9/28/10

Jehovah Witnesses who are Musicians

Knock knock, here come those annoying and crazy Jehovah Witnesses. Did you know leaders in the Jehovah's can't have beards. Ya, it's true, because hippies wore beards in the 50s and 60s, beards got the ban. Another good reason to avoid this kooky religion.

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The Purple one, Prince

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Michael Jackson, though dead his mother and children continue to practice.

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Larry Graphm famous bassist from Sly and the Family Stone

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Hank Marvin from The Shadows

Ya it's a short list, especially since Michael is dead, but except for a few very obscure artist this was all I could find. So here are some former Jehovah Witnesses, most just had parents who were affiliated with the organization.
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(From Top: Dave Mustaine from Megadeath, Punk rocker Patti Smith, Rapper Ja Rule.
Bottom: Baby Spice, Van Morrison, Xzibit.)

Billboard Blitz!

Listen up motherfucker, you wanted and now you got it, the Billboard top ten with commentary for fucking Muse-Zach. Taste that god dam rainbow fool, hope your ears are hungry.

20. Kem- Intimacy: Album 3
19. Stone Sour- Audio Secrecy
18. Mumford and Sons- Sigh No More
17. Lady GaGa- The Fame
16. Usher- Versus
15. Drake- Thank Me Later
14. Florence & The Machine- Lungs
13. Fantasia- Back to Me
12. Sara Baraeilles- Kaleidoscope Heart
11. Disturbed- Asylum

10. My World 2.0- Justin Bieber
Sad enough he's still breathing, but the lil fucker has no place in my top 10. GET THE FUCK OUT!!! Following their VMA performance, Florence & The Machine jumped up the charts from #44 to #14. Anyone actually watch the VMA? I caught it on rerun this morning on MTV2, the shit was confusing and boring. Maybe I'm just out of touch. Whatever.

(Dam that was pretty fucking awesome video and song, rock on Florence)

9. Teenage Dream- Katy Perry
Sorry Elmo, because of some complainy parents your Sesame Street duet with Katy Perry got pulled. I know, I know your a happy little red puppet looking to chill with the ladies on the pretty unsexy Sesame Street. This one is additionally dedicated to my fave lil niece who loves you Elmo, but sadly cant understand type or use a computer. Hopefully some gracious soul will navigate her to his page and this video.

(I understand parents wanting to keep their children away from pop music, but.....ya would have been better if someone like Lemmy Kilmeister had been there)

8. Flamingo- Brandon Flowers
Taking a break from Killing, Brandon Flowers goes solo. I'm curious to hear the new album, critics have been so-so in reviews but what do they know; most of them panned The Killers excellant second album Sam's Town. Here is track 14 "Right Behind You" from the album.

(Pretty good, I like it but....seems kind of like a filler track off a Killers album. Maybe it just needs a second listen)

7. Now 35- Various Artist
Hmmmm what tracks haven't we heard off of this yet?

(Fuck the haters, I like Nickelback. Rock on Canadians)


(Never heard of this pop-rock band before, and this song is not terrible. Fun tidbit the band played Hannah Montanna's backing band in Hannah Montanna: The Movie. Ouch.)

6. Hurley- Weezer
Rivers is a strange fellow taking his band to strange and mediocre places. Luckily the sub-par recent releases have inspired the band to go on tour playing the classic 90's albums that made them loved by millions of smart inner tortured youths. I mean I like Lost and all....but WTF man.

(Huh, garbage. Just sounds like uninspired formula rock to me. I dunno maybe I'm not much of a Weezer fan, but I did enjoy their early singles....I really need to watch some Lost I'm way behind on that show)

5. Band of Joy- Robert Plant
Zep fans be damned, the old Viking has a new music passion and a new audience of adoring fans (myself included). Great to hear Plant and his band covering these wonderful songs, especially two by Duluth's own LOW. It's been a long time since you rock and rolled, but the man is still putting out quality music.


4. The Guitar Song- Jamey Johnson
Country music's heir to the throne of Willie, Waylon, and Cash in my personal opinion. Jamey kicks ass and writes great songs.....except when he co-wrote "Honkey Tonk Badonkadonk" a few years back. But Muse-Zach can forgive, and this album is a must buy.

(Beautiful)

3. Recovery- Eminem
Just no stopping this guy, hanging on to the third spot again no matter who challenges him. Good work man, and now for something completely different the new video from Alice In Chains. Enjoy.

(Amazing video from and amazing band. Keep those grunge riffs coming Jerry.

