COVERS?

Bel Air is accepting suggestions for cover songs to play at upcoming acoustic shows. Anyone?

NEW STUFF

How are ya?

There's good news and bad news. I'll start with the bad news. Anoop was eliminated last night. I can't say much more about it without getting emotional...

The good news is I have picked a new favorite - I'm now rooting for Danny Gokey. Sure, I could have taken the easy road and picked Adam but I like a good underdog. Paula thinks Gokey has a sexy voice and I do, too. Plus, I like saying Gokey.


Gokey.

The other good news is that I added a new header and a new feature to this blog. The new feature is a poll on the right side. Please vote! The topics for the polls will be somewhat NYC-related so I apologize to our readers in Dubai for not including them.

I hope the new header looks good on everyone's computer. If it doesn't please let me know!

PEARL JAM 10

Pearl Jam's "Ten" (one of my top 25 most influential albums of ALL TIME) has been reissued. From Rolling Stone: "Four different editions of Ten were released on March 24th, 2009, ranging from the double-disc Legendary Edition to the absolutely stacked Super Deluxe Version, which features 2 CDs, a DVD of their 1992 MTV Unplugged performance, 4 LPs and a replica cassette of the band’s famed Momma Son demo tape. Plus, a remix of the album will be overseen by producer Brendan O’Brien, who worked with the band on four albums."

Wyatt and I checked out the remix the other day. I can never really say much about remixes. My ear for that stuff just isn't very good. Maybe if I heard the old and the new back to back I could tell but, otherwise, not. The album definitely stands up, though. Every song is great.

The Giraffes should cover the fourth track "Why Go" simply because it would be so easy for them. I doubt that the Giraffes are influenced by Pearl Jam but they may share some of Pearl Jam's influences. They instantly came to mind when that song came on.

I stumbled upon topalbumcovers.com while writing this post which is really fun to browse through. "Ten" is number 99 on the list of 100. This is #46:

HEAR THIS

I can't get enough of this guy. I listened to his new album, Midnight at the Movies in its entirety 8 times over the weekend. The song in the video is the fourth track on the album. The album version has some sweet female backing vocals on it that I'm totally jealous of. Justin, if that chick ever quits on you, I'm available. Call me.

Anyone up for Maxwell's on May 1st?

IN REVIEW

So much to say.

First - Gokey didn't do Journey but he was still pretty great.

Second - Dude. Adam is good. Tears for Fears? Awesome!

Third (and most importantly) - Anoop Dogg is BACK! He took one of my top five least favorite songs and made me love it. Also, his baby pictures were almost too cute to handle, too cold to hold. Also, also, he apologized for his behavior last week. I knew that wasn't the real him! Ok. You can shoot me now.

SOMEONE STOP ME

Before I let this blog turn into a clone of some teenybopper's American Idol fansite, I wish to say that I regret posting so much about AI but regrettably cannot help myself. By the way, only cool people refer to American Idol as AI.

Anyhoozers, tonight's episode's theme is "Songs from the year you were born". I'm really hoping for some greatness here. Especially from Gokey. You know how they have the contestants do those stupid song and dance things on elimination nights? Normally these things are a complete and utter waste of time but last week there was an instance of brilliance. The song was "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey and when it came time for Gokey's solo phrase he NAILED IT. Watch your back, Arnel Pineda. Gokey and Journey songs are a match made in heaven.

Wikipedia kindly tells me that Gokey was born in 1980 making "Any Way You Want It" (off Journey's 1980 release Departure) a golden opportunity. You know Randy would like it. He is a former Journey member, after all.

Born to Run, Horses, Blood on the Tracks, Physical Graffiti, Wish you Were Here, A Night at the Opera and The Basement Tapes all came out in the year I was born. I would have a lot to choose from!

I'M CHANGING MY TUNE

Was it me or was Anoop a little full of himself last night? His performance of "Caught Up" was a little sneery and uninspired. Simon said it gave him a headache.


Don't cross him, don't boss him.

