rock and roll ain't noise pollution....

I think there's just time to squeeze in one more list before the Earworms of the Year countdown tomorrow, don't you?

How about a quick "best albums of 2008" countdown?

Over at The Auditorium, we've been counting down our albums of the year for 2008, and I thought it was worth putting the whole of that list up here - not least because I think it's interesting that between the three of us, LB, bedshaped and I have come up with 28 different albums from 30 picks, with LB and me both picking Coldplay, and bedshaped and me both picking Elbow. Just goes to show how different things float different people's musical boats, eh?

That list in full then.

Number 10s.

Santogold - Santogold (bedshaped)
James - Hey Ma! (ST)
The Killers - Day and Age (LB)

Number 9s.

Billy Bragg - Mr. Love & Justice (ST)
Sigur Ros - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (LB)
TV on the Radio - Dear Science (bedshaped)

Number 8s.

The Feeling - Join With Us (LB)
Glasvegas - Glasvegas (bedshaped)
Metallica - Death Magnetic (ST)

Number 7s.

Scars on Broadway - Scars on Broadway (bedshaped)
Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim (ST)
Alphabeat - This is Alphabeat (LB)

Number 6s.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (ST)
Royworld - Man in the Machine (LB)
Estelle - Shine (bedshaped)

Number 5s.

Paul Heaton - The Cross-Eyed Rambler (LB)
Albert Hammond Jr - Como Te Llama (bedshaped)
Coldplay - Viva La Vida (or Death and all his Friends) (ST)

Number 4s.

Britney Spears - Circus (bedshaped)
White Denim - Workout Holiday (ST)
Neil Diamond - Home Before Dark (LB)

Number 3s.

Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords (ST)
Coldplay - Viva La Vida (or Death and all his Friends) (LB)
Kings of Leon - Only by the Night (bedshaped)

Number 2s.

Keane - Perfect Symmetry (LB)
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree (bedshaped)
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (ST)

Number 1s.

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (bedshaped)
Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (ST)
Tina Dico - Count to Ten (LB)

Amazing how three people can hear the year so differently, isn't it? The write-ups are all well worth a read, anyway. LB went to a lot of trouble compiling that lot and adding pictures and links and stuff.....

Other end of year lists:

Mike's albums of the year
LBs singles of the year (50-21)
LB's singles of the year (20-1)
Your chance to vote the top 50 singles of 2008

Happy New Year to everyone. I'm not sure that you could really say that 2008 was a vintage year for music, exactly - in my view, lots of the really big releases were either not worth bothering with (Oasis, Kaiser Chiefs, Madonna....) or disappointing (Keane, Snow Patrol, Killers, Kings of Leon). Having said that, any year that brings me the divese likes of Bon Iver, Laura Marling, White Denim and the Fleet Foxes can't be all bad. Besides, it was also the year that I went retro and (re-)discovered the delights to be found in the back catalogues of AC/DC and the Clash, and you really can't argue with a bit of classic rock turned up to 11, can you?

I'll finally put 2008 (and all this pointless cataloguing) to bed with the Earworms of the Year post tomorrow......

Here's to a great musical 2009! May all your earworms for the coming year be enjoyable ones.

sing....

Well, how do you follow that?

By listing every single one of the 460(-ish) different songs nominated (or voted for) as an earworm on this blog in 2008?

OK. Your wish is my command.

2112, 20000007, 2 More Years (MSTRKRFT mix), 2 out of 3 ain't bad, 20th Century Boy, 2kindsalove, 4st7lb, 7 & 7 is, 9 in the afternoon, 99 Problems, a case of you, A Day In the Life, A Good Heart, A Sunday Smile, A Tender History in Rust, A&E, Ace of Spades, Addicted to Bass, After Hours, Aggro, All Good Things Come to an End, all nightmare long, All Summer Long, All Time High, All You Really Have To Do, Alphabet Street, always the last to know, Amarillo, American Boy, An Ill Wind, Another Rock and Roll Christmas, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, Any Other World, Apply Some Pressure, Are You Lonely, Ashes, Atomic, Automobile, back in black, Back When You Were Good, Bad Case (of Loving You), bad moon rising, Bare Necessities, battery, BBC olympic theme, big yellow taxi, Birdhouse in your soul, Bittersweet Symphony, Black and Gold, Blackened, Blister in the Sun, Blue Bleezing Blind Drunk, Blue Railroad Train, Bongo Jam, Boomshakalaka, Boy From School, Break My Stride, Brianstorm, Bright Tomorrow, Brown Eyed Girl, build me up buttercup, Bulls on Parade, Californication, Calm a Llama Down, Calm Like a Bomb, Canyons of your mind, Career Opportunities, Caribbean Moon, Celice, Cello Song, cemeteries of london, cemetry gates, Chemical World, Child Psychology, Chim Chim Cher-ee, chocolate salty balls, christobel, Cinematic, Clash City Rockers, climbing to the moon, Cocaine in my Brain, Cold Day in the Sun, Come As Your Are, Constructive Summer, Countdown, Cracklin' Rosie, Crawl, Cry For You, Da Doo Ron Ron, Dakota, Damn, Wish I Was Your Lover, Dance Wiv Me, devil woman, Distant Sun, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, down by the water, Down to the Wire, Down Under, dream a little dream, duchess, Duke's Place, Easy, Eat It, Eels Song, Eifach Sein, Elisabeth on the bathroom floor, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, everybody's changing, Everybody's Down, evolve or decay, Exit Music (For a Film), Faith, fake empire, Fall to Pieces, Falling, Falling Slowly, Fascination, fast car, feelgood inc, Fire, five to one, Fluorescent Adolescent, Flux, Folsom Prison Blues, Footloose, For Agent 13, Freeze Frame, Fugitive Motel, Future Sailors, Genie 2.0, Get Free, Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into my Car, Get Over It, get rhythm, Ghost Riders in the Sky, Gloria, Glory Box, god gave rock and roll to you, Gold, golden brown, Gone Daddy Gone, Good Girls Don't, Good Morning, good ship kangaroo, Goody Two Shoes, Got me Wrong, Graceland, graffiti, Greatest Day, Green is the Colour, Grounds for Divorce, half a person, Half a World Away, Hallelujah, Hallowed Be Thy Name, handlebars, Heart of Gold, Heavyweight Champion of the World, hey there delilah, Highly Evolved, Highly Suspicious, hold the line, Hometown Glory, hoppipolla, Hounds of Love, Human, Hurricane, Hush, I Am A Rock, I Can See Clearly Now, I Can See For Miles, I Can't Decide, I can't give you anything but love, I can't hold back, I Found Out, I Kissed A Girl, I Knew You Were Waiting, I know what I'm here for, I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked, I told her on Alderaan, I want you, I Want You To Stay, I will possess your heart, IEIEI, If I Had $1000000, If I Were A Boy, If there's a rocket tie me to it, If Tomorrow Never Comes, I'll Never Fall in Love Again,I'm Considering a Move to Memphis, I'm Fucking Matt Damon, I'm sticking with you, I'm throwing my arms around Paris, In My Life, In the Jungle, In The Mood, In Your Eyes, In-a-gadda-da-vida, Indiana Jones Theme, Inner Smile, inni mer syngur vitleysingur, Inside, Into the West, Is it any wonder, is it over, It Hurts Me Too, It's a Jungle Out There, It's Beginning to get to me, It's So Easy, junk shop clothes, Just, Justified and Ancient, Keep me in mind, sweetheart, Kennedy, Kiss Me, kokomo, last stop this town, Laughing Aloud, Laura, Lay Lady Lay, Left Behind, Less Is More, Let It Be, Let's Talk About It, Levi Stubbs Tears, Life for Rent, Lighthouse Keeper, livin' the vida loca, Living on a Prayer, living well is the best revenge, Losing, Lost Myself, Loughborough Suicide, Love Action, Love Games, Love Machine, Lovers In Japan, low, Makes me Wonder, Manic Depression, mannenberg, Mansard Roof, Me & Julio Down By The School Yard, Meat is Murder, meltdown, Mercy, Midlife Crisis, Milk, mmmbop, mogwai fear satan, Moonage Daydream, Moonchild, Morning After Midnight, Moving to New York, Mr E's Beautiful Blues, Mr Jones,mr sandman, My Favourite Waste of Time, My Heart Will Go On Forever, My Uncle used to love me but she died, My Year in Lists, names, Nancy Reagan's Head, Near Wild Heaven, Neighbourhood, Never Ever, Never Forget, New England, New Soul, New York, newborn, Night Nurse, Night Terror, Nightingale, No More Heroes, No One, No One Knows, Northern Lad, Nothing Ever Happens, Oedipus Rex, Oh My God, Old Cape Cod, Old Shit / New Shit, Once and Never Again, One and Only, One Day Like This, One Thing, Out Come the Wolves, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Oxford Comma, Paris to Berlin, Paris is Burning, Patience, phantom of the opera, Picture This, pioneer to the falls, Platinum, Please Read the Letter, Police and Thieves, Police on my Back, pork and beans, prince of parties, Private Psychedelic Reel, pub with no beer, queen of the world, ragged wood, Rapper's Delight, rattlesnakes, Ready for the Floor, Real Emotional Trash, Red Morning Light, Remember Tomorrow, Riders on the Storm, Right Beside You, Robots, Rocket, Rockstar, Romeo & Juliette, ruby, Rule The World, Nowhere With You, Run, Run Around, Run To Me, Sacre Coeur, Sally, Santa Claus is coming to town, Saved by Zero, Say it Right, See You Again, Sequestered in Memphis, Sex Bomb, Shadow of a Day, Shake Shake, Shake it! Shake it!, She don't use jelly, she wants to move, Sheila, Shipbuilding, Shirt, Sing Me Spanish Techno, Skinny Love,Skip to the End, Slow Hands, Slow Show, Songbird, Sonnet, Souljacker pt1, spiralling, Splendid Isolation, St Swithin's Day, stacey's mom, Stack-a-lee, Starship Trooper, Steady, As She Goes, Steppenwolf / Silver Machine, Straight Lines, Straighten Up And Fly Right, strawberry swing, stuck between stations, Substitute, Suburban Knights, Sunny Days, Sunset Coming On, Suzanne, Sweet About Me, Sweet Caroline, symphony number 9, Take Me Out, Tenterfield Saddler, that was just your life, That's Not My Name, The Auld Triangle, The Ballad of Ronnie Drew, The Beginning of the Twist, The Bitch Went Nutz, The Bucket, The Electrician, The Fall, the fallen, the fix, The Fountain of Salmacis, the loneliness of a tower crane driver,The President's Dead, The Saturday Boy, The Trooper, The Underdog, the warning, The Way I am, theme from airwolf, theme from buffy, Theme from Cheggers Plays Pop, theme from the flumps, Theme from Wizbit, theme to blind date, Theme to Paddington Bear, theme to sale of the century, Theme tune to big break, Theme Tune to Black Beauty, Theme Tune to Bullseye, Theme tune to Fraggle Rock, Theme Tune to Scooby Doo, theme tune to the muppet show, theme from shaft,There is only one of us, There's Power in the Union, They, This Girl Is Taking Bets, This Old House, Through the Morning, Through the night, Thunder Road, Time to Pretend, tired of sex,Tired of Waiting For You, Tonight, Tonight, Too Drunk To Fuck, too drunk to fuck, too much love will kill you, Touch Sensitive, touch too much, Toxic, Trampled Underfoot, Turn Tail, Two Hearts, umbrella, Us Against The World, Village Green Preservation Society, Violin Concerto, Viva La Vida, Volare, Voodoo Child, Waiting for a star to fall, Waving Flags, Way Down in the Hole, we didn't start the fire, We Hate The Kids, We'll Live and Die in these towns, what do you want from me, What Light, Whatever it Takes, When under Ether, white man in hammersmith palais, White Rock, white winter hymnal, Who Wants To Live Forever, wichita lineman, Winterborn, wired for sound, Witches' Hat, wordless chorus, Working for the MCA, Wow, Wuthering Heights, You Make Me Feel Like Dancin', Your Love Alone is Not Enough, Your Sweet Voice, You're Such A Good Looking Woman.