2. Passion, Pain & Pleasure Trey Songz
I have know idea who Trey Songz is, but I find it humorous that Trey got his foot in the door by recording "Open Closet" a response to R. Kelly's famous "Trapped in the Closet" songs.

(No likey, please close the fuckin closet. Lol did remind me that Anna Nicole Smith was dead.)

1. A Thousand Suns- Linkin Park
Linkin Park survives and remains popular even as Nu-Metal movement of the late 90s early 00s has come and gone. They even played the VMA's last week, and there was like no rock groups present (except 30 Seconds to Mars). This disc demands more exploration because their last album was excellent, containing some of the group's best songs.)


Time to find last week's top 10:
10. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam23
9. Anberlin 62
8. Justin Bieber 10
7. Interpol 35
6. Audio Secrecy- Stone Sour 19
5. Disturbed 11
4. Katy Perry 9
3. Now 35 7
2. Eminem 3
1. Sara Bareilles 12

Nominees 2010

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Today the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced this year's round of nominees for their attic of music collectibles. The chosen few include:
Neil Diamond
Tom Waits
Alice Cooper
Bon Jovi
Beastie Boys
Chic
Donovan
Dr. John
LL Cool J
J. Geils Band
Donna Summer
Laura Nyro
Darlene Love
Joe Tex
Chuck Willis

An interesting list to say the least, though few seem to conjure the image of Rock and Roll into my mind. If they play their cards right the Hall could win back some street cred(doubtful here at Muse-Zach) from several music communities; Alice for hard rock and metal heads, Dr. John for Jazz enthusiast, Donna Summer for chicks, LL Cool J for rappers, and Neil Diamond for anyone who enjoys popular music. But if we learned anything for last years inductees, it was that the 500 moron industry insiders who vote each year will refuse great artist who not only deserve to get in but would put on an excellent induction performance and possible garner their fans to visit their attic in Cleveland. We're not sure exactly how many nominees will get inducted, last year 12 were nominated and only 5 got in, this year 15 got nominated so we'll guess that 6 will get in.

If I had my way Neil Diamond, Tom Waits, Alice Cooper, Bon Jovi, Donna Summer, and the Beastie Boys would be inducted, but I have no say in the hall or its secret voters so here is my list of realistic Hall inductees:

Alice Cooper- He has to get in this year. Whenever people bash the hall based on who's not in, Alice's name is always near the top of the list. The only true rocker on this nominated, if Alice is denied the Halls detractors will gain only more power (especially metal fans); snubbing is one thing, but denying is a whole other story. Eligible since 1994.

Neil Diamond- Another great overlooked for years (he was first eligible in fucking 1988), Diamond has done everything imaginable as a singer and a songwriter. Denying him entry now at nomination would leave one only to wonder, "who's dick does a guy have to suck to get into this fucking glass pyramid."

Tom Waits- Rock critics and journalist love Tom Waits, and why shouldn't they the dude is fucking amazing on so many different musical planes. Assuming these critics and journalist make up a good percentage of the Hall's secret voters, Tom should have no trouble amassing the votes needed to finally get in. If he fails, well than you can take all that talk Hall supports blab on and on about sales and popularity not mattering next to legacy and influence and call it a mountain of bullshit. Eligible since 1998.

Donna Summer- Making sure the Hall doesn't get to dickesh, Donna Summer will get a nod. She has a shit load of hits, broke new female grounds in the 70s, and has a lasting legacy. Sorry Darlene and Laura, I just don't see it happening. Eligible since 1999.

Donovan- Sometimes refereed to as the English Dylan, Donovan is a great singer songwriter whose mainstream popularity has waned over the years but his folk legacy is well intact. Being as he made his name in 60s, will only help his case and maybe land him Little Stevie as an inductor. Eligible since 1990.

Bon Jovi- The little hair band that could. Making blue-collar arena rock since the 80s, Bon Jovi have never slowed down selling platinum albums and filling stadium arenas to this very day. Are they influential? Ya, to any band that wants to sell a shit ton of records, conquer that world, write catchy hit songs, and survive when all their peers have fallen to the wayside. Eligible since 2008.

-Having two rap groups on the ballot will probably lead to Beastie Boys and LL Cool J canceling each other out.
-Chuck Willis might get in as an early influence.

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Why the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Sucks: Part 1

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a sham, plain and simple. Oh you don' believe me, well for the next few weeks I'll be pleading my case in detailed fashion.

