When did your Top 10 last change?

[version sound]

I’m talking about all-time Top 10 records, but Top 10 bands could suffice as well. Just curious how changeable these things are for you guys. Mine probably hasn’t really changed much since the 90s. I’m starting to wonder how much of it is based on habit and history. Of course, there isn’t really an objective way to measure such things, so it’s all theoretical.

[jaybird]

I think the most recent album to force its way into my top ten of all time is Earth's ... And The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull, so 2008.... I think it bumped either The Figgs Lo-Fi at Society High or Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique off the top tier, I'm not sure which.

Either way, Randie will be pleased.

[FlexMyHead]

My Top Ten are always what Discog says are worth the most. Who could argue with that?! Nobody that is who. Maybe a broke nobody, but if they don't have records worth 4 figures, I'm not listening to paupers.

[FlexMyHead]

I think it bumped either The Figgs Lo-Fi at Society High or Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique off the top tier, I'm not sure which.

I like the Figgs so much. I saw them years ago at The Fest in Florida (I think around when Jean Through The Sea came out), they played at some ungodly early hour (like 4pm or something) and there was a huge line and half their set was over, I was in line and could hear them through the walls. The above release is such a great mix of pop-rock-punk, I'm actually going to go listen to it now!

[jaybird]

I think it bumped either The Figgs Lo-Fi at Society High or Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique off the top tier, I'm not sure which.

I like the Figgs so much. I saw them years ago at The Fest in Florida (I think around when Jean Through The Sea came out), they played at some ungodly early hour (like 4pm or something) and there was a huge line and half their set was over, I was in line and could hear them through the walls. The above release is such a great mix of pop-rock-punk, I'm actually going to go listen to it now!

Yeah, huge fan... Saw them probably a dozen times from 1994 to 2004... i saw Pete Donelly's new band a couple years ago touring for this record, which is pretty great, like pretty much everything he's done

https://petedonnellymusic.bandcamp.com/ ... f-the-moon


I guess that Figgs record stays in my top ten after all.

[patient_ot]

I don't really have a top ten anymore. It would depend on my mood at any given time.

[scannest]

Wow, wasn't expecting a Figgs love fest in this thread!

There's no band I've seen more. Booked them on Staten Island 3x (the first of which is a pretty legendary holiday show at the old Cargo Cafe). Pete D and his band played in my courtyard back when I lived in Philly and had a courtyard.
Mike is a tough guy to get a handle on, but Pete's D and H are amongst the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I consider Pete D a good friend. He's produced 3(!) records of mine and getting to hang with such a remarkable musician is really something else.
And he has a brand new solo record that came out 2 weeks ago!

https://petedonnellymusic.bandcamp.com/ ... tual-tryst

Oh, and Palais is a top 10 record for me...I think. Definitely top 20.

[lewdd]

I don't really have a top ten anymore. It would depend on my mood at any given time.

That is where I am at now too. There is just so much music that you can have easy access to today that I don't listen to one album more than a handful of times in a year if 2x a year.

[scannest]

Unrelated to the Figgs, but related to this thread...

I've been saying that Quadrophenia is my all-time favorite record since I first heard it (guessing I was 12 at the time). But just last week, after a re-listen as I walked around the neighborhood on a beautiful afternoon, I decided that Rod Stewart's Never a Dull Moment is my new favorite record of all-time. It's more encompassing of everything I love about rock'n'roll than Quad. It's funny and soulful and bursting with life. Half the record is covers and damned if they all come close to improving on the originals (they definitely do in the case of the Dylan and the Hendrix. Within spitting distance on the Cooke and Etta James).
Yeah, it's the best rock record ever made.

[gregpolard]

Mine hasn't really changed too drastically over the years, but it's ever evolving.

[JGJR]

Wow, wasn't expecting a Figgs love fest in this thread!

There's no band I've seen more. Booked them on Staten Island 3x (the first of which is a pretty legendary holiday show at the old Cargo Cafe). Pete D and his band played in my courtyard back when I lived in Philly and had a courtyard.
Mike is a tough guy to get a handle on, but Pete's D and H are amongst the nicest guys you'll ever meet. I consider Pete D a good friend. He's produced 3(!) records of mine and getting to hang with such a remarkable musician is really something else.
And he has a brand new solo record that came out 2 weeks ago!

https://petedonnellymusic.bandcamp.com/ ... tual-tryst

Oh, and Palais is a top 10 record for me...I think. Definitely top 20.