Ooh, I feel better for that. They can't all make the top 20, but they're all worth mentioning.

Earworms of the Year 2008 will be published on Friday.

...but instead I waste my time

...and people say they wonder what to do with themselves in the days between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve....

Listen, if I'm going to spend my time cataloguing the last twelve months worth of earworms, together with your votes, then I'm damn well going to do something with all that quality data. The Earworms of the Year for 2008 will be published on Friday, but in the meantime, get your chops around the 351(-ish) Artists nominated....

I for one love the fact that the world of earworms is one place where the likes of MGMT, Fuck Buttons, Lethal Bizzle and Brahms sit side-by-side with the likes of Adam Ant, Yes, Shakin' Stevens, Dick Van Dyke and Toto.

Anyway, the list:

Abdullah Ibrahim, ac/dc (two tracks), Ace of Bass, Adam Ant, Adam Green, Adele, Aha, Alice in Chains, Alicia Keys, All About Eve, All Saints, Alphabeat, Amerie, Amy MacDonald, Annie Lennox, Apache Indian, Arctic Monkeys (two tracks), Aretha Franklin & George Michael, ash, Athlete, Barenaked Ladies, Beach Boys, Bee Gees, Beethoven, Beirut, Ben Folds, Beyonce, Bikeforthree!, Billy Bragg (five tracks), billy joel, Billy Ocean , Black Box Recorder, Blake Leyh, Bloc Party (two tracks), Blondie (two tracks), Blues Traveller, Blur, Bobbie Gentry, Bon Iver, Bon Jovi, Bonzo Dog Band, Boy Meets Girl, Brahms, Brian May, British Sea Power, Britney Spears, Bruce Springsteen, Calvin Harris, Cat Power (two tracks), Celine Dion, Chemical Brothers, Chesney Hawkes, chordettes, Christina Aguilera, The Clash (three tracks), cliff richard (two tracks), Coldplay (four tracks), Counting Crows, Crazy Cousinz ft Calista, Crazy World of Arthur Brown, creedence clearwater revival, Crowded House, Crux Shadows, Crystals, CSS, Culture Club, David Bowie, David Ford, Dead Kennedies, death cab for cutie, Debbie Reynolds, Deep Purple, Def Leppard, Del Amitri (two tracks), diana krall, Dick Van Dyke, Dido, Die Fantastischen Vier, Dillinger, Dire Straits, Do Make Say Think, Domenigo Modringo, doris day, Dr John, Dubliners, Duffy, Eels (six tracks), Elbow (six tracks and an earworms special), Embrace, Estelle , Faith No More, Feargal Sharkey, Flaming Lips, fleet foxes (two tracks), Fleetwood Mac, Flight of the Conchords (two tracks), Flo Rida, flobots, Foo Fighters, fountains of wayne, Fourplay String Quartet, Franz Ferdinand (two tracks), Fuck Buttons, Gabriella Cilmi, Gary Glitter, gene, Gerry Monroe, Genesis, Geoff Proudley, George Michael, Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly, Girls Aloud, glen campbell, Glenn Hansard & Marketa Irglova, Goldfrapp, Gorillaz, Gregory Isaacs, Guillemots, Guns N'Roses, hanson, Hard Fi (two tracks), Hawkwind, Hold Steady (three tracks), Hot Chip (three tracks), Hoyt Axton, Human League, Ida Maria (three tracks), Incredible String Band, Infernal, Ingrid Michaelson, Interpol (two tracks), Iron Butterfly, Iron Maiden (four tracks), isaac hayes (two tracks, one as chef), Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, J Geils Band, Jacob Golden, James, Jamie T, Jay Z, Jeff Beck, Jeff Buckley, Jem, Jimi Hendrix (two tracks), Jimmy Cliff, joan as policewoman, Joe Dolan, John Williams, johnny Cash (three tracks), Johnny Nash, jon spencer blues explosion, joni mitchell, Jorma Kaukonen, Joseph Spence, Junior Murvin, kaiser chiefs, Kate Walsh, Katy Perry, keane (three tracks), Keb'Mo, Kenny Loggins, Kevin Ayers, Kid British, Kid Rock, Killers, King Crimson, Kings of Leon (four tracks), Kinks, kiss, KLF, Knack, Kylie Minogue (two tracks), Ladyhawke, Laura Marling, Laura Veirs, Led Zeppelin, Leo Sayer, Leonard Cohen, Lethal Bizzle, Lifehouse, Linkin Park, Long Blondes, Longpigs, Los Campesinos, Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, Love, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mali Music, Manic Street Preachers (two tracks), Marie Digby, Mark Ronson , Maroon 5, Maximo Park (three tracks), Meatloaf, Men At Work , Metallica (four tracks), MGMT, Mighty Boosh (four tracks), Mika, Mike Oldfield, Miley Cyrus, Mission of Burma, modeselektor, mogwai, monaco, Morrissey, Motorhead, Mousse T, My Morning Jacket (two tracks), Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond (two tracks), Neil Young (two tracks), Nelly Furtado (two tracks), Neon Neon, NERD, New Pornographers, Nick Drake, Nickelback, Nirvana, Nitin Sawhney, No Age, nouvelle vague, Oasis, Okkervil River, Owen Paul, Panic at the disco, Patti Smith, Paul Simon, Peter Allen, Peter Gabriel, Peter Mulvey, Phil Harris, Pigeon Detectives, Pink Floyd, PJ Harvey (two tracks), plain white ts, planxty, Poison, Portishead, Prince, Pulp , Puppini Sisters (three tracks), Puretone, Queen, Queens of the Stone Age, Rachel and Niamh, Rachel Unthank & the Winterset, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine (two tracks), Randy Newman, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Reindeer Section, REM (two tracks), Reverend & The Makers, Joel Plaskett Emergency, Rick Wakeman, ricky martin, Rita Coolidge, Ronan Keating, Robert Palmer, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss (two tracks), Roger Miller, Rogue Traders, Ronnie Drew, Rufus Wainwright, Rush, Sam Sparro, Sarah Silverman, Scaremongers, Scissor Sisters (two tracks), September, Shakin' Stevens, sigur ros (two tracks), Silverchair, Simon & Garfunkel, Sixpence None The Richer, Sky+ menu music, Snow Patrol (two tracks), Snow Patrol, Sophie B. Hawkings (three tracks), Space, Spandau Ballet, Spoon, Stephen Duffy, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, Stereophonics, Stiltskin, stranglers (three tracks), Suede, Sugar Hill Gang, Survivor, Take That (four songs), Texas, The A-Sides, the auteurs, The Beatles (two tracks), The Besard Lakes, The Colourblind James Experience, The Doors (two tracks), The Enemy (two tracks), The Fall, the foundations, The Fumes, The Futureheads (three tracks), The Hours, The Indelicates, The Kinks, The National (two tracks), The Raconteurs, the smiths (three tracks), The Subways, The Verve (two tracks), The Who (two tracks), Thea Gilmore, They Might Be Giants, Thomas Tantrum, Tight Fit, Tina Dico (two tracks), Ting Tings, Tom Lehrer, Tom Waits, Tony Christie, Tori Amos (two tracks), Toto, a Toyota Jingle, Tracey Thorn, tracy chapman, t-Rex, U2, Vampire Weekend (two tracks), Van Morrison, Velvet Revolver, Velvet Underground, Vines (two tracks), Violent Femmes (two tracks), Walker Brothers, Warren Zevon, We Are Scientists, Wedding Present, weezer (two tracks), Weird Al, Westlife, White Denim (three tracks), Wilco, Wombats, Yael Naim, Yes (two tracks!), Young Knives (two tracks).

