Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#486 and #485)

(#486, The Diving Board by Elton John)

How much do I like this album?  I've only owned it for about six weeks, and I'm already putting it on this list.  This is easily Elton John's best album since 1995's "Made in England".  He calls it "the most piano orientated album" of his career and his "most adult album".  It's basically just a return to form, as most of the album was recorded with just piano, bass and drums.  His voice hasn't sounded this good in years.  I've been spending a lot of time with this record, and I would guess that if I was doing this list a year from now, this would be ranked much higher.






This is the album's opening track, "Ocean's Away" ...

(#485, Breathe by Dan Bern)

In 2004, Howard Goldstein introduced me to Dan Bern, and I'm so glad he did.  Dan Bern is one of the best singer/songwriters out there, a fantastic storyteller and one of my favorite lyricists.  If you're not familiar with Bern, you're probably familiar with some of his work, as Bern has written songs for a number of motion pictures, including Walk Hard's "(Have You Heard the News) Dewey Cox Died".  This album has become a Saturday afternoon staple in my home.  And no, I'm not sure why I listen to certain albums on certain days and certain times.






Here's a recent performance of the title track, "Breathe" ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#488 and #487)

(#488, A Thing Called Divine Fits by Divine Fits)

Or as my daughter calls it, "The Cherry Record". Divine Fits came about in 2011 at the suggestion of Britt Daniel of Spoon.  Kevin Schneider got me into Spoon about ten years ago, and I've been a fan of pretty much every thing Britt Daniel has done since then.  If you're keeping score at home, Kevin Schneider is no longer a fan.











Here's Divine Fits performing "Flaggin a Ride" on KCRW's Apogee Sessions ...

(#487, Page One by Steven Page)

I don't think I'm alone when I say that as a fan of Barenaked Ladies fan, I miss having Steven Page in the band.  I haven't purchased anything by BNL since he left.  It just doesn't feel right.  One day, I took my daughter to the local library, and found this on the new releases shelf of their sparse music section.  I've always enjoyed this man's voice, and will continue to be a fan.  While I will fully support the possibility of a "Page Two", I'm really hoping for his return to the band.  But in the meantime, I will listen to this ...







Here is "Indecision" from the album ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#490 and #489)

(#490, Among the Leaves by Sun Kil Moon)

My buddy Todd Kemper gets full credit for introducing this band to me.  Primarily the brain child of Mark Kozelek, this album is for the most part Kozelek and his guitar.  He's gone on record to say this album very easily could have been two separate releases, but wanted to test the attention span of his listeners.  He succeeded, as there are not too many albums that will make this list that hover around the 73 minute mark.  I've always said if an album is over 45 minutes long, it better be really good.  This has become a staple of mine to listen to in bed while I'm reading.






Here's a peek at the title track ...

(#489, Amok by Atoms for Peace)

Many of you will probably question why an album that came out less than a year ago would be considered for my list of all time favorite albums.  That's a fair question.  Truth be told, there will be a good number of 2013 releases on this list, because really is a list of what I'm into RIGHT NOW.  We've all been asked the desert island question, "Which five albums would you take with you if you were going to be stranded on a desert island?".  This list comprises of the 500 albums I would take ... and I'm constantly looking for new music.  I appreciate and make time for the old stuff, sure, but I love to see hear how music evolves and spend a good amount of time with new music.  Notice how the name of the playlist isn't "oldgazzi" ?  I wasn't really sure I'd connect with this.  I'm not the biggest Radiohead fan on the planet, and some of Thom Yorke's recordings scare me.  I heard a few tracks on 88.9 here in Milwaukee, and instantly liked it.  Been listening to this in the car a lot ...

Here's the video for "Ingenue", which I featured on newgazzi Vol 2 last March ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#492 and #491)

(#492, Painted From Memory by Elvis Costello w/Burt Bacharach)

I am a huge fan of Elvis Costello, but have only been familiar with his discography since about 2003.  Before that, I believe I had 2 or 3 records, a greatest hits two-disc set, and this.  I bought this shortly after these two men appeared in the Austin Powers sequel in 1999.  Much like Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad", I've grown to like the more as I get older.  Costello has slowly become my favorite artist, because of his ability to never do the same thing twice, and at the same time always remain interesting and relevant.  Perhaps this isn't the place to start if you are new to Elvis Costello, especially since you're not getting any Steve Nieve, Pete Thomas or Bruce Thomas, but if become a fan, over time, this will be a solid addition to your record collection.

Here is "Toledo" from their performance on Sessions at West 54th ...

(#491, Harry Connick Jr by Harry Connick Jr)

I became a fan of Harry Connick Jr in 1994, when "(I Could Only) Whisper Your Name was a brief staple on WKTI here in Milwaukee.  I immediately became familiar with the back catalog, which ended up being nothing like "She" or "Star Turtle", but it didn't matter.  What a voice!  This particular album consists of all instrumentals, and was recorded in 1987, prior to lending his talents to the "When Harry Met Sally" soundtrack.  I'm a huge fan of instrumental music, and quite honestly, I don't own nearly enough of it.






Take a listen to "Sunny Side of the Street" from this self-titled recording ...

Fugazzi Grand III : My Top 500 Albums (#494 and #493)

(#494, Highway to Hell by AC/DC)

Devil music.  That's what I was told this was growing up.  And look at Angus on the cover!  After further review, this is just straight up rock n roll, done at its best.  This is Bon Scott's last record with the band, as he would die from alcohol poisoning less than a year after this was released.   My cousin Jimmy lived for AC/DC and Metallica, and it wasn't exactly my cup of tea as child.  It took Howard Stern and The World Wrestling Federation to help get me to listen to these records.  Stern used "You Shook Me All Night Long" in Private Parts, and the WWF used "Highway to Hell" as the theme to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker's match at SummerSlam 1998.  Shazbot - na-nu-na-nu ...



Here's AC/DC performing "Highway to Hell" live in 2009 ...

(#493, Artpop by Lady Gaga)

The first time I saw Lady Gaga on SNL, I didn't want to like it.  But I instantly loved her.  I think the comparison's to Madonna are lazy, and that's not a shot at Madonna, but Lady Gaga is very unique.  Now despite liking her performance on SNL, I never bothered to buy the records.  That is, until a few months back.  I had a gift card for Best Buy, and bought this on impulse.  The cashier asked, "Is this for your daughter?".  I'm not sure how I responded, but I felt old.  This is a great piece of art pop (aptly named album).  It deserves to be listened to in its entirety, but the stand out tracks for me are "Swine" and "Dope".  And speaking of my daughter, when she hears "Applause" on the radio, she refers to the song as "The Light Zone".


Here's a recent live version of "Dope" ... pretty fuckin' awesome.