Ok this entry is another wretched Facebook retread, but I've been too busy to write anything here lately and I'm overdue for a entry.
My friend sent me a list of the "25 Albums/Artists that make me "me"'. I dont normally do the list thing, but I really wanted to do this one.
No art form touches me in any way thats even close to the way music touches me. If I counted up all the hours of my life that I spent in old record stores searching for something obscure and subtracted that time from my life Id be about 12 years old. Nothing drives me the way that music does. Bruce Springsteen once said that its ridiculous how much we expect out of music, except that music sometimes delivers: Princes Purple Rain, John Coltrains A Love Supreme, The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Jay-Zs The Blueprint, all those great Motown singles and bands (The Temps! The Miracles! The 4 Tops! The Supremes! PLEASE!!!) Marvin Gayes "Whats Going On?", Van Morrisons "Astral Weeks", The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds", "Kind of Blue", "The Velvet Underground and Nico", Robert Johnsons recordings, Bob Marleys "Legend", "The New York Dolls".
The list goes on and on. All of these records have had a profound, profound influence on me. And these arent even the ones that I picked. There are a TON of artists I wanted to put on here because I cant even imagine my life without them: Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, BO DIDDLEY! Gene Vincent , Eddie Cochran, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Led Zepplin, David Bowie, Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, Louis Armstrong, Patti Griffin, Al Green, Frank Zappa, Scout, U2, Neil Young, Dion and the Bellmonts, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Tori Amos, Lucinda Williams, CCR, Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison, The Gaslight Anthem, Marah (to name two of my current favorites),Billie Holiday, Hank Williams, Thin Lizzy Aerosmith, T. Rex, The Damned, The Jam, Morris Day and the Muthafuckin Time (What time is it!?!??!) , The Dead Boys, The Germs, The Cramps, X, The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Generation X, The Tuff Darts, The Dictators, Darlene Love, The Crystals, The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and all the African artists they brought into my life- Youssou NDour, Johnny Clegg and Savuka,, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Black Crowes, The White Stripes, Living Colour, Amy Winehouse, Dustry Springfrield, Elton John, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, John Hiatt, John Mellencamp, John Prine LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Ice T, Nas, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 1000 Maniacs, The Cure, The Vasalines, The Raincoats, Pavement, Hole, Ryan Adams, Jesse Malin, BIG STAR, The Dixie Chicks, Dolly Parton, The Animals, Dillzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Eric Clapton, THE BAND, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Johnny Thunders, Steve Earl, Emmylou Harris, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, The Pogues, Van Morrison, etc, etc, etc. I could have a top 250 albums/artists list and still leave people off.
BUTthe name of this list is The Top 25 Artists/Albums That Make Me Me. So in that spirit Im not gonna talk about artists I love now, or try to impress people with cool or obscure music. This is a list of music and artists who have been really important to me over the course of my life. Some (most, actually) I still listen to every day, some I left behind to become museum pieces of that period of my life. But, as much as I just wanted to make a list of super cool music, if Im really honest with myself, Ive probably logged WAY more hours listening to Van Halens "Diver Down" than I have listening to "Kind of Blue". And I love them both.
That said, here goes (in no particular order). And I did a lot of cheating. Picking 25 albums is like picking 25 hours that defined my life. But his is what I came up with:
1. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul -"Men Without Woman"- Nothing that Ive ever listened to before or since this album (with the possible exception of the Replacements) sounded as relatable, as immediate, as this album. This is an incredibly passionate, articulate album delivered by a man who lives his life for rock and roll. This, to paraphrase, Pete Townsend, isnt music about fun, its about fucking TRIUMPH. Stevie isnt a conventional front man at all. And hes certainly not a singer. But he has a passionate, bleeding rock and roll voice, in the tradition of Keith Richards or Joe Strummer. And this is his finest hour. Musically, the album continues the sound Stevie had basically invented with the Asbury Jukes several years earlier-marrying blues-based rock with old soul music. Cut live in a single day, Men Without Women is dedicated to the idea that not only can music help us realize whats best in us and hold on to that part of ourselves, it can be a bridge connecting us with each other. There is no more passionate album anywhere in my collection. From the screaming opener Lying in A Bed Of Fire, the album is a call to arms in a time of lost faith. Its about fighting for the ideals you once held so dear that get eroded bit by bit over time. Everybody tells me, open up your eyes, it can never be like it used to be, I say to them, open up your heart, you see just what you want to see Steven sings in Inside of Me, the albums second song. Its still alive inside of me, its never died inside of me
Me neither, Stevie. Thanks for reminding me, though.
2. Southside Johnny And the Asbury Jukes- "Live-Reach Up And Touch the Sky"-A band co-founded by Little Steven (who also wrote half of the songs on this album) and long banished to Bruce Springsteens shadow, but Southside (and his Jukes) is very much his own artist. The best white R&B/Blues singer Ive ever heard and one of the most soulful, exhausting live performers ever, Southsides career has nonetheless been plagued by bad luck, mismanagement, and plain stupidity. Yet he and the Jukes still bring it every night no matter where theyre playing. This album captures the experience of seeing a great band in a small club playing with everything they have until theyve worn everyone out. Hearts of Stone and Better Days were both small masterpieces. This Time Its For Real is a surreal NJ shore party record. But this is my favorite Southside album with my favorite ever version of I Dont Want to Go Home-one of my favorite songs of all time. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how we do it in New Jersey.
3. The Beatles-Im not gonna even attempt to break my relationship with this band down into one album. My first memories of music are listening to my parents copy of Let it Be when I was 6 or so. Later my sister and I would stand on our bunk beds and pretend we were the Beatles singing into our bedposts and playing wiffle ball bats. The Beatles have been with me every step of my life and continue to surprise me. As opposed to the two artists I listed above, I cant relate to their music AT ALL. The Beatles were too brilliant. It was like they were from another planet. Theyre a band made of perfect components: rebel genius (John Lennon), brilliant pop craftsman (Paul McCartney), mystic visionary (George Harrison), and the affable, egoless clown who somehow held them all together (Ringo Starr). The Beatles are universally acknowledged as the best group of all time and I STILL think that theyre underrated. The Beatles pulled off nothing less than a miracle in the 7 years (!!) they were putting out music. And theyre still light years ahead of us.
4. The Rolling Stones- Too many great albums to choose from. And I often go back and forth as to which golden age I prefer- the 1963-66 run where the Stones churned out an amazing amount of hit singles and literally invented the attitude, stances, and lifestyle of a rock and roll band, or the incredible stretch of albums from Beggars Banquet through their masterpiece Exile On Main Street. Either way the Stones were always about Keith to me. Mick Jagger stopped being cool well before I was born, but Keith was always the coolest person in the world to me. He still is. What little swagger I ever managed in my life was borrowed from Keith. They introduced me to the blues and everything else great about early rock and roll. I hate the boring, predictable band theyve become, but Ill forever love who they were.
