Where The Hell Is E?

Where the hell did Uncle E go?

Why, he's right HERE!!!

Just click on the above link to see where I've gone. Not sure if it's a better format, but I'm kind of bored with this one and thought I'd try something a little different. A few of you cheeky buggers have already discovered it (Fusion 45!). I may use this new blog to delve into a more varied format including comics, general pop culture and more, but the focus will still be music. Since traffic is usually at a minimum on the weekends I'll be stuffing some of the older posts from here on there so I can keep track of some of the...erm...better ones.

I'll still keep this one open for a while (for archival purposes), but there will be no new posts...at least for a while. So please for those of you kind enough to include a link to this little site on your far superior one, can you update it?
Thanks a bunch, and head on over to the new blog to see Encle E's Top Albums Of 2008!!

Best Album Covers For 2008

Even though you have to squint to see the details with cd's, album covers are still an important part of the overall experience. In my opinion it can actually add at least a quarter of a star to my rating, as weird as that may sound. It becomes the identity of an album, as linked to the artist as the music itself. Just try and think of the Velvet Underground's debut and not see that iconic Warhol banana. It's impossible.
Anyway, in lieu of my upcoming "best of 2008" list here's a link to Rolling Stone magazine's picks for best album covers of 2008.

CLICK HERE

Weekend Cut 'N' Paste: Bigger Ain't Always Better

Biggest Selling Singles In The United States

*Bits and pieces of the following were stolen from Yahoo! Music*

The biggest selling single of all time in the United States has sold almost twice as many as its closest competition. In 1997, Elton John released a remake of his classic 1973 song "Candle In The Wind" with new lyrics that paid homage to Diana, Princess of Wales after her untimely death. This single sold over 11 million copies in the United States. An incredible figure.

So what are the runners up to "Candle In The Wind 1997"? Well, only two have broken the 6 million mark ("A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley & "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down"), and only 12 have cracked the 4 million mark.

All the songs in the following playlist have sold over 4 million copies as a single in America. Some will surprise you, many will not. What do you think?

Biggest Selling Singles In The United States

1. A Little Less Conversation - Elvis Presley

2. Here Without You - 3 Doors Down

3. Another One Bites The Dust - Queen

4. Apologize - Timbaland

5. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You - Bryan Adams

6. Hey Jude - The Beatles*

7. Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel - Elvis Presley

8. I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

9. Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye

10. Low - Flo Rida

11. Macarena - Los del Rio

12. Ridin' - Chamillionaire

13. We Are The World - USA For Africa**

14. Whoomp There It Is - Tag Team

Total Absorption

I’ve rediscovered the joys of headphones.

Lately I’ve the need to escape the day to day pressures of working for a newspaper (just google “newspaper troubles” and you’ll see why) and the best way to zone out is to connect a good pair of headphones to the old iPod, imbibe in your favorite beverage and let the music take you to another place. Other than seeing a band live, headphones are the best way to experience music. With no outside distractions you’re free to let the music take charge of your brain and decimate the days trials and tribulations. Little nuances appear that were too subtle to hear on your car stereo, the bass sounds fuller and, in the case of your more psychedelic offerings, the full power of stereophonic sound floats from ear to ear demanding your full attention. And it doesn’t have to be a “prog” album, or a “producers” album to be a good headphone album either; many of the great headphone albums I own are acoustic offerings, or bare bones albums, if you will.
Who needs a $14,000 surround sound audio system when one can purchase a good pair of $100 ‘phones? The great audio equalizer, that’s what I say!
Here are just a few of Uncle E’s favorite “headphone” albums. What’re yours?

Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd
Screamadelica, Primal Scream
John Wesley Harding, Bob Dylan
Sgt. Peppers, The Beatles (natch!)
Tommy, The Who
Moon Safari, Air
Pet Sounds, The Beach Boys
The Great Escape, Blur
Catch A Fire, Bob Marley
Avalon, Roxy Music
Califone, Roots And Crowns
Surrender, The Chemical Brothers
Deserters Songs, Mercury Rev
The Soft Bulletin & Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Flaming Lips
Low, David Bowie
Fun House, The Stooges
In The Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra
Grace, Jeff Buckley
Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon
Band On The Run, Paul McCartney
The KLF, The White Room
How I Quit Smoking, Lambchop
Post War, M Ward
Blue Lines, Massive Attack
Kind Of Blue, Miles Davis
Z, My Morning Jacket
CASH, Nasty Rox, Inc.
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, Neutral Milk Hotel
U.F. Orb, The Orb
Wildwood, Paul Weller
Steve McQueen, Prefab Sprout
A Ghost Is Born, Wilco
Apple Venus, Vol 1, XTC
….and a gajillion others…

