Holiday CD 2002 > 2003

Disc 1 - Holiday CD 2002/2003

1) Wilco – “Heavy Metal Drummer” from YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT (2002)
Wilco is my favorite band. Leader Jeff Tweedy is from a town between Chicago and St. Louis called Belleville, IL. I considered him a genius in the early 90s when he was co-leader of Uncle Tupelo, one of my favorite bands during law school. Today he’s one of the most critically acclaimed artists in rock. He’s not in it to be a star...like Neil Young, he does it because he has to. He’s 35 and I expect to still be hearing from him when he’s 55. Here’s a nostalgic tune about hanging out at the Landing in St. Louis.

2) Jurassic 5 – "I Am Somebody" from POWER IN NUMBERS (2002)
I’m not a huge hip-hop fan, but this is a cool song.

3) Eminem – "Cleanin Out My Closet" from THE EMINEM SHOW (2002)
Gotta love Eminem. Like Dylan, he makes me laugh and wonder how he manages to choose these words, make them rhyme AND fit into the context of the song. Check out these lyrics – kinda tells his life story...father left him, mom was lame, he caught his wife Kim making out with another guy at a bar, he plays single parent to daughter Hayley, mom sued to take his money after he made it big...and now he hates her. Great stuff.

4) Bright Eyes – "Method Acting" from LIFTED (2002)
Bright Eyes is Colin Oberst, some 22 year-old from the midwest who critics are currently wetting their pants over. I really like this song, but am not totally sold yet. Maybe need to see the live show.

5) Foo Fighters – "All My Life" from ONE BY ONE (2002)
Another solid song from Dave Grohl, former drummer for Nirvana.

6) White Stripes – "Dead Leaves & the Dirty Ground" from WHITE BLOOD CELLS (2002)
Of the new rock bands getting tons of hype, this is my favorite. Great album. Only 2 people in this band – guitarist and drummer. No one knows whether they’re brother and sister or a divorced couple.

7) Nirvana – "You Know You’re Right" from GREATEST HITS (2002)
The last song Nirvana ever recorded was finally just released. Eight years after his death, Kurt Cobain manages to get a better song on the radio than anything else out there.

8) Starsailor – "Tie Up My Hands" from LOVE IS HERE (2001)
This is from last year but I discovered it this year. Great CD. Acoustic Radiohead vibe.

9) Dave Matthews Band – "Grace Is Gone" from BUSTED STUFF (2002)
Great band – especially live. I saw him perform this song a few years ago before it was released...it stayed in my head for months.

10) Pete Yorn – "Just Another" from MUSICFORTHEMORNINGAFTER (2001)
From last year but it’s a great song and I’m still listening to it. This guy from Jersey got tons of critical praise when the record came out...some real good songs...his brothers are lawyers and agents in the entertainment biz.

11) Ryan Adams w/Emmylou Harris – "Sweet Carolina" from HEART BREAKER (2000)
Ryan Adams gets the critics to wet their pants and I can’t figure out why...but this is a great song from his first album, which I think towers above his past couple. Never hurts to have Emmylou Harris singing with you.

12) Norah Jones – "Don’t Know Why" from COME AWAY WITH ME (2002)
Great tune. She came out of nowhere and became a hit. Her dad is Ravi Shankar.

13) Peter Gabriel w/Blind Boys of Alabama – "Sky Blue" from UP (2002)
This is one of the only good songs off Peter Gabriel’s first weak record. It’s not a huge deal to release a weak record, but when you took 10 years to work on it, that’s a problem. I just saw the concert last week – good show. The Blind Boys opened and were great. I went to the after party where Peter was supposed to show up. I literally waited til 2 am, hoping I’d get to apologize for The 1989 Incident. No such luck.

14) Baaba Maal – "Yoolelle Maman" from MISSING YOU (2001)
Great African album from last year. A couple critics were all giddy about it so I had to check it out.

15) Beck – "Lost Cause" from SEA CHANGE (2002)
Another great song and album from a great artist. He’ll be around forever. This whole album is kinda dark and depressing b/c it’s about his relationship ending after his girlfriend of many years cheated on him.