5. Otis Redding "The Best of Otis Redding"- Peter Gabriel once said that Otis and Bruce Springsteen were the two best live performers in rock and roll history. I know hes half right, so I would have loved to have seen Otis. The live recordings he left behind are incredible. Nobody ever sang with as much grit and soul. Otis Redding has best voice in popular music ever. Ever. At least in my opinion. With the possible exception of Sam Cooke. But Otis simply had more of himself in his music. Otis left his heart in a song, or on a stage, in a way Sam never did, as great as he was. It kills me that I dont have enough room to include Aretha, Wilson Picket, Booker T. and the MGs, Bobby Womack, Jackie Wilson, Sam and Dave, Solomon Burke, Johnny Taylor, The Staple Singers, and all those other great, great, great soul acts of the 60s . That music has sustained me my whole life. I have a stronger emotional connection with the southern soul music of the 60s and the NY punk music of the 70s than any other genres.
6. Howling Wolf Change My Way/Muddy Waters "The Best of Muddy Waters"-Ok Im cheating here, but YOU pick between Muddy and the Wolf. Muddy came up from Chicago, plugged in his guitar and electrified the blues and helped invent rock and roll at the same time. Hes such a seminal figure in American music that it cant possibly be overstated. Wolf had a stronger pull with me, though. Howlin Wolf was a force of nature. He and Muddy were only two of the many, many incredible artists at Chess records. Willie Dixon, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, Etta James, and the great, great John Lee Hooker were my favorites. I actually got to see one of John Lee Hookers last live performances. The man could still KILL at 70-something. He was amazing. They all were. This music was the holy grail for me. Keith Richards turned me on to Chess Records. Chess Records turned me on to Robert Johnson, Charlie Patten, Son House and a whole host of other artists. The blues is something thats never, ever left me.
7. The Replacements Let It Be -Possibly my favorite group of all time. Paul Westerbergs songs probably shaped my worldview more than I could possibly say. One of the best songwriters of all time, his work with the Mats was a fuck you to the world far more defiant than any metal band, any hardcore band, any rapper ever managed. The most eloquent representative the tongue-tied, fucked up and heartbroken ever had. Bob Stinton played with punk heart and his little brother Tommy was the teenage brat with the hair, stance and attitude that I would have killed for at 16. If you discovered this band at the right time they were your LIFE. I love everything they did, but this is probably their masterpiece (which, incidentally, is snottily named after the Beatles album, which I love).
8. Guns N Roses Use Your Ilusion II I know Appetite is on everyone elses list (and dont get me wrong, I LOVE that album) but this album felt far more personal to me. Its a strange, indulgent, lonely, sprawling collection that was both the last stand of the stadium rock star and a deeply personal statement for Axl Rose. Appetite is fantastic, but there are a few moments on this one that really touch me. (Estranged still gets me) I almost never listen to it anymore, but god did I love this album.
9. Nirvana Unplugged in NYC- Funny how Nevermind was seen as the anti GnR when it was released and now theyre both played on classic rock radio back to back. And now its kinda hard to tell the difference, honestly. But at the time it meant everything to me. And this album meant even more. Released not long after Kurt Cobains suicide it played like a funeral for the rock era. And its beautiful. I love this album. And funny enough I never, ever listen to it anymore. I never listen to Nirvana anymore. I dont know why. Too much of an emotional dead-end, I guess.
10. R.E.M Automatic For the People- Obviously Murmur is brilliant, as is most of their stuff from the early days. But somehow R.E.M. managed to become the most important band in rock, one of the biggest (at the time anyway) , and still stay interesting. Green and Out of Time were both great, quirky albums. But this one is their second-period masterpiece. Lush, obsessed with death, dark, defiant, hopeful and stunningly gorgeous, this is still one of my favorite albums of all time.
11. Public Enemy Fear of A Black Planet- Almost a historical document now, Fear stands with PEs other early albums as proof that rap was once ABOUT something. Fiercely intelligent, topical, confrontational and controversial, Public Enemy was to rap what Bob Dylan was to rock. Now most hip hop songs just sound like a list of recent purchases (this is my car, my boat, my snowmobile, etc). I know there are exceptions in rap today, but whatever. Nobody today stands this tall. Chuck Ds voice sounded like a punch to the face and the Bomb Squad made music like the world was gonna rip apart. Chuck once said that rap was The black CNN. Can you imagine ANYONE making that claim with a straight face now?
12. The Ramones Ramonesmania- The greatest hits set that blew my head wide open. Theres about 87 songs squeezed onto this record (which I had on cassette) and I dont think any of them go past the 3 minute mark. The Ramones saved rock and roll. Period. I love this band immeasurably. I stared at my screen for a half hour trying to fit the New York Dolls, Richard Hell, the Talking Heads, and all those other NY Bowery bands onto this list. But I decided, in the end, to let the Ramones represent them all. As well they should. The Velvet Underground and the Dolls were there first, the Heartbreakers may have cut deeper, Richard Hell was more of a punk innovator, but the Ramones were always my favorite. Gabba Gabba we accept you/ We accept you/ One of us. The Ramones story of 4 outcast kids from Queens in ill-fitting leather jackets changing the course of rock and roll is as unlikely as them come. And ever the course of their career they NEVER fit in. Ever. I love them for that. I love the Dolls with all my heart. But nobody will ever replace the Ramones in my heart. Ever. One of my top 5 favorite artists of all time. No question. Read Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil for the best possible history of NY at the time period. This is my OTHER possible favorite band of all time.
13. The Stooges Raw Power The worlds forgotten boy. First of all, I know that this album is billed to Iggy and the Stooges but I never liked that. And I now like Funhouse better, but this is the album that really got me into the Stooges. Its kind of like standing in a bathtub and sticking a fork into an electric socket. My life hasnt been the same since. I saw the Stooges once and it was the most terrifying show Ive ever seen. I actually thought that a riot would break out at any time. Thats rock and roll.
14. Elvis Presley "Elvis Gold" When I was in 7th grade Mike Diss had a party and was bold enough to invite the girls in our class. After a few hours of literally sitting in different rooms, Mike put on this record and starting singing along to Dont Be Cruel. The girls came in and soon enough we were ALL singing Elvis songs. Thus began my life.
Incidentally, since Mike got most of his records from his uncle and his parents, our introduction to rock and roll was through the early stuff: The Penguins Earth Angel, Dion, Chuck Berry (Chucks Great 28 was the last album I took off this list), Buddy Holly, The Drifters. Stuff like that. Musically, it was like we grew up in 1958.
15. Phil Spector "Back To Mono"- Ok, so hes currently on trial for murder. And even if he DIDNT kill Lana Clarkson he should probably be locked up anyway for being a certifiable lunatic. But hes also a genius. And I dont use that word loosely. Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, Hes a Rebel, Da Do Ron Ron, Youve Lost That Lovin Feeling, etc, etc etc. Those songs meant the world to me. Phil Spector is the best producer in rock and roll history. Period. Even if he DID ruin Let It Be.