I didn't vote for Anoop for the first time this season. I voted for Scott. Scott is the new Anoop.

The Tender Dogg was really good last night, too.

If Megan doesn't get the boot this week I'll be surprised.

RYAN AND MANDY

Dear Ryan,

First, let me say congratulations on your marriage to Mandy Moore. I am so happy for you. I want you to be happy. You know that. But, I'm a little sad that I had to find out about your recent nuptials while casually reading InTouch Weekly over a plate of Pad Thai the other night. I thought that, after all we've been through together, that you might have called. I don't know. That's just me.

We had so many good times. Remember that time that we carved our names into a tree and then when they cut down the tree you used the wood to make a boat and Christened it my name? Down on Meadowlake Street? You must remember that. A while ago every thing you did said you-hoo missed me... I guess that's over now.

Excuse me if I break my own heart tonight.

Yours,
Allie

I NEED AN UPDATE

Anyone see Idol last night? I was doing some vocal coaching for a very promising new girl group and had to miss it...

NICE!

Here is Wyatt's list of most influential albums (in no particular order):

Queen- News of the World (my first album ever, I think I was 3)
Nirvana-In Utero
The Dead Milkmen- Big Lizard in my Backyard
Modest Mouse- this is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about
The Beatles- Abbey Road
Songs:Ohia- Ghost Tropic
Smog- Wild Love
Pink Floyd- Meddle
Fugazi- Repeater
Pavement- Wowee Zowee
The Smiths- The Smiths
Califone- Roomsounds
Bauhaus- Mask
David Bowie- The Man Who Sold the World
Echo and the Bunnymen- Heaven up Here
Television- Marquee Moon
Patti Smith- Horses
Joan of Arc- How Memory Works
Yes- Fragile
Pixies- Bossanova

Now that the three of us have all posted lists it's time to analyze. First and foremost: there is no one album that is on all three of the lists. We each cited a Beatles album but all different ones. We also all have Songs:Ohia on our list but Wyatt had to go and be different with "Ghost Tropic" while Jeff and I had the "Magnolia Electric Co." album on our lists. Jeff and I have five common albums, Jeff and Wyatt have one. Wyatt and I, however, have none. Interesting...

BOYS...

You can't have a band with them... pass the beer nuts.

Here's Jeff's list of most influential albums, unabridged:

marquee moon - television
revolver-beatles
gp/grievous angel - gram parsons
sticky fingers - rolling stones
exile on main street - rolling stones
being there - wilco
everybody knows this is nowhere - neil young
piper at the gates of dawn - pink floyd
doolittle - pixies
songs of leonard cohen - leonard cohen
magnolia electric co. - songs:ohia
nowhere - ride
isn't anything - my bloody valentine
stone roses - stone roses
appetite for destruction - g'n'r
velvet underground - self -titled 3rd album
highway to hell - ac/dc
crooked rain, crooked rain - pavement
seamonsters - the wedding present
louder than bombs - the smiths
music from big pink - the band
workingman's dead - the grateful dead
bayou country - ccr
hunky dory - david bowie
lady soul - aretha franklin
everything the kinks recorded from 1966-1970
plastic ono band - john lennon
dusty in memphis - dusty springfield
sweetheart of the rodeo-the byrds
funhouse - the stooges
tim - the replacements
closer - joy division
gilded palace of sin - flying burrito bros.
faith - the cure
daydream nation - sonic youth
modern lovers - modern lovers
pyromania - def leppard
#1 record/radio city - big star
pink flag - wire
entertainment - gang of four
your living all over me - dinosaur jr.
mezcal head - swervedriver
yerself is steam - mercury rev
xo - elliot smith
i want to see the bright lights - richard & linda thompson
viva last blues - palace
galaxie 500 - on fire
violent femmes - s/t
slowdive - souvlaki

No list yet from Wyatt...

Speaking of gender issues in music (something I have a chip on my shoulder about sometimes) my March On the Beat is up.

CHEAP!

There are 12 copies of our first album Pole to Pole for sale on Amazon.