16) Sigur Ros – "Svefn-G-Englar" from AGAETIS BYRJUN (2000)
Intense stuff by this band from Iceland. They make up their own language, so that’s gibberish you’re hearing. They just released a new album which is good, relaxing background music. These guys are great live.


Disc 2 - Holiday CD 2002/2003

1) Crosby-Nash – "Carry Me" from WIND ON THE WATER (1975)
Great David Crosby song. I wrote about this in Update 15.

2) Jackson Browne – "For A Dancer' from LATE FOR THE SKY (1974)
JB performed this at Bill Graham’s memorial. I wrote about this in Update 15 too.

3) Bruce Springsteen – "You’re Missing" from THE RISING (2002)
It’s about 9/11, but it hits home for me.

4) Bob Dylan – "Not Dark Yet" from TIME OUT OF MIND (1997)
I think this is the best song on Dylan’s comeback album. I wrote about this in Update 15. Brilliant lyrics...don’t know how he does it. I wonder if this track is autobiographical...

5) Grateful Dead – "Death Don’t Have No Mercy" (live in 1989) from SO MANY ROADS
Dark, haunting cover by the Dead. Jerry, Bob and Brent all sing a verse.

6) George Harrison – "All Things Must Pass" from ALL THINGS MUST PASS (1970)
As I wrote in Update 13, George died just a couple months before my mom at the same age and of the same disease. I heard on the radio that he had died when I woke up at 4 something to drive to Evanston Hospital for my mom’s surgery. This was the last morning that she was her normal self. She was in a good, talkative mood before the surgery and as I walked in she said “Did you hear that George Hamilton died?” I said “The guy with the sun tan died too?” She said “No, the Beatle.” “That’s George HARRISON, mom.”

7) Wilco – "Via Chicago" from SUMMERTEETH (1999)
A song mentioning Chicago, where I spent the past year, from my favorite band. I think this is their best album.

8) Belle& Sebastian – "Like Dylan In the Movies" from IF YOU’RE FEELING SINISTER (1997)
A song I got into while living in Chicago. This CD was in the hospice rotation.

9) George Harrison – "What Is Love" from ALL THINGS MUST PASS (1970)

10) Warren Zevon – "Excitable Boy" from EXCITABLE BOY (1978)
Warren Zevon, a great, witty singer-songwriter, was recently diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He recently appeared on Letterman to sing a few tunes and say goodbye. He is expected to die before 2003. Check out his stuff.

11) Phish – "Chalkdust Torture" from PICTURE OF NECTAR (1992)
Phish is returning this month from their 2+ year hiatus. If you’ve never seen them live, do it.

12) Bob Dylan – "Summer Days" from LOVE AND THEFT (2001)
So weird, but my mom became a Dylan fan after hearing this album. She requested it in her final car ride to Evanston Hospital for the surgery and again for hospice. She particularly loved this song. He sounds like he swallowed some sandpaper and a frog these days, but the lyrics and character are still there.

13) Ric Ocasek w/Billy Corgan – "The Next Right Moment" from TROUBLIZING (1997)
I found this tune on Napster during my last week of employment. It’s a happy, upbeat rock radio song that never made it to radio. It’s The Cars meets Smashing Pumpkins...wonder why. This song should be in the opening credits of a movie.

14) Rolling Stones – "Don’t Stop" from GREATEST HITS (2002)
The first solid song from the Stones in a long while.

15) Warren Zevon – "Lawyers Guns & Money" from EXCITABLE BOY (1978)

16) Rolling Stones w/Dr. John – "I Just Want To Make Love To You" (live in Chicago 2002)
In September I got to spend 8 great days in Chicago working for the Stones again. This blues cover was recorded at their club show that week at the Aragon Ballroom. Dr. John guests on piano.

17) Grateful Dead – "Brokedown Palace" (live in 1990) from DOZIN’ AT THE KNICK
A classy goodbye...