The Rhapsody Radish - Music Playlist Archive

The Top 15 Albums of All Time (By Women)

August 1, 2008 – 6:53 am | by Robert of the Radish

I knew the column “Top 20 Albums Of All Time (For Real)” would get some attention, but the Y! Radish post is now showing over 8000 comments. I honestly wanted to read them all, but it’s just impossible for me to do so. Thanks for commenting - I did read a lot of them!

If you did not see the original post you can view it here. Basically the idea was to select the top 20 albums of all time based on statistics instead of personal opinion. To recap the parameters, they were: 

1. The list was based on the American market - I did this only because I had mounds of detailed data on the American music market at hand - to include the whole world or even Europe would increase the complexity of the analysis greatly - So it was really the “Top 20 Albums of All Time (To Americans)”

2. “Greatest Hits” albums and live albums were not eligible. The idea was to identify the very best true albums, not compilations that cherry pick the best songs from an artist’s career.

3. The following mathematical formula was used:

“Album Staying Power Value + Sales Value + Critical Rating Value + Grammy Award Value”

If you would like to see the complete analysis you can download the Microsoft Excel version here: (Top Album Analysis.xls).

After reading through a slew of comments the following points caught my attention:

1. You should have included “cultural value” or the album’s “influence” on popular culture.
I completely agree with all the posters who made this point, but how do we capture it? Maybe a poll or the total number of biographical books and video sales on each artist? We all know who has influence - The Beatles are probably #1, but how do we quantify it from there and how do we get the data?

2. The Staying Power Value for double albums is too high since they cost more.
This was factored into the numbers

3. SPV is flawed as it doesn’t take inflation, population, etc into account.
Good points that I am reflecting on, I tend to agree that the formula can absolutely be improved on. It’s finding the data and analyzing it that’s the hard part.

4. You should have included world wide sales and albums that sold less than 10 million.
Man, I love your enthusiasm! But this is a part time gig for me and I have to be realistic. I am publishing a blog, not writing a thesis. But if you want to support me and my family while I work on it please contact me and let me know.

5. Thriller won 8 Grammys, not 4!
I only include album specific Grammys, not song or performance related ones. i.e.: Record of the year, best rock performance, etc., were not included

6. Only one album fronted by women! What gives?
Good question, and I will address it now. I have filtered the list further to include only those bands fronted by women.

The Top 15 Albums of All Time By Women Artists

#15. Come On Over - Shania Twain
 Play Album
Units Sold: 20 Million
SPV: $1.82 Rating (Stars): 4 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $2.13

.
 
#14. Falling into You - Celine Dion
 Play Album
Units Sold: 11 Million
SPV: $2.20 Rating (Stars): 3.75 Grammys Won: 2
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $2.33

.
#13. Daydream - Mariah Carey
 Play Album
Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $2.25 Rating (Stars): 3.75 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $2.34

.
#12. Wide Open Spaces - Dixie Chicks
 Play Album
Units Sold: 12 Million
SPV: $2.81 Rating (Stars): 3 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $2.94

.
#11. Fly - Dixie Chicks
 Play Album
Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $2.91 Rating (Stars): 3.25 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $2.98

.
#10. Music Box - Mariah Carey
 Play Album
Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $2.94 Rating (Stars): 3.75 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $3.06

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#9. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette
 Play Album
Units Sold: 16 Million
SPV: $2.74 Rating (Stars): 3.5 Grammys Won: 3
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $3.07
 
.

#8. Up! - Shania Twain
 Play Album
Units Sold: 11 Million
SPV: $3.74 Rating (Stars): 2.75 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $3.78

.#7. Come Away With Me - Norah Jones
 Play Album
Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $3.80 Rating (Stars): 3.5 Grammys Won: 3
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $4.01.#6.  Oops!…I Did it Again - Britney Spears
 Play Album
Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $4.41 Rating (Stars): 3.5 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $4.59.#5. Like a Virgin - Madonna
 Play Album
Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $5.75 Rating (Stars): 3.75 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $5.98.#4. …Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
 Play Album
Units Sold: 14 Million
SPV: $6.11 Rating (Stars): 2.5 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $6.35.#3. Whitney Houston - Whitney Houston
 Play Album
Units Sold: 13 Million
SPV: $7.10 Rating (Stars): 3.25 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $7.46.#2. Tapestry - Carole King
 Play Album
Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $7.90 Rating (Stars): 4.75 Grammys Won: 2
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $8.62.#1. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
 Play Album
Units Sold: 19 Million
SPV: $9.52 Rating (Stars): 5 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $11.47