I've probably seen them about a dozen times over the years from 1996 until I don't recall when the last time was, but it's been a while. The vast majority of those times were because they were backing (and usually opening for) Graham Parker and they were ALWAYS fabulous in this guise backing one of my absolute favorite musicians on the planet.

As for their own material, I enjoy it, but I'm only really familiar with the 1st 2 albums. I like em both, though. Of those, I think Lo-Fi at Society High is slightly better/more consistent, but Banda Macho might have higher highs if that makes sense.

I was at that courtyard show and have seen Pete solo a few other times, too, I think. The last time was in 2016 at Ardmore Music Hall when he was part of an Elvis Costello tribute night. I think he did "I'll Wear It Proudly." I first met him in 2009 when I interviewed him in Collingswood for the Chestnut Hill Weekly and what scannest says has been my experience with him as well. I don't know him nearly as well, though. He's an acquaintance. I've never met Mike or Pete H, so no comment there.

[version sound]

I don't really have a top ten anymore. It would depend on my mood at any given time.

That is where I am at now too. There is just so much music that you can have easy access to today that I don't listen to one album more than a handful of times in a year if 2x a year.

I listened to House Tornado twice this morning alone (and might hit it again before the day is over). I’m much more likely to listen to a core of the same old shit than 8,000 different things. The same old shit covers a lot of ground, but it does make up most of my listening.

[scannest]

I like to think that at least once every decade I discover someone new who becomes an essential artist for me. It's my way of saying, "See - I'm not just getting old! I can find new stuff too." This is true of film and music.
The most recent one for me is Amos Pitsch (Tenement/Dusk/solo stuff). I can tell I'm going to follow whatever he does for a long time.

[lewdd]

I like to think that at least once every decade I discover someone new who becomes an essential artist for me. It's my way of saying, "See - I'm not just getting old! I can find new stuff too." This is true of film and music.
The most recent one for me is Amos Pitsch (Tenement/Dusk/solo stuff). I can tell I'm going to follow whatever he does for a long time.

I seem to invest time in discovering new genres every decade.

80s - punk rock
90s - ska (mostly 2 Tone and 3rd wave)
00's - blues (SRV, Buddy Guy, Alligator and Blind Pig Records, a few others)
10's - blues (Chicago electric blues of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters era and their contemporaries and Delta Blues from 30s thru current)
20's - jazz (hard bop of Miles, Trane, Mingus, Blue Note Records, and musicians part of those bands)

[version sound]

I like to think that at least once every decade I discover someone new who becomes an essential artist for me. It's my way of saying, "See - I'm not just getting old! I can find new stuff too." This is true of film and music.
The most recent one for me is Amos Pitsch (Tenement/Dusk/solo stuff). I can tell I'm going to follow whatever he does for a long time.

I’ve added a few bands to the core rotation in the last couple of decades and am definitely open to adding more. I do give new stuff (new new and new to me) a listen fairly regularly, but less sticks these days than 30 years ago. I’m going to check out that Figgs record you guys love and that Rod Stewart record (I do love Faces). “New” editions (since 2000) to my core listening:

Broadcast
Veronica Falls
Hum
The Pop Group
Saccharine Trust
Slug Guts
Trail of the Dead (first few albums, at least)
White Hex

[version sound]

Unrelated to the Figgs, but related to this thread...

I've been saying that Quadrophenia is my all-time favorite record since I first heard it (guessing I was 12 at the time). But just last week, after a re-listen as I walked around the neighborhood on a beautiful afternoon, I decided that Rod Stewart's Never a Dull Moment is my new favorite record of all-time. It's more encompassing of everything I love about rock'n'roll than Quad. It's funny and soulful and bursting with life. Half the record is covers and damned if they all come close to improving on the originals (they definitely do in the case of the Dylan and the Hendrix. Within spitting distance on the Cooke and Etta James).
Yeah, it's the best rock record ever made.

