Christmas Picks

Ok, I have a request for my Christmas picks. These are discs you can pick up for your friends, and remain their friends.

Back to Black
Amy Winehouse > this probably was released a year or more ago, but it is so good I want to make sure that everyone has a copy. BTW, if you wait until she is dead... you won't get credit for being cool or appreciating her from the beginning. That gives you about three months.

The Story
Brandy Carlisle > this is one of those tiny little hottie songbirds that have been all over the radio the last couple of years. most of them jam together in my head: feist, kt tungstall, duffy... etc. You can hear them every six seconds on your local Clear Channel station. This girl really stands out, though. She writes her own songs, and they have this spooky aged wisdom. This is good shit, and I plunked down the whole $10 on iTunes for it.

Terrapin Limited
Grateful Dead > this is a new release, however the show was 3/15/90. This was a great time for the Dead live. Brent Mydland was finding his own in the band, and really becoming an equal live talent to Bobby and Jerry. Also, the set list on this three disc set is awesome. Lastly, the sound quality is sick! These shows sound better than being their live. If you are a fan of the Dead, you should absolutely own this.

Just Roll Tape
Stephen Stills > this is a very stripped down recording. very. He was given 45 minutes in the studio to record his demos. So, he jammed through every one in real time. One cut, one take. No overdubs, no back up band. These reels were thought lost, but just resurfaced last year and were released as is. You get to se behind the stunning songwriting beauty of what became 'Crosby, Stills, and Nash'.

Chinese Democracy
Guns and Roses > just kidding. go pick up Appetite for Destruction and Lies.

Do you believe in Gosh
Mitch Hedberg > a posthumous collection from great comedian Mitch Hedberg. He was a huge talent and funny guy. Also, like the cliche, he was a troubled drug addict who died alone on the floor of a hotel room of a drug overdose way too young. He has a couple other studio albums, all of which I strongly recommend. One is 'Strategic Grill Locations' and 'Mitch all Together'.

Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam > again, this was released a couple of years ago. However, it is really really good. I put it up there with 'Yield' and 'Ten'. If you know Pearl Jam, you know those are very strong words indeed. So, if you or your pal don't have this... get it. it's the one with the avocado on the cover.

That is all for now, but I want to put in my last thoughts about music in this hip digital age. Whenever I can (which is about 50% of the time) I go out and buy a hard real life CD instead of a download. Why? It's a pain in the ass, and the real copies actually cost more. True. However, I like to have a back up, first off. If this computer tanks, I don't want to lose my entire collection.

Secondly, there is still something to be said for having the actual thing. I know I sound like one of those old dudes talking about the tactile jewel that is vinyl, but it's true.

Lastly, do you know how tough it is to do blow off an iPod? plus, those things scratch way easily. There are lots of uses for those cd jewelboxes.