Songs That Defined An "E"

For eight years the Britons owned my rock and roll soul. Between the years of 1988-1995 I graduated from anarchistic punk rocker to blissed out Madchester/ Brit-Pop disciple. The music I enjoyed most from that era owed a massive debt to the psychedelic sounds of the 60’s and the burgeoning rave movement in England. It was a glorious mutation that changed the way I listened to music forever and from there I would go backwards, devouring the influences of these sonic genre bandits like salted pistachios. Unfortunately when one is obsessed with a particular style of music (well me, anyway) there’s the eventual casualty of buying a few horrible duds along the way that seemed groundbreaking at the time; The Soup Dragons, The Farm, EMF, Jesus Jones and many more.
But there were some absolutely fantastic songs and albums during that time that have stood the test of time and are still in regular rotation on my iPod. Here are my picks for the best songs for that 7 year period when ecstasy, rave culture and bangers and mash ruled my psyche and my stereo.

'88-Left To My Own Devices, by The Pet Shop Boys: I’ve got no less than 11 different mixes of this song currently on my iPod, and it’s one of the rare tracks I never, ever skip. It being produced by the great Trevor Horn is a plus, but it’s just a great orchestral slow builder that builds to a masterful climax of shimmering synths and orchestration. If you listen closely you can hear the blueprint for my pick of 1995...

'89-Fools Gold, by The Stone Roses: This song changed EVERYTHING! It was Frankenstein’s monster, Sympathy For The Devil of the rave generation. It had attitude and it had groove. A veritable architectural rendering for the next 5 years. Monumental.

'90-Hallelujah, Happy Mondays (Paul Oakenfold): The beginning of the DJ as an integral part of a groups sound. It changed the Mondays from thuggish 2nd raters to leaders of a new movement.

'91-Loaded, Primal Scream: Like the Mondays before them, Primal Scream were nothing more than wannabe’s, aping the MC5 on previous releases, before this. There were better songs on Screamadelica, but none with the impact of Loaded.

92-Connected, Stereo MC’s: Sure it’s funny to hear someone with a British accent rap, but for a brief moment it sounded very cool. They never equaled this, their moment in the sun.

'93-Lazarus, Boo Radleys: In my opinion, Giant Steps (the album on which this song originates) is the perfect album, definitely one of my desert island discs. Utilizing horns, searing guitars and dub as a base, this song sums up everything good and unique about British music around that time. Groundbreaking stuff, this.

'94-Supersonic, Oasis: Mixing The Sex Pistols and The Beatles with the attitude and free associative lyrical style of The Happy Mondays, Oasis exploded onto the scene in 1984 and this was the number that broke them. For me, anyway, as I never really cottoned to the big smash from Definitely Maybe “Live Forever”. They would die a horrible death with their third album, the bloated Be Here Now and would never regain their former glory. Blur turned out to be better, but at least they gave us one perfect slab…

'95-Common People, Pulp: Their grandly theatrical, synth-spiked pop with new wave and disco flourishes is mastered here on Common People. Exciting and socially acerbic, Common People tells the tale of a rich girl who wants to “go slumming” with the “common people”, and Jarvis Cocker and Co. are simply masterful on this, the best track from 1995.

Being For The Benefit Of Uncle E

Question for you.

Have you ever asked someone what their favorite Beatles album is? Did their opinion differ from yours? I bet you an autographed Ringo drum stick that it did.

At this point, I think you’ll agree, The Beatles are beyond any criticism. They introduced more innovations into popular music than any other rock band of the 20th century and are revered by millions of rock fans who universally agree that they didn’t release a bad record during their 7 years of recording albums.

But ask any Beatles fan what their favorite Beatles album is and chances are the answer will be radically different from yours.
For example my wife is a fan of the early stuff while I tend to gravitate towards the mid to late 60’s output. I know people who prefer the White album’s chaotic creativity over the structured brilliance of Abbey Road and still others who prefer the muscle bound rock and roll of Help! over the whimsy and sophisticated psychedelia of Sgt. Peppers.
With me, as I stated, it’s the latter half of the bands career I find most consistently enjoyable, but the ranking changes quite regularly. Here’s my (current) favorite Beatles albums, in order, for you to critique and debate over.

