Thursday Playlist
Posting this a little early as I have a busy Friday morning. “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys Thirty years and one week ago the Beasties released Ill Communication. I’ve always been a Paul’s Boutique guy, but there are plenty of people who think IC was their best album. And, of course, this song was the basis for one of the greatest…
Reaching for the Stars: The First 100
With 100 Reaching for the Stars entries under my belt, it is time to break down where we’ve been, AT40 style. It should be no shock that there have been more entries from 1984 than any other year, a healthy 18 posts from the greatest year in pop music history. I was mildly surprised that 1982 was second with 16.…
Friday Playlist
“Bored In The Summer” – Bad Bad Hats Too soon? “Dotted Line” – Why Bonnie Blair Howerton wrote this in a moment when she “felt the weight of capitalism” pressing down upon her. I love shit like that. Also a nice warning to prospective artists about being aware of what they are giving up when they sign that record deal.…
Friday Playlist
It’s summer time, bitches! “Summertime” – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince DRUMS PLEASE! “Dancing In The Streets” – Van Halen This song has always meant summer to me. It seemed like I heard it constantly Memorial Day weekend 1982, but it hadn’t cracked the Top 40 yet so I’m not sure how accurate that memory is. “Summertime Tiger”…
Reader’s Notebook + Thoughts On Cassettes
High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape – Marc Masters A single-book focus for this entry, less because of the book’s quality than what it got me thinking about. The book itself wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. Masters begins by laying out the history of the cassette tape and tape players. Then he dives…
Friday Playlist
“I See The Light” – The Men Just the thing to shake you awake and start your Friday off right. “Baby Bangs” – Snarls These Ohio kids had my second-favorite song of 2020. Since then, their output has underwhelmed. This is a nice return to form. “Pretty Happy Alone” – The Love Buzz I would not have guessed this band…
Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 100
Chart Week: May 15, 1987 Song: “Don’t Dream It’s Over” – Crowded House Chart Position: #15, 18th week on the chart. Peaked at #2 for one week in April. A few months ago, as I moved into posts 90-plus in this series, I considered whether I should do something special for number 100. Then I realized that since these entries…
Friday Playlist
I had to get up early to attend a function this morning. I’ve very excited to share details next week, but that is the explanation for this getting out a little later than usual. “22” – Hana Vu Remember when turning 22 felt like you were getting old? “22” – Taylor Swift Had to do it. “Ceasefire” – Frank Turner…
Dark Matter
We are nearly three weeks out from the release of Pearl Jam’s Dark Matter. As an OG PJ head, I should probably do a review. Especially since I’ve been listening to it daily over that entire stretch.[1] That last sentence could be the entire review. For the first time since 2006’s self-titled album, a Pearl Jam disk has stuck with…
Friday Playlist
It’s a two-video week! “Prep-School Gangsters” – Vampire Weekend There have been times when I’ve loved Vampire Weekend, others when I would be happy to never hear another song from them. Thus it took me awhile to get to their new album. Which I ended up liking a lot. I could have picked any of four or five tracks to…