Oh yeah, memory refreshed, I used to own this record. It’s a good one. Basically an uncredited Faces record, like a lot of his early solo stuff. Very good record.

[lewdd]

I just did a quick listen to the first 3 Rod Stewart albums on Spotify going backwards from the one that is now on scannest's all time list. I only recognize a few songs off of each of the albums. I was surprised to hear lots of blues guitar on those albums and the 3rd album had plenty of Rolling Stones' sound to my ears. It was an interesting listen. I am now going to see if I can find a greatest hits by Rod on vinyl if it has some good songs on it. The instruments appear to sound very separated on those first 3 albums and I think I might enjoy the vinyl on my system more than low quality versions thru Spotify on my computer.

[version sound]

I just did a quick listen to the first 3 Rod Stewart albums on Spotify going backwards from the one that is now on scannest's all time list. I only recognize a few songs off of each of the albums. I was surprised to hear lots of blues guitar on those albums and the 3rd album had plenty of Rolling Stones' sound to my ears. It was an interesting listen. I am now going to see if I can find a greatest hits by Rod on vinyl if it has some good songs on it. The instruments appear to sound very separated on those first 3 albums and I think I might enjoy the vinyl on my system more than low quality versions thru Spotify on my computer.

Have you ever listened to the Faces? The Stones-y guitar on those records is from Ron Wood, who played with Rod in Faces, and later joined the Stones. Other than maybe Sticky Fingers and Exile, I probably prefer Faces to the Stones. All four of their albums are great.

[lewdd]

I need to give the Faces a try.

[lewdd]

I gave the Faces a quick listen thru four albums on Spotify. I didn't hear much Stones on the first one, but more on the others. I also heard some Traffic and some Clapton related bands. Then, I heard some Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, and Black Crowes assuming these bands had a thing for the that sound and mostly the slide guitar parts. "Stay with Me" may have been the only song that I recall ever hearing before. I am surprised that some of their other songs were not as popular and that I never heard any of them before.

[scannest]

As much as I adore Rod (and think those first 4 solo records are untouchable), I think the only essential Faces record is 'Nod Is As Good As a Wink... '. They rarely captured what made them special in the studio. There's a YouTube clip of them playing live on the BBC that may actually be the thing I return to the most.

[version sound]

I gave the Faces a quick listen thru four albums on Spotify. I didn't hear much Stones on the first one, but more on the others. I also heard some Traffic and some Clapton related bands. Then, I heard some Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, and Black Crowes assuming these bands had a thing for the that sound and mostly the slide guitar parts. "Stay with Me" may have been the only song that I recall ever hearing before. I am surprised that some of their other songs were not as popular and that I never heard any of them before.

Surely you’ve heard “Ooh La La”

[patient_ot]

I just did a quick listen to the first 3 Rod Stewart albums on Spotify going backwards from the one that is now on scannest's all time list. I only recognize a few songs off of each of the albums. I was surprised to hear lots of blues guitar on those albums and the 3rd album had plenty of Rolling Stones' sound to my ears. It was an interesting listen. I am now going to see if I can find a greatest hits by Rod on vinyl if it has some good songs on it. The instruments appear to sound very separated on those first 3 albums and I think I might enjoy the vinyl on my system more than low quality versions thru Spotify on my computer.

Just understand that "greatest hits" albums are usually made with the lowest priority on sound quality, regardless of whether they are vinyl, CD, digital files, etc. Rod is also one of those artists where he goes cornball disco and dated pop music at some point in his career. I'd probably stick with the early 70s stuff if you can. Every Picture Tells a Story is a very good album, though most of the copies in used bins are often groove worn and beat to shit. If you can find a clean one that might be worth picking up.

[patient_ot]

I gave the Faces a quick listen thru four albums on Spotify. I didn't hear much Stones on the first one, but more on the others. I also heard some Traffic and some Clapton related bands. Then, I heard some Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, Grateful Dead, and Black Crowes assuming these bands had a thing for the that sound and mostly the slide guitar parts. "Stay with Me" may have been the only song that I recall ever hearing before. I am surprised that some of their other songs were not as popular and that I never heard any of them before.

Surely you’ve heard “Ooh La La”

That song became hugely popular after it was in a movie soundtrack.