Agree? Disagree?

Have at it!


#1. Revolver

#2. The White Album

#3. Sgt. Pepper

#4. Rubber Soul

#5. Abbey Road

#6. Help

#7. Magical Mystery Tour

#8. A Hard Days Night

#9. Let It Be

#10. With The Beatles

Uncle E’s Favorite Punk Albums

As you’ll no doubt notice, all of the below are albums released prior to Green Day’s debut in 1991. Actually, nothing released after 1985 was punk, in my humble opinionated opinion. Nothing against Green Day or any of the countless others, but they were never punk. They lack(ed) the originality, the angst, of the originals.

The Stooges, Raw Power. There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about the Stooges and their importance on the punk movement of the mid 1970's. Truthfully, I could have picked any one of their albums, all great.

The Sex Pistols, The Great Rock And Roll Swindle. I always thought this was much more punk than Never Mind The Bollocks, in the sense that it was more sloppy and more thrown together. Plus, it was more fun!

The Ramones, Rocket To Russia. I waffle between this and the debut. Both excellent, but this one had better cover art…

SNFU, If You Swear You’ll Catch No Fish. These guys took North American hardcore to new extremes. Crunching guitar attacks and a tiny Asian lead singer who did back flips a-la David Lee Roth (albeit with WAY more energy and fury) named Mr. Chi Pig!

Forgotten Rebels, In Love With The System. Canada’s answer to the Pistols. Note to Mickey DeSadist: Get yer effin’ albums on itunes, maaaan!!!!!!!!

Dead Kennedys, Plastic Surgery Disasters. Jello Biafra takes on Jocks, republicans, organized religion and Winnebago’s, sometimes all in one song!

Black Flag, Damaged. Southern California anger at it’s absolute purest. The definitive LA hardcore band, with no less a cult figure than Henry Rollins fronting.

Buzzcocks, Singles Going Steady. Punk goes POP!

The Clash, The Clash. Before the polish of London Calling and international stardom, these four guys released a seminal punk album at the dawn of 1977.

The Meatmen, War Of The Superbikes. Stupid, fun and totally brainless punk from Michigan.

DOA, War On 45 (Expanded Edition). Canada’s favorite and most influential punk band, this is a compilation of, in my opinion, their finest and most furious moments.

Minutemen, Double Nickels On The Dime. An all time classic, 43 songs and not one longer than 2:45. An absolute classic!

The Misfits, Legacy Of Brutality. Glen Danzig, before he took steroids and became a parody of himself. Alice Cooper? Meet The Ramones!

Suicide, Suicide. Not one guitar, bass or drum kit on this album, but these guys and this album were the very definition of punk.

NOMEANSNO, Wrong. Punks version of RUSH. Complex time changes done very very VERY fast.

New York Dolls, New York Dolls. The Rolling Stones if they were transvestites.

The Damned, Damned Damned Damned. Contained New Rose. Do I need to say any more?

The Stranglers, Rattus Norvegicus. The punks answer to the Doors. They were too old and played their instruments too well to be called punk, but their attitude and ambitions were pure anarchy at the time.

Thom, who’d I leave off?

Top 50 All Time Best Albums? You Be The Judge!

Here's one person's fairly eclectic "Top 50 Albums Of All Time" list, in video format, submitted by a reader. I think I agree with about half of these. How about you?

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees (C-G)

The last time I posted the inductees (A-B), some courageous soul calling himself "anonymous" asked, "What's the point of all this?"

Fair question.

It's available on the web right now on multiple sites. All one has to do is type in "Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame inductees" on google and...BLAMMO!...you've got 'em.

So why here?

Short answer #1 is because I can. The longer answer is because this is a music blog, populated by a few friends and like minded music fans who may not be geeky enough (or have the time) to search for these things on their own but may find some interest in my posting it. Short answer #2 is because it may spark some debate, like Mr. "Anonymous" thinking it pointless.

Which is really cool, actually. "Anonymous", whether he likes it or not, IS the reason I do what I do here on this little music blog.

So thank you "anonymous". Come back anytime. You're always welcome.

