1. Louder Than a Bomb- Public Enemy

• "'Cause the D is for dangerous you can come and get some of this." " CIA, FBI all they tell us is lies, and when I say it they get alarmed 'cause I'm louder than a bomb." Public Enemy took hip hop to new heights in 1988 with their groundbreaking LP "It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back". "Louder Than a Bomb" like a number of songs on the album ("Bring the Noise, Rebel Without A Pause") is a musical call to arms. Chuck D speaks truth to power with every verse. I'm proud to say that my 1st concert was Public Enemy at the Philadelphia Spectrum in 1990. "Louder Than a Bomb" features amazing production from P.E.'s bomb squad and samples/references "It's Yours" by T La Rock. "It's Yours" is credited as the 1st single on Rick Rubin's Def Jam label and was also used years later by NaS on his debut "Illmatic". There is a great Jam Master Jay remix of "Louder Than a Bomb" on P.E.'s "Greatest Misses" album (R.I.P. JMJ).

2. Just In Time- Marvin Gaye

• "I was lost, the losing dice were tossed, my bridges all were crossed, no where to go, now you're here, now I know just where I'm going, no more doubt or fears I've found my way, for love came just in time." It may surprise some to know that R&B star Marvin Gaye wanted to make a career out of singing jazz standards. He wanted to be a crooner. Before his untimely death he told his biographer- "I never wanted to shake my ass... I wanted to sit on a stool and sing soft love songs." "Just In Time" is a Dean Martin standard from "Marvin Gaye at the Copa", a live album recorded in the 60s but made available for the 1st time in 2005. Marvin sounds perfectly at home belting out "Just in Time" with a big band horn section swinging behind him. "Marvin Gaye at the Copa" shows Marvin's versatility as a singer. He's able to pull off the jazz big band sound. Can we imagine Perry Como trying to sing "Sexual Healing" or "Let's Get it On"?

3. Simple Twist Of Fate- Bob Dylan

• "A saxophone someplace far off played, as she was walkin' by the arcade, as the light bust through a beat-up shade where he was wakin' up, she dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate, and forgot about a simple twist of fate." In 1975 Bob Dylan released "Blood On The Tracks" which stands up as one of his best collection of songs. Songs like "Shelter From The Storm", "Tangled Up In Blue", "If You See Her Say Hello" (to name a few) are as good as anything Dylan ever recorded. "Simple Twist of Fate" is classic Dylan- a great acoustic number with harmonica, great vocals and minimal production. It is hard to imagine a more successful/influential songwriter than Dylan ever coming along. Speaking of great songwriters, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy recorded a great version of "Simple Twist of Fate" on the "I'm Not There" soundtrack. This song belongs on your iPod.

1. Chain Gang- Sam Cooke

• "All day long they work so hard till the sun is goin' down, working on the highways and byways and wearing, wearing a frown, you hear them moanin' their lives away then you hear somebody say..." Rolling Stone magazine recently came out with a list of the 100 greatest singers of all time with Sam Cooke ranking 4th. Sam is probably my 2nd favorite singer of all time (behind only Marvin Gaye) so that ranking sounds about right. His voice is soul music. "Chain Gang" with it's "oohs" and "ahs" paints the brutal story of forced labor. Some critics feel that Cooke's sweet voice undercuts the intended tone of the song but I've always felt that his voice held a distinct sad quality. Even in upbeat songs like "Having a Party" the sadness is audible. Sam Cooke was taken from us too soon- I guess it only takes one crazy hooker to shoot you. If you are looking for a great read-"You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke" is one of my favorite books of all time.

2. Strokin'- Clarence Carter

• "Let me ask you somethin'...What time of the day do you like to make love? Have you ever made love just before breakfast? Have you ever made love while you watched the late, late show?" Clarence Carter asks a good question, although I'm not sure there is a bad time of day for knocking boots. "Strokin'" is by far one of the funniest songs in my music collection. Any review I give won't do it justice- it must be heard. The song was released in the mid 80s and while the production doesn't hide that one bit, the song is timeless. "Strokin'" became a word of mouth novelty hit for the good doctor. On a side note, does "word of mouth" even exist anymore in our technology driven culture? "I stroke it to the east and I stroke it to the west, and I stroke it to the woman that I love the best, huh I be strokin'". Classic.