I remember as a kid, Id getting ready for school in the morning and eating my raisin bran in the kitchen as my mom had the radio set to CBS-FM, the local oldies station. Those songs, those amazing Phil Spector songs, and a million others called out to me in a way I never understood then. Louie, Louie, Double Shot of My Babys Love, Doo Wah Diddy, all those Motown songs., those old do-wop songs. Denise, by Randy and the Rainbows, Why Do Fools Fall In Love by Frankie Lymon, The Coasters, the Platters, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, The Del Vikings,-all of those old records that didnt seem to say much actually wound up having a very, very profound influence on my life. I heard something in them. Hey kid, they said, theres a party going on somewhere. Its full of love and fun and heartbreak and mystery and excitement. And youre missing it. And Ive been looking for it ever since. As Hank Ballard said, Theres a thrill up on the hill! Lets go! Lets go! Lets go!
16. Bob Dylan- "Bringing It All Back Home"/"Highway 61 Revisited"- What can I say about Bob Dylan that hasnt been said? I love most of his catalogue, but in the ol formative years these were the two albums I listened to the most. Actually what influenced me the most was the movie Dont Look Back where Bob slices through the media like a Samurai and turns conventional wisdom on its ass in scene after scene. Not only was Dylan the smartest guy in the room, he seemed like the smartest guy on the PLANET. These records basically just reaffirm that fact. I love his most recent trilogy of brilliant records as much as anything hes done. But these are the records that shaped me.
17. Arlo Guthrie/ Pete Seeger "Precious Friend"- I know this would get me killed in folkie circles, but as much as I love Woody Guthries songs, I dont like his versions much. Woody had a thin, grating voice and the recordings are terrible. This show-where Woodys son, Arlo, and his contemporary, Seeger, tackle Guthries songs, folk standards and their own songs- was my intro to the American folk songbook and my introduction to Arlo Guthries incredible stage charisma. Arlo is simply one of Americas best storytellers. Funny, smart, warm and always interesting, Arlo is still one of my favorite live performers. I still see him and his extended family every year at Carnegie Hall.
This album sent me back to the library again and again and again. I followed Woody to Leadbelly to the recordings of Alan Lomax. I got records of old southern folk songs, gospel songs. Mahalia Jackson and Jimmy Reed. This album was a gateway album for me. And I still love it. And see Arlo if you have the chance.
18. Ray Charles-"The Very Best of Ray Charles" What can you say about Ray Charles? One of the most profound influences in popular music. The man Frank Sinatra called The only genius in music Hows this for a resume?:
Whatd I Say?
Hallelujah I Love Her So
Georgia On My Mind
Hit The Road, Jack
Mess Around
Night Time (Is the Right Time)
You Dont Know Me
And on and on. Ray Charles literally INVENTED soul music and was probably the most charismatic performer in the genre ever. A natural treasure. Ray Charles shoud be on Mount Rushmore. I never saw him live, though. And I hate that.
19. Van Halen "Diver Down"- Once we had an easy ride and always felt the same/ time was on our side, we had everything to gain David Lee Roth sings in the opening track, a cover of the Kinks Where Have All The Good Times Gone(VH always had good luck with covers). This was the soundtrack to my 7th and 8th grade summers. A bunch of kids hanging out on the boulevard or the 7-11 parking lot with a boom box watching cars drive by when the days were longest and we could stay out until 10 oclock. Nothing to do, nowhere to be. Girls and boys were just discovering each other but nobody had any idea what to do with each other. My cousin Neil had a gold VH necklace just like the one Eddie Van Halen had. I wanted that more than anything. Eddie was the coolest guy in the world to us. That red guitar with its black and white stripes was the most iconic item I could imagine. It was like Excalibur. I colored my trapper keeper the same way. Justin Caulfields older brother, who had seen VH live told us all about Alex drumming, about Diamond Daves jumps and splits, but mostly about Eddies guitar solos. He was God. The first VH album took control of the dreams of a nation of bored suburban kids in their parents paneled, finished basements. 1984 was a huge mainstream hit. But this is the album we listened to the most.
And to this day Im not sure what David Lee Roth is singing in Little Guitars.
Etch-a-sketch? Seems unlikely.
20. Johnny Cash "American Recordings"- I once drove to the Westbury Music Fair to see Johnny Cash by myself (in high school!) because none of my friends knew who he was or cared. That would change soon. This album, brilliantly non-produced by Rick Ruben, introduced Cash to the Lollapalooza generation and recast the former wild man/man in black/man of God/love man/criminal/saint as an Old Testament prophet. This album was nothing but Johnny Cash and his guitar on a spare set dense with imagery of blood, faith, murder, sin and redemption. I was utterly obsessed with this album for years. I still think its the best one from his American Records years, no matter how much everyone loves Hurt. Johnny Cashs mammoth persona seemed to house so many contradictory sides that he literally redefined my idea of what a person could be. On my old guitar sell tickets/ so someone can finally pick it/ and tell the girls down at the Ritz I said hello/ Tell the gossipers and liars that Ill see them in the fire/ And let the train blow the whistle when I go
Miss you, Johnny.
21. Willie Nelson "Across The Borderline"/ Bonnie Raitt "Longing In Their Hearts"- The first job I ever had in New York City was at a Citibank office on west 33rd St.. Every morning I would get up at 6 and drive to the train station. I took a train to the Path, then the Path to 34th Street. I walked over to 10th Ave and went up to the 18th floor where I made copies of peoples bank records. All day. Every day. That was it. Id get home around 7PM and my mind and spirit were completely dead. I had never been so tired in my life and I never have been since. I dont remember why I bought Willies album (I wasnt much of a country music fan at that point) but when I did I found a kind of world-weary knowingness that spoke directly to me at the time. The album opens with a gorgeous cover of Paul Simons American Tune. Dont know a soul thats not been battered/Dont have a friend who feels at ease/Dont know a dream thats not been shattered/ Or driven to its knees Willie sang. I felt exactly the same. And the title song and Heartland, his duet with Bob Dylan, were even better. This album lead me back all the way to the beginnings of country. I first explored Willies artistic breakthrough with The Red Headed Stranger, and his incredible work with Waylon Jennings. Then back to Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Gentleman Jim Reeve-all those guys. I also fell in love with Emmyhou Harris (particularly Elite Hotel and Wrecking Ball), John Prine and Joe Ely, Jimmy Dale Gilmore and the Flatlanders. Amazing stuff.