Now, on to the list:


C
Johnny Cash
Ray Charles
Eric Clapton
Dick Clark
The Clash
The Coasters
Eddie Cochran
Leonard Cohen
Nat King Cole
Sam Cooke
Elvis Costello
Floyd Cramer
Cream (band)
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
King Curtis

D
Bobby Darin
The Dave Clark Five
Clive Davis
Miles Davis
The Dells
Bo Diddley
Dion DiMucci
Willie Dixon
Fats Domino
The Doors
The Drifters
Bob Dylan

E
Eagles
Earth, Wind & Fire
E cont.
Duane Eddy
Ahmet Ertegün
Nesuhi Ertegün
The Everly Brothers

F
Leo Fender
The Flamingos
Fleetwood Mac
The Four Seasons (group)
Four Tops
Aretha Franklin
Alan Freed

G
Milt Gabler
Gamble and Huff
Marvin Gaye
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gerry Goffin
Berry Gordy
Bill Graham (promoter)
Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five
Grateful Dead
Al Green
Buddy Guy

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees (A-B)

A constant reader of this here little music blog suggested that I post the entire list of inductees to the R&R Hall Of Fame. Quite a task, but I'm up for it...just not all at once.
So it'll be an ongoing series then, taken in hunks and chunks, alphabetically I think.
Let's start with all those inductees whose name starts with either "A" or "B":
A
AC/DC
Paul Ackerman
Aerosmith
The Allman Brothers Band
Herb Alpert
The Animals
Louis Armstrong
Chet Atkins
B
LaVern Baker
Hank Ballard
The Band
Frank Barsalona
Dave Bartholomew
Ralph Bass
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
Bee Gees
Benny Benjamin
Chuck Berry
Black Sabbath
Chris Blackwell
Hal Blaine
Bobby Bland
Jerry Blavat
Blondie (band)
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
David Bowie
Charles Brown (musician)
James Brown
Ruth Brown
Jackson Browne
Buffalo Springfield
Solomon Burke
James Burton
The Byrds

I Wait With Bated Breath

A few posts back I listed my top albums of the year up to this point and, after a little research, found out that the latter part of 2008 is going to be just as good, if not better. Here's a list of the ones I've read about that get my juiices flowin'. Know of any more? List 'em in the comments section and we'll all owe you a debt of gratitude.

Beck, Modern Guilt
M. Ward, [Title TBA]
Albert Hammond Jr. (of The Strokes), Como Te Llama?
Ron Sexsmith, Exit Strategy of the Soul
Conor Oberst Conor Oberst
The Verve, Four
Brian Wilson, That Lucky Old Sun
Calexico, Carried to Dust
The Cure [Title TBA]--don't know why, but I'm kinda excited about this one...
Kings Of Leon, Only by the Night
Mercury Rev, Snowflake Midnight
Massive Attack, Weather Underground
Oasis, Dig Out Your Soul--ho-hum...
Basement Jaxx, [Title TBA]
Blur, [Title TBA]
Built To Spill, [Title TBA]
Doves, [Title TBA]
Gang Of Four, [Title TBA]
Guns N' Roses, Chinese Democracy--come on, aren't you the least bit curious?
Jesus And Mary Chain, [Title TBA]
Paul McCartney, [Title TBA]
Muse, [Title TBA]
Rancid, [Title TBA]
Stereolab, [Title TBA]
U2, [Title TBA]

Time To Take Inventory

It’s mid year, fires are blazin’ all around our little chunk of Northern California and I just reckoned that this would be a good time to stop and evaluate the best releases of 2008 (so far). Here’s the new stuff that got my attention the first half of the year:

Dig Lazarus Dig by Nick Cave
In The Future, Black Mountain
The Breeders, Mountain Battles
Flight Of The Knife by Brian Scary and the Shredding Tears
You Cross My Path, The Charlatans
Take A Good Look by The Fleshtones
Flight Of The Conchords by Flight Of The Conchords
Stop, Drop and Roll by Foxboro Hot Tubs
Made In The Dark, Hot Chip
Parallel Play by Sloan
Evil Urges by My Morning Jacket
Stainless Style, Neon Neon
22 Dreams by Paul Weller
Songs In A and E by Spiritualized

That’s all I can think of, but I have every confidence that you’ll help fill in the gaps! What albums did I miss? What albums are you folks looking forward to that are slated for release in the second half of 2008? How about your favorite re-issues?

