tom petty & the heartbreakers

Playlist #180

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Happy Monday, folks! It’s PSAT/SAT Week here at the school where I teach, which means I get to spend Wednesday administering a test. Joy. In the meantime, here are some tunes to help you get through the next seven days.

  1. Stone Temple Pilots, “Big Easy”: Still follows the soft/loud dynamic of every band that ever heard the Pixies, but the incorporation of acoustic guitars and slide guitar is rather novel. I dig it.
  2. Mount Eerie, “Ravens”: Part of a song cycle/album about the death of the singer’s wife, it’s soft and contemplative and bare bones in its instrumentation, like it was made for Saturday around 3:00 AM.
  3. Buckingham Nicks, “Long Distance Winner”: Early work from Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, pre-Fleetwood Mac, and the album is indeed hard to track down. It’s not available on any of the streaming services I checked, and even a CD version on Amazon was more money than I want to admit I spent on Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. But it’s damn good music, even if some of the lyrics are a little too simple most of the time.
  4. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Breakdown”: Sometimes, I’m just in the mood for some good ol’ fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. And Tom always provides. Always.
  5. The Smile, “Foreign Spies”: More electronic than their previous two albums, but what do you expect from 2/5 of Radiohead?
  6. Jimmy Eat World, “Lucky Denver Mint”: Jumped up rocker is jumped up rocker.
  7. Carole King, “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman”: I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a Carole King song that I didn’t like.
  8. Louis Armstrong, “A Kiss To Build A Dream On”: If you don’t love Satchmo, I don’t think we can be friends.
  9. The Clovers, “Love Potion No. 9”: This will always be the goofiest damn song to me. Dude drinks a love potion and ends up kissing a cop. Classic.
  10. Glen Campbell, “MacArthur Park”: So apparently this song is based on the love story between Jimmy Webb (who wrote it) and Susie Horton. Horton was working at an insurance company office near – you guessed it – MacArthur Park at the time. It’s apparently symbolic of the end of the love affair, according to Webb, but that really makes me wonder what kinda kinky cake-related shenanigans they got up to. Also, original recording of the song was by actor Richard Harris, later of Dumbledore in Harry Potter fame.

Playlists #164, #165, and #166

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As you read this, I’m somewhere between Virginia and Oklahoma, headed back to the land of my birth for my grandfather’s funeral. He passed away this weekend, and it’s kinda left me gutted. I’m glad I got to see him over Father’s Day weekend, and that he was in good spirits at the time. It’ll be nice to remember him that way.

Anyway, I’m combining three playlists into one today, because I’m behind a bit and I put together a big playlist to get me to Oklahoma. Here’s thirty songs.

