs recorded with his backing band The Cardinals in 2007.

1. The End- The Beatles

• "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make." While "Her Majesty" is the last song on "Abbey Road", "The End" serves as the album's musical climax. You can't really talk about this song in an isolated sense because it serves as the exclamation point on a musical score. While the first half (or so) of "Abbey Road" is made up of individual songs the better part of the second half is made up of songs that blend into one another (and borrow themes used previously on the album). It is fair to say that on "The End" The Beatles decide to give the drummer some. In the first part of the song we get to hear Ringo bang out a solo. Where else in The Beatles catalogue do we get to hear that? I don't care if it sounds like a drum solo I could perform with a little practice- it's iconic. If you know of any albums that are better than "Abbey Road" I'm all ears.

2. Who's The Mack?- Ice Cube

• "Straight gangsta mack. Who's the mack? Is it some brother in a big hat, thinking he can get any b*tch with a good rap, rolling in a f*cked up Lincoln, leaning to the side so it looks like he's sinking." In 1990 Ice Cube dropped the cargo known as N.W.A. and started making all the dough. The gangsta rapper teamed up with Public Enemy's Bomb Squad production team to release "Amerikkka's Most Wanted". The album is fast paced, hard hitting and Ice Cube is on the attack. "Who's The Mack?" stands out stylistically for sounding a good bit different than the rest of the album. Here we have a slow, smooth, laid back beat with a flute for extra flavor. The flute must have caught the ear of one Dr. Dre as he used it a few years later (see "Let Me Ride", "Lil' Ghetto Boy") on his "The Chronic" album. The great sample here is Shock G as Humpty Hump- "straight gangsta mack" from "The Humpty Dance". If you peep the "Who's The Mack?" video on YouTube you can see Ice Cube rock the jheri curl.

3. Magazine Called Sunset- Wilco

• "There's a magazine called sunset, and a tape machine that won't let, me ever forget this impossible longing for you. Or I'm a future fallout standing, in the present erase our phantom." The best artists know their best work from the rest of their work. Such is the case with Wilco and "Magazine Called Sunset". Recorded as a part of the sessions that produced "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" this song appeared in the documentary film "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco" and the "More Like the Moon" EP. It did not make the final cut for "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". The film "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" chronicles the struggles Wilco endured to release "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". Nonesuch records saves the day after the band is dropped from their label. In a "what have you done for me lately" world, Wilco announced earlier this year that they were parting ways with Nonesuch to do their own thing.

1. Lovers in a Dangerous Time (live)- BareNaked Ladies

• "Don't the hours go shorter as the days go by, we never get to stop an open our eyes, one minute you're waiting for the sky to fall, the next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all." In 1991 a number of artists contributed songs to "Kick at the Darkness", a tribute album celebrating the music of Canadian artist Bruce Cockburn. Looking back perhaps most notable among the artists were the BareNaked Ladies, who were yet to release their major label debut "Gordon". "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" would go on to become the B-side of "The Old Apartment" CD single and was included in 2001's "Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991-2001)". I can't imagine anyone would care to know this but the version of "Lovers in a Dangerous Time" included on the greatest hits CD is a slightly alternative mix of the original. I don't know much about Bruce Cockburn's music but I really enjoy this song and he does a masterful cover of "Turn, Turn, Turn" on the "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" Pete Seeger tribute album.

2. Cheated On Me (live)- Gavin DeGraw

• "I've felt just like this before, there was another just like you, I loved her for so long, but I had poison on my mind and drove her into, someone else's eyes, someone else's arms, someone else's obvious moves." Not bad, but I liked this song better when it was called "Just Friends". On "Just Friends", from his debut "Chariot", Gavin sings about a girl who ends up in another guy's arms. Think "Ooh baby you, you've got what I need, but you say he's just a friend." This time around on "Cheated On Me", from his self titled sophomore effort, the same thing happens but he's got himself to blame. Gavin is hardly the first artist to revisit an idea lyrically or musically. After Marvin Gaye had a smash hit with "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" he turned around with the sound-a-like song "Your Unchanging Love". Speaking of Gavin and Marvin, I've heard Gavin do a great live cover of Marvin's "Let's Get It On". After James Taylor's success with "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" it's a shame he didn't dabble with more Gaye tunes. I'd like to hear what he'd do with "You Sure Love to Ball".

3. Black (live)- Pearl Jam

• "I know someday you'll have a beautiful life, I know you'll be a star, in somebody else's sky, but why, why, why, can't it be, can't it be mine." In 1998 Pearl Jam released "Live on Two Legs". Unless I'm mistaken it was their first commercially available live album. The irony is that now you can purchase virtually every live show that Pearl Jam performs. As for "Black", I can only say great things. The live version here is phenomenal with the band stretching the song to nearly seven minutes thanks to some guitar heroics from Mike McCready. The original version comes from the band's major label debut "Ten". The album (which features 11 songs) was named after then-current NBA basketball player Mookie Blaylock who wore the number 10. "Ten" was a critical and commercial smash that in part launched grunge music, ended the popularity of hair metal, and helped guys across the country with flannel shirts fit in.