A Few More Guilty Indulgences…

Every once in a while the rock snob in me takes a sabbatical and is replaced by the 12 year old boy that was discovering his cousin’s record collection. Bear in mind I was born in 1968, so that would make the year 1980. My cousin was older than I and his collection was pretty much dominated by the classic rock of the 1970’s which is, you’re soon to find out, where the majority of my “guilty pleasures” originate. I have no real fear of any retaliation (except maybe Philbert--he knows where I work!), but just in case I think I’m going to invest in some Kevlar body armor.

So here’s the latest UEMN’s guilty pleasures list. Let the snickering begin!


The Alan Parsons Project, I Robot
I had this really hot drama teacher in public school who used to use this album as a “warm up” for our interpretive movement sessions. If I can be totally honest, the fact that she was a hottie is only part of the reason for my affinity towards the APP. Listening again with unprejudiced ears I have to say that the dude knew how to build a mood. In addition, I think I could make a pretty good case for the guy as an electronic pioneer! He would soon sink into mediocre balladry, but this…THIS…was a fantastic record for it’s time.

The Steve Miller Band, Fly Like An Eagle
So I had this really hot French teacher who…just kidding. I think Steve Miller’s stuff has stood the test of time…really. Maybe it’s that blues foundation that’s the backbone of most of his songs, but I think a primary reason is that he just knew how to write a really good hook!

Adam And The Ants, Kings Of The Wild Frontier
I’m not talking about the “Goody Two Shoes” era (although, I have to admit, a damn fine pop moment!), but the era where the Burundi drums were a real innovation in Western music. Malcolm McClaren and Bow Wow Wow would later steal that unique sound but it doesn’t take away from this wonderful early 80’s pop gem of a record.

Bobby Darin, Mack The Knife
How can I , or anyone with a soul for that matter, press the skip button when a Bobby Darin song comes on the old ipod? Mack The Knife, Dream Lover, Beyond The Sea…good stuff. It doesn’t hurt that Beyond The Sea was used to great effect in a memorable jail scene in Goodfellas, either.

AC/DC, any album with Bon Scott & Back In Black
The best damn disco-heavy metal band EVER! Tell me who out there hasn't shaken their thang to at least one AC/DC song? They were bad boy boogie with a penchant for discofied rythms, killer guitar riffs and double entendres. "Big Balls". Need I say more?

The Cars, The Cars and Candy-O
They were terrible live (reproducing their songs perfectly, no enthusiasm or energy, no crown interaction), but the first two albums are pure new-wave pop tasty goodness.

Gordon Lightfoot, Gord’s Gold
I got no excuse for this one. Except that I’m half Canadian…and Sundown contains one of my all time favorite lyrics in "Sometimes I think it's a shame/ When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain.” Poetry. Sheer Canadian, hockey luvin’, tuke wearin’ drunken poetry.

Anarchy In The U.K.!

According to the fidgit live traffic feed thingy it appears that the United Kingdon has overtaken my adopted homeland of Canada in regards to visitors. The good old US of A still has a commanding lead with 54% of all visits, while the UK has jumped to 15%. Canada, however, has fallen to third with 5%, just below France.
First and foremost, a big shout out to all me new mates across the Atlantic, and to Canada...what's up, eh? You should be starting to thaw out by this time! I promise that I'll try to do more posts on Trooper, ok? I did do one on Nash the Slash...that should count for something.

(insert smiley face here to denote "kidding")

Another Installment Of IPod Roulette...

The next installment of UEMN's IPOD Roulette. Just a reminder that the following was random in every sense of the word. No skipping by the embarrassing bits, I assure you...