  1. David Gray, “A Clean Pair of Eyes”: Early David Gray just hits different. It’s folkier, more acoustic, and very introspective. I dig it.
  2. Louis Armstrong, “Mack the Knife”: There is no better moment in music than when Louis throws it to himself for the trumpet solo at the end.
  3. Bing Crosby, “Swinging on a Star”: One of the best songs about the importance of education ever committed to tape.
  4. Ryan Adams, “Desire”: Yeah, the guy has diarrhea of the recording studio, and some of the crap he’s pulled over the years is rather reprehensible, but he does occasionally write and record good tunes.
  5. Mavis Staples, “Eyes on the Prize”: Leave it to Mavis to turn a Civil Rights Standard into a bluesy banger.
  6. Greg Feldon, “Incoming”: On one of my (many) recent trips back from Oklahoma, I spent the better part of a day driving up I-81 listening to this song on repeat until I had it memorized. It’s a good song.
  7. The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Women”: Poor Mick just can’t even have an easy one night stand, can he?
  8. James McMurtry, “Choctaw Bingo”: It’s something of a standard “driving to Oklahoma” song for me at this point. It pops up on lots of playlists, because it’s a good song and it’s kinda long.
  9. Mark Knopfler, “Cannibals”: There are no cannibals anymore, are there, Mark? I think some folsk would beg to differ with a knife and fork, sir.
  10. Rilo Kiley, “More Adventurous”: Such a beautiful, forlorn sort of song. I’ve always loved it.
  11. Big Red Machine, “Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift)”: I’d be okay with Justin Vernon and Taylor Swift doing more duets for the next decade or so if they’re up for it.
  12. Ben Caplan, “Down to the River”: Did you know you needed more klezmer-inflected folk music in your life before you heard this song? Because I didn’t, but I obvious do need more of that in my life.
  13. Hank Williams, “Honky Tonk Blues”: This man knew from hard living, not that you’d know it from his songs necessarily. If he were alive today, he’d put the rest of the country music scene to shame, I’m pretty sure.
  14. The Mountain Goats, “Training Montage”: An amazing song if for nothing else than the line, “I’m doing this for revenge.”
  15. Neil Young, “Downtown”: I do enjoy it when Neil, the godfather of grunge, rocks out with Pearl Jam in tow. It’s a good time.
  16. Van Morrison, “Give Me a Kiss”: Old school Van was always top notch, as this song proves.
  17. The Wallflowers, “Misfits and Lovers (feat. Mick Jones)”: If you’re gonna do an album that sounds heavily indebted to the Clash, it’s probably a damn good idea to get a member of the Clash to guest on it.
  18. Tom Waits, “Chocolate Jesus”: Sacrilicious.
  19. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Angel Dream”: Can we talk for a minute about the run Tom Petty had between 1987 and 1999? He released Full Moon Fever, Into the Great Wide Open, Wildflowers, the She’s the One Soundtrack, and Echo, all bangers. All classics. Name me band in the past thirty-five years that’s had a string of records that good.
  20. Toad the Wet Sprocket, “Are We Afraid”: A quieter, more reflective moment from their odds & sods collection In Light Syrup.
  21. Pearl Jam, “Better Man”: I think I mentioned a few weeks ago how the Seven Mary Three song “Water’s Edge” is just a 90s rewrite of Richard Marx’s “Hazard,” and this song is just a rewrite of the final verse of Bob Seger’s “The Fire Inside.”
  22. Peter Gabriel, “Washing of the Water”: How does this man create such consistently interesting and provocative music? It’s wild.
  23. Paul McCartney & Elvis Costello, “My Brave Face (Original Demo)”: Two great tastes that taste great together, as it turns out. Elvis brought out the sharper side of McCartney (for a given value of sharper, since McCartney long ago filed off everything to smooth edges).
  24. Drive-By Truckers, “Everybody Needs Love”: An anthem for our time. Everybody does need love.
  25. Descendents, “‘Merican”: Another anthem for our time, this time about the true history of our country and how some folks just don’t want to see everything.
  26. The Dead Weather, “Hustle and Cuss”: It’s nice to see a Jack White project where he kind of takes a backseat to the proceedings, mostly just playing the drums and occasionally singing (like on this track).
  27. David Bowie, “Modern Love”: Dance-pop-era Bowie usually isn’t my favorite, but this song rocks.
  28. Calexico, “Guero Canelo”: Do I understand a word in this song? No. Does it still slap? Yes.
  29. Bob Dylan, “Song For Woody”: Another appropriate “traveling to Oklahoma” song. Woody is a state treasure, or damn well ought to be.
  30. Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Someday Never Comes”: One of the saddest songs that John Fogerty ever wrote, if you want my opinion. It’s dark and bittersweet and sad and longing, and it hits in just that right spot every time.

Playlist #163

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Haaaaappy last Monday of the school year! School officially ends here in Fairfax County on Wednesday, and I for one am more than ready for Summer Break. Here are some songs to get us there.