3. Foxy Lady- The Jimi Hendrix Experience

• "I wanna take you home, I wont do you no harm, no you've got to be all mine, all mine. Ooh, foxy lady." In the mid/late 1960s a Seattle guitarist named James Marshall Hendrix went across the pond to the UK in order to get discovered in the US. In 1967 his trio debuted with the album "Are You Experienced". It was the 1st album issued on the Track Records label, a label founded by the managers of The Who. The fact that The Who weren't the first group with a release on the new label didn't sit well with Who guitarist Pete Townshend and helped lead to his rivalry with Jimi Hendrix. "Foxy Lady" is the 1st song on the UK version of the "Are You Experienced" album and was rumored to be written about American model Heather Taylor (who would go on to marry The Who front man Roger Daltrey). Songs from "Are You Experienced" like "Foxy Lady" and "Manic Depression" would help define/redefine the 60s rock era. My favorite song on the album is the incomparable blues masterpiece "Red House".

1. Save Yourself- Rocco DeLuca & The Burden

• "Like a name you soon forget, ashes from your cigarette, like the nights that come and go, they go slow, slow, slow, slow, slow, slow." When this song 1st starts it could be confused with "My Sharona" by the Knack or "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar based on the drum/bass parts. By the time the chorus kicks in with slide guitars and wailing vocals you realize you have something quite different then the aforementioned songs. "Save Yourself" is featured on 2008's "Mercy" album. Ticketmaster provided this mp3 download and another Rocco DeLuca song to me for free-perhaps in hopes that I'd buy a ticket for one of their upcoming shows. That's not a bad marketing strategy given my love for live music. In this case I just wound up with a couple of free songs. I don't know much about Rocco DeLuca but anyone with an album named "I Trust You to Kill Me" is coming from a good place.

2. Rule of Three- The Lemonheads

• "The way it's supposed to be, when you're climbing up a tree, what is it that you see? And don't forget the rule of three, rule of three." In 2006 "The Lemonheads" released "The Lemonheads", their 1st release in 10 years. I put the band name in quotes given the fact that Evan Dando (guitar, lead vocals) is the only member on the album from any of the varied incarnations of the late 80s/90s rock band. "Rule of Three" is a straight forward rock number as is much of the material on "The Lemonheads" album. Though 10 years had passed since 1996's "Car Button Cloth" the album sounds and feels as though almost no time had passed. For me that is the strength of the album. There are competing definitions for the meaning of The Rule of Three, from an English literary device to Wiccan super karma (getting back what you give times 3). I'm more of a regular karma guy- you reap what you sow. The "Rule of Three" song lyrics don't hint towards either definition.

3. Stable Song- Death Cab For Cutie

• "Give us our measly sum, getting the air inside my lungs is heavenly, starting out with nothing but crippling doubt." Throughout the 2000's Death Cab For Cutie (or DCFC to some) have cornered the market on what I'd call "mope-rock". For some this would be music to slit your wrists to. The band's more recent material (2008's "Narrow Stairs") has been more upbeat (in tempo if not in tone). "Stable Song" closes out 2005's "Plans" which was a bit of a breakthrough for the band. "Plans" is most notable to me for the song "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" which is as beautiful a song as I've ever heard recorded. "Stable Song" is slow and would be plodding if it picked up the pace. It almost has a lullaby quality to it minus the occasional clanging guitar. Death Cab For Cutie's latest single "Meet Me On the Equinox" is the lead single from the "New Moon" (Twilight sequel) soundtrack. I imagine the new single will introduce the band to a wider/younger audience which is sure to annoy a segment of the band's long time fans.

1. Our Love Was/Radio London (You're a Pussycat)/Speak Easy/Rotosound Strings (Mono)- The Who

• "Our love was famine, frustration, we only acted out an imitation, of what real love should have been, then suddenly ...our love was flying, our love was soaring, our love was shining like a summer morning." "Our Love Was" comes from the 1967 concept LP "The Who Sell Out" and features guitarist/songwriter Pete Townshend on lead vocals. This version is the the mono mix of the song, available on the 2009 Deluxe Edition reissue of the album. This mix was previously only available on vinyl and is notable for alternate guitar solo (as compared to the solo on the widely available stereo mix). For a Who collector the unique nature of the mono mix provides a modest thrill. "The Who Sell Out" and Pete Townshend's embrace of psychedelia signaled the end of the British mod era. The Who's next concept album (Tommy) would bring the band long awaited commercial success in the US.

