The 11 Best Letterman Musical Performances

Thank you, Dave.

Here are the 11 Best Musical Performances on the David Letterman Show:

1.  Bruce Springsteen – Glory Days

2.  Future Islands – Seasons

3.  Foo Fighters – Everlong

4.  R.E.M. – So Central Rain

5. Beastie Boys – Ch-Ch-Check It Out

6.  Warren Zevon – Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner

7.  Eminem & Jay-Z – Renegade

8.  The Orwells – Who Needs You

9.  The Vines – Get Free

10.  James Brown – Sex Machine (July 12, 1982)

11.  Eddie Vedder – Black

 

 

 

 

The 11 Most Popular Record Store Day Ebay Flips 2015

You can’t read anything about Record Store Day anymore without reading some article whose author spends pages of digital content, complaining about the vinyl holiday. “It’s killing independent stores,” “it excludes indie labels,” and it’s only for unnecessary major label titles.”  You know what would be worse than Record Store Day?  NO RECORD STORE DAY.  A world where there is nothing promoting independent records stores, causing them to fade and dissolve into music history alongside the 8-track, mini-disc, and reel-to-reel.  But today, music stores are alive and well…in part, thanks to record store day.  Record stores having to deal with throngs of audiophiles twice a year (Black Friday) is a way better scenario than dealing with foreclosure.  .

Another complaint comes from independent labels themselves who have found their material excluded by the event coordinators.  Read here about Father/Daughter’s comp, which seemed like a rather cool release.  Sure there are some releases that get excluded…and there are some titles that seem unnecessary.  But even if we’re talking about 10% of the titles or even 25% of the released titles being unnecessary…that still leaves 300 great vital releases!  Isn’t it worth some crap to get some gold?  That said, I’m not even sure how we determine which titles are unnecessary.  I read bloggers claiming the Citizen Dick release was the most unnecessary title this year…it’s an unreleased Pearl Jam song from the 1991/Ten era version of the band!  I bought it and it’s the title I’ve listened to more than any other release.  If someone wants to buy them…then doesn’t that make them necessary?  (and the Citizen Dick record just missed this list…so the 12th most popular record flip is somehow unnecessary?  Okay…)

That said…it’s hard to determine prior to the holiday which albums will sell out in seconds and which ones will linger until August.  Some of the most talked about releases including Courtney Barnett, Brian Eno, and Run The Jewels were still available at stores late on Sunday afternoon.  While others (like Brand New) had people lining up the night before.  I mean seriously, how is Brand New’s reissue of a 12-year old album that is readily available on Spotify and itunes AND coming out in wide release next month the number one Ebay flip merely because it comes in a paper bag?  Every store I visiting had people waiting 12-24 hours for this record.

For this list, I determined the ranking based on list price versus Ebay sale…and what was the greatest increase in comparison to the price.  Stereogum lists Jurassic 5’s $100 Ebay sale as a big flip…but the list price was $90 to begin with.  That’s only a $10 increase.  Same with Phish’s Live 1995 6-disc set that listed at $160 but sold for $200.  The biggest flips versus price, I believe, truly shows what were the must-have vinyls of RSD 2015.

Here are the biggest Ebay Flips of Record Store Day 2015:

  1. Elvis Presley – My Happiness (List price $12 – Ebay price $245) 20.5x increase
  2. Brand New – Deja Entendu (List price $28 – Ebay price $384) 13.7x increase
  3. Interpol – Everything Is Wrong (List price $9 – Ebay price $99) 11x increase
  4. John Prine – September 78 (List price $25 – Ebay price $227) 10.1x increase
  5. David Bowie – Changes (List price $11 – Ebay price $99) 9x increase
  6. Bob Dylan – Basement Tapes (List price $30 – Ebay price $250) 8.3x increase
  7. Citizen Dick – Touch Me I’m Dick (List price $11 – Ebay price $69) 6.3x increase
  8. Ryan Adams – Come Pick Me Up (List price $9 – Ebay price $59) 5.9x increase
  9. U2 – Songs of Innocence (List price $36 – Ebay price $199) 5.5x increase
  10. Twenty One Pilots – The LC LP (List price $20 – Ebay price $99) 4.9x increase
  11. Foo Fighters – Songs From The Laundry Room (List price $20 – Ebay price $99) 4.9x increase

Honorable Mention:

Paul McCartney’s Sweet Trash sold for a ridiculous $895 but I didn’t include it since it’s signed by Sir Mac (which obviously alters the true value of the vinyl).

Here are some other fun lists:

 

 

The 11 Most Talked About Record Store Day Releases:

Tomorrow is the annual fun-loving shopping spree for audiophiles everywhere.  Pretty much every music mag/zine/blog/critic/expert has their own top essential purchases they recommend for RSD.  I could do the same.  But it would just be my recommends for what I really want.  Instead, I’ve dug through the net and tallied up everyone else’s list.  I’ve created a combo list of the most talked about releases.  I was surprised to see only two of my “must buys” on the list.  And craziest of all, the number one most talked about release on Record Store Day is…a CASSETTE.  Metallica’s reprint of their very first release on cassette is the most talked about release this year.  Overall, it’s a pretty solid list with current rockers, classic rockers, rap lords, and some fresh indie faces.

Happy hunting!!!

Here are The 11 Most Talked About Record Store Day Releases:

  1. Metallica – No Life ‘Till Leather

2.  The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

3.  Foo Fighters – Songs From The Laundry Room

4.  Father John Misty – I Loved You Honeybee

5. J. Dilla – Fuck the Police

6. Run the Jewels -Bust No Moves

7. Courtney Barnett – Kim’s Caravan

8. Sly and the Family Stone – Live at the Fillmore East

9. David Bowie – Changes

10.  Brian Eno – My Squelchy Life

11.  Willie Nelson – Teatro

Honorable Mentions:  Mclusky, Elvis Presley, Sim Dunlap, Phish, Mumford and Sons, and Hanni El Khalib

What are your favorite releases?