Yeah, laugh it up. I'll stick the tracks up tomorrow. All of them.

standing in line to see the show tonight....

As regulars will know, as my history degrees might indicate and as the Earworms of the Year overload of the next few days is going to underline again and again, I am deeply drawn to pointless cataloguing. With that in mind, and given that I keep a nicely scored list of all of the gigs that I attend, if you had to guess, what did you think was going to happen eventually, as sure as night follows day?

I can't quite match Mike's 63 gigs this year (63!), but I am an amateur....and I reckon that 27 is still a pretty respectable number, don't you? (compared to 19 last year, 21 in 2006 and 18 in 2005...see, told you I liked lists.). It's plenty enough really, but even then there are gigs that I've missed in Nottingham or elsewhere over the last twelve months. With time, tour schedules, budget and stars all being aligned, perhaps I'll get to see a few more in 2009.

So, for the sake of completeness and my own warped sense of wellbeing, here they all are, all of the gigs I attended in 2008. They are sort of stacked by the scores that I gave each gig when I wrote then up, but that's so arbitrary as to be no scientific guide to anything, so as usual, I've ranked them on a combination of gut feel and an ever fading memory (which is one of the reasons I record these things in the first place).

I've put Glastonbury at the top simply because it can't be compared to anything else and is such a special weekend..... so, with thanks to LB, Hen Mike, Sarah, Rich, Laura, Ali, the two Johns, Peter from Vienna, anyone else I've attended a gig with in the last twelve months....even, on occasion and if she's in the same country as me, C.... I give you my gigs of 2008.

1. The Glastonbury Festival - 27-29 June 2008
2. Elbow @ Leicester De Montfort, 16th October - 9.5 / 10
3. Elbow @ Rock City, 14th April - 9.5 / 10
4. White Denim @ Bodega Social, 7th July - 9 / 10
5. Fleet Foxes @ Nottingham Trent Uni, 2nd November - 8.5 / 10
6. Billy Bragg @ Rock City, 19th November - 8 / 10
7. James @ New Theatre, Oxford, 19th April - 8 / 10
8.The Feeling @ Rock City, 10th March - 8 / 10
9. Gilad Atzmon and the Oriental House Ensemble @ Porgy & Bess Jazz club, Vienna, 17th March - 8 / 10
10. Laura Marling @ Rescue Rooms, 4th November - 7.5 / 10
11. Coldplay @ Birmingham NIA, 2nd December - 7.5 / 10
12. REO Speedwagon @ Rock City, 9th June - 7.5 / 10
13. Tina Dico @ The Maze, 4th March - 7.5 / 10
14. Iron Maiden @ Twickenham Stadium, 5th July - 7 / 10
15. Tina Dico @ Rescue Rooms, 4th December - 7 / 10
16. Joan as Policewoman @ Rescue Rooms, 10th December - 7 / 10
17. Wonky Pop Tour feat. Alphabeat @ Stealth, 15th April - 7 / 10
18. Martha Wainwright @ Rock City, 3rd November - 7 / 10
19. Futureheads @ Rescue Rooms, 3rd June - 7 / 10
20. Heavy Trash @ Nottingham Bodega, 30 September - 7 / 10
21. NME Awards Tour 2008 with The Cribs, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, Does it Offend You, Yeah? and The Ting Tings @ Rock City, 12th February - 7 / 10
22. Palladium & Alphabeat @ Bodega Social, 10th February - 3/10 (Palladium) & 8/10 (Alphabeat)
23. Nouvelle Vague @ Rescue Rooms, 7th February - 6.5 / 10
24. Def Leppard, Whitesnake & Thunder @ Nottingham Arena, 17th July - 6.5 / 10
25. One Night Only @ Rescue Rooms, 23rd February - 6/10
26. Seasick Steve @ Rock City, 9th October - 5.5 / 10
27. The Mighty Boosh @ Nottingham Arena, 8th November - 4 / 10

Elbow, eh? Go figure. Who ever heard of them anyway?

...and I think I mark too generously. Far too many 7s this year!

you should have known by now you were on my list....

As I sit in front of the fire and finish off the last of that cellared bottle of 1979 Sauternes left over from Christmas Day, with the leftovers of two bottles of excellent cellared reds still to come, I'm going to bore you to tears about Earworms of the Year 2008 again....

I'll start compiling this at the beginning of next week. It's a needlessly labour intensive process, probably, but I get a kick out of doing it and would like to have as many contributions from people as possible before I get started.

Here's what I need you to do:

1) Think of the five bits of music that have been most stuck in your head over the last twelve months. They don't have to be things that were released this year. Hell, they don't even have to be songs - I'm always earworming the tunes from adverts and jingles from the radio, and I'm never very far away from a Kia Ora or an Um Bongo moment....

2) Write them down in order and put a little bit of blurb about each one. It doesn't have to be much, but I'll put a few quotes next to every entry in the list, so the more soundbites I can get from people, the better.

3) Email them to me at the address in my profile.

4) um, that's it. I'll do the rest and will look to get the Earworms of the Year 2008 list published on Friday next week.

Thanks for all your votes so far, but I reckon I can squeeze a few more out of you before Monday. Anyone and everyone is entitled to a vote, incidentally.....

OK? Good.

The Earworms of the Year Roll of honour.

2005 Coldplay - "Speed of Sound"

2006 Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy"

2007 Rihanna - "Umbrella"

2008 ???
---

Whilst we're on the subject of lists, the countdown of the albums of the year at The Auditorium continues... We've already had the likes of Alphabeat, Laura Marling, Metallica, Billy Bragg, The Feeling, Glasvegas, Sigur Ros, TV on the Radio, James, Santogold and the Killers, but

The number 6s feature albums by Vampire Weekend, Estelle and Royworld

The number 5s feature Albert Hammond Jr, Coldplay and Paul Heaton.

....I bet you can't begin to guess the ones nominated by bedshaped, LB and me, eh?

It's a pretty diverse list already, so I wonder what we'll pick tomorrow? No crossover between the nominations so far, anyway.

(my niece is still as cute as a button too....)

gotta have you naked by the end of this song....

>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - C's CDs <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, miscellaneous

And now, the end is near... but not so near that I was able to pass up the opportunity to run through that CD Tower sat next to the armchair in the living room. You know, the one that contains a selection of C's CDs. Now, C likes her music, but she doesn't really buy very much of it. She has an iPod nano, but she's never felt the need to do any more than add a selection of songs from my iTunes library. Apart from a vague intention to use an iTunes gift card she's had for more than a year now to buy a Lloyd Cole album, she's never shown the slightest inclination to add anything else of her own. She does like classical music though, and I'm not too sure how I would react to that turning up on shuffle whilst I was out on a run.... Still, she's politely tolerant of most of the stuff I listen to anyway. Most of it. She's not really much of a metal head, but she has shown a real liking for some of the spikier end of my record collection, and is a big fan of people like the White Stripes and Kings of Leon.