  1. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Waiting For Tonight”: Heard this one late last week on Tom Petty Radio, and had forgotten the song even existed. Features one of the best lines ever sung, “And I’m wrestling with my overcoat/And I’m fighting with my thoughts.”
  2. Primal Scream, “Rocks”: Hadn’t really listened to these guys before, and while this song is pretty good, it wasn’t enough to get me interested in listening to any of their other stuff.
  3. Van Morrison, “Tupelo Honey”: It’s also Clyde’s birthday this week! Let’s listen to classic Van Morrison in his honor.
  4. Hank Williams, “Kaw-Liga”: My grandfather continues to kick around, though he’s currently in the hospital with pneumonia. But his spirits seem good, and he’s alert and responsive, so I’ll take those as good signs. This is one of his favorite Hank Williams songs, and one he used to sing to us when we were little.
  5. Wilco, “The Late Greats”: What is the greatest song most folks have never heard?
  6. Paul McCartney, “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man”: Great McCartney cover. Run Devil Run was such a good album.
  7. Linda Ronstadt, “When Will I Be Loved?”: Things don’t get much better than Linda Ronstadt singing this song.
  8. Sting, “We’ll Be Together”: The most 1980s song I could imagine, from the processed drum machine to the synth horns.
  9. Pink Floyd, “Fearless”: I’m weird in that I really dig the Pink Floyd album Meddle (it might even be my favorite of theirs). This song, right in the middle of things, is a good example of why it’s such a great collection of tunes.
  10. Alice Cooper, “School’s Out”: Of course it is. And good riddance until next school year, ya filthy animals!

Playlist #161

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Tuesdays are the new Mondays, am I right? Whatever. I was hanging out with my mom yesterday, on the rare opportunity to have a family member from Oklahoma out in my neck of the woods, so today is the day for the playlist.

  1. Drive-By Truckers, “Marry Me”: It’s so rare to hear a joyous, happy song from these guys, and this one stands as one of my favorites.
  2. Soul Asylum, “Runaway Train”: On the list “90s Songs I Love to Play But Really Can’t Sing,” this one is near the top. It’s a great, song, though.
  3. Counting Crows, “Rain King”: Speaking of songs from the 90s that I love, this one never fails to get the blood pumping and me singing along. I also end up doing at least 20 over the speed limit whenever it’s on in the car, which might be a problem.
  4. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Have Love Will Travel”: On the long list of Tom Petty albums that I own and love, The Last DJ ranks pretty low (okay, at the very bottom). A recent re-listen just confirms that, while there are a few gems tucked away (the title track, “Dreamville,” “Like a Diamond,” and this particular song), it’s mostly best left forgotten as the concept album that couldn’t.
  5. Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”: One of the few Fleetwood Mac songs my wife can even stand. I, of course, like most everything they’ve done.
  6. The Wallflowers, “Bleeders”: I mostly just love the little organ flourish that starts this song off, and want to someday start a song of my own that way.
  7. Fiona Apple, “Criminal”: I also someday want to work in some Fiona Apple-style piano in a song. I have a long list of things I want to borrow and reappropriate from other musicians, as it turns out. All art is love and theft.
  8. Paolo Nutini, “Let Me Down Easy”: I oughta sue this guy for stealing my song title. And I know mentioning him will only bring my brother out of the woodwork to talk about how much of a dick the guy apparently is.
  9. Andrew Bird Trio, “Caravan”: Sadly, not the Van Morrison song, but an old jazz standard, apparently? I would love to hear Andrew Bird sing some Van. Give me that cover album, dammit.
  10. Nirvana, “Lithium”: With our use of Sirius XM in the car nowadays, we’ve spent a lot of time listening to the 90s grunge/alternative station, Lithium. They only play the Nirvana song of the same name about once a day, though.

Playlist #159: Count It In

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Happy Monday, folks. It’s SOL testing season here in Northern Virginia, so I get to spend most of my free time each school day proctoring! Woo! It’s so much fun. Today, we count it in with a selection of songs featuring – you guessed it – a count in!