My other obsession that summer was Longing In Their Hearts. Bonnie Raitt has had an interesting career. She started as a badass blues momma playing wicked slide guitar and drinking all the boys under the table. Her duet of In The Mood with John Lee Hooker is still the hottest song Ive ever heard. After a rehab or two she emerged as a star with knowing, adult pop songs. Some with a blues edge. But THEN, after a few hit albums, she turned in this collection of songs about unrest, unease, faith and uncertainty in the heartland. Its a beautiful collection and fit in exactly with Willies album. In fact, she duets with Willie on Borderlines gorgeous Getting Over You.
22. The Who "Hooligans"-The first rock and roll album I ever bought. I got it because my cousin Brendan loved The Who at the time and I remember listening to Pinball Wizard in his room and thinking that I had to be a part of this somehow. I just loved the gatefold album with the pictures of the band through the years. The Union Jack. Keith Moon. Roger Daltrys golden mane and Petes windmills. The Who and Led Zepplin, to me, represent a grandeur and majesty that has probably forever left rock and roll. I love Zepplin with all my heart, but Zepplin sang about hobbits and fairies and whatever the fuck. The Who had something to SAY and it seemed like they shook the earth when they said it.
23. The Clash "London Calling" Talk about a band with something to say! Part Sex Pistols/ part Bob Marley, the Clash kinda lived up to their billing at the time as the Only Band that Matters. Joe Stummer was a true believer with few peers in music history. Mick Jones had brilliance and attitude to spare. The title song still sends shockwaves through my body. This album is so brilliant I still find stuff that surprises me-20 years later. Punk never stood so tall.
And for the record I agonized FOREVER about leaving the Sex Pistols "Never Mind the Bollocks" off this list. This list very well could have been 20 punk records (plus Bruce and the Beatles and such) or 20 soul or blues records. I love the Sex Pistols with all my heart. I love all the old UK punk bands, who were more overtly political than their New York counterparts. And Johnny Rotten said something in the great, great documentary The Filth And the Fury that summed up punk for me perfectly. You dont sing God Save The Queen because you hate the British people, He said. You sing it because you love them, and you cant bear to see them shit on.
Amen.
24. Frank Sinatra "Only The Lonely"-Part of me hates Sinatra. Well parts of Sinatra. Hes a walking contradiction: Arrogant, small-minded and completely resistant to rock and roll (and the changes it brought to society) in every way, Sinatra has spawned countless wannabes that take all the wrong lessons to heart. But he was also a true artist who worked on growth and change and wore his heart on his sleeve-especially in the worst of times. Those who think Sinatra was about hair grease, cufflinks, a Jersey-Italian accent, and a cocksure certainty about how the world is supposed to treat you have it all backwards. What made Frances Albert Sinatra great is that despite all of this he was vulnerable for ALL of us. He sang from a bruised heart for those whose dreams had long flown the coup. Sinatra had it all and lost it all. And won it all back. But those lessons, and those scars, stayed with him forever. He was more at home in an empty saloon than anywhere. He operated at night in defiance of the day to day trappings that he fought so hard to escape. His voice was the voice we needed when we were down and werent sure if we could get up again. This album, a concept album about heartbreak, is his best work. Thanks Frank. From one Jersey boy to another.
And this last one will come as no surprise for anyone who has known me for more than 15 minutes:
25. Bruce Springsteen. I was born the day Bruce Springsteens debut album was released, which is fitting since no other artist has in any medium at any time has had anywhere near the influence on my life as Bruce Springsteen.
Springsteens music is inseparable from his legend: son of a working class family (Springsteens father worked in a factory, drove a cab, worked as a guard at the jail and did everything possible to make ends meet), absorbing fully the bitterness and regret that such a lifestyle engenders. Outcast, friendless kid who seeks redemption in the music he loves dearly, then assembles a street gang of a band and takes over the world. Its an incredible, romantic story that also happens to be (mostly) true.
Springsteen may be the last of rock an rolls unironic true believers. His music somehow merged Dylans incredible songwriting with Elvis onstage charisma, with James Browns tireless showmanship, with Motowns drama, Phil Spectors sense of grandeur, and Roy Orbisons heartbreak. His work is thoroughly American, examining the American dream and identity like John Steinbeck, Walt Whitman, and Flannery OConnor- authors whose passionate love for their homeland did not blind them to its shortcomings and failed promises. But its also universal- Ive made some incredible friends around the world based on our mutual love for Springsteen (and yes Sevy, I mean you). Ive seen literally thousands of acts and Ive never seen anyone give to an audience what Springsteen gives. His shows are epic. Theres no other way to describe them.
I was 13 years old. It was Christmas night. My cousin, Neil, had received Springsteens Live 1975-85 box set as a gift earlier that day and we spent the day listening to it. By some miracle he left the 3rd cassette behind when he left that night. I listened to it obsessively for the next week until he took it back. Born to Run sounded like everything Ive ever wanted out of life. I went to our towns record store to get more, but all I could afford was a Creem Magazine special edition about Springsteen. So I bought that and READ about the rest of his albums.
My parents bought be the live set for my birthday, which is 11 days after Christmas. I went straight up to my room and put it on immediately.
The screen door slams, Marys dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey thats me and I want you only
Dont send me home again, I just cant face myself alone
The song, to me, felt like a promise. Like the key to some door that had always been locked. It said, The world is YOURS, just as much as it belongs to anyone else. And nothing and no one can take that from you if you fight for it. I still feel that when I hear that song.
This music has kept me company over the years. Its guided me and inspires me. At times this music has been my closest friend. At times its the party that everyone is finally invited to. Its hard to say which Springsteen album is my favorite. Sometimes its the NJ Shore summer Technicolor dream "The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle", sometimes the dark, howling "Darkness on the Edge of Town", sometimes the knowing, spare and utterly brilliant "Tunnel of Love" and sometimes his remarkable E Street reunion "Live From New York City".
I was at the shows documented in that incredible album. Bruce had gotten the band back together after 12 years. This rededication of the E Street band has since yielded "The Rising", "Magic", and "Working on A Dream". But that night it was just Bruce and the band playing with all their hearts-just as theyve always done. I was in my mid twenties then, with a life and responsibilities of my own now. And yet the music spoke to me as powerfully as it did when I was 13. Bruce ended the night as he ended every show on that tour-with a new song called Land of Hope and Dreams. And as the band rumbled through the song like the train its lyrics depict, I thought, This may be his best song yet.. If only the church I had grown up in showed such generosity of spirit. If only the country I lived in showed the courage of its most precious ideals. If only.
This music keeps pushing me. It keeps calling me to a better version of myself. It keeps reminding me who I want to be. And who I wanted to be all those years ago.
"This train carries saints and sinners
This train carries losers and winners
This train carries whores and gamblers
This train carries lost souls
This train- dreams will not be thwarted
This train-faith will be rewarded
This train- hear the steel wheels singing
This train- bells of freedom ringing"
Can I get an Amen?
My friend sent me a list of the "25 Albums/Artists that make me "me"'. I dont normally do the list thing, but I really wanted to do this one.
