Holiday CD 2009 > 2010

Volume 8 / Disc 1

1) Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” from THRILLER (1982)
(1958-2009) So shocking, yet not shocking at all. I was sad to lose MJ this summer, even though it felt like he died in the early 90s. He just didn’t seem meant to grow old. His death from nightly doses of anesthesia on the eve of his long-awaited comeback was as dramatic as his bizarre life. Talent oozed out of this guy at one time. I was a huge fan as a kid. The Victory tour with his brothers promoting Victory and Thriller was one of my first and most memorable concerts. I was up all night afterwards thinking about how I was now addicted to concert-going. One of my favorite memories is my experience trying to solve a fight between Michael, his family and Prince at the Jackson 5's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in `97! MJ and Quincy Jones made an unstoppable team. This song has been one of my all-time favorites since the first time I heard it. I think this is pure genius. RIP [Tip of the hat to John Hughes, 1950-2009 RIP]

2) Phoenix – “1901” from WOLFGANG AMADEUS PHOENIX (2009)
These French musicians from suburban Versailles found a unique sound for their 4th album since forming in 1999. Cadillac TV ads!

3) Phish – “Backwards Down the Number Line” from JOY (2009)
Welcome back to Phish, one of the all-time great live acts in rock. Sobriety has done them well. Halloween shows were epic!

4) The Gabe Dixon Band – “Till You’re Gone” from THE GABE DIXON BAND (2008)
Gabe formed his band in 1998 at University of Miami, became Paul McCartney’s keyboard player and background singer, then returned to do his own thing. I saw him do this song in early `09 on Conan and downloaded it immediately. Early Billy Joel?

5)Willie Nelson&Asleep At the Wheel–“BringItOnDownToMyHouse” WILLIE&THE WHEEL (2009)
GREAT album. Legendary Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler signed Willie in the 70s and wanted to do a Western swing album. They finally started pulling it together in 2008. Although Wexler chose all of the songs, he died before it was released. He’d be proud.

6) Levon Helm–“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” from ELECTRIC DIRT (2009)
You can feel the joy in this vocal! One of the lead singers (and the drummer) of The Band and one of rock’s great vocalists, 69 year-old Levon nearly lost his voice and life to throat cancer a decade ago. It has miraculously bounced back. Daughter Amy=harmonies.

7) K’naan – “Take A Minute” from TROUBADOUR (2009)
On his 4th album, this 31 year-old from Mogadishu, Somalia mixes positive messages with pop, hip-hop and world music into a unique sound. He’s come up with GREAT songs and melodies that deserve MUCH more attention. K’naan’s family fled to New York in the early 90s during the Somali Civil War and settled in Toronto, where he learned English by listening to rap music.

8) Green Day - “See the Light” from 21st CENTURY BREAKDOWN (2009)
I’m proud of these guys…they managed to do it again…another GREAT album. Other than the most classic bands, not many bands manage to make great albums this far into their career. They’ve earned a fan base ranging in age from 8-50 year-olds. Keep it up!

9) Brendan Benson – “A Whole Lot Better” from MY OLD, FAMILIAR FRIEND (2009)
Pushing 40, the Michigan native and less-famous half of The Raconteurs returns to his solo career from his new home of Nashville.

10) Rodrigo y Gabriela – “Hanuman” from 11:11 (2009)
The Mexico City natives return with another good collection of tunes as they continue to make world music hip.

11) PeterPaul&Mary–“If I Had A Hammer(live)” PETER, PAUL & MARY: IN CONCERT (1962)
This album is the first gift my parents bought for each other when they were dating. PP&M performed this song at the March On Washington in 1963, where MLK made his most famous speech. I got to see them in concert with my parents in the 80s. One of the biggest folk acts of the 60s was officially put to rest this year when Mary Travers died of leukemia at 72. (1936-2009) RIP

12) Koko Taylor – “Love You Like A Woman” was released as a SINGLE (1968)
The Queen of the Blues died at 80 after complications from surgery. In the 50s, she moved from Memphis to Chicago and became an institution after getting discovered by the great Willie Dixon and signing with the legendary Chess Records. (1928-2009) RIP

13) Them Crooked Vultures – “New Fang” from THEM CROOKED VULTURES (2009)
Led Zeppelin’s bass/keyboard player John Paul Jones teamed with Nirvana drummer/Foo Fighter Dave Grohl and Queens of the Stone Age leader/guitarist Josh Homme to form a crazy power trio that rocks!

14) The Entrance Band – “M.L.K.” from THE ENTRANCE BAND (2009)
This power trio is led by 28 year-old Guy Blakeslee, a Baltimore native who established his career at Chicago’s Hideout.

15) The Black Crowes – “Good Morning Captain” from BEFORE THE FROST… (2009)
Still a great live act, I think this studio track is their best in a long time. Crazy that it’s almost 20 years since their massive debut!

