My sports cards have been organized enough that all I need to do is put away new purchases, and so last night I moved on to my CD collection.
As you can see, my CDs are all stored in a drawer. This drawer, which has one busted wheel, slides underneath my bed and gets quite dusty. After removing all the CDs to clean and organize themI noticed that I have a favorite band or artist for nearly every letter in the alphabet.
Once upon a time I participated in a blogging challenge that took place in April. We'd all pick an overarching theme and a daily topic that matched each letter. It was fun. Unfortunately the people who ran it showed their whole ass and I didn't want to be associated with them anymore. Still like the concept though.
So here's an idea if you have some time or you're out of blog topics: make a list of your favorite musicians from A to Z or do a Sporcle-style speed round and just type out the first ones that come to mind as quickly as you can. Here's my list of favorite musical acts by the letter:
All Time Low
This video gives me all the feels. I used the song in a story I wrote. Never finished that thing. Maybe someday.
Bush
A surprisingly tough letter for me. Sixteen Stone is the only CD in my collection from a 'B' band. Is there a "Best of Bush" greatest hits CD? [edit: There is .. but its frigging expensive!]
The Cure
One of my all-time faves. I hadn't listened to them in years and then earlier this week I popped in Disintegration because it was raining (again.) Love it. A more current 'C' band I'm listening to is Chvrches. Thanks for pointing me in their direction, Shane!
Depeche Mode
Good news: Dave Gahan, Martin Gore & co. were finally elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! Bad news: They were elected last year, and the ceremony was virtual due to Covid.
E
Evanescence? Erasure? Echo and the Bunnymen? I'm drawing a blank here.
Fall Out Boy
One of my top three favorite bands of the last dozen years.
Green Day
Also receiving votes: Garbage
Jimi Hendrix
I haven't listened to Hendrix in years, but H is not a strong letter for me.
I Don't Know How But They Found Me
I saw them open for Silversun Pickups in 2019. They're good enough to knock Incubus off the list.
Joy Division
The cover art for Unknown Pleasures might be even more popular than the band itself.
Kent
They're a Swedish band and one of my all time favorites, even though about 80% of their recordings were in Swedish. The Killers are another fave, and I listened to a ton of Keane in college.
Linkin Park
I actually don't have any of their CDs. I've been planning to get at least one, likely a Greatest Hits compilation.
Muse
My wife's favorite band, and one of my top five. If you haven't heard them yet, hear them live first. While I'm on 'M' bands, I should mention that the restoration company I work for did an inspection at the home of My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero. I was very excited about this. Naturally I was the only one in the office who'd heard of him.
New Order
I mentioned them on The 1993. Obligatory Nirvana mention here, as they're the reason I got into alternative music.
Oasis/The Offspring
Call it a tie between two '90s acts I liked a fair amount. Nowadays I listen to a little more Oasis.
Pvris
When I first heard "Fire" it reminded me of another female-fronted band, Paramore. I love Riot more than any single Pvris album, but Hayley Williams & co. lost me a couple albums ago. Use Me isn't my cup of tea in general but Lynn Gunn hasn't lost me yet. (Also, their cover of "Chandelier" lays waste to the original.)
Queen
I challenge you to find a better artist for the letter 'Q'. Really feeling this track lately.
Smashing Pumpkins are my all-time favorite band. Silversun Pickups are my current favorite band. I listen to a lot of Silversun and very little Pumpkins these days. Love 'em both though.
Thirty Seconds To Mars
Number bands are left out of this exercise (sorry, 311) but since Jared Leto & co. spell out the wordThirty I'll tuck them in to 'T'. [bands that start with the word The obviously do not count here.]
U2
See Queen. I was just remarking to the Mrs. that I haven't listened to enough U2 lately. I'll fix that.
Van Halen
I wasn't the biggest Van Halen fan in the world but I do like their hits (and Balance brings back junior high memories) Here's a question for those of you who are fans: David Lee Roth or Sammy Hagar?
The White Stripes/Weezer
Another tie between two different but equally good alternative bands. I like more Weezer songs but I like White Stripes songs more, if that makes sense. Also I should mention that I'm kinda digging The Weeknd lately.
X
Ah, the dreaded X. I know XTC is a band that exists but I can't name any of their songs. And I can't count Lil' Nas X.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Another tough letter. This is really the only YYY song I like though I haven't dug too deep into their catalog. Yet.