No art form touches me in any way thats even close to the way music touches me. If I counted up all the hours of my life that I spent in old record stores searching for something obscure and subtracted that time from my life Id be about 12 years old. Nothing drives me the way that music does. Bruce Springsteen once said that its ridiculous how much we expect out of music, except that music sometimes delivers: Princes Purple Rain, John Coltrains A Love Supreme, The Sex Pistols Never Mind the Bollocks, Jay-Zs The Blueprint, all those great Motown singles and bands (The Temps! The Miracles! The 4 Tops! The Supremes! PLEASE!!!) Marvin Gayes "Whats Going On?", Van Morrisons "Astral Weeks", The Beach Boys "Pet Sounds", "Kind of Blue", "The Velvet Underground and Nico", Robert Johnsons recordings, Bob Marleys "Legend", "The New York Dolls".
The list goes on and on. All of these records have had a profound, profound influence on me. And these arent even the ones that I picked. There are a TON of artists I wanted to put on here because I cant even imagine my life without them: Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, BO DIDDLEY! Gene Vincent , Eddie Cochran, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Led Zepplin, David Bowie, Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons, Louis Armstrong, Patti Griffin, Al Green, Frank Zappa, Scout, U2, Neil Young, Dion and the Bellmonts, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Tori Amos, Lucinda Williams, CCR, Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison, The Gaslight Anthem, Marah (to name two of my current favorites),Billie Holiday, Hank Williams, Thin Lizzy Aerosmith, T. Rex, The Damned, The Jam, Morris Day and the Muthafuckin Time (What time is it!?!??!) , The Dead Boys, The Germs, The Cramps, X, The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Generation X, The Tuff Darts, The Dictators, Darlene Love, The Crystals, The Ronettes, The Righteous Brothers, Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and all the African artists they brought into my life- Youssou NDour, Johnny Clegg and Savuka,, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Black Crowes, The White Stripes, Living Colour, Amy Winehouse, Dustry Springfrield, Elton John, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, John Hiatt, John Mellencamp, John Prine LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Ice T, Nas, Wu-Tang, Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 1000 Maniacs, The Cure, The Vasalines, The Raincoats, Pavement, Hole, Ryan Adams, Jesse Malin, BIG STAR, The Dixie Chicks, Dolly Parton, The Animals, Dillzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Eric Clapton, THE BAND, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Johnny Thunders, Steve Earl, Emmylou Harris, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, The Pogues, Van Morrison, etc, etc, etc. I could have a top 250 albums/artists list and still leave people off.
BUTthe name of this list is The Top 25 Artists/Albums That Make Me Me. So in that spirit Im not gonna talk about artists I love now, or try to impress people with cool or obscure music. This is a list of music and artists who have been really important to me over the course of my life. Some (most, actually) I still listen to every day, some I left behind to become museum pieces of that period of my life. But, as much as I just wanted to make a list of super cool music, if Im really honest with myself, Ive probably logged WAY more hours listening to Van Halens "Diver Down" than I have listening to "Kind of Blue". And I love them both.
That said, here goes (in no particular order). And I did a lot of cheating. Picking 25 albums is like picking 25 hours that defined my life. But his is what I came up with:
1. Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul -"Men Without Woman"- Nothing that Ive ever listened to before or since this album (with the possible exception of the Replacements) sounded as relatable, as immediate, as this album. This is an incredibly passionate, articulate album delivered by a man who lives his life for rock and roll. This, to paraphrase, Pete Townsend, isnt music about fun, its about fucking TRIUMPH. Stevie isnt a conventional front man at all. And hes certainly not a singer. But he has a passionate, bleeding rock and roll voice, in the tradition of Keith Richards or Joe Strummer. And this is his finest hour. Musically, the album continues the sound Stevie had basically invented with the Asbury Jukes several years earlier-marrying blues-based rock with old soul music. Cut live in a single day, Men Without Women is dedicated to the idea that not only can music help us realize whats best in us and hold on to that part of ourselves, it can be a bridge connecting us with each other. There is no more passionate album anywhere in my collection. From the screaming opener Lying in A Bed Of Fire, the album is a call to arms in a time of lost faith. Its about fighting for the ideals you once held so dear that get eroded bit by bit over time. Everybody tells me, open up your eyes, it can never be like it used to be, I say to them, open up your heart, you see just what you want to see Steven sings in Inside of Me, the albums second song. Its still alive inside of me, its never died inside of me
Me neither, Stevie. Thanks for reminding me, though.
2. Southside Johnny And the Asbury Jukes- "Live-Reach Up And Touch the Sky"-A band co-founded by Little Steven (who also wrote half of the songs on this album) and long banished to Bruce Springsteens shadow, but Southside (and his Jukes) is very much his own artist. The best white R&B/Blues singer Ive ever heard and one of the most soulful, exhausting live performers ever, Southsides career has nonetheless been plagued by bad luck, mismanagement, and plain stupidity. Yet he and the Jukes still bring it every night no matter where theyre playing. This album captures the experience of seeing a great band in a small club playing with everything they have until theyve worn everyone out. Hearts of Stone and Better Days were both small masterpieces. This Time Its For Real is a surreal NJ shore party record. But this is my favorite Southside album with my favorite ever version of I Dont Want to Go Home-one of my favorite songs of all time. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how we do it in New Jersey.
3. The Beatles-Im not gonna even attempt to break my relationship with this band down into one album. My first memories of music are listening to my parents copy of Let it Be when I was 6 or so. Later my sister and I would stand on our bunk beds and pretend we were the Beatles singing into our bedposts and playing wiffle ball bats. The Beatles have been with me every step of my life and continue to surprise me. As opposed to the two artists I listed above, I cant relate to their music AT ALL. The Beatles were too brilliant. It was like they were from another planet. Theyre a band made of perfect components: rebel genius (John Lennon), brilliant pop craftsman (Paul McCartney), mystic visionary (George Harrison), and the affable, egoless clown who somehow held them all together (Ringo Starr). The Beatles are universally acknowledged as the best group of all time and I STILL think that theyre underrated. The Beatles pulled off nothing less than a miracle in the 7 years (!!) they were putting out music. And theyre still light years ahead of us.
4. The Rolling Stones- Too many great albums to choose from. And I often go back and forth as to which golden age I prefer- the 1963-66 run where the Stones churned out an amazing amount of hit singles and literally invented the attitude, stances, and lifestyle of a rock and roll band, or the incredible stretch of albums from Beggars Banquet through their masterpiece Exile On Main Street. Either way the Stones were always about Keith to me. Mick Jagger stopped being cool well before I was born, but Keith was always the coolest person in the world to me. He still is. What little swagger I ever managed in my life was borrowed from Keith. They introduced me to the blues and everything else great about early rock and roll. I hate the boring, predictable band theyve become, but Ill forever love who they were.
