Two of my buddies (The Brewer and JB) have dones this post so far, and damnit, I want to be as cool as them. The only thing I will say is that I do not have all of my music on my laptop, or on my iPod, so the results may be a bit skewed. I think what I’ll do is post two of these, one from my laptop at work, and one from my desktop at home (where all my archives lie…seriously, I’m all “Dudes what’s going on!?” and they’re all “Your dog just died!” and then I cry and cry and then they tell me it was a joke. I hate them). Oh and I’m gonna do 7 songs, because I feel it’s a better sample-rate (nerdy music joke there – not intended).
Laptop:
1. “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” – The Beatles, Help!: A good start. I started out my love of music with the Beatles and they comprise a good deal of my music. I won’t get into percentages like JB, but I’m sure its hefty (also like JB).
2. “Parking Lot Pimpin'” – Jay Z, The Dynasty Roc La Familia: Jay Z is an awesome rapper, and this is an awesome album. I’m surprised this popped up cause I don’t actually own too much hip-hop. But i love it just the same. My favorite song on this album is “Change the Game.” It’s just totally awesome.
3. “LA” – Elliot Smith, Figure 8: I’ll be honest I don’t really listen to Elliot Smith that much and don’t think I have heard this song before. The Brewer was nice enough to hook me up with some tunes and I really enjoy his music but I haven’t taken the time to sit down and really listen to it. I’m wondering if my iTunes is going to choose anything from the copius amounts of jazz in my library?! I have to say this is a little bizzarre.
4. “Great Indoors” – John Mayer, Bootleg: I’m a huge John Mayer fan and have all of his albums and tons of bootlegs. I’m glad he’s getting props on this list because I think he is THE best singer/songwriter right now. He also happens to be an amazing guitar player. He also seems to be able to write lyrics that explain exactly how I’ve felt at one time or another. Lately I’ve been most identifying with “My Stupid Mouth.” If you don’t listen to John Mayer on a regular basis, you hate music and I hate you. Still no jazz! Though Mayer’s chord extensions get him pretty close.
5. “Nostalgia in Times Square” – Mingus Big Band, The Essential Mingus Big Band: There we go. Okay not my most favorite of my jazz albums but this is a great disc in general. These guys are all sick players and Mingus’ compositions are some of the most original and creative you’ve ever heard. This band plays at Iridium Jazz Club every Tuesday for $25. I think I’m gonna check that out next week. Frank Lacey (trombone) has just the coolest sound and style when he solos.
6. “Have a Drink on Me” – AC/DC, Back in Black: I used to not like AC/DC or too much hard rock in general. Then in Miami I was listening to some tunes and I was like “Shit man, I need to rock out” and failed to find anything worth rocking out to. So I bought a ton of stuff. AC/DC was the first thing I thought of. I love this album and I love AC/DC. It’s great to work for a company run and staffed almost entirely by Mormons and have AC/DC and Jay-Z blasting at my desk. Have a drink on me, Jesus!
7. “Tasty Pudding” – Chet Baker, Chet Baker in Paris: Oh Chet, you f’in rule. This guy played trumpet like butter and sang even smoother. I love this tune. Slow, cool, and…well honestly, Tasty Pudding. This tune practically oozes out of your stereo. Also, if you haven’t heard Chet sing (Alice?) you’ve got some serious listening to do. Check out him doing the tune “Everything Happens to Me” on this same album. Holy shit.
A decent list. I’m still surprised at the lack of jazz though, since that is what comprises my collection. But hey, I’m just happy my Paula Abdul didn’t show up.
