More Songs I Recommend


Here's another round of songs I highly recommend you get your hands on (in a totally legal way, of course). Probably back tonight with "The Book" blog entries and some cool linkage I've discovered.

"---- You" by Ani DiFranco
Yeah, I figured I should probably censor that on the main page here. This was put on a CD for me long ago, and every now and then I'm reminded of it. Usually when someone at work tells someone else "---- you." Last night I was reminded in a totally different way... searching for a totally different song by a totally different artist, and this popped up.

"Hey Bulldog" by The Beatles
Wonderful Beatles song (is there any other kind?). Dave & Friends played this at every concert stop.

"Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult
Yes, the whole cowbell thing made me like this song. I was surprised when I got the original and it was lacking cowbell.

"Wild World" by Cat Stevens Oh, baby baby it's a wild world. I even liked the Mr. Big version. The Me First and the Gimme Gimmes version brought this one back into my spotlight.

"The One Who Knows," "Whispering Pines," "Farewell To The Old Me," "As Cool as I Am" all by Dar Williams
Dar is a great musician. I ran into a major Dar-needing moment last night. There she was, writing songs about me, apartment complexes, me, and me, in order by song.

"I Only Have Eyes For You" by The Flamingos
No, I *don't* know what brought this on. THE FLAMINGOS.

"I Don't Suck" by Kurt Angle
Hilarity. So purposely bad it's good. Gotta love breaking it down into an Olympic rap.

"Passionate Kisses" by Lucinda Williams
Much better than the Trisha Yearwood and Mary Chapin Carpenter remakes. Lucinda is more or less a goddess, I think. Also recommended: "Ramblin' on My Mind."

"Laid" by Matt Nathanson
Ignore the fact that he's the guy behind "Fall To Pieces" for a minute. It's a remake of the James song "Laid," which was the big song of that first relationship. Lines in it that just fit at the time. Both versions hold up about the same, really.

"Dancing in the Dark" by Pete Yorn
A Springsteen cover! By Pete Yorn! Score!

"Janine" by Soul Coughing
Another great song that DMB covers on very rare occasions at their concerts. They also do Soul Coughing's "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago," which I have but haven't listened to yet, therefore cannot recommend.

"Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)" by Squeeze
Yeah, I needed another really catchy song to like. Thanks a lot. :)

"Virginia, No One Can Warn You" by Tift Merritt
I highly recommend Tift if you're into that kind of thing.

"Fishing" by Widespread Panic
WP's another of those bands people either like or hate because of their following (DMB has the same problem... a lot of jerkass fratboys and stoners, in addition to those of us who think the music rocks without the trippy stuff and preppy clothes). This song... good. WP... good.

Jokes on me, it's gonna be okay...
Mood:  spacey
The This Book Will Change Andy's Life blog with admittedly unspectacular results. Up are Finger Day, Asparagus Day, Kill Something Day, and Secret Agent Day. Upcoming in the next few days: Day Twenty (Poetry Day), Twenty-One (Patriotism Day), and Twenty-Two (Ten Years' Time Day).

Better, more motivated update soon!

Li li li li li li (it's a song chorus)
Mood:  incredulous
Days Thirteen (Send a Letter To A Mass Murderer Day), Fourteen (A Day of Compliments), and Fifteen (Gay For A Day) have been updated in the This Book Will Change Andy's Life blog. Nothing can beat tomorrow though! I am so ready!

Alright, you people are *so* much help, recommending random numbers and all. And by that, I mean NOBODY did. Thanks! :) The first CD review will be Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. From there, it's picks by YOU! You know, if somebody will request something. Interaction, people!

Anytime Willie's Wee-Nee Wagon makes the press, I must pass it on.

Al Franken is going to host a radio show. This is a good thing. We need somebody to combat the O'Reilly and Limbaughs of the world.

Let's see... Bush wants to spend $12 billion to go to the moon, and $1.5 billion for "healthy marriages." Sigh.