5. Otis Redding "The Best of Otis Redding"- Peter Gabriel once said that Otis and Bruce Springsteen were the two best live performers in rock and roll history. I know hes half right, so I would have loved to have seen Otis. The live recordings he left behind are incredible. Nobody ever sang with as much grit and soul. Otis Redding has best voice in popular music ever. Ever. At least in my opinion. With the possible exception of Sam Cooke. But Otis simply had more of himself in his music. Otis left his heart in a song, or on a stage, in a way Sam never did, as great as he was. It kills me that I dont have enough room to include Aretha, Wilson Picket, Booker T. and the MGs, Bobby Womack, Jackie Wilson, Sam and Dave, Solomon Burke, Johnny Taylor, The Staple Singers, and all those other great, great, great soul acts of the 60s . That music has sustained me my whole life. I have a stronger emotional connection with the southern soul music of the 60s and the NY punk music of the 70s than any other genres.
6. Howling Wolf Change My Way/Muddy Waters "The Best of Muddy Waters"-Ok Im cheating here, but YOU pick between Muddy and the Wolf. Muddy came up from Chicago, plugged in his guitar and electrified the blues and helped invent rock and roll at the same time. Hes such a seminal figure in American music that it cant possibly be overstated. Wolf had a stronger pull with me, though. Howlin Wolf was a force of nature. He and Muddy were only two of the many, many incredible artists at Chess records. Willie Dixon, Little Walter, Koko Taylor, Etta James, and the great, great John Lee Hooker were my favorites. I actually got to see one of John Lee Hookers last live performances. The man could still KILL at 70-something. He was amazing. They all were. This music was the holy grail for me. Keith Richards turned me on to Chess Records. Chess Records turned me on to Robert Johnson, Charlie Patten, Son House and a whole host of other artists. The blues is something thats never, ever left me.
7. The Replacements Let It Be -Possibly my favorite group of all time. Paul Westerbergs songs probably shaped my worldview more than I could possibly say. One of the best songwriters of all time, his work with the Mats was a fuck you to the world far more defiant than any metal band, any hardcore band, any rapper ever managed. The most eloquent representative the tongue-tied, fucked up and heartbroken ever had. Bob Stinton played with punk heart and his little brother Tommy was the teenage brat with the hair, stance and attitude that I would have killed for at 16. If you discovered this band at the right time they were your LIFE. I love everything they did, but this is probably their masterpiece (which, incidentally, is snottily named after the Beatles album, which I love).
8. Guns N Roses Use Your Ilusion II I know Appetite is on everyone elses list (and dont get me wrong, I LOVE that album) but this album felt far more personal to me. Its a strange, indulgent, lonely, sprawling collection that was both the last stand of the stadium rock star and a deeply personal statement for Axl Rose. Appetite is fantastic, but there are a few moments on this one that really touch me. (Estranged still gets me) I almost never listen to it anymore, but god did I love this album.
9. Nirvana Unplugged in NYC- Funny how Nevermind was seen as the anti GnR when it was released and now theyre both played on classic rock radio back to back. And now its kinda hard to tell the difference, honestly. But at the time it meant everything to me. And this album meant even more. Released not long after Kurt Cobains suicide it played like a funeral for the rock era. And its beautiful. I love this album. And funny enough I never, ever listen to it anymore. I never listen to Nirvana anymore. I dont know why. Too much of an emotional dead-end, I guess.
10. R.E.M Automatic For the People- Obviously Murmur is brilliant, as is most of their stuff from the early days. But somehow R.E.M. managed to become the most important band in rock, one of the biggest (at the time anyway) , and still stay interesting. Green and Out of Time were both great, quirky albums. But this one is their second-period masterpiece. Lush, obsessed with death, dark, defiant, hopeful and stunningly gorgeous, this is still one of my favorite albums of all time.
11. Public Enemy Fear of A Black Planet- Almost a historical document now, Fear stands with PEs other early albums as proof that rap was once ABOUT something. Fiercely intelligent, topical, confrontational and controversial, Public Enemy was to rap what Bob Dylan was to rock. Now most hip hop songs just sound like a list of recent purchases (this is my car, my boat, my snowmobile, etc). I know there are exceptions in rap today, but whatever. Nobody today stands this tall. Chuck Ds voice sounded like a punch to the face and the Bomb Squad made music like the world was gonna rip apart. Chuck once said that rap was The black CNN. Can you imagine ANYONE making that claim with a straight face now?
12. The Ramones Ramonesmania- The greatest hits set that blew my head wide open. Theres about 87 songs squeezed onto this record (which I had on cassette) and I dont think any of them go past the 3 minute mark. The Ramones saved rock and roll. Period. I love this band immeasurably. I stared at my screen for a half hour trying to fit the New York Dolls, Richard Hell, the Talking Heads, and all those other NY Bowery bands onto this list. But I decided, in the end, to let the Ramones represent them all. As well they should. The Velvet Underground and the Dolls were there first, the Heartbreakers may have cut deeper, Richard Hell was more of a punk innovator, but the Ramones were always my favorite. Gabba Gabba we accept you/ We accept you/ One of us. The Ramones story of 4 outcast kids from Queens in ill-fitting leather jackets changing the course of rock and roll is as unlikely as them come. And ever the course of their career they NEVER fit in. Ever. I love them for that. I love the Dolls with all my heart. But nobody will ever replace the Ramones in my heart. Ever. One of my top 5 favorite artists of all time. No question. Read Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil for the best possible history of NY at the time period. This is my OTHER possible favorite band of all time.
13. The Stooges Raw Power The worlds forgotten boy. First of all, I know that this album is billed to Iggy and the Stooges but I never liked that. And I now like Funhouse better, but this is the album that really got me into the Stooges. Its kind of like standing in a bathtub and sticking a fork into an electric socket. My life hasnt been the same since. I saw the Stooges once and it was the most terrifying show Ive ever seen. I actually thought that a riot would break out at any time. Thats rock and roll.
14. Elvis Presley "Elvis Gold" When I was in 7th grade Mike Diss had a party and was bold enough to invite the girls in our class. After a few hours of literally sitting in different rooms, Mike put on this record and starting singing along to Dont Be Cruel. The girls came in and soon enough we were ALL singing Elvis songs. Thus began my life.
Incidentally, since Mike got most of his records from his uncle and his parents, our introduction to rock and roll was through the early stuff: The Penguins Earth Angel, Dion, Chuck Berry (Chucks Great 28 was the last album I took off this list), Buddy Holly, The Drifters. Stuff like that. Musically, it was like we grew up in 1958.
15. Phil Spector "Back To Mono"- Ok, so hes currently on trial for murder. And even if he DIDNT kill Lana Clarkson he should probably be locked up anyway for being a certifiable lunatic. But hes also a genius. And I dont use that word loosely. Be My Baby, Baby I Love You, Hes a Rebel, Da Do Ron Ron, Youve Lost That Lovin Feeling, etc, etc etc. Those songs meant the world to me. Phil Spector is the best producer in rock and roll history. Period. Even if he DID ruin Let It Be.