16) Portugal. The Man – “People Say” from THE SATANIC SATANIST (2009)
This quartet is based in Portland, OR but from Wasilla, AK. They agree that Palin is a twit. They’re a few albums into their career.

17) Fruit Bats – “The Ruminant Band” from THE RUMINANT BAND (2009)
Formed in Chicago in `99 by Eric Johnson, the band is now on their 4th album and based in Portland, OR.

18) Dave Matthews Band–“Funny the Way It Is” BIG WHISKEY AND THE GROOGRUX KING (2009)
Decent album paying tribute to late member, sax player LeRoi Moore. Dave was the #1 touring artist of the 00s at $529 million gross.

20) U2 – “I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” NO LINE ON THE HORIZON (2009)
Bono took a break from saving the world to make some decent new tunes with his buddies.

21) M. Ward – “Stars of Leo” from HOLD TIME (2009)
Matt Ward continues to be my favorite “new” artist. He’s everywhere lately. 2010 will be no different.

21) Ali Akbar Khan – “Guru Bandana In Desh Malhar” from LEGACY (1996)
420….A world-renowned sarod player from what is now Bangladesh, Khan popularized Indian classical music in the West as a musician and as a teacher with his College of Music, based in Calcutta and Cali’s Bay Area. Renal failure. (1922-2009) RIP



Volume 8 / Disc 2

1) Les Paul & Bing Crosby – “It’s Been A Long, Long Time” released as a SINGLE (1945)
The Father of the Electric Guitar brought new meaning to the phrase “rock til you drop” by playing live shows up until he caught pneumonia at the age of 93. Paul invented multi-track recording AND the Gibson Les Paul, which is one of the first-ever solid-body electric guitars, credited with making the rock music sound possible and used by most classic rock stars. As if all that wasn’t enough, Paul had a successful recording career, is considered one of the most influential guitar players with his Django Reinhardt-influenced sound, had his own radio show and was a hit artist with his wife, Mary Ford, through the early 50s. Born in Wisconsin, he moved to Chicago to build his name. From the 80s until he got sick, he held a weekly gig in New York city. This track with Bing Crosby on vocals was a #1 hit in 1945 – it was a welcome home track to the troops from WWII. (1915-2009) RIP

2) Jo Hamilton – “Think Of Me” from GOWN (2009)
Not bad for a debut! I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot from Jo, a singer-songwriter-pianist who mostly grew up in the remote Highlands of Scotland, but also spent time in Turkey, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. Her mother is Jamaican, and her father Kenyan but of Scottish heritage.

3) Monsters Of Folk– “Sandman, The Brakeman And Me” from MONSTERS OF FOLK (2009)
GREAT album: one of my 09 favorites. The CS&N of this generation: 3 very different artists (M. Ward, Conor Oberst/Bright Eyes, and Jim James/My Morning Jacket) with unique styles/sounds make a strong, variety-filled album. M. Ward leads this track.

4) Dawes – “Love Is All I Am” from NORTH HILLS (2009)
A classy debut from the Goldsmith brothers and their friends in LA, all ages 19-24. This material feels so real because it was recorded live in a cottage in Laurel Canyon. Clearly influenced by Laurel Canyon legends CS&N, I’m psyched about this discovery.

5)The Pines - “Heart & Bones” from TREMOLO (2009)
Both David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey are from Iowa, but met in Tucson after both randomly moved there to start music careers. They chose to establish themselves in Minneapolis, and are now on their 3rd album.

6) John Mayer – “Who Says” from BATTLE STUDIES (2009)
My 24 y/o cousin bet me $5 in 02 that John’s career would grow to Dave Matthews’ level & have staying power. Do I owe him $5?

7) Langhorne Slim – “I Love You But Goodbye” from BE SET FREE (2009)
Sean Scolnick adopted the name from his hometown of Langhorne, PA. Approaching 30, he’s on his third album after graduating from the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase.

8) Kings Of Convenience – “Mrs. Cold” from DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE (2009)
This duo from Bergen, Norway, formed in `99, is in their mid-30s and on their 3rd full-length album.

9) The Avett Brothers – “I And Love And You” from I AND LOVE AND YOU (2009)
Seth & Scott Avett from Concord, NC formed their group in `00. The legendary Rick Rubin produced their latest (10th+) album.

10) Jamey Johnson – “My Way To You” from MY WAY TO YOU (2009)
This 34 year-old from Montgomery, AL spent 8 years in the Marines and then relocated to Nashville to pursue a music career. He had success as a songwriter for others, was on the Fox TV show Nashville, and is now on his third album.

11) Cat Stevens (Yusuf) – “Roadsinger” from ROADSINGER (2009)
Amazing how an artist can purposely disappear for 30 years and then come back sounding like he never went away! Welcome back.

12) Zac Brown Band – “Whatever It Is” from THE FOUNDATION (2008)
From Dahlonega, GA, Zac is the 11th of 12 kids. He was a chef with a popular restaurant he owned with his dad and now is on his 3rd album, which has sold over 1 million copies. The album name comes from the foundation he started for disabled kids to go to camp.