Anyway, I'm sure this isn't the sum total of her musical interests, but the rest of the alphabeticon has only been about a small section of my record collection...and this is no different really.

Shall we?

> Les Plus Grandes Chansons du Siecle

Ah, a compilation album. Joe Dassin, Brel, Gainsbourg, Piaf, Johnny Hallyday... the cream of french songwriting, basically. I should probably give this a listen. Sounds pretty interesting. Altogether now "Champs-Elysees...."

> Scott Walker – Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel
> Jacques Brel – Infiniment
> Jacques Brel – Vol 1

The first two here are gifts from me... we both came to these songs from completely different directions: C was grew up in France and her parents saw Brel performing live, so his songs were very much part of the fabric of her childhood. I came to Brel through Scott Walker's covers. I hadn't really listened to any Brel, and C hadn't really listened to any Walker. So I bought CDs. That's what guys do, right? Although she's a big fan of Brel, because she doesn't rush out to get hold of every single thing he's ever recorded, there was a gap for a definitive collection of his work... and for a geek like me, that's an easy birthday present, right?

> Eurythmics – Greatest Hits
> Annie Lennox - Medusa

I like Eurythmics, but it's not something that I'm terribly likely to buy, so actually discovering this here is a bit of a bonus. I might have to rip this one. Does Annie Lennox still win the "Best Female Artist" at the Brits every year?

> Narciso Yepes – Chefs d’Oeuvre de la Guitare Espagnole

This may actually have been a gift for me. It seems to have found it's natural home. Not in my collection. Very good, I'm sure. C plays classical guitar, so no doubt she appreciates this on several more levels than I do. I like Jack White and Hendrix and people like that. She digs Narciso Yepes. Each to their own.

> Robbie Williams – Greatest Hits
> Robbie Williams – Life Thru a Lens
> Robbie Williams – Swing When You’re Winning

Hmm. C likes Robbie Williams and has seen him live. I think I gave her "Swing When You're Winning" one Christmas (you see? another easy present...), but the rest? That's all her own work, I'm afraid.

> Velvet Underground – The Best of the Velvet Underground
> Velvet Underground – Live MCMXCIII

...although you have to love a girl who has seen the Velvet Underground live. I think the live album was recorded in Paris, although not actually at the gig she attended... a good effort nonetheless, especially as when they played Glastonbury that year, I elected to go and watch a pre-first album Suede play, only seeing the VU playing "Venus in Furs" as I trudged up the hill to my tent. Well, I never did see Suede again either....

> The Beatles – 1

Well, hard to argue this one, unless you're an album snob. If you only have one Beatles album in your collection (bearing in mind that I have several within easy reach), this is not a bad one to have. Good for the car, anyway.

> Fun Lovin’ Criminals – 100% Colombian
> Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come Find Yourself

She loves'em. What can you do? I've never really got them, but they're the one band that she has really enthused about since I've known her. Me, "Scooby Snacks" aside, I don't really get them.

> Doors – The Best of the Doors

Yup. Fair enough.

> Ricky Martin – Ricky Martin

She likes salsa, and as I have "Livin' the Vida Loca" in my singles collection, far be it from me to case any aspersions. Mind you, it does always conjure images of Borat in my head. "Reiki Martin is here?". Perhaps that's just me though.

> Rene Clemencic & Andras Kecskes – Flute A Bec Luth & Guitare
> Mozart – Requiem
> Mozart – Die Zauberflote
> Mozart – Don Giovanni

Classical stuff.

> Gwen Stefani – Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

Just occasionally, C will say to me that she really likes someone that she's heard on the radio. It doesn't happen terribly often, but the last time it happened, Gwen Stefani was the artist in question. I don't think I've ever heard her play this album though, so you'll have to ask her if she thinks it's any good. Is this the "...this shit is bananas. b.a.n.a.n.a.s bananas" record?

> John Coltrane – The Best of John Coltrane

Mmm. Jazz. Her dad loves jazz, and it's pretty hard to argue with a record like this, isn't it? I should give this one a listen actually. Nice.

> Bob Marley & The Wailers – Legend

Well, doesn't everyone own this? We seem to have two copies.

> Alex Harvey – Considering the Situation

A retrospective of the great man's career. We specifically bought this as C wanted his version of "Shout" (yes, the same one Lulu also covered) to be played at our wedding reception last year. We eventually found an album with the song on it in Birmingham, but on the way home the CD got stuck in her car CD player and was only recovered after the whole stereo was shipped to Germany. I think we finally got it back about December... and we had got married in June. So needless to say, it wasn't played. I was quite surprised and a bit disenchanted that in the digital age, it was so hard to find a copy of the song. Just sometimes, google lets you down.

> Madonna – Music
> Madonna – Ray of Light

Me, I can't stand her... but C likes her. Girl power, probably.

> Tom Jones – Reloaded

Now, I like Tom Jones, but I really don't like this album. I think he's just trying too hard and much prefer his older, cheesier stuff. Of course, the rest of the world would rather listening to him singing with Mousse T. My loss, I suppose.

> New Sound 2000 – Voices, music from the greatest divas ever

Sounds like a freebie to me.

> Alanis Morissette – Jagged Little Pill
> Alanis Morissette – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie

More girl power? I own one of these, and I have never even so much as listened to the other one. It might be very good for all I know. I've never heard C listening to either of these either. She's brilliant on that episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" though. Morissette I mean. Not C. Although I'm sure she'd be good too.

> Sting – Mercury Falling
> Sting / The Police- the best of Sting & the Police

Yes to the Police, but a big no to tantric sex rainforest man.

> Kylie Minogue – Body Language
> Kylie Minogue - Fever

Ah, Our Brave Kylie. I think these may both have been gifts from me, but she is a fan... honestly.

> Elvis Presley – Elv1s

This is the collection of his number ones, and I own this too. I'm not a massive fan, but you can't go too far wrong with it, can you? My favourite Elvis lyric ever? "I'm itching like a man on a fuzzy tree". Yours?

> Filter – Elvis Never Meant Shit to Me

Dunno. This pre-dates me.

> Dominique A – La Memoire Neuve

???

> Sugababes – Angels with Dirty Faces
> Atomic Kitten – Whole Again

Girl power? Not really.... just great pop music. Not much of this in my collection, but I do think that both of these may just have found their way onto my iPod.

> Chuck Berry – Legends In Music

This is the kind of record that I might own. He's a legend, I know, and Johnny B Goode is worth the price of entry alone... but Hendrix did it better, didn't he? Let's be honest.

> Patricia Kaas – Scene de Vie

Nope. Sorry, no idea.

> The Rolling Stones – Out of our Heads

C. like the Stones. One Christmas, her present to me was a handful of CDs that were important to her when she was growing up (which is a great idea, although I think it's probably fair to say that she wouldn't thank me for giving her "The Number of the Beast" and the first Faith No More album). Included in the CDs was a Rolling Stones collection. It wasn't this one, but obviously the Stones were an important band for her growing up. Her older brother Jake has played in various bands and has written and recorded music for most of his adult life. He was always the rebel at home and C was always the good girl. Jake was, of course, hugely into the music and was a massive Clash fan. Some of this has clearly rubbed off onto his little sister. She likes classical music in the main, but she does like the odd bit of rock. Nice.

> U2 – The Joshua Tree

I think I have this on cassette somewhere, but I'm not sure that I could name any of the songs on this with any great certainty apart from the singles. Not an album I have listened to all the way through, I think. From an era when I despised U2, I'm afraid.

> Barry White – Greatest Hits

This is actually mine. I do a terrible Barry White impersonation that really creeps C out... so obviously I do it all the time, and equally obviously I made sure that I had a record to sing along to. Actually, this is quite good... but it being quite good isn't the reason it's here. Was there ever a less sexy man in the whole universe than Barry White? Are walruses really something to aspire to? I'm thinking that even a walrus of love isn't that much of a sex bomb, on the whole.

> John B – Catalyst

John B is a friend of C's. I think she's on the album credits. It's jungle though, innit, so I doubt I shall ever, ever listen to it for longer than the split second it takes me to realise what it is and run away.

> Q the music 8
> Q Take it Easy
> The ’96 Brit Awards

Free stuff. We should probably take this to Oxfam... especially as the two Q albums are probably refugees from my collection anyway. C got taken to the Brits on a corporate jolly actually, it was the year the Franz Ferdinand won stuff. She sat in the golden circle and was wined and dined. Yeah, I know....

> The Full Monty OST
> High Fidelity OST

The latter was another gift from me (and a damn fine album to boot). The former? Apart from "Hot Stuff" and 'You Can Leave Your Hat On", I'm not sure I even know what's on this.

> David Gray – White Ladder

Ah, old wobbly head. Not really my cup of tea. A big hit, as I understand these things.