Chinese girls put monkeys on their butts to celebrate the New Year. No, really.

Jon Stewart is the Walter Cronkite of my generation.

Be back tomorrow (or so), flyin' the finger!

Poecilia reticulata
Mood:  special
Now Playing: 'New York, New York' by Ryan Adams
Day Eleven (Somebody You Know Day) and Day Twelve (What's Your Type? Day) have been updated in the lovely This Book Will Change Andy's Life blog.

You know, I think that cat up there needs a pet umbrella. Not NEARLY as cool of an idea as Doggles though.

Here is the "Aliens Here For Krispy Kremes" story I took a picture of a few days ago.

It's the one-year anniversary of the church with Rev. Elvis Priestly. No, really. See, now *that* would be interesting! And he's Canadian!

In one of those things that totally surprises me, having worked daily at a Joe Muggs and knowing about Starbucks, the best coffee is... Dunkin' Donuts? It *was* the first kind of coffee I ever had, out of a random trial during a late night of studying in Statesboro.

Chances are growing and growing that Peter Jackson will make a Hobbit movie.

Waiter! There's a condom in my soup!

Walter, The Farting Dog has *again* been skipped over for a Caldecott or Newberry Award.

This is my favorite toothbrush.

Here is the Rolling Stone article on Dave Matthews. Dave is interviewed in the February issue of Playboy, for those of you who read for the articles.

Be back hopefully tomorrow night with the new "Book" entry!

Very quick entry
Now Playing: 'Comfort Eagle' by Cake
If you check out my little Launch radio station over there, you can hear songs like "Comfort Eagle" and most of the other ones I have as 'Now Playing.' You can create your own station too by rating songs, artists, and albums, if you think mine is crappy. I do like random junk, after all. :)

Quick update, because I've got algebra to go do. Three days worth of This Book Will Change Your Life entries are up... and they're kinda boring actually. Still, gotta do 'em! Tomorrow's will be fun, and so will Day Sixteen. Details on the link!

Quickie
Now Playing: 'Hey Ya!' by Andre 3000
Quick update, because I really need to sleep. Haven't done much of that in the last few days. At the same time, I don't want to lose these links!

The new "Book" entry will appear tomorrow, as well as tomorrow's actual entry. So that's three entries to look forward to:

Day 8 - "Addiction-Free Day"
Day 9 - "Do Something Before Breakfast Day"
Day 10 - "Meet Jonas Day"

Be ready!

The headline reads 'American Pie' Star Working Hard on Her 'Big O'. And it's not just any 'American Pie' star, it's Alyson Hannigan. No, I would never click THAT one!

This woman's skin just started falling off! All of it! Really! Crazy!

Alright, Lord of the Rings fans, you know you want them... Barbie and Ken as Arwen and Aragorn! Ken looks so handsome!

In case you missed it... here's some good soda! And by that, I mean ass-flavored.

NOOOOOOOO! Not my Counting Crows "Best Of" CD! And the culprit? That's right...

My ass. My ass is too flat to break a CD! Ah well. Since this is the CD I've listened to nonstop for about two weeks, I quickly bought a new copy. It was all an evil marketing plan... sticking the CD in the driver's seat... mmmhmm...

10 More That Time (or Andy) Forgot
Mood:  happy
Now Playing: 'One is the Loneliest Number' by Three Dog Night (beats me why)
Yes, I forgot half of my list of songs that I highly recommend you find a way to listen to, because they're ones I've listened to a lot lately. So here!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Lonesome Day (Essential Bruce Springsteen)
Probably my favorite song of the newest Springsteen tunes.

DAVE MATTHEWS - Stay or Leave (Some Devil) and DAVE MATTHEWS and TIM REYNOLDS - Stay or Leave (Some Devil bonus disc)
This has very quickly shot up my favorite songs list. It's so sad. It's close to being what is a perfect song to me.

