Tops

James has entered my all-time top ten.

A classic band as far as I'm concerned.

James. Amazon.com. Used.

Now I Know

I knew it was Calvin Johnson. I knew it was Steve Fisk.

They were the reason I bought the album in 1994.

I didn't know it was Doug Martsch.

I learned this looking through my repurchase last week.

Built to Spill. Now there's a band I don't enjoy.

The Halo Benders - God Don't Make No Junk. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Misconceptions

Misconception One:

I thought Gling-Gló was a band name, not an album title.

Misconception Two:

I thought Gling-Gló predated The Sugarcubes. I didn't realize the album was recorded and released during their existence.

Misconception Three:

I didn't know it was a jazz album.

Björk Guðmundsdóttir & Tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar - Gling-Gló. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Early Industry

Front 242 had ten years of releases under their belts before I even heard of them.

At least I got to see them live.

Once.

Front 242 - Geography. Amazon.com. Used.

Amends

For someone who hated Beat Happening throughout their teens and twenties, I sure can't get enough of them these days.

Beat Happening - Dreamy. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Alone?

People like, they don't love, The Charlatans.

I love The Charlatans.

The Charlatans - North Country Boy. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Almost There

Every so often there is a flash of greatness.

Yet it is never sustained for an entire album.

The House of Love - A Spy In the House of Love. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Rock Star Moves

Imagine my surprise when I went to see the new Split Lip band and got Chamberlain.

Shift, Prema, Chamberlain. It was in Levittown. Shows didn't get much closer than that.

They were okay. They weren't Split Lip.

Fast forward to December 7, 2009.

The Split Lip/Chamberlain "reunion" at The Bowery Ballroom.

I made the Monday night drive New York in an effort to finally see Split Lip.

I'm glad I did. The show exceeded my expectations.

Split Lip - Archived Music for Stubborn People. Amazon.com. Used.

Dogs

I confuse Doghouse Records and Dogtown Skateboards.

I did then. I do now.

Split Lip did not record for Dogtown. Jim Muir did not found Doghouse.

I know this. Yet I don't.

The Get Up Kids - Red Letter Day. Amazon.com. Used.

Fixed: Thrasher Magazine Skate Rock Vol. 1

Something was wrong with the link. It has been corrected.

Please let me know if there are any issues.

Thrasher Magazine Skate Rock Volume 1.

Trivia

Did you know Jamiroquai were releasing albums as late as 2005?

Well now you do.

Jamiroquai - Dynamite. Amazon.com. Used.

Kid Stuff

I didn't realize Travis Barker wasn't always in the band.

Then again I slept on Blink-182 until "All the Small Things" was tearing up MTV.

Sure, I liked "Dammit." It was in Can't Hardly Wait after all.

But it was the non-stop airplay of "All the Small Things" that pushed me to buy Enema of the State.

Blink-182 - Dude Ranch. Amazon.com. Used.

Blue Ribbon

Brian Molko takes first prize in the contest of rock 'n' roll androgyny.

George O'Dowd and Pete Burns are not eligible.

Placebo - Black Market Music. Amazon.com. Used.

Unfair

Do you know what was unfair?

Unfair was seeing the great albums Thrasher would give away with a new subscription. Never with a renewal.

One subscription. Nine years of renewals. Nothing to show for it.

Thrasher Magazine Skate Rock Volume 1.

Catch Up

I was a Sub Pop fiend in the nineties. I am still a fiend for those releases.

For some reason I never ordered the Sebadoh releases. I'm not sure why. There must have been something in the catalog description that put me off.

"Spoiled" from the Kids soundtrack is perfect. Yet it never inspired me to seek out additional material.

Ben would often play Bakesale at school. I liked it a lot. Yet it never inspired me to seek out material to purchase.

A random thought about the band one day. That's what inspired me to finally seek out an album.

Sebadoh - The Sebadoh. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

Ke$ha - Animal. iTunes. New.

Single One, Single Two

I very rarely complete a single set. Unless I buy them upon release or at the same time.

Shed Seven - The Heroes (Single 1). Amazon.com. Used.

Bloody Mix

Shields and Bell. If that doesn't convince you, nothing will.

Hurricane #1 - The Greatest High. Amazon.com. Used.

Sides

Throughout my high school years I would buy anything featuring Al Jourgensen.

It was a good rule of thumb.

It continues to be.

1000 Homo DJs - Supernaut. Amazon.com. Used.

Have You Seen Me?