  1. The Beatles, “Taxman”: George starts us off right with a song all about counting. Speaking of taxmen, I might have to fire mine, since between them they almost cost me $2000 this tax season (instead of the $500 it actually ended up being). Of course, considering my taxmen are my brother and my father, and I don’t actually pay them, I guess you could argue I’m getting what I pay for.
  2. The Presidents of the United States of America, “Cleveland Rocks”: The POTUSes know how to kick it up a notch, and it starts with a, “3, 4!”
  3. Ryan Adams, “To Be Young”: This song just bleeds in from the opening argument with Dave Rawlins (which isn’t exactly a song, since it’s just the two of them arguing about Morrissey’s catalog). It does feature a hasty count-in, though, so it…counts.
  4. Outkast, “Hey Ya!”: Why do so many songs that start with a count-in of “3, 4”? Why do we skip the one and the two? Why is five never considered? Is it because we’re always in 4/4 time? That doesn’t seem fair, exactly. Outkast know better, though, giving us a full four count.
  5. The Avett Brothers, “Will You Return?”: So do the Avett Brothers, actually! It’s nice to hear. And that heavy-strummed banjo.
  6. Pink Floyd, “Free Four”: I’m not sure if this actually counts, since “free” is not a number.
  7. Moxy Fruvous, “Earthquakes”: This one makes due with a, “1, 2, 3” count-in, skipping four entirely.
  8. U2, “Vertigo”: Someone needs to have a conversation with Bono, because, “1, 2, 3, 14” is not how we count.
  9. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “You Got Lucky”: This one just gets a “1” before Petty gives up counting and the song just starts.
  10. The Decemberists, “Shankill Butchers”: A trailing, “2, 3, 4” leads off this song about youths who will cut you, they will.

Playlist #154 – Eclipse Music

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Happy Monday and happy eclipse day, folks. The moon is gonna pass in front of the sun today, freak a buncha people out, and maybe signal mankind’s final doom and destruction? At least the weather is nice here for it, where we’ll only get 80% occlusion instead of the totality that they’ll see in, say, Cleveland. Of course, you’d have to be in Cleveland for that, so…tossup?

  1. Bonnie Tyler, “Total Eclipse of the Heart”: Let’s go ahead and get the most obvious one out of the way first. Yes, this is gonna be on everyone’s eclipse playlist. Yes, it is very, very obvious. It’s still a good song, though.
  2. Pink Floyd, “Brain Damage/Eclipse”: The other most obvious choice. Well, half of it is, anyway. But I feel like you can’t really play “Eclipse” without first playing “Brain Damage.” It’s like playing “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” without playing “The Happiest Days of Our Lives.” Y’know, I’m starting to think this is a specific Pink Floyd issue…
  3. Bruce Springsteen, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”: Now, we get into some less obvious tracks. Yes, it’s more of a sunset, metaphorical darkness in the Springsteen song, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have also applied to a total solar eclipse. Springsteen’s songs are multifaceted, I tell ya!
  4. David Gray, “Red Moon”: While the occluded sun is the obvious star of the day (pun definitely intended), let’s not forget the one who’s making it all possible: the moon!
  5. U2, “Staring at the Sun”: Let us say a quick prayer for all the optometrists who will be seeing folks over the next few weeks who are complaining about not being able to see a damn thing ’cause they literally stared at the sun without any protection or forethought.
  6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Straight Into Darkness”: Again, a more metaphorical darkness than what we’re really dealing with during the eclipse, but do you know how rarely eclipses are the subject of songwriting? There’s not a lot out there, is what I’m saying, so you take what you can get, especially if it’s a kickass Tom Petty song.
  7. The Police, “Invisible Sun”: Replaced a previous Police song on the list, “Darkness,” because I think this song is way funnier to have on the list.
  8. The National, “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness”: Well, get ready, system, ’cause in certain parts of North America this afternoon for about three minutes, you’ll be able to dream!
  9. George Harrison, “Beware of Darkness”: Some folks do think the eclipse is an ominous omen (is that just saying an omen-like omen? I feel like it might be. I don’t care. I’m leaving it in) of ill things to come. I think George Harrison just wanted a nightlight left on so he could find his way to the bathroom.
  10. Bob Seger, “Sunspot Baby”: I think Bob Seger is a criminally-underrated songwriter who’s built like the Platonic ideal of “Dad Bod” and just put together the best bar band you’ve ever heard. And did you know that sunspots are cool enough that water vapor can exist in them? Isn’t that wild?