DIXIE CHICKS and JAMES TAYLOR - Some Days You've Gotta Dance (live from CMT Crossroads)
Again, not the greatest version of a song. But really, how can I not like James Taylor singing an upbeat Chicks song with the Chicks backing him up?

ELTON JOHN and RYAN ADAMS - Rocket Man (live from CMT Crossroads)
I admit it. I like "Rocket Man." Hearing Ryan sing it with Elton playing it makes it even better. It's no William Shatner (and also no Stewie Griffin), but it's fun.

ELVIS COSTELLO and LUCINDA WILLIAMS - Wild Horses (live from CMT Crossroads)
It's a good song to begin with. Then you add in the Elvis and Lucinda combo, and you've got good goods. Good.

NORAH JONES - Crazy (CD single: "Turn Me On/Crazy")
Norah has such a great voice (and it's sexy, too!). Love hearing her do this song.

RICHARD THOMPSON - Oops! I Did It Again (live)
Okay, it's not the best song in the world. However, it's fun to hear him do a Britney Spears song and admit that he thinks it's a good song.

SHERYL CROW - My Favorite Mistake (The Very Best of Sheryl Crow)
My all-time favorite Sheryl song, back for revenge!

SHERYL CROW - The First Cut is the Deepest (The Very Best of Sheryl Crow)
A great Cat Stevens version. Not sure what the purpose of having a regular and a country version is (well, I am sure... so country radio and TV plays it too) since they sound about the same, but such is life.

I'm sure I'm forgetting more, so be prepared for a part three. Oh, and can you read these? Am I the only one who can interpret my handwriting when I write really fast and abbreviate?

If there's ever an answer, it's more love
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: The Chicks' 'Home' still
Both today's entry and yesterday's entry in the fabulous This Book Will Change Your Life festivities have been posted. It's "Debut Novel Day" and "Fantasy Day"!

Okay people... pick a number! Someone IM me (andybear1278 on AIM) with a random number between 1 and 300. This'll determine which CD I review first. If you want to cheat, here's a master list (in Excel format) of what's what. Can't review until somebody picks one number!

School's back tomorrow! Biology! Algebra! Intro to Education! It's like the old days, but with Intro to Education! There will likely be a livejournal entry on the subject, since I'm neglectful of that nowadays (not as much as some people... who I'm just picking at, don't hit me!).

The guy who we know as Mr. Bean will be starring as Lord Voldemort in the next Harry Potter movie. This scares me a little.

That's kinda funny... this guy's whole apartment was wrapped in aluminum foil, not excluding his toilet, spare change, and books (pictures in the link).

In 2030, a box of Krispy Kremes will cost $13. Yikes! It's all going up!

I promise. I have nothing to do with this.

Yay, a new funny Get Your War On!

And now, check out my new t-shirt! Yay! We have the front:

And the back:

And a random picture that I like that I think is really good, which probably means it's really crappy:

19 Good Songs To Download Immediately!
Mood:  a-ok
Now Playing: 'Call and Answer' by Barenaked Ladies
Here's a totally random, out-of-nowhere feature. I haven't made it to a music review for two reasons:

A) I'm lazy.

B) It gives me less to talk about in person! I found this out when I was about to talk about books and got "Yeah, I read that on your website" twice. Boo! No talk makes Andy sad! Sad Andy!

But yeah, there will be music reviews eventually. For now though, here's nineteen songs that I highly recommend you listen to right now, at least once. Download 'em. Buy 'em. I'll tell you where to find 'em and why I like 'em. Some are styles you probably never listen to. Some are probably styles you would probably never expect me to listen to, depending on who you are. They're here, alphabetically by artist. Nineteen songs I've listened to A LOT lately (I've listened to a lot of music lately... still not as much of my new stuff as I should for this, though). Don't be offended if people you'd expect (Nickel Creek, Nick Cave, U2, and other Andy favorites) don't appear... these are the songs I've been into recently. Doesn't mean I don't like others!