Z
ZZ Top would be the obvious choice, or Frank Zappa. But I can't say I like them. Rob Zombie? His band had a song or two I liked okay, but those are listed under White Zombie. Rather than trying to come up with a 'Z' artist I like enough, how about Zooey Deschanel singing the national anthem at the 2012 World Series.
Good stuff. I'll probably do this in my own way. A few of the letters will be the same for me ("S" is going to be as difficult as anything to settle on). I'm not uploading a bunch of videos tho.
Also, all my CDs are now in the attic ... except for the ones I keep retrieving.
When I saw the lone "E", for a moment I thought you had picked E, a solo artist and lead singer of the Eels whose real name is Mark Oliver Everett. There's a well-known band called X as well, but I don't know of one called Z.
I was actually listening to a Dave Edmunds concert as I did this, so he was lobbying for that spot, but didn't get it.
I didn't let myself put anyone in twice, so I couldn't pick The Beatles for B, Paul McCartney for M, and Wings for W, which is something I would do. Some tough calls here, and I'm probably forgetting someone, but here's what I came up with.
Alarm, The Beatles Creation, The Dylan, Bob Electric Light Orchestra Frampton, Peter Gin Blossoms Hollies Isley Brothers Jackson Five Kinks Little River Band Monkees Nilsson, Harry Ochs, Phil PM Dawn Question Mark & The Mysterians Run-DMC Squeeze Temptations Unit 4 + 2 Velvet Crush Who, The XTC Young, Paul Zombies
The Alarm Black rebel motorcycle club The cult The doors Echo and the bunnymen Foo fighters Golden smog The hold steady Inxs The Jesus and Mary chain Keane Lloyd cole and the commotions Midnight oil Nada surf Oasis Perfect Queen The replacements Simple minds/the smiths - it's a tie Talking heads U2 Violent femmes Wire train X Yaz Zuzu's petals
My musical tastes were strongly established in the early to mid 80s.
Allmans Beatles Cream Derek & the Domino’s Eagles Faces Grand Funk Humble Pie Indigenous Jefferson Airplane King Crimson Lynyrd Skynyrd Mountain Nektar Outlaws Pink Floyd Queens of the Stoneage Rolling Stones Steppenwolf Ten Years after Uriah Heep Velvet Underground Wishbone Ash XTC Yardbirds Zappa
I'll give you 2 per letter (well, almost all of them)
Abba, America Beatles, Boston Cream, Chicago Def Leppard, Doors Eagles, ELO Foghat, Fleetwood Mac Grass Roots, Gerry & the Pacemakers Hollies, Heart Billy Idol, I got nothing else Elton John, Journey Kiss, Kinks Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd Mamas & Papas, Moody Blues Ted Nugent, Nilsson Orleans, Oasis Police, Pink Floyd Queen, Quiet Riot Raspberries, Rolling Stones Santana, Rod Stewart Temptations, Thin Lizzy U2, U could say Uriah Heep, but I don't like them Van Halen, Ventures Who, Wings Xactly which bands begin with an X? Yardbirds, Neil Young Zombies, ZZ Top
Love this challenge. Took me over 30 minutes, but...
Alan Parsons Project Beastie Boys The Cure Def Leppard The Eagles Fleetwood Mac Peter Gabriel/Genesis Bruce Hornsby & The Range Ice Cube Journey Kansas Cyndi Lauper Metallica Notorious BIG The Police Queen RUN DMC Tupac Shakur They Might Be Giants/Tribe Called Quest U2 Van Halen Stevie Wonder Xzibit* Yes* ZZ Top
Nice list. I'm not hip to the lingo, but I don't really know what "showed their whole ass" means. As if showing a partial ass is OK, but not the whole thing :) Based on the context, I assume it's bad.
If I had the time to make a proper list, I would, but this such a bad time for me to be trying to spend hours working on post like this. I hope it'll inspire others to do so though.
Good stuff. I'll probably do this in my own way. A few of the letters will be the same for me ("S" is going to be as difficult as anything to settle on). I'm not uploading a bunch of videos tho.
ReplyDeleteAlso, all my CDs are now in the attic ... except for the ones I keep retrieving.