> Sherpas – Freezin’
> Lungfish – kinshipnesshood
> Benabar – les risques du metier

Your guess is as good as mine. I think Lungfish are one of her brother's bands (he's a proper musician you know, in his spare time... he gets royalty cheques and everything. Currently he's working as a project manager in an architect's office, which is not quite so cool, but is a lot more reliable for paying the bills)

> Ute Lemper – Sings Kurt Weil

If you can get past all those rolling rrrrrrrrrrrrrs, then this is really very good. I'm not entirely sure that I can get past them though.

> Joe Dassin – Vol 2

One more time, with feeling..... "Champs-Elysees...."

> Janis Joplin – Greatest Hits

I used to have this, so I suppose it could be mine. She's famous for her big voice and for her alcoholism, but I find her very hard to get into, for some reason.

> Music to Watch Girls By

Ah, an excellent compilation album this. If this isn't my copy, then it could easily have been another present from me. God, I'm so unimaginative with my gifts.

> Justin Timberlake – Justified

Trousersnake. Hmm. C actually owns a hat that she seldom wears but calls her Justin Timberlake hat.

> Essential Soundtracks

I think this includes stuff like "Lust For Life". Interesting up to a point, I suppose.

> Billie Holiday – Feel the Blues

Ah, now we're talking. You have to say that the girl does have some taste. I don't actually own any Billie Holiday, and I should rip this one right onto the iPod, I think.

> Manic Street Preachers- This is My Truth Tell Me Yours

Well, you can't argue with this one. Right up until SYMM, anyway. A great, great band. Peter, our Austrian friend was very interested in the idea of the Manic Street Preachers when I was telling him about them when we were in Vienna a few weeks ago. He'd heard of "If You Tolerate This..." but was ignorant of the rest of their work. Naturally, I posted him a compilation CD as soon as I got home, lovingly crafted to include 4st7lb, which was the song that got us talking about them in the first place (from the lyric "I want to walk in the snow and not leave a footprint"). I also sent him a homemade Eels collection and --ahem-- the Feeling (well, he likes Toto and stuff, so I thought he would love them too. he does.)

> Edith Piaf – Edith Piaf

Hates Marion Cotillard, loves Edith Piaf.

> Fatboy Slim – You’ve Come a Long Way Baby

Meh. It's all a bit of its time, isn't it? Great video with Christopher Walken though.

> Jamiroquai – Travelling Without Moving

No no no no no no no no no. NO. Just no.

> Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits

I've never got Bob Dylan, really, and yet I own several albums by him in an attempt to get him based upon the assumption that so many people can't be wrong and that I must be missing something. Well, perhaps I am, but life is so short, isn't it?

> Daft Punk – Discovery

French. Very good. I was once at a party at her brother's flat in Toulouse. Naturally, most of the people there were French. I do speak French reasonably well (I'm told), but in a typically English way, I don't really like to unless it's absolutely necessary. As it happens, I found conversation quite easy as we started to talk about music, and Daft Punk in particular. Everyone seemed very impressed that I had even heard of Daft Punk as they imagined that they would only be famous in France. They were pleased that I had, as they're rightly proud of them as a good band. I was a little baffled that they seemed unaware of their worldwide success. We later moved on to the Clash... another band we could all agree on, and one that seems to have been very important to French guys of a certain age.

> Vent – 414

Was this Miles Hunt? I've no idea why C has this, or if it's any good.

> Vincent Delerm – Kensington Square

Nope. No idea. Sounds French though, right?

> The Clash – The Story of the Clash

Brilliant band, and I think it's brilliant that C has more of a feeling for the Clash than I do. I like them, sure, but she grew up listening to them. "Lost in a Supermarket" is one of her favourite songs, and I love her for that.

> Buena Vista Social Club

Great film, good album, and a direct link to her love of latin dancing.

...and that's it.

An interesting selection there, I think. Certainly a lot more varied than my gloomy collection of music by white boys with guitars, anyway.

We can all go home now. It's over......

Thank Christ for that, eh?

DVDs next? Books?

Only joking.

C'est fini.

zed's dead baby, zed's dead....

>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - miscellaneous <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z

Blimey. If you thought that the rest of the Alphabeticon was a bit of a slog, you wait until you get through this lot. I some of this stuff is really great, some of this stuff is really awful. Some of this stuff is only here because, in the old days, if you wanted to get hold of a track, you weren't able to just download it from iTunes or from some file sharer somewhere. Oh no. Sometimes you actually had to buy an album that the song was on.... from a shop! You'd have to leave the house and everything. And most shops were shut on Sundays. And Bank Holidays. When "The Holy Bible" came out, the Monday after the Reading Festival in 1994, I couldn't buy it because all of the shops in Milton Keynes were shut for the August Bank Holiday. Imagine that.

But I digress. Here, in (almost) all of their glory, are those CDs sitting between the Zs and the CD singles on the shelves of one particular room in my house.

Enjoy.

542. Help
543. Help – A Day in the Life

Well, obviously these are alright, aren't they? These are the two charity albums, each one recorded in a single day and with all of the profits donated to the Warchild charity. That's fair enough, isn't it? There are even some good songs on here. Listening to "Help" was the first time that I heard "Lucky" by Radiohead, well before its appearance on OK Computer. "A Day in the Life" contains a beautiful song by Gorillaz called "Hong Kong". Worth the price of admittance on their own. And it's all for charidee, innit? Very much downhill from here though. There's even some classical later on. *shudders*

544. Pulp Fiction OST
545. Spider-Man OST
546. Bram Stoker’s Dracula OST
547. A Life Less Ordinary OST
548. Star Wars A New Hope OST
549. Star Wars Episode I: A Phantom Menace OST
550. Empire Strikes Back OST
551. John Williams conducts the Star Wars Trilogy
552. Forrest Gump OST
553. Trainspotting OST
554. Rocky Horror Show – original London cast
555. Spaced - soundtrack from the TV programme

Ah, soundtracks. Some of these are easy to explain and are probably owned by millions of people.... all capture a moment and contain some fantastic tunes. If there's a student who was at University in the 1990s, I'll be astonished if they don't own the Pulp Fiction or Trainspotting soundtracks, and I'll also be amazed if there's any male in their 30s or 40s who doesn't own (or wish they owned) a bit of Star Wars soundtrack. That can't be just me? (although, in my defence, I should say that I picked up the two Star Wars OSTs from the staff shop for £2 each less staff discount. They were giving them away.). Some of the others here? A Life Less Ordinary and the Dracula soundtracks were gifts. Forrest Gump contains some really fantastic songs and is a good collection in its own right. Spider-Man? Rocky Horror? Hmmm. Dunno. Why have I still got them? Hmmm. Dunno.

556. The Best of Blaxploitation
557. The Look of Love – The classic songs of Burt Bacharach
558. Reloaded 2
559. Cigarettes and Alcohol
560. Unbelievable
561. Respect – the soundtrack to the Soul Generation
562. Best Punk Album in the World Ever
563. Music to Watch Girls By
564. Motown – the hits collection volume 1

Right. These are the classic kind of CD that you purchase just after you've started to have a CD player in your car, but before the arrival of iPods. They vary in the amount that they were advertised on the telly and how naff and dated they look now (just how many of these generic indie compilations did they produce in the Britpop era?). Some contain songs by people like Toploader, but they also generally contain a number of tracks that you probably otherwise wouldn't own. The Punk album is a good example actually: it's got really shockingly bad packaging, but it's actually a really good collection of all those great songs that you otherwise might not own. "Into the Valley", "New Rose", "Another Girl, Another Planet", "I Am The Fly"... stuff like that. Yeah, maybe now you could download them... but would you ever get round to it. And I won't hear a word said against the Motown, Soul and Blaxploitation collections either. Or the Music to Watch Girls By one..... In fact, I should rip a few more of these onto my iPod.

565. Beats by Dope Demand vol IV

I bought this (and I really had to hunt for it) simply because I was looking for "Battle of the Planets" by Fader Gladiator. It's a very short, dubby remix of the Imperial March from the Empire Strikes Back as featured on an Episode of Spaced. It's probably on iTunes now. Still, it's a bloody brilliant record. Geeky, perhaps, but brilliant.

566. The Wild, Wild West
567. The Mighty Wurlitzer

I picked these up from the bargain bin in Our Price at a time when I was doing a regular radio show at University and always on the look out for a good bedding track to talk over. I found a couple of corkers here: the mighty wurlitzer is.... some bloke playing well known songs on a wurlitzer organ. The Wild, Wild West is.... a collection of instrumentals played largely on a guitar of things like the Bonanza theme tune. Brilliant. I think they cost me £1.

568. Multibionta – chilled
569. John Peel’s Festive 15
570. Best of 2005 Vol II

Freebies. Possibly never listened to, and perhaps (especially the Peel one) containing at least one thing I will like. If not, then I should probably just chuck them out, eh? I mean, who else has actually hung onto a CD that they got free with a pot of multivitamins? I mean, come one!