The Strange Design Of Conscience by The Flaming Lips
From the Flight Test EP, one of my favorite non-LP tracks.
Lightning Strikes (Not Once But Twice), by The Clash
Off the underrated Sandinista triple album.
Donation by The Wonder Stuff
From their best album, Never Loved Elvis.
Jack, You’re Dead by Joe Jackson
From Joe’s Jumpin’ Jive album. What a tight band he had for this one!
Casey Jones by The Grateful Dead
Ok, love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t deny their place in the R&R cannon…
The Boogie Bumper by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Swing for the masses, nothing authentic or deep but still good fun.
You Dress Up For Armageddon by The Hives
Garage rock for the new millennium. They’re really growing on me…
Machine Gun Ibiza by Prefab Sprout
From the PROPER follow up to Steve McQueen, Jordan: The Comeback
Take Your Mama Out by Scissor Sisters
For a band that’s named for a lesbian sexual position, they sure wrote some catchy tunes on their debut album, and this was the best of the best.
Mother by John Lennon
The most affecting song on Plastic Ono Band.
Red Rabbits by The Shins
From Wincing The Night Away, a real grower of an album.
Can I Get A Witness by Marvin Gaye
What can I say about this? Soul personified.
Keep It Together by Aqueduct
Under the radar, vintage synthesizer one man band. Surprised more people haven’t heard of this.
Butterfly McQueen by The Boo Radleys
From their masterpiece Giant Steps.
Where The Hell’s My Money by Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper
Have seen these guys live many times, and this is Mojo at his angriest…and funniest!
The Good The Bad and the Ugly by Hugo Montenegro
From the movie of the same name.
The Golden Path by The Chemical Brothers
The Chemical Brothers with Steven Drozd from the Flaming Lips on vocals. This is his first lead vocal on disc, as far as I know, and he sounds eerily like Ian McCullough from Echo and the Bunnymen.

An Overdue Shout Out To Some New Friends

I’ve discovered a few new excellent blogs that I think are worthy of your eyeballs folks, and I have recently added them to my link list. They join the esteemed list of others who have been with me since the beginning and I urge each and every one of you to frequent them regularly. BUT don’t forget about the old tried and true, they’re still as entertaining and informative and controversial as ever…

4 Minutes Of Fame: A dude who will punch you in the face to defend his taste in music.

Breakfast In Toronto: What the hell do you THINK it’s about?

A New Beat, Jim and Candace Dyar: Local North State writers go it alone.

Pink Hollyhock: Editor/ writer and tireless, very patient wife to Steve Brewer.

Prehistoric Sounds: Extremely cool reproductions of old music magazine articles.

Starlight Dreamvision Academy: Uncle E’s High School co-conspirator, published artist/ cartoonist / novelist/ kids show writer, general miscreant.

The Post Punk Progressive Pop Party: Prolific poster of post-punk information.

The Vinyl District: Vinyl LP enthusiast with a penchant for 80’s rarities.

What I Listened To On My Way To Work Today: Again, what the hell do you THINK it’s about?

Most Influential?

What/ who do you feel were the most influential songs/ albums/ artists of all time? And why?

The Velvet Underground? Roxy Music? The Beatles? The Kinks? The Ramones? The Stooges? Bob Dylan? Big Star?
Sgt Peppers? The Banana Album? Rocket To Russia? Kind Of Blue? Blonde On Blonde? Never Mind The Bollocks? London Calling?

And who would you consider to be the influencers of tomorrow?

Here's a list of widely recognized influential singles to get yer brain juices flowin':

The Beatles “Tomorrow Never Knows”
Kraftwerk “Trans Europe Express”
New Order “Blue Monday”
Primal Scream “Loaded”
Bob Dylan "Like A Rolling Stone"
The Kinks "You Really Got Me"
Marvin Gaye “What’s Going On”
James Brown “Funky Drummer”

"My Albums Are Worth HOW Much?"

Record Collector listed some of the most valuable albums of all time and I thought you folks would find it as interesting as I did. If you're lucky enough to own any of these I'd love to hear it. Just type your address in the comments section and let me know when you'll be out of town, ok?