When I saw the lone "E", for a moment I thought you had picked E, a solo artist and lead singer of the Eels whose real name is Mark Oliver Everett. There's a well-known band called X as well, but I don't know of one called Z.
ReplyDeleteI was actually listening to a Dave Edmunds concert as I did this, so he was lobbying for that spot, but didn't get it.
I didn't let myself put anyone in twice, so I couldn't pick The Beatles for B, Paul McCartney for M, and Wings for W, which is something I would do. Some tough calls here, and I'm probably forgetting someone, but here's what I came up with.
Alarm, The
Beatles
Creation, The
Dylan, Bob
Electric Light Orchestra
Frampton, Peter
Gin Blossoms
Hollies
Isley Brothers
Jackson Five
Kinks
Little River Band
Monkees
Nilsson, Harry
Ochs, Phil
PM Dawn
Question Mark & The Mysterians
Run-DMC
Squeeze
Temptations
Unit 4 + 2
Velvet Crush
Who, The
XTC
Young, Paul
Zombies
I really do love XTC.
Not sure if you're joking or not. But the Eagles seem like an obvious E choice to me. Maybe they're not your style though.
ReplyDeleteI like the football team more than the band.
DeleteE - Eddie & the Hot Rods. Q - Queensryche. H - J Hendrix & Hawkwind. Nice shout out to ? & the Mysterians & the Zombies.
ReplyDeleteI'll give it a go here.
ReplyDeleteThe Alarm
Black rebel motorcycle club
The cult
The doors
Echo and the bunnymen
Foo fighters
Golden smog
The hold steady
Inxs
The Jesus and Mary chain
Keane
Lloyd cole and the commotions
Midnight oil
Nada surf
Oasis
Perfect
Queen
The replacements
Simple minds/the smiths - it's a tie
Talking heads
U2
Violent femmes
Wire train
X
Yaz
Zuzu's petals
My musical tastes were strongly established in the early to mid 80s.
Allmans
ReplyDeleteBeatles
Cream
Derek & the Domino’s
Eagles
Faces
Grand Funk
Humble Pie
Indigenous
Jefferson Airplane
King Crimson
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mountain
Nektar
Outlaws
Pink Floyd
Queens of the Stoneage
Rolling Stones
Steppenwolf
Ten Years after
Uriah Heep
Velvet Underground
Wishbone Ash
XTC
Yardbirds
Zappa
I'll give you 2 per letter (well, almost all of them)
ReplyDeleteAbba, America
Beatles, Boston
Cream, Chicago
Def Leppard, Doors
Eagles, ELO
Foghat, Fleetwood Mac
Grass Roots, Gerry & the Pacemakers
Hollies, Heart
Billy Idol, I got nothing else
Elton John, Journey
Kiss, Kinks
Led Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mamas & Papas, Moody Blues
Ted Nugent, Nilsson
Orleans, Oasis
Police, Pink Floyd
Queen, Quiet Riot
Raspberries, Rolling Stones
Santana, Rod Stewart
Temptations, Thin Lizzy
U2, U could say Uriah Heep, but I don't like them
Van Halen, Ventures
Who, Wings
Xactly which bands begin with an X?
Yardbirds, Neil Young
Zombies, ZZ Top
Love this challenge. Took me over 30 minutes, but...
ReplyDeleteAlan Parsons Project
Beastie Boys
The Cure
Def Leppard
The Eagles
Fleetwood Mac
Peter Gabriel/Genesis
Bruce Hornsby & The Range
Ice Cube
Journey
Kansas
Cyndi Lauper
Metallica
Notorious BIG
The Police
Queen
RUN DMC
Tupac Shakur
They Might Be Giants/Tribe Called Quest
U2
Van Halen
Stevie Wonder
Xzibit*
Yes*
ZZ Top
* Don't actually own any CD's from these artists.
We have vastly different taste in music. Vastly. The only one I like in your post is Evanescence.
ReplyDeleteThis will be tough, but I'm up for the challenge!
ReplyDeleteNice list. I'm not hip to the lingo, but I don't really know what "showed their whole ass" means. As if showing a partial ass is OK, but not the whole thing :) Based on the context, I assume it's bad.
ReplyDeleteFun challenge! Might take me a while, though.
ReplyDeleteIf I had the time to make a proper list, I would, but this such a bad time for me to be trying to spend hours working on post like this. I hope it'll inspire others to do so though.
ReplyDelete