571. Q Best of 03
572. Q best of 04
573. Q Mellow Gold
575. Q Rule Brittannia
576. Q Covered 86-06
577. Q Here Comes the Sun
578. Q Glastonbury Jukebox
579. Q Lennon Covered
580. Q The Album
581. Q Essential Dance
582. Q Essential Glastonbury

I've actually already binned about 20 of these, and this lot must have arrived after the last cull. I was gifted a subscription to Q in 1995, and for some reason I have never quite got around to cancelling, even though a once interesting magazine has degenerated into an advertorial parody of itself, packed full of utterly pointless lists (does anyone really believe that the first two Oasis albums are the greatest British albums ever? And if so, are they the same people who voted the second Keane album as the 7th greatest British album ever?) I really must stop the subscription, but you always need something to read in the lavvie, don't you? Actually, I've found one or two good songs on this lot. The "Covers 86-06" album is even quite interesting... and well before the Live Lounge really took off too.

584. Empire Ultimate
585. Word of Mouth
586. Now Hear This

More magazine freebies. I've actually got about ten of each of those Word of Mouths and Now Hear This's too.... but they look the same and I can't be arsed to listen to them, nevermind to sit here and catalogue them. More candidates for the bin, I suppose, although I'm acutely aware that actually these can be a really good way to discover an artist. I should probably listen to them whilst reading the magazine (perhaps even the bit that tells you about the bands on the CD). Will I? Nah.

587. Louise Attaque – Louise Attaque

Oh Hello. This looks a bit out of place in here. Sounds a bit French... must be C's.

588. Mozart – Requiem
589. Pavane by Faure
590. Faure – Requiem
591. Satie – Oeuvres pour Piano

Ah, classical music. I simply do not understand classical music. It's not as though I haven't tried. God, I've tried. There's something about it that my brain just will not accept. It makes me tense and ultimately gives me a headache. I have to try really hard not to be inversely snobby about people who know and like classical music... not everyone is pretending they like it just to be cool and appear intelligent, after all.... at least I don't think that they all are...but I just don't get it. Sorry. C, of course, absolutely loves it.

---

So, there you have it. I'd do a "lost in iTunes" section, but by its very nature, you don't really get a miscellaneous section in iTunes because the software files everything away neatly for you. It's only in a proper, honest to goodness, pile of records that you get a "everything else" section, isn't it?

That's it from the CDs sat in that one particular room. Next time, as a special one-off and to put this whole stupid feature to bed, I'll have a quick run-through the CD tower that holds some of C's record collection. She doesn't listen to music much, and certainly not on CD. She has an iPod that I have loaded for her, and she tends to make do with that. In fact, perhaps we'll find that a good number of those CDs were gifts from me in the earliest days of our courtship, and thus, like all good compilation tapes, will say far more about the giver than they do about the recipient of that gift.

Something to look forward to, eh?

watch out where the huskies go....

>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - Z <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y

Nearly done now. This trawl through one particular set of shelves in one particular room in my house is almost over.

Almost.

We're at Z, anyway.

541. Frank Zappa - Strictly Commerical

It's a compilation album, of course. Zappa was one of those guys who have recorded so much stuff that it's almost impossible to know where to start, and so the default setting is to explore with a decent Greatest Hits album and see where you take it from there. Given that Zappa's career incorporated rock, jazz, classical and all points inbetween, and that he recorded something like 57 albums in his lifetime and another 18 have been put out since his death, this seemed like a very sensible approach to take. Actually, I haven't got around to buying anything else. Even a greatest hits seems pretty overwhelming to me. Good, but way too much to take in really. Still, "Bobby Brown Goes Down" is one of the finest (and funniest) records ever made (just check out the lyrics or YouTube if you don't believe me), and you can't really go far wrong with things like "Valley Girl", "Dancin' Fool" and "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow". Nor can you argue with someone who Václav Havel, the president of Czechoslovakia and a lifelong fan, appointed as consultant for the government on trade, cultural matters and tourism. Sadly the US Government objected and Zappa was forced to become an unofficial cultural attaché. He's still well thought of in Eastern Europe today - there's a statue of him in Vilnius.

Missing in iTunes: Warren Zevon - I was sufficiently inspired by Craig Cliff's earworms the other day to pop out and buy a Zevon compilation on CD. It's not on this set of shelves, so it doesn't count for this list, but I'm enjoying his work nonetheless.

Next week: You thought it was over but it's not.... miscellaneous / other / ephemera. Ah go on, you love it. I'm going to do C's CD tower after this too, although since she gave her Blue CD to Oxfam yesterday (which she claims she was given in the first place), it's not going to be half as much fun as it might have been.... In fact, I think this might be the reason she turfed it out in the first place.

**update**

What's happened to my ZZ Top albums? I've got at least two kicking about somewhere. I saw them live too, you know, and they were ace.....

he came dancing across the water....

--
>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - Y <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X

We're staggering towards the finish line now.... nearly there.... stay on target.... I can see the end... stay on target.....etc. Not many CDs left to go on those dusty shelves now, but there are a few more yet.

Oh, and lest I forget to mention - this is not the alpha and the omega of my record collection. It is merely the section of it that resides in one particular room. Some of the ropier heavy metal appears to hidden somewhere else, for starters, as I didn't see any Whitesnake a couple of weeks ago, or any Warrior Soul. Well, it is what it is, and I've started so I'll finish.

536. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Sleeps With Angels
537. Neil Young – Decade
538. Neil Young – Unplugged

He's a genius obviously. "Sleeps With Angels" is the album he recorded in the wake of Kurt Cobain's suicide, and I think is a partial response to Cobain's quoting a Neil Young lyric in his suicide note ("it's better to burn out than to fade away" - man, imagine how Young felt when he read about that). It's an interesting record, but it's not as good as his seminal appearance on MTV's 'Unplugged', which at one point features the triumphant appearance of a musician playing the broom. Still, you can't really go wrong with "Decade", which is double album running through Young's most classic material -- "Needle and the Damage Done", "Like A Hurricane", "Cinnamon Girl", "Southern Man", "Heart of Gold", "Cortez the Killer". Respect to the man. Respect.

539. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever to Tell

It's alright, I suppose, but I have to admit that I've never really got them. And I struggle with the guitarist's hair. And I'm always a bit suspicious of any band who are as well known for the way the look and the way they dress as they are for the music they play. Put it this way, I didn't bother buying the follow-up to this.

540. Young Knives – Voices of Animals and Men

I love this record, and I'm currently very much enjoying the recently released follow-up ("Superabundance", which is in the car and thus not on this list). They are an unlikely looking bunch of slightly tubby chaps with glasses dressed mainly in tweed, and they articulate the quiet desperation of the white-collar worker - the accountants of the world - beautifully. They also occasionally rock quite hard, and their references are also oddly bucolic, taking in (amongst other things), the horses of the New Forest. A fantastic band.

....and that's your lot. Not a huge number of bands, but I do feel the quality level of this letter is pretty high. Above average, I'd say....

Lost somewhere in iTunes: Yo La Tengo, Yomanda, Young Marble Giants, Youngbloods...

Next time.... Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

And you think Z is the end?

Ahahahahahahahahhahahaha!

No.

the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls...

>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - X <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W

You surely know the score by now. An alphabetical trawl through the CDs sat gathering dust in my cave.... and certainly not the alpha and the omega of my record collection. Got it? Right. Nearly finished now....

So. X.

Um.

Nothing.

Zip.

Nada.

Nothing to see here.

Move along.

Move along.

[coughs]

Next week........ Y ! (and I have got some Ys, alright?)

Lost somewhere in iTunes: XTC. That's it. "Making Plans for Nigel", since you ask. An excellent song, at least.

And here's what I could've won: Xzibit, Xscape, X (apparently there are seven known bands called "X"), X-Press 2, X-Ray Spex, X-Ray, X Men, X-Noize... erm, anyone think of any others? It's not a letter of the alphabet absolutely overwhelmed with bands, is it? Any suggestions?

through mirrors dark and blessed with cracks...

>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - W <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V

Goodness me. Are we nearly there yet? I have mostly been getting my kicks today through the growing (and visible) irritation of the HR person in the first employee rep meeting today as I asked her to carry out a number of perfectly reasonable and yet time-consuming tasks that she clearly didn't want to do. I actually do want the answers, but the fact that she clearly didn't want to have to go and find them gave me some pleasure in an otherwise very long 3 hour meeting. Anyway. To the business in hand. Where had we got to again? Ah yes, W. One of my favourite letters in the musical alphabet... for reasons that will become obvious below.

Oh yes, and I suppose I should mention that this is not the alpha and the omega of my music collection. It's only a relatively small and probably unrepresentative view of where I am today, although I suppose it probably represented me at some point in my life.... or represents where I have been anyway.