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Tags: greatest albums

The Top 20 Albums of All Time (For Real)

July 28, 2008 – 5:01 pm | by Robert of the Radish

I completely understand the frustration of “best of lists”, and I can assure you that I read hundreds of comments on the Yahoo Music blog whenever we post one. Many times album “best of” lists generate thousands of comments. Sure, many of the remarks are ridiculous, but many are valid in a subjective sort of way.

For this playlist I wanted to find the true top 20 albums once and for all, but to do this I needed to clear my mind of all opinion and approach it as a science. My own personal taste did not influence this list in any way. In fact, I would have made many different choices, but the time I put into collecting the data and crunching the numbers leaves no doubt in my mind that this is the most accurate top 20 album list in existence.

To begin with I had to set the parameters, and I have set them as follows:

1. The list is based on the American market - I did this only because I had mounds of detailed data on the American music market at hand- to include the whole world or even Europe would increase the complexity of the analysis greatly - So this is really the “Top 20 Albums of All Time (To Americans)”

2. “Greatest Hits” albums and live albums were not eligible. The idea here was to identify the very best true albums, not compilations that cherry pick the best songs from an artist’s career.

3. The following mathematical formula was used:

“Album Staying Power Value + Sales Value + Critical Rating Value + Grammy Award Value”

Now if you wish to argue, I welcome intelligent comment on how to hone the formula further, but please try to control the passionate fan-speak that drives so many of the comments. Remember, the idea is to completely remove your personal opinion from the process.

To offer a bit more detail on the components of the formula:

The initial group of albums selected was based solely on sales. Please know that I believe sales alone are probably the worst measure we have of an album’s quality and I will speak to how I addressed this problem in a few. But as a starting point sales made the most sense. Sales are by no means the only measure of a “great album”, but without big sales an album doesn’t have much footing on which to claim the moniker “greatest”. A vote with a dollar is a much stronger indicator than any other.

I looked at the biggest selling albums of all time in America based on actual RIAA data - this produced 71 non-Greatest Hits/Live albums that have all sold over 10 million units. Any of these that sold more than 10 million units received a 1% Sales Multiplier for every 1 million units sold over 10 million.

Sales Value = Sales Multiplier X Staying Power Value

Next, I determined what the Staying Power Value (SPV) was of all 71 albums. To determine Staying Power Value I looked at used CD sales data to determine how well each album’s value has held up over time. For example, in the secondary market you can expect to pay around $9.50 for a copy of Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, but you would only pay $1.38 for a copy of Cracked Rear View by Hootie and The Blowfish. The Staying Power Value is important because it shows what the current value of the album is in the marketplace. So it’s a good reflection of supply and demand. Rumours sold 19 million copies and Cracked Rear View sold 16 million. Rumours gets more points for selling more units, but even more important than the higher overall sales figures is that people want to hold onto their Fleetwood Mac CD, but don’t mind parting with their Hootie CD. SPV captures this. In simple terms, Staying Power Value reflects current supply and demand for each album. *Please note that for double albums we reduced the SPV to align with a standard-length album.

So if we take the previously mentioned SPV of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album and multiply it by that album’s Sales Multiplier of 9% (1% for each million sold over 10 million) we get $10.38. But this only shows us how much people still desire the album + how many have sold at retail.

The next part of the formula takes into account critical acclaim.

I would agree with anyone who says a critical review means nothing, but when you start to see a pattern among the critics the data becomes much more reliable. If ten out of ten reviewers give an album 5 stars chances are good that the album is a winner. Basically the more reviews you average the more reliable the rating.

For the Critical Rating Value I looked at multiple reviews for each album from a diverse cross section of music magazines, newspapers and music review websites to come up with the average review number for each based on a 5 star scale. From these ratings I assigned a Critical Rating Multiplier to each album ranging from 0% to 10%.