Playlist #140

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Happy New Year, folks! It’s now 2024, which means…well, not a whole lot, on the blog side of things. The playlists will continue until morale improves. That said, here’s this week’s.

  1. Andrew Bird, “Auld Lang Syne”: How this went from a song sung when folks were being generally lauded to a song about the end of one year and the beginning of a new one is beyond me. Maybe someone should research that.
  2. Brian Fallon, “Forget Me Not”: I know I just featured this one a couple of weeks ago, but I really like this song and it’s basically been playing on repeat in my brain for those two weeks.
  3. Frank Turner, “The Gathering”: I always enjoy a Frank Turner rave-up, and one that features Jason Isbell? That’s just icing on the cake.
  4. The Horrible Crowes, “Mary Ann”: Maybe I just really like songs where Brian Fallon shouts someone’s name, okay?
  5. Huey Lewis & the News, “It’s All Right”: Even these guys, the whitest of white guys, know you clap on the two and the four. Get it together, white folks.
  6. Ingrid Michaelson, “Be OK”: I think we can all admit that 2023 was lousy for a whole lot of us. Here’s hoping we’ll all be okay in 2024.
  7. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Climb That Hill”: But it’s not enough to just be okay, is it? No, we want to reach the summit, achieve new heights, do great things. And we will. We just have to go out there and do it.
  8. Tom Waits, “Cold Cold Ground”: Read a thing last week that rated all of Tom Waits’ albums, and this one (Franks Wild Years, without an apostrophe because Tom Waits) was ranked mid-tier. Which is crazy to me, because any album that features this song is automatically top-tier if you ask me.
  9. Wilco, “Quiet Amplifier”: I find it hard to believe Jeff Tweedy has a quiet amplifier. I’ve seen Wilco in concert. He gets loud just like everyone else.
  10. Sting, “Brand New Day”: It is a brand new day, at the start of a brand new year. Make the best of it, folks.

Playlist #116 – Three Song Runs

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My brother Clif challenged me to come up with a playlist made of three-song runs by artists/bands, runs of songs that are all killer, no filler. There are limits: no compilations/best of collections, no soundtracks, just three songs in a row from a single album. So here’s four such runs.

Run 1: Carole King, “You’ve Got A Friend,” “Where You Lead,” and “Will you Love Me Tomorrow” (from Tapestry): I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Tapestry is solid from beginning to end. There is not a bad song on that album. I could have pulled any three songs from this album at random and it would’ve been just as good.

Run 2: Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Run Through the Jungle,” and “Up Around the Bend” (from Cosmo’s Factory): Honestly, I could’ve pulled any three song run from any of CCR’s first five albums (well, maybe not their self-titled) and it would’ve been just a series of bangers. These guys cranked out just amazing songs every time out (we’ll ignore Pendulum and Mardi Gras).

Run 3: The Gaslight Anthem, “The ’59 Sound,” “Old White Lincoln,” and “High Lonesome” (from The ’59 Sound): Again, you could pull any three songs from this album and they’d all rock. These three songs in particular feel like Bruce Springsteen fronting a punk band, a thing I never knew I wanted until just now.

Run 4: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl,” and “Even the Losers” (from Damn the Torpedoes): Damn the Torpedoes plays like a greatest hits album. Seriously. Even the deep cuts from this album are amazing. These three songs open the album, and it only stays this awesome from there.

Playlist #89

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So, first thing’s first…

I have a new album coming out this Friday, January 13th! It’s called Creature Comforts, and I’m super proud of it. My brother, Clif, mixed and mastered the album for me, and helped it sound its best. I can’t even begin to thank him enough.