2. Mary Jane's Last Dance- Tom Petty

• "Oh my my, oh hell yes, honey put on that party dress, buy me a drink, sing me a song, take me as I come cause I cant stay long." Let's get to the point, let's roll another....oh sorry, that's another Tom Petty ode to getting high recorded in the 90s. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" kicks in with a distinctive guitar riff and Petty's vocals tell the story of a girl in an "Indiana town" with "Indiana boys" on an "Indiana night". I can't help but enjoy this song each time I hear it. Electric guitar solos and harmonic licks take us in and out of the refrain. This is Highway 61 Revisited era Bob Dylan rock at it's best. When the Counting Crow's Adam Duritz crooned "I wanna be Bob Dylan" he wasn't alone...and there's nothing wrong with that.

3. Your Body is a Wonderland- John Mayer

• "We got the afternoon, you got this room for two, one thing I've left to do discover me discovering you." "Your Body is a Wonderland" or "YBIAW" is a verbal OTPHJ to Mayer's female fans. If that last sentence makes any sense I might ask you to explain it to me. This song is featured on Mayer's full length debut "Room For Squares" and earned the singer a Grammy in 2003 for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance". "Your Body is a Wonderland" was rumored to be written for Jennifer Love Hewitt but the two dated long after the song was recorded so it seems dubious. When the song was at the height of it's popularity I called for a Ja Rule remix. "Bubble gum tongue baby!...only for the Rule baby!" Sadly this cross over collaboration never came to fruition. "Your Body Is a Wonderland" was featured on an episode of the Office-Mayer gave the show the right to use the song in exchange for a Dundie award. Well played.

1. Check The Rhyme- A Tribe Called Quest

• "Back in the days on the boulevard of Linden." "Industry rule number four thousand and eighty, record company people are shady, so kids watch your back 'cause I think they smoke crack, I don't doubt it, look at how they act." This is one of the stand out songs from Tribe's "Low End Theory" album. "Check The Rhyme" features wonderful interplay between MCs Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. This song is also notable for the dis on MC Hammer. I can remember rapping this song with friends in college and deciding before we started who'd take which part (I was always partial to Q-Tip). I can also remember a friend of mine paying a DJ $10 in Clarendon (Arlington) VA to play this song- a worthy investment. If you were to download this song today it is labelled "Check the Rhime". My iPod gets the old spelling thanks to the fact I have it on CD. This of course is also thanks to the Grace Notes database, which is living on borrowed time.

2. Super Bon Bon- Soul Coughing

• "Move upside and let the man go through, let the man go through." "Too fat, fat you must cut lean, you got to take the elevator to the mezzanine." I think I first became aware of this song from the Y-100 Sonic Sessions Volume 1 CD (Y-100 being the modern/alt rock station in Philadelphia in a period known as the 90s). "Super Bon Bon" got airplay but couldn't be classified as a major hit. This song is mesmerizing. I have no idea what it's about, nor do I care to know. "Super Bon Bon" is driven by a bass grove and percussion- the guitar and steel drum parts provide color but nothing more. The lyrics are somehow hypnotic, delivered with such conviction that you get the feeling that something very real is happening here. This song defies the era it came from.

3. When Will They Shoot?- Ice Cube

• "Cuz I bust styles, new styles, standing. . .strong. . . while, others run a hundred miles."
  "When Will They Shoot" is the 1st song (minus the intro) for Ice Cube's "The Predator" album. Musically this song is based on the "stomp, stomp, clap" part of Queen's "We Will Rock You". Lyrically it is based on Ice Cube's ability to drop more profanities per verse than was once thought possible. I met a girl a few summers ago that put "The Predator" on her desert island top 5. On the surface it was pretty impressive (not even considering this was a white chick) but "The Predator" doesn't even come close to Ice Cube's "Death Certificate". On a personal note my 1st bicycle was a 1983 era black Schwinn Predator. O.G.

