Goodbye

Thank you so much for reading newgazzi, and prior to that, The Litmus Configuration, since July of 2009.  I think we brought smiles to your faces, whether you were a music fan, an SNL fan, a wrestling fan.  I just wanted to write about things I enjoyed, and find like minded people to share them with.

This isn't the last you'll hear of me, in fact, most of the content you were used to getting from newgazzi will still be delivered, on the newgazzi Facebook page, but without the strict deadlines I've put upon myself since I started this.  You'll still get newgazzi playlists, but not necessarily on the last Friday of every month.  You'll get a newgazzi playlist when we have 15 great new songs to share.   Future Fugazzi Grand content will be delivered here and there, without the daily need to post.  I'm pretty sure we'll do that much talked about tag team tournament at some point (with the help of Andy Gilmartin and Scott Wisniewski).

With that being said, this is the last post that I will ever publish here.  It's newgazzi Vol 23, consisting of songs from the top 15 albums of Fugazzi Grand III ....

Enjoy, and hopefully we'll see you on Facebook (newgazzi) ...

Track 1 ... "A Salty Salute" by Guided By Voices




Track 2 ... "Sometimes a Fantasy" by Billy Joel




Track 3 ... "The Good Life" by Weezer




Track 4 ... "Getting Better" by The Beatles




Track 5 ... "Breaking Us in Two" by Joe Jackson




Track 6 ... "Josephine" by Magnolia Electric Co.




Track 7 ... "The Stranger" by Billy Joel




Track 8 ... "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer




Track 9 ... "My Life" by Billy Joel




Track 10 ... "And Your Bird Can Sing" by The Beatles




Track 11 ... "I've Seen That Movie Too" by Elton John




Track 12 ... "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" by Jeff Buckley




Track 13 ... "Take the Long Way Home" by Supertramp




Track 14 ... "Karen" by The National




Track 15 ... "Midnight Lullaby" by Tom Waits

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#1)

(#1, Pinkerton by Weezer)

I told you I would return when the robins makes his nest, but I ain't never coming back ...

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

I'm sorry


Check back tomorrow for newgazzi Vol 23, for the final post in this blog's history.  Thank you for reading newgazzi, and I hope you enjoyed Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#2)

(#2, Grace by Jeff Buckley)

The most beautiful record ever recorded.  So beautiful, I named my daughter after it.  That's all I have to say ...

















Here is "Grace", "Last Goodbye" and "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#3)

(#3, Josephine by Magnolia Electric Co.)

I miss you, Jason Molina.

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#4)

(#4, Revolver by The Beatles)

For years, I've been listening to the Abbey Road vs Sgt Pepper's debate as to which was the best Beatles album.  They're all wrong!  It's Revolver !!!  This is a perfect album, from start to finish.  And it only seems appropriate that I'm sharing this on a Sunday morning, as it as been a long standing tradition in my home to play Beatles records on Sunday morning.  Thinking of you today, dad.










Here is "Eleanor Rigby", "Here, There and Everywhere" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#5)

(#5, Glass Houses by Billy Joel)

It feels very strange not having this at #1 on the list, and if you would have asked me what my favorite album was before I got the idea to take a  full year to think about it, I would have said Glass Houses.  But the fact that it's not #1, and not even in my Mount Rushmore of Albums, feels strange.  I guess this is where I ask the readers to not get to caught up in the order of the list.  When I started working on this list, I knew that 8 records would be considered for #1, and the final order is really just splitting hairs.  Goddamn, as soon as I hit "Publish", I've made it official ...  #5 it is.






Here is "Sometimes a Fantasy", "All For Leyna" and "Sleeping with the Television On" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#6)

(#6, Alligator by The National)

I'm not sure if there is a record that has been released in the 21st century that I've listened to more than this.  For my money, these guys are to the 21st century what Elton John was to the 70s, R.E.M. was to the 80s, and Beck was to the 90s.  I believe these guys are the best album artists going today.   This is a indie rock masterpiece.












Here is "Secret Meeting", "Karen" and "Mr November" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#7)

(#7, Closing Time by Tom Waits)

There are only a handful of albums that are so good, you play it with the intention of sitting down and only listening to that album.  No multitasking.  This isn't background music.  Don't talk to me while this is on.  This is appointment album listening.  Tom Waits has become a favorite of mine over the last 10 years, but this is the one I always come back to.











Here is "Old Shoes (& Picture Postcards)", "Midnight Lullaby" and "Martha" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#8)

(#8, Breakfast in America by Supertramp)

I'm not even sure how this ended up in my record collection, as I don't remember my mom or dad being fans of this band, and this is the only album of their's I own, so I'm clearly not a huge fan of theirs.  But somehow, someway, this album found it's way into my conscious, and I've been wearing it out for most of my life.  Maybe I liked the album art, who knows.  Either way, this is musically, lyrically and sonically one of the simple joys of my life.  This album feeds me when I'm hungry, warms by cold winter's body, and I really connect to what is being said.  Truth be told, any of the albums in the top 8 could have been named #1, and I wouldn't have lost sleep over it.  A fantastic recording, start to finish.