Or something.

Shall we just get on with it then?

Ah, right you are then.

505. The White Stripes – Elephant
506. The White Stripes – White Blood Cells
507. The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan
508. The White Stripes – Icky Thump

Frankly, who knew that a two-piece band like this could be either so popular or so good? The White Stripes seem to occupy a niche entirely of their own, although at their very heart is the Blues - a style of music that just never seems to go away. "Seven Nation Army" is probably mine (and everybody else's) favourite song and "Elephant" my favourite album, but there's so much other stuff to love here too. They're fantastic live too, and let's not forget that "Fell In Love With a Girl" was the first dance at my wedding, after all. Great band. The Ws are off to a brilliant start. Surely it's downhill from here?

509. Scott Walker – Scott
510. Scott Walker – Scott II
511. Scott Walker – Scott III
512. Scott Walker – Scott IV
513. Scott Walker - Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel
514. Scott Walker – Climate of Hunter
515. Scott Walker – Tilt
516. Scott Walker – The Drift
517. Scott Walker – Boy Child
518. The Walker Brothers – After the Lights Go Out
519. The Walker Brothers – Nite Flites

Ah, the godlike genius of Noel Scott Engel. I've probably rambled on here about Scott Walker enough for one lifetime already, but suffice it to say that, alongside Morrissey, he has been a towering presence in my record collection. His honeyed baritone has always been present, of course, right from his earliest days with the Walker Brothers, performing songs like "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" and "Make It Easy on Yourself", but where he really comes into his own is with his solo work. How many other artists have reacted to achieving boyband like levels of success by singing increasingly bleak songs about existentialism and death? Certainly not Ronan Keating, anyway. To understand how far away he was from his bandmates in the Walker brothers, you only have to listen to their last album, "Nite Flights". The first four songs are by Walker and are a clear signpost of the direction that he has subsequently taken. They are extraordinary songs, if indeed "songs" is the right word for them as they bear very little resemblance to traditional song structures at all.... but when the four songs are over, track five starts with a terrible lurch into something horribly conventional by one of Walker's "brothers" in the band. A man more out of place you could not wish to hear. Remarkable stuff. If you are interested in Walker, and you haven't already seen it, then I strongly advise you to watch Scott Walker: 30 Century Man. It's interesting enough as a run through of Walker's career, but where it really comes into his own is in the footage of Walker as he was making "The Drift". Here is a man who is dancing to the beat of his own drummer and is paying little or no heed to conventions or the normal pressures of the music business. There's one beautiful anecdote in the film where the head of his record label comes in to the studio to listen to a playback of "Tilt" - Walker's 1995 record, and his first in 11 years. It's an intense record, and it was being played back at full volume over a pair of massive speakers. After a couple of songs, the executive turned to the producer and asked him if he minded playing it through the smaller speakers. The producer obliged, but just as the music started up again, much more quietly, Walker appears behind the executive and says something like, "Would you mind terribly if we listened to it through the big speakers? When I've created something, I only listen to it once and then never want to hear it again. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather remember it through the big speakers". The executive obviously complied, awed in the presence of one of the last remaining true auteurs. He's a man who has followed his muse wherever it has taken him, and I for one am richer as a result.

520. Amy Winehouse – Frank
521. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black

Oh, what else is there to say about our Amy that hasn't already been said? Well, all I will say is that whatever the issues she might have in her life, there is ample evidence on these two albums that she is a fantastic talent. Adele and Duffy might be coming up on the rails, but they've both still got some way to go before they come anywhere near Winehouse.

522. Paul Weller – Wild Wood

The Jam were a brilliant, vital band. How come Weller turned into everything he hated when he was that young firebrand? This is a reasonable album, I suppose, but I can't listen to it without thinking about the preening peacock Weller has become, all opinions and well-cut clothing and hair. I just can't be doing with him, frankly.

523. Wire – Pink Flag

Most notable for the blatant steals Elastica made here for their album... but a seminal punk album in its own right, of course. When did I last listen to it in full? Er. 1996? Christ, I really should give it a spin, eh?

524. Wolfsbane – All Hell’s Breaking Loose Down at Little Kathy Wilson's Place

Ah, Wolfsbane. Probably notable mainly for providing the world with Blaze Bayley, the man who would go on to replace Bruce Dickinson (briefly) in Iron Maiden and last seen advertising hair replacement therapy. For me though, he will always be the frontman of Wolfsbane, a band that I absolutely adored in the early 1990s - to the extent that I joined their fanclub. Yes, I was a Howling Mad Shithead. Kathy Wilson was a mini-album that they released in 1990, and although it's only about 20 minutes long and the production values are pretty poor, it's an absolute corker. The title track is inspired by a long-forgotten 1950s alien invasion style B-Movie and it's fantastic. I still love it today... and I'm sure Des would back me up here too.

525. Muddy Waters – Chicago Blues

Classic, innit? Well, classic artist anyway, if not exactly a classic album. I've got "Hard Again" on cassette somewhere actually. You listen to the version of "Mannish Boy" on there. Now that's the blues people.

526. Tom Waits – Rain Dogs

Gravelly voiced classic, innit?

527. The Who – My Generation

The Who are one of those bands who I like, but have never really had the energy or the inclination to trawl my way through their vast back catalogue. Ergo a Greatest Hits. "Substitute" remains an absolute cast-iron classic though. I can take or leave Pete Townshend though: he's always struck me as a bit of a knob.

528. Weezer – The Green Album
529. Weezer – Pinkerton
530. Weezer – The Blue Album
531. Weezer – Maladroit

It was "Buddy Holly" first, of course, with its classic Spike Jonze video, but several years later - and a bit after the event - I discovered their other stuff. They're kind of the foundation stone of the sound of some of those emo bands aren't they? Only without the eye-liner and stuff. Good band. Lots of guitars. Angsty. What's not to like?

532. We Are Scientists – With Love and Squalor

I'm not even sure why I even bought this in the first place. I think perhaps it was the album cover of the band holding cats (including the very cute one that looks at though butter wouldn't melt in its mouth but you can't help but notice that by the time we get to the inside cover, the guy holding it is wearing gloves). Almost by accident then, I discovered an absolutely fantastic album. Songs like "Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt", "This Scene Is Dead" and "It's a Hit" are superb songs. They're also extremely good live, coming onstage to "Against All Odds" and picking up their instruments and starting to play the Phil Collins classic themselves... and the encore consisted of the band doing "End of the Road" in a acappella stylee. Nice. They've got a new album out this month actually, and if the new single "After Hours" is anything to go by, it's looking good. I was due to see them at Rock City next month, but sadly I've double-booked and will be in Oxford watching James instead... so if you know anyone who wants a ticket...?

533. Rufus Wainwright – Want One
534. Rufus Wainwright – Want Two
535. Rufus Wainwright – Release the Stars

Oh, it's so tempting to be rude here just to annoy those fans who think that our Rufus is the greatest thing since sliced bread.... you know who you are. I think he's alright. He's a little too stagey and theatrical and I occasionally find his voice unbearably reedy (his version of "Hallelujah" is alright, but it's not a patch on the Jeff Buckley version, is it?). He is clearly talented though: the two "Want" albums are fantastic of course, and although I can't say that I care for it as much, "Release the Stars" has its moments too. He's also a great live act, and I've seen him do two very entertaining sets at Glastonbury (such an unlikely venue for an artist like this, don't you think?), but also a brilliant set at the Royal Concert Hall in Nottingham. He's certainly not everybody's cup of tea, and he doesn't strike me as natural and unforced a talent as his sister, but when he's good, he's very, very good.

Ah, it's a good letter, is W....

Missing in iTunes: The Walkmen, The Wannadies, The Webb Brothers, The Wedding Present, Wheatus, Wilco, Wir Sind Helden, Wolfmother, the Wombats, The Wonder Stuff.....

Next Week: er.... not sure. X? Hmm, could be a short entry. I've XTC on my iPod, but no CDs, I think....

but mostly you just make me mad....

>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - V <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U

So, our weekly trawl through some of the dustier shelves in my back room. You know, someone was actually asleep in the toilets at work this afternoon. In trap four. Proper snoring asleep. Rob came over and told us all about it and everyone thought it was dead funny... although I did mention that perhaps the poor bugger had a problem: medication, narcolepsy... something like that. Maybe someone should check? How would you like to wake up in the toilets in your office at 2am? I went down there, and sure enough, snoring. I slammed the door of the trap next door, loudly blew my nose, pulled the flush and slammed the door again. Someone emerged, blinking from the cubicle, washed their hands and splashed the water sleepily onto his face and left. Well, at least he's alright, eh? What a place to fall asleep. It's wrong on so many levels...

Anyway.

Where were we?

Ah yes, "V".

