It’s a cracker, people » « Sunday morning weirdness

Carnivalia and an open thread

Here’s some reading material for your Sunday afternoon.

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The next Tangled Bank will be at Blue Collar Scientist on Wednesday. Send links now!

I’m hosting the next Carnival of the Elitist Bastards on 26 July, and the submissions are barging in to my mailbox and demanding my attention…but I need more. I want a legion of arrogant SOBs making noise. So send me more links…don’t be shy (hah!).

It’s a cracker, people » « Sunday morning weirdness

Comments

  5. JoJo says

    I think I have a strong monopoly on elitism.

    Obviously you’re an amateur. A true elitist doesn’t need to announce the fact, it shines through with everything he does.

  7. 386sx says

    I would like to nominate a Cheez-It cracker for the next Molly awards. Those things are delicious.

  8. says

    Best Albums of the 20th Century [1999]

    1. The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
    2. Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks
    3. The Beatles, The Beatles (“White Album”)
    4. Bob Dylan, Blonde on Blonde
    5. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
    6. Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited
    7. Joni Mitchell, Blue
    8. Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
    9. The Beatles, Rubber Soul
    10. The Beatles, Abbey Road
    11. Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
    12. The Grateful Dead, American Beauty
    13. Paul Simon, Graceland
    14. Bruce Springsteen, Born to Run
    15. Bob Dylan & The Band, The Basement Tapes
    16. Van Morrison, Moondance
    17. The Band, Music from Big Pink
    18. Carole King, Tapestry
    19. Jimi Hendrix, Are You Experienced?
    20. Rolling Stones, Exile on Main Street
    21. Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs
    22. John Coltrane, A Love Supreme
    23. The Allman Brothers Band, Live at the Fillmore East
    24. The Beatles, Revolver
    25. Bob Dylan, Bringing it All Back Home
    26. The Beatles, Meet the Beatles
    27. Joni Mitchell, Court & Spark
    28. The Band, The Band
    29. Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan
    30. Rolling Stones, Let it Bleed
    31. The Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead
    32. Neil Young, Harvest
    33. Jimi Hendrix, Electric Ladyland
    34. Robert Johnson, Complete Recordings
    35. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Déjà Vu
    36. Neil Young, After the Gold Rush
    37. James Taylor, Sweet Baby James
    38. The Grateful Dead, Europe `72
    39. Elvis Presley, The Sun Sessions
    40. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley
    41. Rolling Stones, Beggar’s Banquet
    42. Simon & Garfunkel, Bridge over Troubled Water
    43. Bob Dylan, Desire
    44. The Band, Last Waltz
    45. The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo
    46. Elvis Costello, My Aim is True
    47. Bob Marley , Legend
    48. Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life
    49. Various artists, Woodstock
    50. Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On
    51. The Who, Tommy
    52. The Beatles, Hard Day’s Night
    53. The Who, Who’s Next tied with
    Pink Floyd, The Wall
    54. Jefferson Airplane, Volunteers tied with
    The Grateful Dead, Reckoning
    55. Nirvana, Nevermind
    56. Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers
    57. The Band, Rock of Ages tied with
    Steely Dan, Aja
    58. The Beatles, The Beatles Second Album
    59. Miles Davis, Cookin’
    60. Bob Dylan, Another Side of Bob Dylan
    61. Simon & Garfunkel, Bookends
    62. The Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed tied with
    Jackson Browne, Late for the Sky
    63. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours tied with
    Frank Sinatra, Songs for Swinging Lovers
    64. Janis Joplin, Pearl
    65. Joni Mitchell, Hejira
    66. Richie Havens, Mixed Bag tied with
    The Doors, The Doors
    67. Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow
    68. Bruce Springsteen, The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle
    69. Frank Sinatra, In the Wee Small Hours
    70. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, 4 Way Street
    71. Joni Mitchell, Ladies of the Canyon
    72. The Beatles, Let it Be tied with
    Van Morrison, Astral Weeks
    73. John Lennon, Imagine
    74. James Brown, Live at the Apollo
    75. Bernstein/Sondheim, West Side Story tied with
    Miles Davis, Bitches Brew
    76. John Prine, John Prine
    77. Muddy Waters, Folk Singer
    78. Various artists, Anthology of American Folk Music tied with
    Woody Guthrie, Dust Bowl Ballads
    79. Stevie Wonder, Innervision
    80. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV tied with
    U2, Joshua Tree
    81. Frank Sinatra, Only the Lonely
    82. Dave Brubeck, Time Out
    83. Bob Marley , Exodus
    84. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Will the Circle Be Unbroken
    85. Ella Fitzgerald, The Cole Porter Songbook
    86. The Clash, London Calling tied with
    David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust
    87. Benny Goodman & others, Carnegie Hall Concerts
    88. B.B. King, Live at the Regal
    89. Louis Armstrong, Hot Fives and Sevens tied with
    Beck, Odelay
    90. Duke Ellington, Live at Newport
    91. Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant
    92. Talking Heads, Remain in Light
    93. Hank Williams, Greatest Hits
    94. The Grateful Dead, Aoxomoxoa
    95. Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison tied with
    Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan
    96. Billie Holiday, Songs for Distingue Lovers
    97. The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Velvet Underground & Nico
    98. Emmylou Harris, Wrecking Ball tied with
    Jimmie Rodgers, First Sessions
    99. Lucinda Williams, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
    100. Gram Parsons, GP tied with
    Gram Parsons, Grievous Angel

    How many do you have?