1. Radio London (Monday...Tuesday)/Armenia City In The Sky/ Wonderful Radio London- The Who

• "The sky is glass, the sea is brown and everyone is upside-down, Armenia, city in the sky, Armenia, city in the sky, Freak out! Freak out!" In 1967 The Who paid tribute to pirate radio and pop commercials with their concept album "The Who Sell Out". The only well known song from the album is the hit "I Can See For Miles", with the remaining material best known only to Who fanatics. Concept albums were in vogue after the Beatles Sgt. Pepper's (even thought Sgt. Pepper's lacked a solid concept) and "The Who Sell Out" was the bands 1st attempt at such an effort. "Armenia City In The Sky" is pure psychedelia complete with backwards guitars. It holds a rare distinction as the only original song the band recorded that wasn't written by one of the members of the band. Perhaps as a result it sounds quite unlike anything else from The Who. "The Who Sell Out" was remastered and reissued with bonus songs in the mid 90s and again this past year as a Deluxe edition complete with demos, mono mixes, rarities and I imagine anything left over in the studio. When you are a fan, you need to have it all.

2. Waiting On The World To Change- John Mayer

• "And when you trust your television what you get is what you got, cause when they own the information, oh they can bend it all they want." A friend of mine described this song as a bold attempt to write our generation's "What's Going On". It's hard to argue with that assessment given the message/feel of both songs and some similarities in song structure. For example "Waiting On The World To Change" contains a break down where the music largely drops out and there is audible chatter that recalls the intro to Marvin Gaye's classic. "Waiting On the World To Change" serves as the first song on Mayer's album "Continuum", which was the most (legally) downloaded album prior to Coldplay's "Viva La Vida". There is a great acoustic version of "Waiting On the World To Change" featuring Ben Harper on Mayer's "The Village Session" EP.

3. Same Thing- BareNaked Ladies

• "I found me an answer in the form of an old man with a cardigan on, this guy's got thirty years on me but he stops and smiles just to say "Hello, didn't I see you on TV?...must've been the same thing Charlie Brown went through." Mainstream success had eluded the BareNaked Ladies prior to the release of their 3rd album "Born on a Pirate Ship". The album featured the song "The Old Apartment" which would become a hit. "Same Thing" has a mellow folk/country feel built on acoustic guitar and piano with vocals from guitarist Ed Robertson. After "Born on a Pirate Ship" the band would to some extent move away from the folk/country feel of songs like "Same Thing" in favor of rock a la "The Old Apartment". However the band never strayed far from their musical roots and the highlight of any BNL show for me was when the band would perform acoustically around a single microphone. These stripped down moments always highlighted a number of the band's strengths- vocals, harmonies, great melodies and arrangements.

1. Wrong Way- Sublime

• "A cigarette pressed between her lips but I'm starin' at her t*ts It's the wrong way." If you lived in the Philadelphia area in the mid/late 90s you'd know this as a Y-100 song, in that it was played ad nauseum on the station. Some critics come down on Sublime as faux ska/reggae, the kind of stuff most appealing to frat boys who'd most likely turn a deaf ear to those forms of music in their undiluted state. There is probably some truth in that but I could care less. This song is fun.

2. Do You Realize??- The Flaming Lips

• "Do you realize - that everyone you know someday will die, and instead of saying all of your goodbyes- let them know you realize that life goes fast, it's hard to make the good things last." This is an amazing song. "Do You Realize??" is featured on the "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" album which would qualify for one of the most creative album titles in my collection. When a song with awesome lyrics and great melody is coupled with a nice arrangement and great production you have yourself a classic. "Do You Realize??"is built on an acoustic guitar progression augmented with synth and chimes. Speaking from experience, it also functions quite nice by itself on acoustic guitar. The song was used several years ago in an add for HP computers and more recently to sell Land Rovers.

3. Come Back to Bed- John Mayer

• "What will this fix, you know you're not a quick forgive, and I won't sleep through this, I survive on the breath you are finished with." John Mayer flashed some blues power on his sophomore album "Heavier Things" with the song "Come Back to Bed". This song was somewhat of a departure from the sound on his first album and nod of things to come like the John Mayer Trio and the more bluesy sound of "Continuum". The refrain at the end of the song "don't hold your love over my head" also works melodically as a refrain for the song "Gravity" over the "just keep me where the light is" part. If you are a fan of John Mayer's blues sound and you find yourself in Vegas on New Years Eve be sure to check out the Trio at The Joint.