Kermit. Where did you go?

Black Grape - In the Name of the Father. Amazon.com. Used.

For You

This one is for you Mr. Pyle.

Your timing is impeccable. A recent acquisition, listened to and ripped last week.

One step closer to completing the PIL discography.

Public Image Ltd. - Compact Disc. Amazon.com. Used.

Umea

I never listened to Abhinanda while they were an active band. The Doughnuts did their part to sour me on Umea.

A post on TeeTillDeath.com reminded me of them again.

So far, I like what I've heard.

I wonder if they "went weird" a la Refused.

Abhinanda. Amazon.com. Used.

Tried and Tried Again

Slowdive is a great band.

I can't wrap my head around Mojave 3.

Mojave 3 - Some Kinda Angel. Amazon.com. Used.

Peel

I never heard of Undertones until John Peel died.

They were referenced as his favorite band in almost every article I read about his life and career.

I downloaded some items. I'm glad I did.

My first physical purchase? The Peel Sessions. Fittingly.

Undertones - The Peel Sessions. Long In the Tooth. Used.

Fours

I cherish the four-song single in the "modern age."

For the past fifteen years the three-song single has been dominant.

Or the six-song single. Single one. Single two.

Super Furry Animals - The International Language of Screaming.

The Other Half

I like Wilco. I like Son Volt.

When it comes to the post-Tupelo world I like Son Volt more.

Son Volt - Straightaways. eBay. Used.

Losing My Touch

I thought Girls Aloud started with their Pet Shop Boys single.

Apparently that's not the case. My U.K. pop awareness not nearly as impressive as I thought it was. Once upon a time it might have been. Those days have passed me by.

Girls Aloud - Sound of the Underground. AKA Music. Bargain bin.

Stragglers

I rip weekly, upload alphabetically. So some things tend to sit.

S through Z.

The Replacements - Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash.

Return To O'Hagan

A Cornelius remix of The High Llamas introduced me to The High Llamas. Or it was The High Llamas remix of Cornelius that introduced me to The High Llamas.

Either or. I decided to investigate further.

I owned Cold and Bouncy. I sold Cold and Bouncy.

I was bored by it. I couldn't pinpoint why.

About ten years later I decided to try again.

Lollo Rosso.

I still can't decide.

It isn't dislike. And it certainly isn't love.

Casual enjoyment. No more. No less.

The High Llamas - Lollo Rosso. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time. eBay. Used.

Go Buy It

Lifetime - Somewhere In the Swamps of Jersey. Long In the Tooth. Used.

Fifth or Sixth On My List

I never loved the self-titled full-length.

It's grown on me over time.

M.O.R. has always been a stand out.

I love the video as well.

Blur - M.O.R. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It

Kid Cudi - Man On the Moon: End of Day. Target. New.

Total Guilt

I went to see Dave Matthews once. It was an acoustic show with Tim Reynolds. The Landmark Theater, Syracuse, New York.

Ben had an extra ticket. I liked a few songs. Why not.

Being a responsible nineteen year old I decided to polish off a bottle of Southern Comfort before the show.

I found my seat, stood for a few minutes, then made my way to the bathroom to urinate.

Once there, I vomited. Shortly thereafter I was escorted outside by security. I may or may not have been crying. (Yes.) Drunk crying. The worst crying. It was January. In Syracuse. I was in a t-shirt.

It was snowing.

My friends eventually found me. I'm not sure if they had to miss the rest of the show.

I don't miss drinking.

Dave Matthews Band - Crash. Amazon.com. Used.

Curve Awareness

Curve. Great band. Yet I rarely hear them mentioned these days.

Even by people I would expect to embrace their releases.

Slipping into obscurity.

Curve - Chinese Burn. Amazon.com. Used.

Go Buy It...But

The Explosion - Sick of Modern Art.

But...

Tarantulas 2003.

Hello Bastards

I thank Lifetime for indirectly introducing me to The Housemartins.

The Housemartins - Now That's What I Call Quite Good. eBay. Used.

Hold Over

Things have been busy this week.

So here is something to hold you over.

The Housemartins - Live at the BBC.

Kicking Myself...Again

I hate when I buy a case-less, liner-less disc by mistake.

I hate it more than buying a clean version by mistake.

Since the start of November, I've done both.

Echobelly - Lustra. Amazon.com. Used.

Gap, 1997

Erasure - Blue Savannah. Amazon.com. Used.