My Top Classic Rock Albums

For those of you that don't know me, I'm a classic rock girl at heart.  It's the genre of music that I grew up on, what I lived and breathed before NYC, my inspiration for the music-filled life that I live now.  A few years ago, I was the type of person that mostly sought out "Greatest Hits," "Best of," "Top Singles" albums, figuring, what's the point of testing out all of an artist's albums if their greatest hits are supposedly all on one?  In truth, if you want to get to know an artist fast and decide whether you like them or not, test out their greatest hits album.  Every classic band has one.  But if you truly want to get to know an artist, enjoy an album as a sum of its parts the way it was meant to be, lose yourself in the moment in time it was written and recorded, question the lyrics and the order of tracks; you can really appreciate an album in it's entirety and see an artist in a pleasingly new light.  If you're willing to go all out--listen to the hard cold record.

There are an endless amount of albums I have yet to discover, but here, a few of my most cherished.

The Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers, Let it Bleed, Exile On Main St and Beggars Banquet

David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Starman

The Doors, Morrison Hotel and Waiting for the Sun

George Harrison, All Things Must Pass

The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico

The Who, Live at Leeds

Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy and Led Zeppelin III

The Beatles, Abbey Road

Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks

Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced?

Cat Stevens, Footsteps in the Dark

Paul Simon, Graceland

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon and Animals

The Allman Brothers Band, An Evening with The Allman Brothers

Eric Clapton, 461 Ocean Boulevard

The Band, The Band

Jethro Tull, Aqualung

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Exodus

The Grateful Dead, American Beauty and Workingman's Dead

Carol King, Tapestry

Rush, Moving Pictures

The Police, Outlandos d'Amour

Steely Dan, Can't Buy a Thrill

The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds

Yes, The Yes Album

Rocker Chicks Rule

Check out the trailer for the upcoming film, The Runaways, a biopic about Joan Jett's first all female, short-lived '70s rock band; most known for their song "Cherry Bomb" and who frequently toured with The Ramones. Jett was actually not the first lead vocals for the band, that was Bowie fan Cherrie Currie. Jett's top solo-act singles include the Arrows cover "I Love Rock And Roll," "Bad Reputation" and "I Hate Myself For Loving You." She was the first female recording artist to found her own label entitled Blackheart Records.

The Runaways paved the way for female musicians and proved that women can be hardcore rockstars in their own right. Do you ever dream about being a rock 'n roll star like I do?

On Repeat: Tegan & Sara, "Sainthood"

Another excellent album by quirky sister duo Tegan & Sara.  For a taste, check out my favorite tracks, "On Directing" and "The Cure."  They also have some pretty cute merch!

Good News Of Late

She & Him, collectively Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, have announced the release date of March 23rd for their second album, Volume Two. What was their first album called, you ask? Volume One. These two are everywhere lately, and I like it.

In other news, Kings of Leon is taking a much needed break from touring, but don't get your panties in a twist--they've already written 10 new tracks. Can't wait to hear 'em boys. Coldplay is also recording a new album in a London church...pretty cool.

And my favorite part of this news post of mine is a free stream of Neil Young's latest album, Dreamin' Man '92, released just last week. Go get it. Now.

Inspiring Commercials

Lately I've been digging the Palm Pixi (featuring Passion Pit's, "Sleepyhead") and Levi's (featuring Walt Whitman) commercials. I'm usually constantly t-voing through any and all commercials, but these I actually stop and watch. It's rare when a 30 second spot can move you, and powerfully enough so to grab your attention in this day and age! I've also included a Levi's re-do w/ an MGMT "Time To Pretend" soundtrack that I thought was pretty cool.

DJ Shuffle

You know those moments when your ipod shuffle mix is just right? I love it when songs pop up, one after the other, and you fall in love with them all immediately. Whether it's the song you've always liked to repeat, the song you've heard a handful of times, or a song you've never heard, the ipod shuffle is a constant in my earbuds. Look out for my "DJ Shuffle" mixes from now on, the most recent being:

Handsome Furs, "What We Had"
Ki: Theory, "Kiss With Fists"
The Breeders, "Here No More"
Johnny Osbourne, "Love Jah So"
Rachael Yamagata, "I'll Find A Way"
Jimi Hendrix, "May This Be Love"
Justin Timberlake, "Losing My Way"
Lykke Li, "Everybody But Me"
The Felice Brothers, "Wonderful Life"
Led Zeppelin, "Moby Dick"
Lykke Li, "Hanging High"
Gossip, "Men In Love"
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, "In This Home On Ice"
Bob Marley, "African Herbsman"
The Black Keys, "Grown So Ugly"
Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Hump De Hump"
Johnny Osbourne, "Children Are Crying"
The Kooks, "Eddie's Gun"
Monsters of Folk, "Magic Marker"
Arcade Fire, "Ocean Of Noise"
Johnny Osbourne, "Truth & Rights"
Kings of Leon, "Day Old Blues"
Portugal the Man, "Everyone Is Golden"

Camera Obscura: The Blizzard

I'm a huge fan of Camera Obscura, so I'm happy to have found a new recording, "The Blizzard," a Jim Reeves Christmas cover. Enjoy.

Three Power P's in 1 week: Passion Pit, Phoenix, Phish

I was able to get my cardio in last week without even stepping foot in my gym. First up was the Passion Pit/Phoenix Christmas show at Hammerstein. I'll admit I'm a little late to the game on this one, since New Yorkers have been clamoring to see these two like crazy the last few times they've played in NYC. And now I know why. Until recently I only knew Phoenix's "Everything Is Everything," but now Phoenix's latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix seems to be popping up everywhere and gets better and better with each listen. I'm officially head over heels having seen them live. It's a special thing when a band can work a crowd and make them dance (especially hipsters) naturally. These are the bands I'm drawn to most. This is that band. Every kid was sweaty and jumping to every beat. I had to be up front and second row. I had to dance my ass off and sweat and let my hair down and sweat some more.

Passion Pit was a perfect opener for Phoenix, they have a ying and yang and an energy that won me over just as hard. I have no clue why I haven't seen them live since shooting them at SXSW, and I won't miss their next show. Killer night.

On to Phish. Yes, people have been asking me lately if I'm a born again hippie. If I'm touring with Phish. If I've been showering at all this summer. Well, maybe. But having the summer/fall of my life because of them? Absoultely. Thanks to unforgettable camping trips, party buses, animal houses (or should I say mansions), old friends from the distant past and plenty of new, great ones, and 18 sets later, I am a phish phanatic. Their live shows are an experience all their own, and at the end of the night leave you on such a high...it's an incredible feeling shared with incredible people. The NYC MSG shows were no different--and now my mission is to make Miami for the NYE shows. Fingers crossed I can make this happen!

P.S. Thanks Kizz for convincing me I'd live to regret missing out!

Oh Chromeo, I Want To Dance With You

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