Best songs of the decade

Here are my picks for the best songs of the decade.
Note: I limited myself to only one song per artist.

1. Dead leaves and the dirty ground - The White Stripes
2. The District sleeps alone tonight - The Postal Service
3. Jesus, etc - Wilco
4. Fill me with your light - Clem Snide
5. Black like me - Spoon
6. Can you feel it? - The Apples in Stereo
7. Caring is creepy - The Shins
8. Chemicals collide - Cloud Cult
9. 2 + 2 = 5 - Radiohead
10. The chills - Peter Bjorn & John
11. A sentence of sorts in Kongsvinger - Of Montreal
12. Broken boy soldier - Raconteurs
13. Kids - MGMT
14. Soldier's grin - Wolf Parade
15. I was a lover - TV On The Radio
16. Chips Ahoy - The Hold Steady
17. Float on - Modest Mouse
18. It's gonna be a long night - Ween
19. Ragged wood - The Fleet Foxes
20. The man who loved beer - David Byrne
21. I like giants - Kimya Dawson
22. Our love will change the world - Outrageous Cherry
23. Sly - The Cat Empire
24. New English - Ambulance LTD
25. Untrust us - Crystal Castles
26. Is this love? - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah
27. The ark - Dr Dog
28. Dig! Lazurus, dig! - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
29. Inner peace- Nellie McKay
30. The Golden Age - Beck
31. The Iliad - Tapes 'n Tapes
32. Bohemian like me - The Dandy Warhols
33. Crazy - Gnarls Barkely
34. Crescendolls - Daft Punk
35. Ten years ahead - Soundtrack of our Lives
36. Are you gonna be my girl? - Jet
37. I'll bet you look good on the dance floor - Arctic Monkeys
38. Skinny love - Bon Iver
39. My Girls - Animal Collective
40. The greatest - Cat Power
41. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
42. Mirrorball - Elbow
43. Another lost summer - Blanche
44. Panic open string - Calexico
45. Wild Mountain Nation - Blitzen Trapper
46. The Modern Age - The Strokes
47. Art is hard - Cursive
48. Photobooth - Death Cab for Cutie
49. 99 - Black Bottom Collective
50. Hey man (now you're really living) - Eels
51. Elevate myself - Grandaddy
52. Two weeks - Grizzly Bear
53. The yeah yeah song - Flaming Lips
54. Formed a band - Art Brut
55. Up the bracket - The Libertines
56. Extraordinary machine - Fiona Apple
57. Spit it out - Brendan Benson
58. Worlds apart - ...And you will know us by the trail of dead
59. Imitosis - Andrew Bird
60. Now, now - St Vincent
61. I changed my mind - Lyrics Born
62. Get it while you can - The Dirtbombs
63. We are rock stars - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
64. Cherry blossom girl -Air
65. Never stops - Deerhunter
66. The light - Common
67. My heart is breaking down - Caesars
68. Karen - The National
69. Jenny & the ess-dog - Stephen Malkmus
70. Get in or get out - Hot Hot Heat
71. Highly evolved - The Vines
72. Smokers outside the hospital doors - The Editors
73. Hate to say I told you so - The Hives
74. Our life is not a movie or maybe - Okkervil River
75. Gold digger - Supreme Beings of Leisure
76. The shinning- Badly Drawn Boy
77. Notice of Eviction - Saul Williams
78. My superman - Santogold
79. Sweet talk - Spiritualized
80. Where's your head at? - Basement Jaxx
81. Sidewalk serfer girl - Super Furry Animals
82. No one knows - Queens of the Stone Age
83. Life is long - David Byrne & Brian Eno
84. Blind - Hercules and Love Affair
85. Sunrise - Yeasayer
86. Cobrastyle - Robyn
87. Brothers & sisters - Blur
88. Maps - Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
89. Careful - Hot Chip
90. Soldier girl - The Polyphonic Spree
91. Out of my system - Jamie Lidell
92. We're from Barcelona - I'm from Barcelona
93. Gay Bar - Electric Six
94. Idle ties - Vetiver
95. To go home - M. Ward
96. Crack the skye - Mastodon
97. Ghosts under rocks - Ra Ra Riot
98. Amen - Jolie Holland
99. Doorman - Stereophonics
100. Geraldine - Glasvegas

Best political and protest songs of all time

I don't know if it's because I'm going through political withdrawl - it's November and I'm living in an area with out a significant election this year - or all the talk about health care. Whatever the reason, I've been thinking about political songs a lot lately. So, here are my favorite political or protest songs of all time. They're in order, but I'm sure every time I look at this list I'll want to re-arrange them. BTW, if you're curious about the critera I used for my list, look at my previous post "What makes a great political song?"

1. Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

2. Cortez the killer - Neil Young

3. What's going on - Marvin Gaye

4. Sam Stone - John Prine

5. Imagine - John Lennon

6. Alice's Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie

7. Shipbuilding - Elvis Costello
8. Fight the Power - Public Enemy

9. Strange Fruit - Billy Holiday

10. Bungalow Bill - The Beatles

11. Kill the poor - The Dead Kennedys

12. Get up! Stand up! - Bob Marley

13. This land is your land - Woody Guthrie

14. Everybody knows - Leonard Cohen

15. Dear god - XTC

16. What's so funny about peace, love and understanding - Nick Lowe

17. Know your rights - The Clash

18. Alabama, God damn! - Nina Simone

19. Southern Man - Neil Young

20. American Rouse - MC5

21. Black steel in the hour of chaos - Public Enemy

22. Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2

23. People have the power - Patti Smith

24. A change is gonna come - Sam Cooke

25. Maggie's farm - Bob Dylan

26. The man in black - Johnny Cash

27. Not a pretty girl - Ani Difranco

28. Revolution - The Beatles

29. Anarchy in the U.K. - Sex pistols

30. Untitled song for Latin America - Minutemen

31. Alabama - Neil Young

32. You haven't done nothing - Stevie Wonder

33. When the President talks to God - Bright Eyes

34. London Calling - The Clash

35. War pigs - Black Sabbath

36. The guns of Brixton - The Clash

37. Radio, radio - Elvis Costello

38. Peace Train - Cat Stevens

39. Sky pilot - The Animals

40. Won't get fooled again - The Who
41. Fortunate son - CCR

42. The Fish Cheer - Country Joe & The Fish
43. Union made - Woody Guthrie
44. Working Class Hero - John Lennon

45. And the band played Waltzing Matilda - The Pogues

46. Taking care of business - El Vez

47. Stop the violence - Bogie Down Productions

48. Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other - Willie Nelson
49. Telegraph Road - Dire Straits

50. Society's Child - Janis Ian
51. Trouble every day - Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention

52. California, Uber Alles - D.K.
53. Waiting for the great leap forward - Billy Bragg
54. The message - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five

55. Homosapien - The Pansy Division
56. Universal Solider - Buffy Saint Marie
57. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
58. Military Wives - The Decemberists

59. Rockin in the free world - Neil Young

60. 1913 Massacre - Woody Guthrie

61. Give Peace a chance - The Beatles

62. Subdivision - Ani Difranco

63. God save the queen - The Sex Pistols

64. I shot the sherrif - Bob Marley

65. Army Dreamers - Kate Bush

66. The Hurricane - Bob Dylan

67. War - Edwin Starr

68. I ain't marching anymore - Phil Ochs
69. Gimme Shelter - the Rolling Stones
70. Ball of Confusion - The Temptations

71. Sound of da police - KRS One
72. Cheerleaders - Minutemen
73. Across the wire - Calexico

74. Clampdown - The Clash

75. Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
76. Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill

77. I Wanna Conquer the World - Bad Religion

78. Us and them - Pink Floyd

79. Beds are burning - Midnight Oil

80. Is it too late? - World party

81. Redemption Song - Bob Marley

82. Killing in the name of - Rage Against the Machine

83. Oliver's Army - Elvis Costello

84. Never cross a picket line - Billy Bragg

85. I love a man in uniform - Gang of Four

86. They paved paradise - Join Mitchell

87. The queen is dead - The Smiths

88. Tin Soldiers - Stiff Little Fingers

89. God on my side - World Party

90. Only Women Bleed - Alice Cooper
91. No god - The Germs

92. Forgive them, Father - Lauryn Hill

93. Notice of eviction - Saul Williams

94. I have forgiven Jesus - Morrisey

95. Youth against fascism - Sonic Youth

96. No Man can find the war - Tim Buckley

97. Talkin' bout a revolution - Tracy Chapman

98. Leagalize it - Peter Tosh
99. Revolution - Mother Earth
100. The Mercy Seat - Nick Cave

What makes a great politcal or protest song?

