All By Ourselves - Sloan - Between The Bridges - 1999

I was living in Cincinnati in 1999, and if you need further evidence of why I have such ambivalent feelings about the place, absorb this fact. In 1999 the local independant weekly picked Sloan's Between the Bridges as the best album the year, with The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin as a #2.

Now don't get me wrong, Sloan can be a tremendously entertaining band and they can write a good hook...there are quite a few of them on this album, including this song. And The Flaming Lips have lost some of their cool through computer ads, endless hippy festival appearances and one really bad album. But seriously, don't forget what an amazing pop symphony TSB was at the time...and despite it's charms what an unremarkable power pop album Between the Bridges is.

Anyway...

All Blues - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue - 1959

Jazz...though if you want to feel like you are walking around in a 1950's police procedural, this is the way to go. Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go question a dame about that pick up on south street.

All At Once (It's Not Important) - The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops - 2006

So an old college buddy and I used to have a discussion about the merits of the "peaks and valleys" album verses the "plateau" album. In the Peak and Valley album you have 3-5 great songs sandwhiched in between some filler...forgetable or even bad songs. Whereas the "Plateau" album stayed consitantly good throughout, but without ever achieving greatness. Jason was of the opinion that consistance was the mark of a great band, and in theory I agree with him.

But it's albums like the second (and final) Secret Machines record that sort of belie that theory. There isn't really a bad song on the second record, this song included, but I never feel compelled to listen to it. The first record on the other had quite a few clunkers on it, but 3-4 really entertaining songs....quite the delima.

All Around The World - The Jam - All Around the World Single - 1977

Sorry to all five of my readers for the lack of updates. It's been a busy week.

Anyway, I was hanging out with one of my lady friends on Sunday playing video games (yes, I am exactly that cool) when I discovered that she gets the munchies like a 14 year old girl. We go on a simple beer run, and I buy one six pack and one bag of chips. She on the other hand bought an entire log of cookie dough, a pack of honey roasted nuts, and a bag of swedish fish.

I'm not sure if there is a fetish for watching tall, skinny vegan chicks eat an entire log of cookie dough, but if you want photos, I could probably arrange that.

Anyway, more of The Jam doing their thing.

All Apologies - Nirvana - In Utero - 1993

Man, Nirvana...okay...so here is my In Utero story:

I had tickets to see Nirvana at Dayton's Hara Arena in October of 1993, but I had a date. I figured, "hey, they'll be back around." and gave the tickets away. Who knew, right? The girl I went on a date with ended up being my girlfriend for many years. In hindsite, I would have been better served going to the concert. But you learn...I guess.

All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix - All Along The Watchtower Single - 1968

With all due respect to Mr. Dylan (and Neil Young, Bono, Eddie Vedder, etc, etc, etc), this is probably the definitive version of this song. Jimi just rocks it hard.

All Along The Watch Tower - Eddie Vedder and the Million Dollar Bashers - I'm Not There Soundtrack - 2007

Wait...this was a Bob Dylan song?

I kid, I kid...anyway, with Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young doing versions that are more definitive than the original already, I'm not sure why we needed Eddie to churn out another version, but whatever. As you would expect it's reverant and workman like. Not without it's charms, but "no reason to get excited"

All Across The Sand - The Stone Roses - Sally Cinnamon EP - 1987

The Stone Roses always make me think of Driver's Ed...which is mostly a good thing.

I always found them just a little too anemic, too pasty and British...but I have to acknowledge their influence and that they could write a song when they chose too. Plus, I really wanted the girl who always played The Stone Roses in my driver's ed car. Any girl cool enough to be listening to The Stone Roses in Kokomo deserved my attention, sadly she didn't really see it the other way around.