Here is "The Logical Song", "Goodbye Stranger" and "Take the Long Way Home" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#9)

(#9, Weezer (Blue Album) by Weezer)

If this was a list of the most important records in my collection, this would have to be #1.  If not for this record, hundreds of entries on this list would have never been heard to begin with.  Scott Radke played this for me one night at Camelot Music, and I was pretty much hooked from the first few notes of "My Name Is Jonas".  This album really opened up my musical taste buds, for I was pretty much just listening to Billy Joel, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and The Beatles up until this point.  I still love this record, hopefully their new one, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, is a true return to form for Rivers and Co.






Here is "My Name is Jonas", "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#10)

(#10, 52nd Street by Billy Joel)

My Uncle Jeff is responsible for our first top ten entry.  One night, sleeping at my dad's house, I found this in his record collection, and I went nuts.  Dad said it wasn't his, and that he thought it was Uncle Jeff's.  I was only familiar with Glass Houses and An Innocent Man at this point, and I probably listened to this album three or four times that night.  My appreciation for the musicianship on this record has grown year after year.  "My Life" is my mom's favorite Billy Joel song, and my daughter loves "Zanzibar" ...








Here is "My Life" and "Zanzibar" and "Until the Night"...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#11)

(#11, Alien Lanes by Guided By Voices)

The first time I heard this I hated it.  In fact, it took almost six months for me to give it another shot, and I'm sure glad I did.  I must have been in a crummy mood that first time around.  Or maybe I just went into it with a closed mind.  You may do the same thing, if you saw the record included 28 songs, in 41 minutes !!  Is this a joke?  More like a lo-fi, garage pop-rock masterpiece.  Todd Kemper and I argue all the time which is better, this or Bee Thousand.  For me, it's always been this one, and it will always be this one.  There was even a time I would have considered this my #1 album of all time.  I know I've said those words to Todd on more than one occasion.  I don't like it any less than the ten that will eventually come before it, but this is the only album in the top 11 that doesn't get to me on an emotional level, and that's why I've very carefully placed it where I have ...


Listen to "Watch Me Jumpstart", "My Valuable Hunting Knife" and "Blimps Go 90" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#12)

(#12, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John)

This is my favorite double album of all time, and has been my go-to Elton John record since 1994. All 4,580 seconds of this album are essential, from the opening ambiance of "Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding) to the closing notes of "Harmony", not to mention all the great stuff in between.










Please indulge, if you have the time ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#13)

(#13, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles)

The #1 album of all time, according to Rolling Stone magazine.  Another interesting tidbit ... the wikipedia page for this album is four times longer than God's, whatever that's worth.   This is Paul McCartney's baby, and it is melodic masterpiece.  A must listen ...












Take a listen to "When I'm Sixty Four" and "Lovely Rita" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#14)

(#14, The Stranger by Billy Joel)

"You can have all the Billy Joels ... except The Stranger"

- Alec Newbury

This was the album that began the working relationship between Billy Joel and Phil Ramone, a relationship that lasted for six albums between 1977 and 1986.  In Fugazzi Grand : My Top 1,000 Songs of All Time, four of these nine tracks made my top 40, and two others cracked the top 1,000.  This is the album that made Billy Joel a household name, and is a must own if you love storytelling and great musicianship.






Take a listen to "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" and "Vienna" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#15)

(#15, Night and Day by Joe Jackson)

You thought Off the Wall over Thriller as the #1 Michael Jackson album on my list was a tournament upset?  How's about Night and Day over both of those Michael Jackson albums for best album ever by a gentleman with the last name Jackson.  I've purchased this album five times in my life.  Once on cassette, twice on CD and twice on vinyl.  This list just got serious.











Here is "Steppin' Out", "Breaking Us in Two" and "A Slow Song" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#16)

(#16, Off the Wall by Michael Jackson)

Two arguments that I've been having for my entire adult live have been who is the greatest baseball player, Babe Ruth or Willie Mays, and what is the greatest Michael Jackson album of all time.  Most will say Babe Ruth and Thriller.  I'll take Willie Mays and Off the Wall.  Yes, Thriller had the backing of the monster known simply as MTV, and the videos are unforgettable.  But musically, vocally, sonically, Off the Wall is the better record.  And Willie Mays hits 1,000 homers and steals 1,000 bases if he was allowed to play in Babe Ruth's era ...







Take a listen to "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock With You" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#17)

(#17, Whatever and Ever Amen by Ben Folds Five)

Most of these songs are tunes that I sing in the shower or when driving to and from work.  Ben Folds has become my "go to" piano artist since Billy Joel became a traveling greatest hits playlist 20 years ago.  If you're not a fan, this is  a great place to start.












Take a listen to "Fair" and "Smoke" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#18)

(#18, Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone by The Unicorns)

I forget if it was Matthew Schewe or Todd Kemper, but one of these fine gentlemen recommended this to me a long time ago, and whomever did so should be awarded some sort of medal.  This is their only album, but fans of this album would also enjoy Islands, which Nick Thorburn fronts as well ...











Here is "Sea Ghost" and I Was Born (A Unicorn)" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#19)

(#19, Tiny Music ... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop by Stone Temple Pilots)

I really wasn't a huge fan of this band until I saw the documentary of the making of this record on MTV, and almost instantly after buying it, I was hooked for years.  This is probably the album I listened to the most between the years 1996 and 2002.  It's been hard to keep track of these guys since then, but this will always be a favorite, and is still in pretty heavy rotation at 928 South Ave in Belgium.









Here is "Big Bang Baby" and "And So I Know" ...