  9. says

    Sorry, but IMO – that list is mostly crap. Where’s “Queen” -“Rush” – “Elton John”?

    Neil Young … bleh! It hurts my sensibilities just to think of his voice.

  10. Paguroidea says

    Does anyone know how Blue Collar Scientist is doing since he got ill? I haven’t seen any posts recently.

  12. themadlolscientist, FCD says

    Queen – definitely. Elton John – for sure. Yes? ELO? Mahavishnu John McLaughlin? Emerson, Lake, and Palmer? Judy Collins? Creedence? Blood, Sweat, and Tears? Chicago? The Doors? Jethro Tull? Big bands (and jazz in general) are definitely underrepresented. And where’s the classical?

    Personally, I’m proud to have lived my entire 55 years in an Elvis-Free Zone. I’m not fond of Neil Young’s whiny voice either, although I must admit he does have his moments.

  13. says

    For a bit of blatheration you can go to this story on this deadly new (not really) exploding (it doesn’t) knife.

    Journalistic incompetence. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.

  16. Bill Dauphin says

    Queen – definitely. Elton John – for sure. Yes? ELO? Mahavishnu John McLaughlin? Emerson, Lake, and Palmer? Judy Collins? Creedence? Blood, Sweat, and Tears? Chicago? The Doors? Jethro Tull? Big bands (and jazz in general) are definitely underrepresented. And where’s the classical?

    I agree… especially since a handful of artists have virtually everything they ever did on this list. In a few cases (The Beatles, Dylan), multiple entries are obviously required, but as for the rest… well, is anybody’s fourth- or fifth- or sixth-best album really better than A Night at the Opera or Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Just the Piano Player or Yessongs or Aqualung (or two or three others by those artists, if you don’t like my choices). And as you point out, no classical (to include everything from chamber ensembles to grand opera, and all historical periods), no cast or soundtrack albums (can it really be true that even the best show recording ever is inferior to all those albums?[Ooops, on review, I see West Side Story is included. Still, no movie scores? No Rodgers and Hammerstein?]), too little jazz and big bands, too little (or none, depending on how you define it) country, very spotty and idiosyncratic selections of folk and R&B. Gospel? Rap/hip-hop? Punk (other than The Clash)? Disco? (I know, I know… but was there really no disco album worthy of historic note? Even though I disliked the genre, I suspect some of it achieved “greatness” on its own terms.)

    In order to be meaningful, a list like this either needs to define itself more narrowly (e.g., 100 best popular music albums) or limit the number of entries from any one artist: All those Dylan, Beatles, Joni Mitchell, and Grateful Dead albums are no doubt great, but limiting each of them to two or three titles would’ve opened up spots for some very deserving albums.

    Also, this list is really only the greatest albums by famous artists; there are almost certainly individual albums that belong on this list that were the one shot of greatness by an otherwise obscure artist. For my own personal example, I’d listen to Joan Osborne’s Relish again before I’d spin half the discs on that list. It’s just brilliant, from start to finish.

    Personally, I’m proud to have lived my entire 55 years in an Elvis-Free Zone. I’m not fond of Neil Young’s whiny voice either, although I must admit he does have his moments.

    Well, I’m not sure I agree that living Elvis-free is something to be proud of, but in any case, you need to be more specific: Presley or Costello (and BTW, doesn’t Armed Forces also belong on this list?)?

    And Neil Young, “whiny” voice and all, is a freakin’ genious… but even so, I’m not sure he deserves as many spots as he got. (And BTW, where’s CSNY on this list? Their eponymous first ablum was a classic, with “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Marakesh Express,” “Wooden Ships,” “Helplessly Hoping,” and “Long Time Gone.”)

    And speaking of rock singers with less than traditional voices, where’s Rod Stewart? I know he’s spurted out a lot of egregious dreck over the years (no, Rod, I don’t think you’re sexy…), but Every Picture Tells a Story would deserve mention on this list for “Maggie May” alone, nevermind the title track, “Mandolin Wind,” and “Reason To Believe”… classics all.

    [DeepBreath]…but I guess this sort of kvetching just points out what lists like this are good for, eh?

    PS: One last thought. Notwithstanding his subsequent descent into Islamic weirdness, doesn’t at least one of Cat Stevens’ albums belong on this list? (Think about the music; ignore the woo.)

  17. Bill Dauphin says

    Aughhh! Maybe I’d be a freakin’ genious, too, if I could only learn how to spell genius! [sigh]

  18. James F says

    One more time for those local to Boston:

    Ken Miller will present a lecture at the Newton Free Library tomorrow (July 22) at 7:30 PM.