So now our formula has factored in critical acclaim making the end result more reliable.

Ratings Value = Sales Value X Rating Multiplier

The final portion of the formula is the Grammy Award Value and it simply looks at how many Grammy Awards each album has won. Our formula already has the voice of the people (Sales Value) and the voice of the critics (Critical Rating Value) so the only missing component is the acclaim each album holds among it’s peers. The Grammys are an industry specific award and are the best reflection we have of how the music business itself feels about an album. I would agree that this is the least important of the components in our formula, and as such each Grammy award adds only a .5% bonus. So an album that wins 4 Grammys would receive an extra 2% to it’s value. This in my estimation is a fair weighting to give for a Grammy award.

So now I give you The Top 20 Albums of All Time based purely on the analysis provided above and devoid of any personal opinion. If you would like to see the complete analysis you can download the Microsoft Excel version here: (Top Album Analysis.xls).

#20. Faith - George Michael
 Play Album
Year: 1987 Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $9.19 Rating (Stars): 4 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $9.79

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#19. Appetite For Destruction - Guns N’ Roses
 Play Album
Year: 1987 Units Sold: 15 Million
SPV: $8.81 Rating (Stars): 4 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $9.81

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#18. Purple Rain - Prince
 Play Album
Year: 1984 Units Sold: 13 Million
SPV: $8.74 Rating (Stars): 4.75 Grammys Won: 2
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $9.82

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#17. Houses Of The Holy - Led Zeppelin
 Play Album
Year: 1973 Units Sold: 11 Million
SPV: $9.10 Rating (Stars): 4.5 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $9.93

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#16. Born In The U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen
 Play Album
Year: 1984 Units Sold: 15 Million
SPV: $8.91 Rating (Stars): 5 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $10.29

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#15. Nevermind - Nirvana
 Play Album
Year: 1991 Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $10.07 Rating (Stars): 4 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $10.67

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#14. Van Halen - Van Halen
 Play Album
Year: 1978 Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $10.23 Rating (Stars): 4.25 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $10.84

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#13. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac
 Play Album
Year: 1977 Units Sold: 19 Million
SPV: $9.52 Rating (Stars): 5 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $11.47

.#12. The Wall - Pink Floyd
 Play Album
Year: 1979 Units Sold: 23 Million
SPV: $10.20 Rating (Stars): 4.75 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $12.51.#11. The Joshua Tree - U2
 Play Album
Year: 1987 Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $11.50 Rating (Stars): 4.5 Grammys Won: 2
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $12.54.#10.  Metallica - Metallica
 Play Album
Year: 1991 Units Sold: 14 Million
SPV: $12.08 Rating (Stars): 4.25 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $13.38.#9. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
 Play Album
Year: 1971 Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $12.83 Rating (Stars): 4 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $13.60.#8. Hotel California - Eagles
 Play Album
Year: 1976 Units Sold: 16 Million
SPV: $12.00 Rating (Stars): 4.75 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $13.81.#7. The White Album - The Beatles
 Play Album
Year: 1968 Units Sold: 19 Million
SPV: $12.00 Rating (Stars): 5 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $14.39.#6. Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin
 Play Album
Year: 1971 Units Sold: 23 Million
SPV: $12.42 Rating (Stars): 5 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $15.44.#5. Abbey Road - The Beatles
 Play Album
Year: 1968 Units Sold: 12 Million
SPV: $14.94 Rating (Stars): 4.25 Grammys Won: 1
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $16.23.#4. Physical Graffiti - Led Zeppelin
 Play Album
Year: 1975 Units Sold: 16 Million
SPV: $14.31 Rating (Stars): 4.75 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $16.38.#3. Thriller - Michael Jackson
 Play Album
Year: 1982 Units Sold: 27 Million
SPV: $13.49 Rating (Stars): 4.5 Grammys Won: 4
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $17.39.#2. Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd
 Play Album
Year: 1973 Units Sold: 15 Million
SPV: $16.08 Rating (Stars): 5 Grammys Won: 0
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $18.57.#1. Songs In The Key Of Life - Stevie Wonder
 Play Album
Year: 1976 Units Sold: 10 Million
SPV: $16.84 Rating (Stars): 5 Grammys Won: 2
Calculated value per unit based on the formula: $18.71

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Tags: greatest albums

Heavy Beatles Covers

July 27, 2008 – 10:53 am | by Robert of the Radish

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A vast majority of human beings alive on planet earth today and 99.99% of popular music critics would tell you that the Beatles are the most influential band in popular music history.