AUDIOSLAVE - Seven Nation Army (live cover)
Yeah, I've heard Audioslave before and kinda liked what I heard. Then I heard them cover a White Stripes song. Mooooore...

THE BEATLES - Here Comes The Sun (Album: Abbey Road)
This song has been a constant since December '02. I've loved it since the moment I heard it. It's the first Beatles song I was into. It's my favorite. It's beautiful.

THE BEATLES - Golden Slumbers (Album: Abbey Road)
What a nice little lullaby!

THE BEATLES - Let It Be (Album: Let It Be... Naked)
This would be the "naked" version, and I like it. "Let It Be" has been a great song since I first really paid attention to it, and this changes that feeling 0%.

BEN FOLDS - Champagne Supernova (live cover)
Ben Folds is awesome. Where else can you get a version of an Oasis song (one that I like, even more, which isn't possible a lot with Oasis) sung with twang in a way that beats the original?

BEYONCE featuring JAY-Z - Crazy In Love (Album: Dangerously in Love)
Okay, okay. So I like a Beyonce song. The girl can sing!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Rosalita (Album: Essential Bruce Springsteen)
From a three-CD set that I haven't fully explored yet, but will. My favorite Springsteen song. I blame YOU. You know who you are.

THE CORRS featuring BONO - When The Stars Go Blue (Album: Live in Dublin)
It doesn't get much better than this. Who knews? The original Ryan Adams version is almost as good.

COUNTING CROWS - Round Here (Album: Films About Ghosts)
The first of many, many Counting Crows songs I've been stuck on. Out of everything I've either bought or been given, their greatest hits CD has been the constant in my CD player (and that includes the new live DMB and Dixie Chicks sets!). "Round Here" was the Crows song that, after "Mrs. Jones" bugging me so much at first, made me like them despite not really wanting to like 'em.

COUNTING CROWS - A Long December (Album: Films About Ghosts)
Probably my favorite song at the moment. The CD is in my car and this is the first song I go to (followed by "Friend of the Devil," which I'll be at in a minute). What a song.

COUNTING CROWS - Friend of the Devil (Album: Films About Ghosts)
I was first introduced to the Lyle Lovett version, which at first I kinda liked but grew on me more and more when I listened to it (which was more than thought). The Counting Crows version blows that one away to me.

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND - Crush (live) (Album: Live in Central Park
FINALLY, a live version of my favorite song ever! One that's almost twelve minutes! *melt*

THE FLAMING LIPS - Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Album: alright, I don't have the name right here... an EP)
What a brilliant move... a Flaming Lips cover of a Kylie Minogue song!

JOHNNY CASH - A Singer of Songs (Album: Unearthed)
One of many last songs from the post-death collection of the "Man in Black." Also recommended, but cut for time reasons, from the same set, would be his cover of "Redemption Day" and "Cindy" featuring Nick Cave.

JOSS STONE - Fell In Love With A Boy (Album: Soul Sessions)
This white girl's got some serious soul! Even more than me! What a great response to a White Stripes song.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG - What A Wonderful World (Album: The Best of Louis Armstrong)
I love Louis Armstrong.

OUTKAST / ANDRE 3000 - Hey Ya! (Album: The Love Below from the The Love Below/Speakerboxx combo)
Wow. This is, by far, my pick for song of the year (again, leaving anything by freakin' Dave Matthews in the distance!). What a song. And if you haven't seen the video, that's the best way to hear it first. What a video! Most videos these days are pretty crappy, but this is, again, probably my favorite video from the last few years (beating DMB's "Everyday" hugfest and Christopher Walken dancing!).

RYAN ADAMS - Wonderwall (Album: Love is Hell, Pt. One)
Best Oasis cover ever! Ryan takes a good song and makes it infinitely more sad and more cool.

RYAN ADAMS - Answering Bell (Album: Gold)
Wasn't into it when it was a single. Very into it now.