 

The 11 Best Seattle Bands

 

Today is the Super Bowl. The day when we celebrate what it means to be American.  We eat, drink, watch sports and pass out.  Here’s our pre-game warm-up for all you Seahawk fans.

Here are the 11 Best Bands from Seattle (or close by):

  1. Nirvana
  2. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  3. Pearl Jam
  4. Soundgarden
  5. Modest Mouse
  6. Alice In Chains
  7. Death Cab For Cutie
  8. Foo Fighters
  9. Heart
  10. Sunny Day Real Estate
  11. Mother Love Bone

 

 

The 11 Best Songs By The Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl is a fighter.  He’s not just a great drummer, singer, guitar chords expert, director, or producer…he’s an innovator. He challenges what is expected of himself, what his fans want from him, and what he’s capable of doing.  By creating the Foo’s new album through an HBO documentary in multiple cities with a guest list that any band would beg to have, he’s changed the landscape of who the Foo Fighters are.  From an offshoot of Nirvana, the Foos have become their own entity.  They are today’s gold standard of rock bands.  In taking on a new endeavor, recording in a new way, always runs the risk of failure.  The Foos know this…but they put themselves out there anyway.  They deserve respect for taking a chance.

This is why I am blown away by Taylor Hawkins recent comments about U2 adding their music to everyone’s itunes library.  He claimed it was Orwellian.  It’s not.  And he obviously didn’t read 1984 to know that he’s misuing the word Orwellian.  U2 didn’t giving away their album for free on your itunes is no different than CBS broadcasting the Big Bang Theory on your television.  You don’t like it?   Don’t watch, don’t listen.

The irony here is that it was the Foo Fighters’ album, “In Your Honor,” that automatically and illegally installed spyware onto your hard drive when you put the compact disc in your computer.  I wonder if there’s a word that would describe that type action, when a corporation secretly spies on its customers.  It’s a good book Taylor, you should read it.

Here are the 11 Best Songs By The Foo Fighters:

  1. Everlong (The Colour & The Shape)
  2. The Pretender (Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace)
  3. I’ll Stick Around (Foo Fighters)
  4. Walk (Wasting Light)
  5. Learn To Fly (There Is Nothing Left To Lose)
  6. Come Back (One By One)
  7. Alone + Easy Target (Foo Fighters)
  8. Breakout (There Is Nothing Left To Lose)
  9. Low (One By One)
  10. Dear Rosemary (Wasting Light)
  11. Good Grief (Foo Fighters)

Buy Foo Fighter’s new album, Sonic Highways…now!

Buy this book or everyone you know will die.

Don’t forget to check out our blog’s awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!  (featuring Foo Fighters)

The 11 Best Songs By Dave Grohl That are Not Nirvana or Foo Fighters songs

 

As difficult as it was to narrow down David Bowie’s career to 111 songs, this list might actually be harder.  I honestly believe Dave Grohl has been featured on more albums than David Bowie.  Though many of his appearances may be simmered down by some to a mere session drummer guest spot, there’s a distinguishable energy on many of the songs where Grohl leaves his mark.  The new album is no different…not to mention…he directed a movie.  I was talking to my friend about the new album.  For some reason, he didn’t realize who he was…finally after five minutes of explaining he said, “Oh, you mean the guy from Nirvana.”  No wonder he does as much shit as he does.  Go Dave.

 

The 11 Best Songs With Dave Grohl That Are Not Nirvana or Foo Fighters Songs:

  1. How Do You Do (Dave Grohl – Touch Soundtrack)
  2. Every Day is Exactly The Same (Nine Inch Nails – With Teeth)
  3. No One Knows (Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For the Deaf)
  4. Against The 70s (Mike Watt – Ballhog or Tugboat?)
  5. Bad Boyfriend (Garbage – Bleed Like Me)
  6. Shake Your Blood (Probot – Probot)
  7. Go With The Flow (Queens of the Stone Age – Songs For the Deaf)
  8. Mind Eraser, No Chaser (Them Crooked Vultures – ST)
  9. Good Golly Miss Molly (Backbeat Band – Sountrack)
  10. Your Shoes (Taylor Hawkins – Red Light Fever)
  11. It’s All About The Benjamins Rock Remix (Puff Daddy – Been Around the World)

Buy the Sound Track to Dave Grohl’s documentary, Sound City…now!!!

The Unknown: Foo Fighters’ Pocketwatch Demos

As Nirvana week continues,  I was priming to do a selection of demos…but then I realized that not only is there a big faction of Nirvana I should be talking about but a whole other Nirvana release this week that is also being neglected.  And that’s the Foo Fighters. 
 
This week, the Foos release their Greatest Hits.  Without Nirvana, there would never be a Foo…let alone a Greatest Hits. 
 
What a lot of people don’t know…is that the Foo Fighters were actually born out of the Nirvana recording sessions.  On days when Kurt was awol, Krist and Dave would start jamming on Dave’s song ideas.  From those jams came the songs that would eventually end up on the Foo’s debut album.  But here’s where it gets interesting…the Foo Fighters was not Dave’s first solo project.  Before Nirvana’s breakout success…Dave had his own side project called Late!
 
Late! released one album (Pocketwatch) on cassette, which came out in 1992 at the peak of Nirvana’s popularity…but oddly went unnoticed.  This is the reason I’m including it during Nirvana week, since it is material that was created in that all but too brief 1991-1994 time period.
 
Here are the Foo Fighters’ (Late!) Pocketwatch Demos:
 
9.  Bruce
10.  Milk