The number of times Beatles songs have been recorded by other artists is astounding and throngs of  musicians mark the band as a major influence. The Beatles song “Yesterday” is cited by many to be the most covered song in popular music history and although there is no way to prove such a statement I would not bet money against the assumption.

The Beatles had 17 number one songs on the British singles chart and 20 number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in America. Even more than this 17 cover versions of Beatles songs have hit the top 40 chart in America with Elton John’s version of “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” hitting #1.

In 1966, John Lennon said “Lack of feeling in an emotional sense is responsible for the way some singers do our songs. They don’t understand and are too old to grasp the feeling. Beatles are really the only people who can play Beatle music.” I’m not sure what John would think of all the Beatles covers floating around today were he alive, but I have to think he would find the immense numbers flattering.

The amazing thing about the influence of the Beatles is that it spans across just about any music genre you can think of. You can find full albums of Beatles covers done in the styles of jazz, bluegrass, rock, electronica, bossa nova, Gregorian chants, Cuban, classical, soul, children’s, blues and this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. For this playlist I wanted to pick songs on the heavier end of the spectrum.

These 10 covers are filled with electric guitars and guts. Please add your favorite hard rock or metal Beatles covers to the comments and tell us why we should check ‘em out.

The Heavy Beatles Covers Playlist

1. “Day Tripper” by  Jimi Hendrix 
2. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” - THE HELL YEAHS 
3. “Eleanor Rigby” - Godhead 
4. “Happiness is a Warm Gun” - Mother Superior 
5. “All My Loving” - Helloween 
6. “I Want To Tell You” - Ted Nugent 
7. “Revolution” - Stone Temple Pilots 
8. “Hey, Bulldog” - Alice Cooper 
9. “Back In The USSR” - Lemmy Kilmister 
10. “I Feel Fine” - Billy Idol 

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Tags: Beatles, Covers, Hard Rock, Metal, Playlist

Top 10 Rock & Roll Moustaches

June 3, 2008 – 6:41 pm | by Robert of the Radish

The moustache (or mustache) is the most difficult facial hair configuration to pull off. And for the musician it shows a daring and individuality not common to an industry obsessed with “image.” For this list I wanted to select the top 10 moustaches in rock & roll history.

When thinking about who should make the list I set some parameters as follows:

1. The moustache had to be the central feature of the artist’s facial hair - jazz dots, lambchops or unconnected goatees were acceptable as long as the stache stood out as a separate entity. Full beard and moustache packages were disqualified since a full face of man-hair is a completely different image.

2. This list is the top 10 ROCK & ROLL moustaches — I have not considered r&b, country, funk, jazz, hip-hop, classical or other distinct genres outside of rawk. I admit Jim Croce may have been a borderline selection on this point, but I’ve heard his music many times on classic rock radio. And besides, his lip-beaver had its own zip code.

3. Not only did the mouthbrows have to be memorable, but the artist’s music had to be too. A great moustache alone was not enough to get you on the list, you should have also reached the rank of “legend” or at least “household name” to be considered. Sorry GG Allin.

4. Finally, the artists had to be known for their moustaches — artists change their look frequently, but those who made this list had a moustache long enough during their careers to associate it as part of their identifiable “look” - Sorry Prince and Melissa Etheridge.

10. Carlos Santana

(Listen- Yahoo Music)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Carlos Santana certainly falls into the category of musical legend and although his cookieduster is on the well-groomed and understated side, it has been a constant companion throughout the course of his career. Carlos makes the number 10 spot in our list because he has worn a standard stache with pride and without the clutter of competing facial hair for decades.

