Favorite songs of ‘06

Of the songs I added to iTunes in 2006, here are the ones I played most often (many of these songs were not actually released in 2006):

1. “Are You With Me?” by Overnight
2. “Nature Anthem” by Grandaddy
3. “The Sun Shines Down on Me” by Guster
4. “Kicks in the Schoolyard” by Rosebud
5. “Three Lions” by World Cup Willies
6. “Dreidel” by Don McLean
7. “Reason is Treason” by Kasabian
8. “Technologic” by Daft Punk
9. “The Vice and Virtue Ministry” by The Happy Bullets
10. “I Was Never Young” by Of Montreal

I heard nine of these ten songs for the first time on The Good Show.

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Recent iTunes purchases

• “If Anybody Had a Heart” by John Waite
• “Palestine Texas” by T Bone Burnett
• “Going Going Gone” by The Vestals
• “You Didn’t Have to be So Nice” by The Lovin’ Spoonful
• “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks
• “Smoke from a Distant Fire” by Sanford & Townsend
• “For the Love of Money” by The O’Jays
• “Wrong Time Capsule” by Deerhoof
• “Mad World” by Michael Andrews
• “You Go to My Head” by Frank Sinatra
• “Someone to Watch Over Me” [1945] by Frank Sinatra
• “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)” by Frank Sinatra
• “Why Shouldn’t I?” by Frank Sinatra
• “Why Don’t You Get a Job?” by The Offspring

Last trip to Tower

I flew down to the Bay Area to visit my sister this past weekend, and persuaded her to make a side trip to Tower Records on our way from Pleasant Hill BART to her house.

The inventory was heavily depleted because the store has been going out of business for the last several weeks and everything is 50% off, but I still found a few things:

• “Songs of Love and Hate” by Leonard Cohen
• “Going Somewhere” by Colin Hay
• “Employment” by Kaiser Chiefs
• “Missing Songs” by Maxïmo Park

Also, for the fifth and final time I bought the latest Duran Duran album (“Astronaut”) at Tower. I don’t think I would have bought it if not for nostalgia, but maybe when I listen to it I’ll like it.

Biggest disappointment: They were out of the yellow-and-red Tower Records bags. I wanted one…

Farewell to Tower

I’m numb at the news that Tower Records is going out of business.

When I was in high school, the first thing I would do with each weekly paycheck was spend part of it at Tower Records in Concord. I still have 12-inch singles with 1986 Tower price tags on them.

Later, while taking a year off from college, I worked for seven months at Tower Books, the sister store of that Tower Records.

The bookstore in Concord closed years ago. Now the music store will be gone soon as well. That whole vibrant culture I loved — the myriad bins of albums and singles; the excitement of finding almost any piece of music I knew to look for; the smart, cynical staff; the colored foamcore band promos; the yellow-and-red bags — all gone.

I wonder where Liane is now…

This week’s iTunes purchases

• “Nature Anthem” by Grandaddy
• “The Sun Shines Down on Me” by Guster
• “Kicks in the Schoolyard” by The Rosebuds
• “Are You With Me?” by Overnight
• “Good Thing” by Fine Young Cannibals
• “Death Disco” by Public Image Limited
• “Drum Mode” by Gray
• “This is Not a Love Song” by Public Image Limited
• “Joining a Fan Club” by Jellyfish
• “The Captain of Her Heart” by Double

Nice night for a walk

It was a beautiful evening for a fair-skinned person in a long-sleeved shirt to be outside – overcast and in the 60s – so I walked home from work: MLK to Hancock to 33rd to Alder. About three-and-a-half miles. I had never walked through Irvington before. Pretty neighborhood.

Along the way, I dropped by Music Millennium for the first time. At first I thought I wouldn’t get anything, because the only album I could remember that I wanted was “Pink Flag” by Wire, and the store was out-of-stock. I was quickly able, though, to find a few things:

• “69 Love Songs, Vol. 1” by The Magnetic Fields
• “The Glasgow School” by Orange Juice
• “Early” by Scritti Politti
• “Dizrythmia” by Split Enz
• An Ultravox 2-CD greatest hits compilation

If I hadn’t made a desperate break for the register while I was walking near it, I’d probably be bankrupt right now. I bought as many albums in that trip to the store as I had bought in the previous 12 months. It’s been a long fast.

This week’s iTunes purchases

• “That’s Good” by Devo
• “T.V.O.D.” by The Normal
• “Tight Rope” by Leon Russell
• “I Predict a Riot” by Kaiser Chiefs
• “My Mathematical Mind” by Spoon
• “Reason is Treason” by Kasabian
• “Eanie Meany (Radio Edit)” by Jim Noir

Today’s iTunes purchases

“Not a Crime” by Gogol Bordello
“Don’t Listen to the Radio” by The Vines
“I Was Never Young” by Of Montreal
“Go All the Way” by The Raspberries
“Technologic” by Daft Punk
“Ein bisschen Frieden” by Nicole
“The Vice and Virtue Ministry” by The Happy Bullets
“Hippie Hippie” by France Gall

In-store music just keeps getting cooler

I was picking up dinner this evening, and what was playing over the PA? “Anytime” by Neil Finn.

Yes. “Anytime” by Neil Finn. At a fast food place. And not one of those cool Portland joints, either.

When did mainstream stores start playing album cuts from great albums no one bought? Can I vote somewhere that that trend continue?

iTunes favorites

I’m about to make some changes to my iTunes setup that might erase its history, so before I lose it, here are my 10 most played songs of the last four years:

• 1. “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” by U2
• 2. “Ruin My Day” by Jon Brion
• 3. “Year of the Cat” by Al Stewart
• 4. “Umm” by Scritti Politti
• 5. “Get In or Get Out” by Hot Hot Heat
• 6. “Your Favorite Thing” by Sugar
• t7. “Headshots” by Suzanne Vega
• t7. “America, $#^% Yeah” by Team America
• t9. “Savoy Truffle” by The Beatles
• t9. “Theme from ‘Shaft'” by Isaac Hayes