I remember as a kid, Id getting ready for school in the morning and eating my raisin bran in the kitchen as my mom had the radio set to CBS-FM, the local oldies station. Those songs, those amazing Phil Spector songs, and a million others called out to me in a way I never understood then. Louie, Louie, Double Shot of My Babys Love, Doo Wah Diddy, all those Motown songs., those old do-wop songs. Denise, by Randy and the Rainbows, Why Do Fools Fall In Love by Frankie Lymon, The Coasters, the Platters, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, The Del Vikings,-all of those old records that didnt seem to say much actually wound up having a very, very profound influence on my life. I heard something in them. Hey kid, they said, theres a party going on somewhere. Its full of love and fun and heartbreak and mystery and excitement. And youre missing it. And Ive been looking for it ever since. As Hank Ballard said, Theres a thrill up on the hill! Lets go! Lets go! Lets go!
16. Bob Dylan- "Bringing It All Back Home"/"Highway 61 Revisited"- What can I say about Bob Dylan that hasnt been said? I love most of his catalogue, but in the ol formative years these were the two albums I listened to the most. Actually what influenced me the most was the movie Dont Look Back where Bob slices through the media like a Samurai and turns conventional wisdom on its ass in scene after scene. Not only was Dylan the smartest guy in the room, he seemed like the smartest guy on the PLANET. These records basically just reaffirm that fact. I love his most recent trilogy of brilliant records as much as anything hes done. But these are the records that shaped me.
17. Arlo Guthrie/ Pete Seeger "Precious Friend"- I know this would get me killed in folkie circles, but as much as I love Woody Guthries songs, I dont like his versions much. Woody had a thin, grating voice and the recordings are terrible. This show-where Woodys son, Arlo, and his contemporary, Seeger, tackle Guthries songs, folk standards and their own songs- was my intro to the American folk songbook and my introduction to Arlo Guthries incredible stage charisma. Arlo is simply one of Americas best storytellers. Funny, smart, warm and always interesting, Arlo is still one of my favorite live performers. I still see him and his extended family every year at Carnegie Hall.
This album sent me back to the library again and again and again. I followed Woody to Leadbelly to the recordings of Alan Lomax. I got records of old southern folk songs, gospel songs. Mahalia Jackson and Jimmy Reed. This album was a gateway album for me. And I still love it. And see Arlo if you have the chance.
18. Ray Charles-"The Very Best of Ray Charles" What can you say about Ray Charles? One of the most profound influences in popular music. The man Frank Sinatra called The only genius in music Hows this for a resume?:
Whatd I Say?
Hallelujah I Love Her So
Georgia On My Mind
Hit The Road, Jack
Mess Around
Night Time (Is the Right Time)
You Dont Know Me
And on and on. Ray Charles literally INVENTED soul music and was probably the most charismatic performer in the genre ever. A natural treasure. Ray Charles shoud be on Mount Rushmore. I never saw him live, though. And I hate that.
19. Van Halen "Diver Down"- Once we had an easy ride and always felt the same/ time was on our side, we had everything to gain David Lee Roth sings in the opening track, a cover of the Kinks Where Have All The Good Times Gone(VH always had good luck with covers). This was the soundtrack to my 7th and 8th grade summers. A bunch of kids hanging out on the boulevard or the 7-11 parking lot with a boom box watching cars drive by when the days were longest and we could stay out until 10 oclock. Nothing to do, nowhere to be. Girls and boys were just discovering each other but nobody had any idea what to do with each other. My cousin Neil had a gold VH necklace just like the one Eddie Van Halen had. I wanted that more than anything. Eddie was the coolest guy in the world to us. That red guitar with its black and white stripes was the most iconic item I could imagine. It was like Excalibur. I colored my trapper keeper the same way. Justin Caulfields older brother, who had seen VH live told us all about Alex drumming, about Diamond Daves jumps and splits, but mostly about Eddies guitar solos. He was God. The first VH album took control of the dreams of a nation of bored suburban kids in their parents paneled, finished basements. 1984 was a huge mainstream hit. But this is the album we listened to the most.
And to this day Im not sure what David Lee Roth is singing in Little Guitars.
Etch-a-sketch? Seems unlikely.
20. Johnny Cash "American Recordings"- I once drove to the Westbury Music Fair to see Johnny Cash by myself (in high school!) because none of my friends knew who he was or cared. That would change soon. This album, brilliantly non-produced by Rick Ruben, introduced Cash to the Lollapalooza generation and recast the former wild man/man in black/man of God/love man/criminal/saint as an Old Testament prophet. This album was nothing but Johnny Cash and his guitar on a spare set dense with imagery of blood, faith, murder, sin and redemption. I was utterly obsessed with this album for years. I still think its the best one from his American Records years, no matter how much everyone loves Hurt. Johnny Cashs mammoth persona seemed to house so many contradictory sides that he literally redefined my idea of what a person could be. On my old guitar sell tickets/ so someone can finally pick it/ and tell the girls down at the Ritz I said hello/ Tell the gossipers and liars that Ill see them in the fire/ And let the train blow the whistle when I go
Miss you, Johnny.
21. Willie Nelson "Across The Borderline"/ Bonnie Raitt "Longing In Their Hearts"- The first job I ever had in New York City was at a Citibank office on west 33rd St.. Every morning I would get up at 6 and drive to the train station. I took a train to the Path, then the Path to 34th Street. I walked over to 10th Ave and went up to the 18th floor where I made copies of peoples bank records. All day. Every day. That was it. Id get home around 7PM and my mind and spirit were completely dead. I had never been so tired in my life and I never have been since. I dont remember why I bought Willies album (I wasnt much of a country music fan at that point) but when I did I found a kind of world-weary knowingness that spoke directly to me at the time. The album opens with a gorgeous cover of Paul Simons American Tune. Dont know a soul thats not been battered/Dont have a friend who feels at ease/Dont know a dream thats not been shattered/ Or driven to its knees Willie sang. I felt exactly the same. And the title song and Heartland, his duet with Bob Dylan, were even better. This album lead me back all the way to the beginnings of country. I first explored Willies artistic breakthrough with The Red Headed Stranger, and his incredible work with Waylon Jennings. Then back to Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Gentleman Jim Reeve-all those guys. I also fell in love with Emmyhou Harris (particularly Elite Hotel and Wrecking Ball), John Prine and Joe Ely, Jimmy Dale Gilmore and the Flatlanders. Amazing stuff.