9. Jimi Hendrix

 (Listen - Yahoo Music)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Jimi Hendrix probably wore his fur horseshoe better than any rock & roller in the history of the rock moustache. His stache’s elegant curves in combination with a well-rounded afro and thick eyebrows helped craft a distinct and instantly recognizable image. It is notable to say that Jimi’s nose-skirt never took center stage – his moustache may not come to mind when thinking about him, but it was there. Luckily, it was his guitar playing that stole the show.

8. Duane Allman

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Duane Allman is only one of two entries in the top 10 that include a total lampchop/stache combo. The absence of chin and neck whiskers give the impression of a moustache on steroids. This in combination with his long hair parted down the middle gave Duane’s face a slender and unique look that will be remembered for eons, as will the music he was able to create in his short 24 years upon the earth.

7. Ted Nugent

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Although Ted Nugent has had an on again/off again affair with his nosebeard over the years the cover of his seminal album Cat Scratch Fever memorializes his philtrum bush at its heroic peak. The long, unkempt hair, wily stache, elevated eyebrows, chipmunk teeth and maniacal eyes all contribute to what is arguably the greatest moustache-centric rock & roll album cover of all time.

6. Lemmy Kilmister

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Lemmy enters at number 6 with our second lampchop/stache combo. The way the left side of his flavor-saver dips and gracefully curves around his gravity-producing carbuncles is as close to art as facial hair can get. Undoubtedly, Lemmy’s mutton chop moustache is as integral to his image as his gravelly voice is to the music of Motörhead. His glorious nosebush is the perfect companion for the “dirtiest rock n’ roll band in the world.”

5. David Crosby

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

David Crosby is, without any doubt, the rock star that most closely resembles a walrus. His wire-like facial hair has evolved over the years to help the singer locate crustaceans as he swims along the bottom of the California surf. It’s a little known fact that CSN almost went by the name Moustache, Stills & Nash but the band could not fit the name on the album cover of their 1969 self-titled debut.

4. John Oates

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Have you ever seen John Oates of Hall & Oates fame without his moustache? Well, I have and it’s just plain wrong! John Oates without his face weasel is much like what your cat looks like after you shave it. Although Hall & Oates have been shunned by the testosterone laden rock fan set, the duo have scored an incredible 7 platinum and 6 gold records in their long career. And that moustache was front and center during the whole MTV video revolution.

3. Jim Croce

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Ok, ok, I understand the arguments about Jim Croce not falling into the “rock & roll” category, but I made an executive decision on this one. Not only to include him, but to put him at the #3 spot! Although well known for his folksy acoustic guitar, Croce could indeed rock, as heard on hits like “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown”. And oh that moustache! Most don’t know that before Jim Croce made it big he had a good career as a model for the Nose & Moustache Disguise company who invented the world famous disguise of the same name.

2. Freddie Mercury

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Let’s face it, Freddie Mercury without his schnozzle-fuzz would have looked like nothing more than an accountant in a tight jumpsuit and cape. But with his perfectly groomed and squared moustache he became the sexually ambiguous superhero that helped make Queen’s live show an event to rival the greatest on earth. Freddie will be remembered for all time, and when we close our eyes and think of him, we will visualize that glorious stache.

1. Frank Zappa

 (Listen - Yahoo)

 (Listen - Rhapsody)

Choosing many of the previous artists in this list took some careful consideration, but there was never any doubt about who would claim the number one spot. Frank Zappa’s distinctively huge moustache, in combination with his oversized soul patch, is so identifiable to the man that his estate holds a trademark on the look (no joke). The style of his creative loin-tickler even carries the name “The Zappa” after the man who made it famous. So as a respected musician well ahead of his time whose moustache style carries his name, Frank Zappa’s stache is the #1 greatest rock & roll moustache in history.

Aside: I have used many slang terms for the moustache in this column, let me know which was your favorite and please add any others you’ve heard to the comments.

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Tags: Moustache, Mustache, playist, Top 10

Songs About The Circus

June 1, 2008 – 7:13 pm | by Robert of the Radish

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 (Play Playlist - Yahoo Music Unlimited)

I have fond childhood memories of the circus. I remember being truly amazed by the clowns, lions, elephants, acrobats and other circus spectacles that were larger than life at the time. It was under the big top where I experienced live entertainment for the very first time.