What makes a great political or protest song? The best definition of leadership is whether or not people follow, and the same is a good standard for judging political songs as well. If it moves people, or otherwise has an impact, it's a a success. The 60s protest songs truly helped end the war and Neil young's "Cortez the Killer" was banned for years in Spain (making it an underground hit).
But I want to concentrate on the music a bit more. Here's my criteria: 1. It must be a good song in and of its self. If you change the lyrics to "ode to a peanut butter sandwich" it would still sound good. 2. The lyrics have to be clever and bring an interesting take to the issue. There were a ton of very boring "Bush sucks" or "Bush is dangerous" or "Bush is an idiot" songs during the W years. Have a take, please. 3. The best political songs paint a picture or tell a story and 4. add a personal touch. The best songs add a personal element that pull you in on an emotional level. When Neil Young sings "What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground" about the Kent State Massacre in "Ohio" you truly feel like you're there. In fact, Neil is one of the greatest political/protest song writers ever because most of his songs in this genre use brilliant narratives that really hit home.
I make a slight distinction between "political" and "protest" songs. A "protest" song does all the things a "political" song does, but has the additional quality of being physically moving. They make you want to stand up and sing, and march and act!. Like Country Joe's "It's one, two, three, what are we fighting for?" or the Clash's "These are your rights!" Imagine being one of a couple thousand people singing aloud "You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant" or trying to stay in your seat as Bob Marley sings, "Get up! Stand up! Stand up for your rights!" "Strange fruit" is an incredible political song, while "This land is your land" is one of the best protest songs ever (though it seems to have lost it's teeth over the years).

Blown away!

What's the best concert you've ever seen? It's one of the most fun questions music fans can ask each other and it's a toughie. I've got mine narrowed down to 3 or 4, but if you forced me to choose it would probably be the Talking Heads circa "Speaking in Tongues."
One rarely gets a chance to revisit a "best ever" moment of anything in life, but Thursday night I did just that. I attended a screening of "Stop Making Sense" (a fundraiser for Sound Opinions and WBEZ) at the Navy Pier imax theater. It was incredible.
I've got to admit I've got a prejudice against concert films and even live albums I think it's pretty rare that the concert experience can be captured even remotely. For the most part, I prefer seeing music live to listening to it recorded, but I'd much rather listen to the studio version of almost anything than any live recording. Thursday night was a massive exception!
I had seen the film when it first came out and on video since. I've always said it's the best concert video ever. But in my book, that ain't saying much! I enjoyed it for the visual aspects of the film - shot perfectly, it captured the energy, fun, deconstruction-reconstruction-deconstruction again artistic vision, showmanship and unity of those Heads shows - but the music was flat. Bottom line: like the Grand Canyon and Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers - you have to be there to experience it.
But now after seeing and hearing it as it was intended (when it was filmed in 1983, the technology existed to record directly to digital, but there was no where to play it back that way for audiences) I was blown away. It was the most incredible "recorded live" experience I've ever had. I had to move to the back of the theater and dance through the last 2/3 of the show after my seat would no longer contain me... not a pretty sight, but any one who saw me would have had to turn around and look, so it's on them.
It really transported me to that fun, tight, party of a concert that so moved me over 20 years ago. And it sounded perfect! Amazing. I never thought a concert film could do that.

So.... what's your favorite concert? Your favorite live recordings or films?
Thanks to Colleen for all but forcing me to go.

The birthdate and place of Punk rock

Some may disagree, but I believe Punk rock is one of the few movements that's birth can be pinpointed to an actual moment in time. October 20th, 1967 The Doors played a concert in front of a bunch of drunken frat boys in University of Michigan's Yost Field House in Ann Arbor. Morrison, himself so intoxicated the show had to be paused and restarted, became irritated by the attitude of the crowd who chided his long hair and "girly" hippie attire. Morrison decided to mock the crowd by singing in a false falsetto voice, and squirming in a provocative, satiracly feminine frenzy. He berrated and taunted the preps in between sets and the crowd responded by throwing objects at him and yelling insults. It became quite ugly to the delight, it seems, of two people in particular: Morrison and a high school student in the audience, James Osterberg. The boy who would be grow up to become Iggy Pop was struck at that very moment with an idea for a new possible performer-fan relationship. A relationship fueled less by envy and worship, and more on confrontation, mutual aggression, angst and violent expression. James left that concert with the wheels turning in his head and soon began experimenting with new stage personas, tactics and provocative sets. When he took these ideas to New York City, he spread a virus to all the early Punks who started the NY, London and West Coast Punk scenes. No one was doing this before Iggy, and all the early punks saw an Iggy show at one point or another. I think the simplicity, the do-it-yourself attitude and the anti-rock god elements of Punk may have been an inevitable response to the state of commercial rock at the time, but the Punk attitude may not have ever caught fire without Iggy's influence.
Thus, I can make the bold statement: Punk, like most great things, was born in Ann Arbor, MI.
DOB: October 20, 1967
Location: Yost Field House