Also, if we're gonna talk about Rod solo and the Faces, we should probably mention the first 2 Jeff Beck albums - Rod did vox on those which I'm sure you already knew.

[patient_ot]

As much as I adore Rod (and think those first 4 solo records are untouchable), I think the only essential Faces record is 'Nod Is As Good As a Wink... '. They rarely captured what made them special in the studio. There's a YouTube clip of them playing live on the BBC that may actually be the thing I return to the most.

"Nod" and "Ooh La La" are both pretty solid in my book. I never looked for live or BBC stuff. I wonder if there is anything official with decent sound?

[patient_ot]

I don't really have a top ten anymore. It would depend on my mood at any given time.

That is where I am at now too. There is just so much music that you can have easy access to today that I don't listen to one album more than a handful of times in a year if 2x a year.

I had to get rid of my streaming account because I found that I was spending too much time on stuff I didn't really care for just to check it out based on a review or something. I have a large physical collection here and can't get to any one album very often in the course of year - it's just not possible. For example, I could tell you that Joy Division are one of my favorite bands, but it's probably been 6-8 months since I actually listened to any of their music. Probably 50% or more of my listening today is jazz or jazz related music, and it's been that way for the last five years or so.

[patient_ot]

Here's my last attempt at making a list of 10 albums. I wouldn't even say these are my top ten favorites, just ten albums that were very influential on my musical taste.

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/patient_ ... en-albums/

[scannest]

"Nod" and "Ooh La La" are both pretty solid in my book. I never looked for live or BBC stuff. I wonder if there is anything official with decent sound?

The FIVE GUYS WALK INTO A BAR... box set is a pretty great collection of essentials, odds & ends, live stuff, etc. Maybe too much for a casual fan, but extremely well done as box sets go - great essays and photos in the booklet.
This is the video I was referring to. Some of my favorite live music.

[lewdd]

I just did a quick listen to the first 3 Rod Stewart albums on Spotify going backwards from the one that is now on scannest's all time list. I only recognize a few songs off of each of the albums. I was surprised to hear lots of blues guitar on those albums and the 3rd album had plenty of Rolling Stones' sound to my ears. It was an interesting listen. I am now going to see if I can find a greatest hits by Rod on vinyl if it has some good songs on it. The instruments appear to sound very separated on those first 3 albums and I think I might enjoy the vinyl on my system more than low quality versions thru Spotify on my computer.

Just understand that "greatest hits" albums are usually made with the lowest priority on sound quality, regardless of whether they are vinyl, CD, digital files, etc. Rod is also one of those artists where he goes cornball disco and dated pop music at some point in his career. I'd probably stick with the early 70s stuff if you can. Every Picture Tells a Story is a very good album, though most of the copies in used bins are often groove worn and beat to shit. If you can find a clean one that might be worth picking up.

My cousin has some old albums from his parents and thinks there are one or two Rod LPs that he will bring over for me to listen to. I remember an uncle having that Every Picture on 8 track that I would listen to in his basement throwing darts at a very young age.

[lewdd]

I don't really have a top ten anymore. It would depend on my mood at any given time.

That is where I am at now too. There is just so much music that you can have easy access to today that I don't listen to one album more than a handful of times in a year if 2x a year.

I had to get rid of my streaming account because I found that I was spending too much time on stuff I didn't really care for just to check it out based on a review or something. I have a large physical collection here and can't get to any one album very often in the course of year - it's just not possible. For example, I could tell you that Joy Division are one of my favorite bands, but it's probably been 6-8 months since I actually listened to any of their music. Probably 50% or more of my listening today is jazz or jazz related music, and it's been that way for the last five years or so.

My wife and I have game nights on some Friday's. I use the streaming services then to listen to playlists that I have generated. There are times that I will stream through my Cambridge audio streamer in my music room, but probably 80% of the time it is a piece of vinyl with a few CD listens thrown into the mix when I am doing serious listening.

[FormerLurker]

I think the most recent album to force its way into my top ten of all time is Earth's ... And The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull, so 2008.... I think it bumped either The Figgs Lo-Fi at Society High or Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique off the top tier, I'm not sure which.

Either way, Randie will be pleased.

It's raining here today, but it just got a lot sunnier.