In addition to the animals, comedy, costumes, food and smells, music also played a big part in the experience.

This playlist does not feature the actual music you would hear at the circus – for that check out the compilation albums produced by Sounds of the Circus South Shore, or the single-disc compilation Under the Big Top: 100 Years of Circus Music – these records have all the traditional circus music you’ll ever need, and would be the perfect background music for your circus-themed party or event. 

For my playlist I wanted to select a good number of songs that reference the circus and its themes, but as performed by well-known popular music artists. In other words, this is a circus themed song list that won’t drive you batty with repetitive calliope droning nor overly dramatic marches.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Circus, Playlist

Album Review Playlist: Volume 6

May 26, 2008 – 7:54 pm | by Robert of the Radish

 (Play Playlist - Yahoo Music Unlimited)

 (Play Playlist - Rhapsody)

Our Album Review Playlist series takes a random group of new or reissued albums, pulls a single track from each into a playlist, and includes a mini-review for each album. Anything is game, and you’ll never know what’s coming next. This edition features 17 new albums or reissues for you to check out. Listen in full with Rhapsody or Yahoo Music Jukebox.

1. Come Fly With Me - Frank Sinatra

on Yahoo! Music Jukebox
on Rhapsody
From the album Nothing But The Best (Remastered)
Last.fm page / Search for lyrics

The first two tracks in this edition of our Album Review Playlist series are from two posthumous Frank Sinatra releases. They come on the 10 year anniversary of his death. Nothing But The Best is a single-disc collection from Sinatra’s Reprise years that features 22 classic cuts remixed and remastered from the original master tapes, plus a previously unreleased recording of “Body And Soul” . The release coincided with the release of an official US postage stamp featuring the face of Ol’ Blue Eyes as it appears on the cover art of the album. The disc contains all of the classic Sinatra tracks the casual fan will need.

2. Young At Heart - Frank Sinatra
on Yahoo! Music Jukebox
on Rhapsody
From the album Sinatra At The Movies
Last.fm page / Search for lyrics

As big as Frank Sinatra was (and continues to be) in music, he was also a huge film star. Turner Classic Movies is currently running 30 of Sinatra’s classic films on the 10th anniversary of his death, and this excellent compilation contains 20 film-specific songs recorded by the Chairman of the Board including the title themes to The Tender Trap, From Here To Eternity, Young At Heart, Three Coins In The Fountain and Not As A Stranger.

3. It’s Too Late - Carole King
on Yahoo! Music Jukebox
on Rhapsody
From the album Tapestry (Legacy Edition)
Last.fm page / Search for lyrics

Carole King’s classic, sparsely produced and immensely influential album Tapestry was re-released in a Legacy Edition last month. This important album had a run of 15 weeks in the number one album spot after its release in 1971 and earned Carole four Grammy awards including: Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female), Record of the Year (”It’s Too Late”) and Song of the Year (”You’ve Got a Friend”). This deluxe reissue also includes a previously unreleased live album. (Video Clip: (”You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman“)

4. Always Where I Need To Be - The Kooks
on Yahoo! Music Jukebox
on Rhapsody
From the album Konk
Last.fm page / Search for lyrics

Konk is named after the London studio where the album was recorded. Konk studios happens to be owned by the famous Kink, Ray Davies. This fact would not be very important if the Kooks were not such a Kink-derivative band. Their straight-forward pop songs may leave most critics yawning “heard it before”, but one cannot discount the infectious nature of the songs found on Konk. It’ll get you moving and I would much rather have a new album pointing back to Bowie, The Kinks and The Stones than to Madonna.

5. I Was Wrong - The Morning Benders
on Yahoo! Music Jukebox
on Rhapsody
From the album Talking Through Tin Cans
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Berkeley’s The Morning Benders has released their first bona fide full-length and it’s a high calorie affair with enough sugar to satisfy even the most serious of pop-loving sweet-tooths. This is not an indie band reaching for the next level of art in music, or trying to fool the critics with over-thought gimmickry. Instead the album reflects a band completely comfortable with bright and shiny pop songcraft. And that suits me just fine.