1. Middle Man- Living Colour

• "I don't have a need to be the best, don't want to be just like the rest, just stay who I am, just and ordinary middle man. I've got no master plan, just a simple middle man." If you weren't listening to Living Colour in 1988, what were you listening to? "Cult of Personality" hit radio and MTV with a fury that year and the album "Vivid" went on to sell over 2 million copies. If anyone saw the all black heavy metal band as a novelty, they quickly got past that when they realized how talented these guys are. In particular, Vernon Reid is probably as technically proficient as anyone who has ever played hard rock guitar. In other words, anything you can do, he can do better. Musically "Middle Man" is built around a great guitar riff (Angus Young would be proud). Lyrically it's about finding contentment in living an average life. Not everyone is going to change the world. As the band once quipped, not everyone is going to invent a better mousetrap.

2. Company In My Back (live)- Wilco

• "Hide your soft skin, your sorrow is sunshine, listen to my eyes, they are hissing radiator tunes, I move so slow, a steady crushing hand, holy sh*t there's a company in my back." For all the love critics gave "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" it's successor "A Ghost is Born" provided an equally impressive collection of songs. Don't sleep on it. Pitchfork, some website I never heard of until earlier this week, gave "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" a perfect ten stars (why not give 10 pitchforks?) in 2002. This might not sound crazy until you find out they hadn't given another album 10 stars until this year (the new Kanye West album got the honor). Was there nothing in between that good? Getting back to "Company In My Back", this version of comes from the "Kicking Television: Live In Chicago" album. The live version clocks in at the same exact time (3:46) as the studio version- way to keep it tight fellas. Earlier this year I purchased a "1st time on LP" Kicking Television vinyl box set that features a number of songs not included on the original CD. You'll be happy to know that not only have I not opened the records, I haven't even opened the box they were shipped in. "Near mint condition" does not befit a true collector.

3. B Side Wins Again- Public Enemy

• "Here you go y'all, little by little you know, we got the power, the knowledge to move 'em, and still rock, a super song for the cause so, feel the load on your brain for the episode, and we just begun it's number one y'all, brother black the B is back." Where would we be without B sides? Well for one we might not have Rod Stewart (his breakout "Maggie May" was a B side). In the day of the 7 inch vinyl single the B side often gave us a "deep album cut" or a song not even featured on the album the A side sought to promote. In the earliest days of hip-hop, before the advent of MCs and rap records, DJ's made a name for themselves by finding breaks in all sorts of places. To this day DJ's dig through crates to find B sides and obscure records to sample. "B Side Wins Again" finds Chuck D paying homage to the B side and kicking lyrics absent the political focus most often associated with Public Enemy. The sound here is also unique for P.E. Instead of the dense sonic assault P.E.'s Bomb Squad production team made famous we have a basic drum track and an echo effect on the vocal. It's not a stripped down as Run DMC's "Sucker M.C's" but it's not far off. If you have any vinyl singles laying around be sure to dust them off and flip them over.

1. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (live)- Bob Dylan

• "Baby let me follow you down, baby let me follow you down, well I'll do anything in this God almighty world, if you just let me follow you down." Bob Dylan is known as one of the best (if not the best) songwriters in the history of rock music. Perhaps surprisingly, his 1962 debut album "Bob Dylan" only featured 2 original songs. The rest of the album was made up of traditional folk songs including "Baby, Let Me Follow You Down". This particular version comes from "The Bootleg Series, Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live, 1966: The Royal Albert Hall Concert" album. Ironically the album takes it's name from mislabelled bootlegs that attributed the show to The Royal Albert Hall when in fact the show was recorded at Manchester's Free Trade Hall. The great thing about this version is hearing Dylan backed by The Hawks (The Band) who know how to keep it loose and keep it tight.

2. Long Division- Death Cab For Cutie

• "And they carried on like long division, and it was clear with every page, that they were further away from a solution that would play, without a remain remain remain remainder." I was told there would be no math on this blog. "Long Division" comes to us courtesy of the "Narrow Stairs" album. The song references an "open door" which ends up being the name of the great EP that followed "Narrow Stairs". For me the brilliance of "Narrow Stairs" is the seamless juxtaposition of lead singer Ben Gibbard's depressing lyrics (which have always been a hallmark of the band) and music that is much harder and more upbeat than what the band typically produced in the past. If you weren't paying attention you'd swear these are happy songs. "Long Division" isn't a standout track per se but it's a solid song from a great album.

3. Who Killed Davey Moore?- Bob Dylan

• "Who Killed Davey Moore, why and what's the reason for? 'Not me' says the gambling man, with his ticket stub still in his hand. 'Not me' says the man who's fists, laid him low in a cloud of mist." Another selection from the Bob Dylan Bootleg series-this time it's from volume 1. "Who Killed Davey Moore" is a protest song built around the real death of boxer Davey Moore in 1963. Each verse is from the perspective of various people involved in the fight- the referee, the crowd, the manager, a gambler, a boxing writer, and for good measure his opponent. In each case no one takes responsibility for his death. It's doubtful that Dylan was protesting boxing with this song. It's more likely that he was using symbolism to show how most people point fingers before they take responsibility for their actions or accountability for their role in events. If you listen to Jack Johnson's "Cookie Jar", off the album "On & On", you'll see that it's a straight jack of "Who Killed Davey Moore"...it might as well be the same song.