My other obsession that summer was Longing In Their Hearts. Bonnie Raitt has had an interesting career. She started as a badass blues momma playing wicked slide guitar and drinking all the boys under the table. Her duet of In The Mood with John Lee Hooker is still the hottest song Ive ever heard. After a rehab or two she emerged as a star with knowing, adult pop songs. Some with a blues edge. But THEN, after a few hit albums, she turned in this collection of songs about unrest, unease, faith and uncertainty in the heartland. Its a beautiful collection and fit in exactly with Willies album. In fact, she duets with Willie on Borderlines gorgeous Getting Over You.
22. The Who "Hooligans"-The first rock and roll album I ever bought. I got it because my cousin Brendan loved The Who at the time and I remember listening to Pinball Wizard in his room and thinking that I had to be a part of this somehow. I just loved the gatefold album with the pictures of the band through the years. The Union Jack. Keith Moon. Roger Daltrys golden mane and Petes windmills. The Who and Led Zepplin, to me, represent a grandeur and majesty that has probably forever left rock and roll. I love Zepplin with all my heart, but Zepplin sang about hobbits and fairies and whatever the fuck. The Who had something to SAY and it seemed like they shook the earth when they said it.
23. The Clash "London Calling" Talk about a band with something to say! Part Sex Pistols/ part Bob Marley, the Clash kinda lived up to their billing at the time as the Only Band that Matters. Joe Stummer was a true believer with few peers in music history. Mick Jones had brilliance and attitude to spare. The title song still sends shockwaves through my body. This album is so brilliant I still find stuff that surprises me-20 years later. Punk never stood so tall.
And for the record I agonized FOREVER about leaving the Sex Pistols "Never Mind the Bollocks" off this list. This list very well could have been 20 punk records (plus Bruce and the Beatles and such) or 20 soul or blues records. I love the Sex Pistols with all my heart. I love all the old UK punk bands, who were more overtly political than their New York counterparts. And Johnny Rotten said something in the great, great documentary The Filth And the Fury that summed up punk for me perfectly. You dont sing God Save The Queen because you hate the British people, He said. You sing it because you love them, and you cant bear to see them shit on.
Amen.
24. Frank Sinatra "Only The Lonely"-Part of me hates Sinatra. Well parts of Sinatra. Hes a walking contradiction: Arrogant, small-minded and completely resistant to rock and roll (and the changes it brought to society) in every way, Sinatra has spawned countless wannabes that take all the wrong lessons to heart. But he was also a true artist who worked on growth and change and wore his heart on his sleeve-especially in the worst of times. Those who think Sinatra was about hair grease, cufflinks, a Jersey-Italian accent, and a cocksure certainty about how the world is supposed to treat you have it all backwards. What made Frances Albert Sinatra great is that despite all of this he was vulnerable for ALL of us. He sang from a bruised heart for those whose dreams had long flown the coup. Sinatra had it all and lost it all. And won it all back. But those lessons, and those scars, stayed with him forever. He was more at home in an empty saloon than anywhere. He operated at night in defiance of the day to day trappings that he fought so hard to escape. His voice was the voice we needed when we were down and werent sure if we could get up again. This album, a concept album about heartbreak, is his best work. Thanks Frank. From one Jersey boy to another.
And this last one will come as no surprise for anyone who has known me for more than 15 minutes:
25. Bruce Springsteen. I was born the day Bruce Springsteens debut album was released, which is fitting since no other artist has in any medium at any time has had anywhere near the influence on my life as Bruce Springsteen.
Springsteens music is inseparable from his legend: son of a working class family (Springsteens father worked in a factory, drove a cab, worked as a guard at the jail and did everything possible to make ends meet), absorbing fully the bitterness and regret that such a lifestyle engenders. Outcast, friendless kid who seeks redemption in the music he loves dearly, then assembles a street gang of a band and takes over the world. Its an incredible, romantic story that also happens to be (mostly) true.
Springsteen may be the last of rock an rolls unironic true believers. His music somehow merged Dylans incredible songwriting with Elvis onstage charisma, with James Browns tireless showmanship, with Motowns drama, Phil Spectors sense of grandeur, and Roy Orbisons heartbreak. His work is thoroughly American, examining the American dream and identity like John Steinbeck, Walt Whitman, and Flannery OConnor- authors whose passionate love for their homeland did not blind them to its shortcomings and failed promises. But its also universal- Ive made some incredible friends around the world based on our mutual love for Springsteen (and yes Sevy, I mean you). Ive seen literally thousands of acts and Ive never seen anyone give to an audience what Springsteen gives. His shows are epic. Theres no other way to describe them.
I was 13 years old. It was Christmas night. My cousin, Neil, had received Springsteens Live 1975-85 box set as a gift earlier that day and we spent the day listening to it. By some miracle he left the 3rd cassette behind when he left that night. I listened to it obsessively for the next week until he took it back. Born to Run sounded like everything Ive ever wanted out of life. I went to our towns record store to get more, but all I could afford was a Creem Magazine special edition about Springsteen. So I bought that and READ about the rest of his albums.
My parents bought be the live set for my birthday, which is 11 days after Christmas. I went straight up to my room and put it on immediately.
The screen door slams, Marys dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey thats me and I want you only
Dont send me home again, I just cant face myself alone
The song, to me, felt like a promise. Like the key to some door that had always been locked. It said, The world is YOURS, just as much as it belongs to anyone else. And nothing and no one can take that from you if you fight for it. I still feel that when I hear that song.
This music has kept me company over the years. Its guided me and inspires me. At times this music has been my closest friend. At times its the party that everyone is finally invited to. Its hard to say which Springsteen album is my favorite. Sometimes its the NJ Shore summer Technicolor dream "The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle", sometimes the dark, howling "Darkness on the Edge of Town", sometimes the knowing, spare and utterly brilliant "Tunnel of Love" and sometimes his remarkable E Street reunion "Live From New York City".
I was at the shows documented in that incredible album. Bruce had gotten the band back together after 12 years. This rededication of the E Street band has since yielded "The Rising", "Magic", and "Working on A Dream". But that night it was just Bruce and the band playing with all their hearts-just as theyve always done. I was in my mid twenties then, with a life and responsibilities of my own now. And yet the music spoke to me as powerfully as it did when I was 13. Bruce ended the night as he ended every show on that tour-with a new song called Land of Hope and Dreams. And as the band rumbled through the song like the train its lyrics depict, I thought, This may be his best song yet.. If only the church I had grown up in showed such generosity of spirit. If only the country I lived in showed the courage of its most precious ideals. If only.
This music keeps pushing me. It keeps calling me to a better version of myself. It keeps reminding me who I want to be. And who I wanted to be all those years ago.
"This train carries saints and sinners
This train carries losers and winners
This train carries whores and gamblers
This train carries lost souls
This train- dreams will not be thwarted
This train-faith will be rewarded
This train- hear the steel wheels singing
This train- bells of freedom ringing"
Can I get an Amen?
VIEW 15 of 15 COMMENTS
jaie:
have i told you lately that youre my favorite?
jaie:
how did you know i like to old up old ladies for all their cash?!