$200,000: Quarry Men – That’ll Be the Day/In Spite of All the Danger [1958 acetate]
$20,000: Quarry Men – That’ll Be the Day/In Spite of All the Danger [1981 private reissue]
$20,000: Beatles – Beatles (White Album) [numbered 1 – 10]
$10,000-£5,500: Sex Pistols – God Save the Queen [A&M, some with press release]
$10,000: Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody [blue vinyl + press pack]
$10,000: Ron Hargrove – Latch On [MGM 7”]
$6,000: John’s Children – Midsummer Night’s Dream [Track withdrawn 7”]
$6,000: John Lennon/Yoko Ono – Unfinished Music No 1: 2 Virgins [LP]
$6,000: Crows – Gee [Columbia 7”]
$6,000: Beatles – Abbey Road [export issue, yellow & black labels: Decca]
$6,000: David Bowie – Space Oddity [unreleased pic sleeve Philips 7”]
$6,000: Beatles – Please Please Me [black & gold label, stereo]
$6,000: Beatles – Love Me Do [7” demo]
$5,200: Bobby Charles – See You Later Alligator [London 7” 1956]
$5,000: T.Rex – Ride a White Swan/Summertime Blues/Jewel [Octopus unreleased 7”]
$4,000: Marc Bolan – Hard on Love [2-sided acetate of unreleased LP]
$4,000: Willie Dixon & the Allstars – Walking the Blue/Crazy for My Baby [London 7”]
$4,000: Plastic Ono Band – You Know My Name/What’s the New Mary Jane [unreleased 7”]
$4,000: Chords – Sh Boom (Life Could be a Dream) [Columbia 7” 1954]
$4,000: Bread & Beer Band (with Elton John) - Bread & Beer Band [Rubbish LP 1969]
$4,000: Beatles – Yellow Submarine [export LP, Odeon sticker on Apple sleeve]
$4,000: U2 – Rattle & Hum [CD, LP & Cass flight case promo]
$4,000: Pink Floyd – Arnold Layne/Candy & a Currant Bun [demo, in promo p/s]
$4,000: Pink Floyd – Apples & Oranges/Paintbox [demo, in promo p/s]
$4,000: Pink Floyd – See Emily Play [demo, in promo p/s]
$4,000: Pink Floyd – It Would Be So Nice/Julia Dream [7” demo, in promo p/s]
$4,000: Beatles – Golden Discs [unreleased, 2 x 1-sided test pressings]
$4,000: Jackie Lee Cochran – Ruby Pearl [Brunswick 7”]
$4,000: Billy Nichols – Would You Believe [withdrawn Immediate LP]
$3,600: Dark – Dark Around the Edges [SIS LP, private pressing]
$3,600: Penguins – Earth Angel [London 7”]
$3,600: Toby Tyler – Road I’m On (Gloria) [acetate]
$3,200: Mac Curtis – Low Road/You Ain’t Treatin’ Me Right [Parlophone 7”]
$3,000: Bo Street Runners – Bo Street Runners [Oak EP 1964]
$3,000: Friends – Friends [Merlin LP, white label test pressing]
$3,000: Beatles – Please Please Me [7” demo]
$3,000: Barons – Don’t Walk Out/Once in a Lifetime [London 7”]
$3,000: Police – Can’t Stand Losing You [A&M 7”, uncut white vinyl test]
$3,000: Pet Shop Boys – Introspective [3 x clear vinyl LP factory custom pressing]
$3,000: Jimi Hendrix – Cry of Love [red vinyl, factory pressing]
$3,000: Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love/Livin’ Lovin’ Maid [7” withdrawn]
$3,000: Rusty York – Peggy Sue [demo 7”]
$3,000: Uglys – I See the Light [demo 7”]
$3,000: U2 – Joshua Tree Collection [Island 5 x 7” black box set]
$3,000: Kate Bush – Eat the Music [cancelled 7”]
$3,000: Blue Men – I Hear a New World [Triumph unreleased LP]
$3,000: Tinkerbell’s Fairydust – Tinkerbell’s Fairydust [unreleased Decca LP]
$2,400: Beatles – Let It Be [export issue]
$2,400: Pink Floyd – Point Me At the Sky/Careful with That Axe, Eugene [demo, promo p/s]
$2,400: Pink Floyd – It Would Be So Nice [one-sided demo, plain white sleeve]
$2,400: Beatles – Abbey Road [export, Parlophone sticker on Apple sleeve]
$2,200: Pharaohs – EP [Decca 7”]
$2,000: Beatles; etc – Our First Four [4 x 7” in presentation pack]
$2,000: Elton, John; etc – Warlock Music Sampler [publishing sampler, LP]
$2,000: Rolling Stones – Their Satanic Majesties Request [silk sleeve, promo LP]
$2,000: Status Quo – Technicolor Dreams [withdrawn official 7”]
$2,000: Smiths – Meat is Murder [unissued promo EP; 7” & 12”]
$2,000: Queen – Complete Works [14 LP box; 600 autographed]