13) David Gray – “Fugitive” from DRAW THE LINE (2009)
I’d lost interest in this 41 year-old from Manchester, England, but this song won me back.

14) Built To Spill – “Life’s A Dream” from THERE IS NO ENEMY (2009)
Now on the 7th full-length release since forming in 1992, 40 year-old Doug Martsch of Boise is on a roll, continuously improving his ability to work his guitar jams into stronger songs.

15) Chad Van Gaalen – “Willow Tree” from SOFT AIRPLANE (2008)
Chad writes, sings, plays every instrument, produces and does the art design for all of his projects. This is his 3rd full-length album, which got a lot of attention in Canada. Chad is from and currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for rarely leaving his basement, constantly writing new material and drawing new illustrations and animations. You can definitely hear fellow Canadian Neil Young in his music. One of his countless home demos made it into the hands of Sub Pop, who quickly signed him.

16) Wilco w/Feist – “You And I” from WILCO (THE ALBUM) (2009)
Although I’m not crazy about Wilco’s latest album, they’ve become an unstoppable live act. Feist joined them on stage at The
Wiltern in Los Angeles to perform this nice track live this summer.

17) The Alan Parsons Project – “Eye In The Sky” from EYE IN THE SKY (1982)
This song reminds me of the Jordan-era Bulls (every home game introduced the team with “Sirius”, the intro to this song) and riding the bus to school on frigid Chicago days. I hated being up early and riding the bus so I would zone out and listen to the bus driver’s radio. This song must have played every morning in Winter `82. Eric Woolfson was the singer and writer of this song and 50% of the APP. He was a lawyer and piano session player who met AP, an engineer at Abbey Road Studios, after AP worked on some Beatles records and engineered Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. Eric died in December of cancer (1945-2009). RIP.

18) Maxwell – “Pretty Wings (Uncut)” from BLACKSUMMERS’NIGHT (2009)
After taking almost 8 years off, the 36 year-old neo-soul star from Brooklyn came back strong with his 4th studio album.

19) Vieux Farka Toure – “Paradise” from FONDO (2009)
GREAT album, one of my 09 favorites. From Niafunke, Mali, Africa, the 28 year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist is the son of Ali Farka Toure. This is his 2nd album. The great Toumani Diabate plays kora on this track.


IF I'D HAD ROOM, I WOULD HAVE INCLUDED:

Air - “Eat My Beat” from Love 2
Allen Toussaint - “Bright Mississippi” from The Bright Mississippi
Amadou & Mariam - “Ce n’est pas bon” from Welcome To Mali
Andrew Bird - "Fitz and the Dizzyspells” from Noble Beast
Arctic Monkeys - “Crying Lightning” from Humbug
Booker T. - “Native New Yorker” w/Neil Young from Potato Hole
Buddy Miller - “Chalk” w/Patty Griffin from Written In Chalk
Chairlift - "Bruises” from Does You Inspire You
Chris Hunter - “Little Sunflower” from Bop City
The Decemberists - “The Hazards of Love 1” from The Hazards of Love
Eels - “All the Beautiful Things” from Hombre Lobo
Extra Golden - “Ukimwi” from Thank You Very Quickly
Florence + The Machine - "Kiss With A Fist” from Lungs
Grizzly Bear - “Two Weeks” from Veckatimest
Jerry Lee Lewis - "Mean Old Man” single
Jonsi & Alex - “Indian Summer” from Riceboy Sleeps
Kris Kristofferson - “Closer To the Bone” from Closer To the Bone
Lisa Shaw - “Sky High” from Free
Little Joy - “Brand New Start” from Little Joy
The Low Anthem - "To Ohio” from Oh My God Charlie Darwin
Marianne Faithful - "Sing Me Back Home” w/Keith Richards from Easy Come Easy Go
Mariza - “Beijo de Saudade” from Terra
Michael Franti/Spearhead - “Obama Song” single
Muse - “Uprising” from The Resistance
Neko Case - "People Got A Lotta Nerve from Middle Cyclone
Other Lives - “Don’t Let Them” from Other Lives
Oumou Sagare - “Wele Wele Wintou” from Seya
The Pains of Being Pure - “Young Adult Friction” The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Q-Tip - “Won’t Trade” from The Renaissance
Quantic & His Combo - “The Dreaming Mind, Pt.1” from Tradition in Transition
Rokia Traore - "Zen” from Zen (Live)
Sarah Jarosz - "Tell Me True” from Song Up In Her Head
Spoon - “Got Nuffin” from Got Nuffin
Staff Brenda Bilili - “Poliomyelite” from Tres tres fort
Tom Middleton - “Shinkansen” from Excursions
Vetiver - “Everyday” from Tight Knit
White Lies - "To Lose My Life” from To Lose My Life
Whitetree - “Mercury Sands” from Cloudland
Wye Oak - “For Prayer” from The Knot
Zee Avi - “Bitter Heart” from Zee Avi