489. The Verve – Urban Hymns

"The Drugs Don't Work" was the number one in the UK singles chart on the day I moved to Nottingham; the day that Diana died / was killed [insert the absurd, ill-thought out conspiracy theory of your choice here]. I quite like the Verve, and this album has got a few fantastic songs on it, but it's never entirely floated my boat and I'm not sure why. I saw them at Glastonbury back in 1993, in the days before they attached the definite article, and in a festival that included Suede, Van Morrison, The Kinks, the Velvet Underground, the Lemonheads and umpteen other fantastic bands, they were probably the best thing I saw all weekend. Richard Ashcroft clearly has a touch of whatever Johnny Borrell has too.... a desperately over-inflated sense of how talented they really are. Still, he is talented though: 'Bittersweet Symphony" sounds as great today as it did back in 1997.

490. The Vines – Highly Evolved

Worth the price of admission just for "Get Free", but otherwise an album that doesn't entirely satisfy.

491. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico
492. The Velvet Underground – Loaded
493. The Velvet Underground – White Light / White Heat
494. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground
495. Lou Reed – Transformer
496. Lou Reed – Berlin
497. Lou Reed – New York
498. Nico – Chelsea Girl
499. John Cale – Fragments of a Rainy Season
500. John Cale – Close Watch: an introduction to John Cale

Ah. Now we're talking. This is a proper band.... although for reasons best known to myself, that night they headlined the Pyramid Stage, I chose to go and watch Suede on the Other Stage instead. I caught a bit of them (playing "Venus in Furs") when I was walking back up the hill to my tent. Ah well, I'm older and wiser now, even if it's sadly far too late to get another chance to watch the VU in action properly. What a band though, eh? It famously took "The Velvet Underground and Nico" (the banana album) some 25 years to go gold, and David Bowie apparently took to standing on a New York street corner handing out copies of the album to passers-by and trying to tell them how good it was. It's a bloody brilliant album. All of their albums are brilliant. "Pale Blue Eyes" and "Jesus" are two of the best songs ever recorded, and "Sweet Jane" contains the greatest "Just watch me now!" ever committed to record. Lou Reed's solo work is also fantastic. "Walk on the Wild Side" makes "Transformer" his best known solo album, but "Berlin" is probably the more satisfying listen, and the much more recent "New York" is worth a go too. Having said that, his concert at the Albert Hall was one of the most tedious gigs I have ever been too in my life. In fact, it was the most tedious bar Bob Dylan. He looked like he was having a great time, but I reckon he must have been the only one. Ah well, legend. John Cale's work is probably less immediate and is a lot more stylised, although it's not all screechy viola solos... songs like "Paris 1919" and "Child's Christmas in Wales" stand up to almost anything. Superb. And as for "Chelsea Girl", well, she was working with people like Jackson Browne, Leonard Cohen, Lou Reed, John Cale and Bob Dylan. How could it be shit? Her voice is perhaps an acquired taste, but I love it. There's some of my favourite albums in this lot, that's for sure.

501. Suzanne Vega – Solitude Standing

Come on, it's got "Tom's Diner" and (especially) "Luka" on it. What more do you need?

502. Violent Femmes – Violent Femmes

I was introduced to this band very late - only a couple of years ago actually, thanks to Cat's inclusion of "Add it Up" on her shuffleathon CD for me. I knew "Blister in the Sun", of course, but their brand of very distinctive folk punk is exhilirating. I love the way the drums play such a prominent role in their sound.

503. The View – Hats off to the Buskers

Meh. It's alright, I suppose, but I'm a bit bored of "Same Jeans" and I'm not really sure that they've got much else to offer. And anyway, hands up who washes their jeans after less then three days wear? Really? Think of the environment!

504. Verbal Warning – A Kick in the Verbals

A friend of mine's punk band. I'm not sure that they're ever really going to go anywhere, being as they're all in their 40s now... but on the other hand, they spend most weekends playing pubs, clubs and festivals for beer money, sometimes supporting their idols like the Stiff Little Fingers. I don't think you can argue with a hobby like that, eh? And you know what? they're actually pretty good too! More power to them, I say.

Lost in iTunes: Van Halen, Viva Voce, Von Bondies, Voxtrot

Next time... Scott Walker, obviously.

as bullets rip the sky....

>>>>> ST's ALPHABETICON - U <<<<<

Previously in the Alphabeticon: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, singles, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T

As we wind our way down towards the arse end of the alphabet, I have a feeling that these posts are (mercifully) going to be getting shorter and shorter. I've got a few Vs and Ws, but I have a feeling that Xs, Ys and Zs are going to tumble by in a flash... just as the Us are likely to do.

As always, a word or two of caution: this isn't a definitive list of my entire music collection, and in fact to interpret it as such would be to seriously misjudge my current tastes, I think. This is something of a trip down memory lane, as encased on one particular set of shelves in one particular room in my house.... the cave: home to my desk, my beer fridge, my old stereo system, lots of CDs and the posters C. doesn't really want anywhere else in the house (A Manet print of Venice, Ali v Liston, Abbey Road, a signed picture of Andrew Flintoff, Morrissey and Marr, Han Solo.... that kind of thing).

Anyway. On we go.

484. U2 – Achtung Baby
485. U2 – All That You Can’t Leave Behind
486. U2 – How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
487. U2 – Best 1980-1990
488. U2 – Best 1990-2000

Hm. I'm not at all sure about U2. For much of my life, I have hated them with a passion. In the early days, I'm not even really sure where this loathing came from. It wasn't that I had a problem with their earnestness or their mullets or anything like that. I didn't even really listen to their music. I just didn't like them. I actually bought "Rattle and Hum" on cassette during this period, but it never really did anything for me and merely served to entrench me in my position of detached dislike. This abstract disliking for them came to a head when I was a student and ended up sharing a house with (amongst other people) a red-headed Brummie called Tina. Tina was a lovely girl in many respects, but for all her virtues, she absolutely adored U2. In fact, she barely listened to anything else. This was around about the time that "Zooropa" came out, and I began to shift from a position of passive hatred, to a more vocal hatred of them. All that crap about getting Salman Rushdie onstage and ringing up the pope. It was all so ghastly. U2 were trying too hard and it annoyed the hell out of me. I fought over U2 with Tina on many, many occasions... something that once had the distressing effect of driving her to listen to M People at high volume and more often than not saw her laying into The Smiths just to piss me off. It seemed that me and U2 were never going to see eye to eye. I think I must have mellowed. A love of "One" (possibly as a result of hearing Johnny Cash's cover, but more likely because I actually gave it a chance and realised what a great song it is) saw me revisiting "Achtung Baby" and discovering that underneath my annoyance at the number of singles from it that used to infest the radio, there was the beating heart of a pretty decent album. I didn't bother with much of their other stuff, but the run of great singles ("Beautiful Day" and all that jazz) saw me buying "All That You Can't Leave Behind", and there I was, suddenly owning a couple of U2 records and actually thinking it would be kind of cool to see them live. Another U2 album saw "Vertigo" become the first song that I paid to download, and then I did go and see them live. At Twickenham they played "Vertigo" twice, which is a cardinal sin, but otherwise they were very good. Somewhere along the line, I shortcut the need to buy any of their back catalogue by lazily cherry picking the two Greatest Hits albums and thus remaining resolutely "Joshua Tree" free (although C. has it somewhere, I think). I still think that Bono is a burk, but I think that so too does most of the rest of the world. The funny thing is that I'm still not really sure if I like them all that much. They might well be the biggest band in the world, but they're not the best.... but they are reasonably good, I suppose..... although their albums always have more filler on than I would like, and although he peaks are very high, but I'm not sure about their quality control....and the less said about Bono's laughable lyrical cliches - bullets ripping desert skies and all that - the better.

Tina's still wrong about The Smiths though, and M People are unpardonable. End of story.

489. Ungdomskulen – Cry Baby

I think this is the first (and so far only) CD that I have ever bought at a gig. That Ungdomskulen were actually the support band (to the Young Knives at the Rescue Rooms) probably makes it even more remarkable. They must have been good, right? I don't usually make it to the venue until the headline act are practically walking onto the stage, nevermind watching the bands further down the bill (in my defence, this is not a policy of mine and happens mainly due to a lack of time and organisation rather than a lack of desire to watch support bands.... ) Still, that night I got to the venue early and was lucky enough to see this lot. They were brilliant. They're a threepiece from Norway and, as I said at the time, "come across as a kind of scruffy Hives mixed with a touch of prog, a hint of Pavement and perhaps a dash of Sonic Youth". They have a brilliant drummer and they are well worth checking out if you get a chance. If they're on the bill at a gig you're going to.... get there early.

...erm, and that's it for the Us.

Next week: V..... featuring Lou Reed (solo) and John Cale (solo). My filing system, my rules.

Lost somewhere in iTunes: Underworld, The Undertones, The Um Bongo Theme, Urge Overkill....