If you want to join me on the journey to create the next album, you can support me on Patreon. I share new songs as I record them there.

  1. Ray LaMontagne, “Strong Enough”: It’s been a while since I’ve really listened to Ray LaMontagne. He hasn’t really changed, and that’s honestly okay. Dude found his niche and has settled in, releasing albums occasionally with solid songs like this one.
  2. Shampoo, “Trouble”: Snotty British pop from 1993, but it sounds like it could’ve been made in 1987. This sounds nothing like the rest of the post-Nirvana musical landscape.
  3. The New Pornographers, “Sing Me Spanish Techno”: I’ve never really listened to Spanish techno, but they make it sound very appealing.
  4. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, “Southern Accents”: So this song is kinda fraught with potential problems, I think. I know Petty came from Florida. He’s a southerner. But he’s also not an asshole. So I let this one slide. It helps that it’s such a well-written song.
  5. Fastball, “The Way”: Yeah, the band is named after a porno. It’s still a good song, though.
  6. Jason Isbell, “Super 8”: “Don’t wanna die in a Super 8 Motel” – A thing said by everyone who has ever stayed in a Super 8 Motel.
  7. Neil Young & The Stray Gators, “Bad Fog Of Loneliness”: If he’d replaced “A Man Needs A Maid” with this song, Harvest would be a perfect album. Well, and replacing “There’s A World” with “Journey to the Past.”
  8. Gotye, “Somebody That I Used To Know”: You didn’t have to stoop so low, y’know.
  9. The Goo Goo Dolls, “Sympathy”: Sure, it’s off the album the Goo Goo Dolls (terrible name) released after their big hit album, Dizzy Up The Girl, but this is one of their best songs, I think.
  10. Grand Funk Railroad, “Some Kind Of Wonderful”: “Can I get a witness?” Yes, yes you can.

Playlist #78

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Wednesday is the new Monday, am I right?

  1. Vaydra, “Talk To God”: The new single from the lady who sings with my brother, except it’s not the band they’re in together but a different band she formed that plays psychedelia. It’s pretty good. Check ’em out.
  2. Jake Blount, “The Downward Road”: Heard this guy on a Vox video talking about the importance of the banjo in historically black music. The song itself is pretty cool, drawing from traditional African American folk music and contemporary rap and hip-hop. I dig it.
  3. Glen Campbell, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”: Glen Campbell died in 2017 from Alzheimer’s, and he wrote and recorded this song just before that happened. It’s a stark look at what Alzheimer’s and dementia do to a person, erasing their personality and memories until there’s nothing left there. But it doesn’t really hurt them, it hurts the people around them who watch that person erode. It is one of my greatest fears that I’ll get dementia or Alzheimer’s and become a burden to those I love and not even know it.
  4. Rilo Kiley, “The Moneymaker”: I hadn’t listened to this album since the year it came out (which was . . . holy crap, 2007?!). This song holds up, I think, though the More Adventurous album is still my favorite of theirs.
  5. Stevie Ray Vaughn, “Pride and Joy”: Sometimes, you need some low-down, dirty, Texas blues (or “blooze”). This is one of those times.
  6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Straight Into Darkness”: Tom Petty is one of those guys who, even when he put out a mediocre album, it still has great songs on it. ‘Cause a mediocre Tom Petty song is better than about 70% of everything that comes out.
  7. Aimee Mann, “Looking For Nothing”: If you told me the only musician I was allowed to listen to for the rest of my life was Aimee Mann, I would not be entirely disappointed with that. You could do much worse.
  8. Drive-By Truckers, “Everybody Needs Love”: They do.
  9. Brian Fallon, “If Your Prayers Don’t Get To Heaven”: This dude absolutely loves the early ’60s girl groups and doo-wop and I am freakin’ here for it, yo.
  10. Led Zeppelin, “Fool In The Rain”: I love the drumming on this one.