6. Drop The Phone - Shy Child
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on Rhapsody
From the album Noise Won’t Stop
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If you’ve ever said to yourself ”I wish Kraftwerk had more balls”, than this album by Shy Child is a must-listen. This keyboard, vocals and drums duo produces an awful lot of sound for such a small team. They combine this with a sharp and carefree new wave sensibility. The end result is a record that’s fun, danceable and peppered with hooks. You’ll be hard pressed not to listen to the whole thing. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed not to come back to this one for sometime to come.

7. January: The One with “Kid” - Local H
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From the album 12 Angry Months
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Local H have delivered a surprisingly stunning concept album titled 12 Angry Months. It contains 12 songs for 12 months of heartbreak during a year of a relationship gone wrong. The duo features vocals, guitars and drums and hits with the same force as a duo like the White Stripes, but leans more heavily on unapologetic classic rock and grunge than on the pre-punk styling of The Stooges. This track asks the ex-girlfriend in passionate fashion, “Where’s my Pretenders record, you know the one, the one with ‘Kid’!” That one line wins a gold star, and there’s much more to be found on 12 Angry Months.

8. Be Mine! - Robyn
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on Rhapsody
From the album Robyn (Explicit)
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The canned beats and predictable production found on this eponymous record by Robyn are the kinds of things that usually have me running in the other direction. But I would be a liar and thief I didn’t freely admit that this is a great mainstream pop album. It’s just as chewy, but tastes better than anything crafted by a long line of current pop starlets raking in the major dough. But in this case the record is self-produced. Madonna is not worthy to sniff the dirty gym socks of Robyn, and if we must have glossy poptart music, this is the premium brand.

9. Cafe Jobim - Lawson Rollins
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From the album Infinita
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So I opened another CD package that arrived in my mailbox, looked at the cover and thought, “oh great, another California, new age inspired, granola chomping guitarist”. But one day I popped the CD in and discovered that indeed, one should never judge a book by its cover. On Lawson Rollins’ Infinita album you’ll find a superior melding of world music with the highlights being beautiful bossa nova and middle eastern grooves. Lawson’s guitar playing is virtuosic as its worst and mind-bending at its best. He also has the good sense to find truly talented vocalists to provide a complete package. So ignore the cheese-tempered album cover art and listen without preconception.

10. Fawn - Scarlett Johansson
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From the album Blue Lambency Downward
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“Famous Actress Turns Musician!” is a headline that will give even the most talented artist an uphill road to climb, and probably for good reason. But when I read that Scarlett Johansson’s debut foray into music was to be an album of mostly Tom Waits covers I was intrigued and impressed. After all, anyone who loves Tom Waits is ok in my book. Well, although the record is not as bad as a Heidi Montag or Paris Hilton, the atmospheric backdrop and seriously ProTooled vocals are an obvious attempt to create talent where none exists. Sure she’s beautiful and sure, she likes Tom Waits, but a singer she’s not. I suggest you keep looking at Scarlett and listening to Tom.

11. Clelia Walking - Kayo Dot
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on Rhapsody
From the album Selective Hearing
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The avant garde outfit known as Kayo Dot

evolved from the ashes of progressive metal, but you would never know it by listening to the new album titled Selective Hearing. This is experimental music in its purest form. It’s unpredictable, difficult to listen to and alternates between nightmarish chaos and brilliant musical ideas. I will be the first to admit that the record will not appeal to the vast majority of music fans, but it is a worthy effort that treads on Syd Barrett territory at times.

12. Crystal Skulls - Wolftron
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From the album Flesh & Fears
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It may seem a bit melodramatic for a 23 year old kid from the Pacific Northwest to be challenging the status quo, but for Kenny Choi, the heart and voice behind Wolftron’s ambient pop songs, Wolftron is your bedroom pop favorite of 2008. The debut LP Flesh & Fears, out on Eyeball Records, is a sweet melancholy narrative complete with haunting vocals and breathtaking composition which recalls a more ambient One AM Radio or a more techno savy Iron & Wine; per