$2,000: Plebs – Plebs [Oak, 1-sided test pressing]
$2,000: Pet Shop Boys – Compiled EP [CDr, autographed]
$2,000: Wings – Back to the Egg [in-house pic sleeve, die-cut sleeve]
$2,000: Musketeer Gripweed & the Third Troop – How I Won the War/Aftermath [LP stock]
$2,000: Elvis Presley – Stuck on You/Fame & Fortune [78 rpm]
$2,000: Elvis Presley – A Mess of Blues [78 rpm]
$2,000: Thin Lizzie [sic] – the Farmer [Ireland only 7”]
$2,000: Joker’s Wild – Joker’s Wild [Regent Sound 1-sided 12”]
$2,000: Leviathan – Leviathan [2 LP, acetate]
$2,000: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – Woman is the Nigger of the World [white label]
$2,000: Howard Riley Trio – Discussions [LP - 99 copies only]
$2,000: Game – Addicted Man/Help Me, Mummy’s Gone [withdrawn 7”]
$2,000: Charles Blackwell Orchestra – Those Plucking Strings [white label]
$2,000: Forever Amber – Love Cycle [Advance private pressing, LP]
$2,000: Beatles – Something/Come Together [green label demo]
$2,000: A Jaes – I’m Leaving You/Kansas City [Oak 7”]
$2,000: Rolling Stones – Rolling Stones (1st album) [1st pressing; 2.52 version of Tell Me]
$2,000: Tintern Abbey – Beeside/Vacuum Cleaner [Deram 7”]
$2,000: Werly Fairburn & Delta Boys – All the Time [London 7”]
$2,000: Rolling Stones – Fortune Teller/Poison Ivy [withdrawn Decca 7”, solid centre]
$2,000: Marc Bolan & T.Rex – Christmas Bop [unreleased 7” – labels only]
$2,000: Jimi Hendrix – Electric Ladyland [2 LP test pressing]
$2,000: U2 – I Will Follow [7” brown vinyl mis-pressing]
$1,900: U2 – Three EP [7” brown vinyl mis-pressing]
$1,900: Commodores* – Speedoo/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On [London 7”]
$1,900: Commodores* - Riding on a Train/Uranium [London 7”]
$1,800: U2 – Achtung Baby [CD & Cass in ‘User’s Kit’]
$1,800: Thor’s Hammer – Thor’s Hammer [export EP, with gatefold p/s & bonus 45]
$1,800: Ringo Starr – Steel [7” 1-sided promo interview disc]
$1,800: Clovers – Nip Sip [7” gold lettering]
$1,800: Alexis Korner Breakdown Group – Blues from the Roundhouse [10” LP]
$1,800: Tantones – So Afraid/Tell Me [Vogue 45]
$1,700: Cupids – Now You Tell Me [Vogue 7”]
$1,700: Grannie – Grannie [LP, private pressing]
$1,600: Little Wilbur – Heart to Heart/Alone in the Night [Vogue 7”]
$1,600: Doctor (Isaiah) Ross – Flying Eagle [Blue Horizon LP]
$1,600: Wooden Horse – II [withdrawn LP, with sleeve]
$1,600: Smiley Lewis – One Night [London 7”]
$1,600: Nirvana – Penny Royal Tea (Scott Litt Mix) [1 track promo CD]
$1,600: Rolling Stones – History of the… [Decca unreleased 3 LP box]
$1,600: Rolling Stones – Promotional Album [Decca promo only LP]
$1,600: Oasis – Vox Box [9 CD guitar amp box, in-house

My First Time...

Here's a topic of discussion for you: what was the first album(s) you ever bought with your own money and what was the last album you most recently purchased?

The first albums I ever bought with my own cash (from picking zucchini, if I recall) were the following: John Lennon's "Double Fantasy", AC/DC's "Back In Black" and The Rolling Stones "Tattoo You." The latest was Sloan's "Never Hear The End Of It"

...and yourselves?

A Quick One While He's Away...

TOPIC OF THE MOMENT.
Favorite opening and closing track contained on one album. Here, I'll get you started:

London Calling and Train In Vain from London Calling by The Clash

Cruel To Be Kind/ Love So Fine from Labour Of Lust by Nick Lowe

Baba 'O Riley/ Won't Get Fooled Again from Who's Next by The Who

Movin' On Up/ Shine Like Stars from Screamadelica by Primal Scream

David Watts/ Waterloo Sunset from Something Else by The Kinks

Taxman/ Tomorrow Never Knows from Revolver by The Beatles

The Abandonned Hospital Ship/ Bad Days from Clouds Taste Metallic by The Flaming Lips

Five Years/ R&R Suicide from Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

I'm looking forward to seeing what you folks come up with.