Tag Archives: U2

The 11 Most Popular Record Store Day Ebay Flips 2015

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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 55 Best Albums of 2014 (1-11)

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At the end of the day, the top albums came down to the ones I found myself listening to the most.  There were albums I respected but I never had the urge to play, so they ended up lower on the list.  These were the albums that kept finding themselves in my heavy rotation.  These albums deserve top billing.

Probably the biggest surprise here is the U2 album.  I have no idea why so many people criticized its delivery method.  People have been complaining that the old system doesn’t work anymore; labels and bands need to try new things.  U2 did. They gave the fans exactly what they asked for and the people still complained.  People didn’t complain this much about Zooropa (which deserved it). My favorite criticism of the band is now they’re corporate.  I hate to break it to you all, any band on a record label is corporate. U2 took a risk and I commend them for it. I’d rather a band take a risk and fail then play it safe and be ordinary.  If people stopped complaining and listened, they might actually be surprised.

Here are the 55 Best Albums of 2014 (1-11):

1.  Broken Bells - After the Disco
2.  Antemasque - Antemasque
3.  Eagulls - Eagulls
4.  TV On The Radio - Seeds
5.  White Sea - White Sea
6.  Against Me! - Transgender Dysphoria Blues
7.  Cheatahs - Cheatahs
8.  Jack White - Lazaretto
9.  James Vincent McMorrow - Post-Tropical
10. Run The Jewels - RTJ2
11. U2 - Songs of Innocence

 
Buy all of these albums and more…now!!

 

The 11 Best Songs By U2 of the 00s

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I had originally planned to just do a post using my U2 chapter from my book.  Yet, with all the controversy surrounding the new U2 release, I felt like I needed to comment.  If you don’t know, U2 released their new album this week (Songs of Innoncence) by giving it away to everyone who had an Itunes account.  Certainly, an innovative idea in a world where hearing new music has been fractured and overly complicated.  You would think this would be met with a fanfare from fans…instead…that’s not necessarily the case.  One of the details of getting this new album was that everyone who had an itunes account, had the album automatically added to their accounts, whether they wanted it or not.  This is where the outrage originates.  Critics (meaning anyone who has a Twitter account) have been slamming the band for forcing the album upon them without their permission.  It’s been called an “invasion of privacy” and an extreme example of “corporate harassment” as well as “creepy,” “sinister,” and outright “evil.”  Let’s just start here.

It’s fucking music album…that you get for free.  If you don’t like it…don’t listen to it.  Everyone complains about corporations gouging customers…then when they give something away…people continue to complain.  Stop whining…everyone.  Getting free music on a platform owned by Apple is not an invasion of privacy…go talk to some Holocaust survivors about what real invasion of privacy is.  I don’t want 90% of the terrible TV shows I get via my digital antenna…I’m not going to storm ABC and make them take Grey’s Anatomy off the air (yes, it’s still on).  Grow up…get a backbone…and shut the fuck up.  There are kids in part of this world who have to dodge landmines when walking to school.  Get some fucking perspective.

And it’s U2.  One of the greatest rock bands of all time.  You may not like their music…and honesty, that’s okay.  But if Apple is going to give us an album at least they picked a band with a respectable pedigree.  Would you rather it be Mylie Cyrus?

Free U2 album is the ultimate first world problem.

In honor of U2, here is my article from my book.

_____________________________________________________________

When making U2’s best song list for their 2009 release, No Line On The Horizon, I became inspired to compile this book.  I realized that an act like U2, with a career that spans decades, cannot be categorized into one giant list. There is no comparison of U2’s material of the ’80s to the music they are making now. Don’t get me wrong, there is some great material still coming out of the band. You just cannot compare music being made in the ’00s by guys in their forties to music being made in the ’80s by guys in their twenties. The circumstances are different. The societies are different. The trends are different.  The worlds are different.  In the ’80s, they were struggling musicians. Today, they are multi-millionaires, shaping the world.  They are not the same band.

This is what makes U2 so magnificent.  Has there ever been a band that has had as much continued success as the Irish lads? The Rolling Stones? Springsteen? Dylan? It is a short list. Many artists who manage to stay around for multiple decades struggle to sell new albums.  U2 has done something that no one else has ever accomplished… they remain trendy. Most artists cannot remain trendy for three years, let alone thirty.  That in itself is a major accomplishment.

I firmly believed that their work in the 2000s deserved its own list – its own moment of splendor.  From that realization, this book was born.

The 11 Best U2 Songs of the ’00s: 

  1. Walk On (All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
  2. City of Blinding Lights (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb)
  3. Magnificent (No Line on the Horizon)
  4. Beautiful Day (All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
  5. Moment of Surrender (No Line on the Horizon)
  6. Miracle Drug (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb)
  7. Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb)
  8. Stateless (The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack)
  9. New York (All That You Can’t Leave Behind)
  10. The Ground Beneath Your Feet (The Million Dollar Hotel Soundtrack)
  11. Electrical Storm (Best of 1990 – 2000)

Fun Fact: U2 has had the same line-up for their entire recording career.

 

Don’t forget to check out our blog’s awesome new book The 111 Best Lists of the 2000s.  Available now!  (featuring U2)


Buy this book or everyone you know will die.

The 11 Best Releases This Week

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I never do this…but holy crap there’s a ton of great new music coming out this week.  This honestly might the biggest releases of music this year…if not the decade.   Yeah it’s that huge.  Interpol’s best album since their sophomore release, Tricky’s best solo album since his debut, Ryan Adams first album in 3 years, U2’s first album in five years (which came out of nowhere…and is FREE), Death From Above 1979’s reunion, Karen O’s first solo album, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin’s new solo offering, and four lads from Liverpool.  Why are you still reading…get listening.

Here are the 11 Best Releases This Week:

  1. U2 – Songs of Innocence
  2. Death From Above 1979 – The Physical World
  3. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
  4. Interpol – El Pintor
  5. Robert Plant – lullaby
  6. Tricky – Adrian Thaws
  7. Justin Townes Earle – Single Mothers
  8. Karen O – Crush Songs
  9. Delta Spirit – Into the Wide
  10. Banks – Goddess
  11. The Beatles – Vinyl Mono Masters

Along with new releases from classic legends: Loudon Wainwright III, Pere Ubu, The Grateful Dead, Gladys Knight, Sergio Mendes, and Chick Corea

 

The 11 Best Bands Who Have Never Played Coachella

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There’s something sadly thrilling about getting to sit in front of my computer and watch Coachells unfold before me without paying hundreds of dollars, enduring crazy temperatures, dust, dirt, and douche bags.  Right now I’m flipping back and forth between New Order and Phoenix.  I couldn’t do that at the festival…I would have to choose…currently, I’m winning.  Because at home, I get both.

While enjoying Coachella from the comfort of my home, I started to realize how many bands have never played the festival…some that I’m actually shocked.  Some I thought for sure had played only to find out they had never made the journey to Indio. (Journey being one of them)  Below is a list of the best bands that have never played Coachella.  I have only chosen bands that are still together.  Reunions…well, that’s really for another list…so, check in tomorrow for that list.

Here are the 11 Best Bands Who Have Never Played Coachella & Should (that are still together):

  1. U2
  2. Pearl Jam
  3. Ryan Adams
  4. Fiona Apple
  5. Tori Amos
  6. Royksopp
  7. Iron & Wine
  8. Burial
  9. Morcheeba
  10. Sufjan Stevens
  11. Garbage