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Part 1: Fuck the 60s
There is no denying it, the 1960s was a crazy fucking decade. Way way to much to discuss here but let's see what we can hack out in connection to the 60s music. The incredible economic growth the United Stats experienced following WW2 and continuing into the 1950s, had changed the landscape for your average citizen and more importantly for their children. The suburbs were born and a strong middle class dwelt within it. Many of the citizens who had survived the incredible hardships of Great Depression and two World Wars, now had a decent wage, a prosperous country, and a white picket fence. Beginning in the 50s, and even more so into the 60s, children largely lived lives far better than that their parents had experienced though it was only a few decades previous. The majority of them did not have to hold a job or work on a family farm, they had immense free time, nearby friends, and newly reachable opportunities like college to look forward to. Unsurprisingly this allowed the rising youth to explore new ideas, shill responsibility, and question authority.

By the 60s, the record companies dying in today's world, fully seized power. Building off the lessons they learned in the 50s, namely that teenagers had a large disposable income they would willingly spend on music, executives sought out young musicians to make music and to make them money. Radios in every teen's car, and TV's in every teens living room only furthered their cause; now a hot single could spread across the entire country in a matter of days. What were these song about? Everything teenagers were thinking about: girls, love, drugs, independence, fun, getting older, rebellion, etc. Nothing new or ground breaking here, but the manner in which it could be reach and ingested by millions and millions in such a short time surely was.

Now don't get me wrong, there was some amazing music created in the 60's, and young artist took great advantage of the new technologies at their finger tips and the decreasing size of the continent and the world that allowed them to not only spread their music but discover the vast sounds of foreign lands, no problem comes with the blind reference. Teens from this era are adults now in high positions, and many act as if the 60s were the pinnacle of music as we know it; better than anything before it and better than anything after it. This is simply bullshit. Good music did not just suddenly appear half way through the 20th century. The 60s music built off and challenged the music of the 50s, just like the music of the 50s built off and challenged the music of the 40, and the 70s to the 60s, and the 80s to the 70s, and so on and so forth. Lost in this generation just makes you seem old and out of touch, and though you certainly have good music to choose from locked in the 60s, you're limiting yourself to the greatness of modern music, per-60s music, and post 60s music.

So whats the point of all this, what does this have to do with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? The hall is full of land locked 60s enthusiasts on the board and on the voting block. Great artist of following generations are often overlooked to induct mid-range groups from the 60s. Rather than rattle on about this subject much longer I'll let Little Stevie from the E Street Band, and member of the nominating committee speak for himself. Here he is at last year's ceremony inducting the Hollies, and giving what I consider to be one of the worst induction speeches ever offered.
(Speech begins at the 3:40 mark)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nINruIwgEyE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzSCIF8krp8&NR=1

So truth here, and its good to hear someone passionate about their craft, but come one Stevie. Your job here is not to prob up the 60s or the Museum, but to tell the audience why the Hollies are deserving of this supposed great honor. Instead your speech can basically be boiled down to "The 60s were an amazing time for music, and the Hollies were a pretty successful group from this era, not as good as the Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Animals, but hey they're all already in the Hall so the Hollie will have to do."

The Hollies did have some good songs, but more inspirational or groundbreaking than KISS? Ya right.

9/26/10

Isn't That Just Peachy

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As requested by Muse-Zach's sexiest subscriber, today we will be looking at songs that mention that most delicous of fruits, the peach. That's right peeps go to your crisper, grab that glob of fruity goodness and mellow out to these ripe peach offerings.

This fist gem comes all the way back from 1996, hey you remember the 90's right? "Peaches" recorded by The Presidents of the United States of America (or just Presidents) is without a doubt the most famous full-on peaches song. The song was nominated for a grammy and even wound up on Rock Band. Proably made pretty awesome because of the stolen riffs from Bad Company's "Feel Like Making Love" (the band admitts this), writer Chris Ballew was supposedly inspired to write the song after sitting under a peach tree to tell a girl he liked her. Nice.

Saw these guys at college my first year, they fucking blew me away. Remember that scene from Animal House were Belushi and the boys rock out to "Shout". Yeah, we did the same shit, except for the togas.

So we all know Steve Miller and his band, the inspiringly named Steve Miller Band, are fucking awesome and full of classic rock uber goodness, no debate warranted. And we all know that without a doubt their greatest contribution to rock and roll was the 1969 out of this world single "Space Cowboy". And I know, dear reader, that you already know that this song is filled with amazingly awesome and hilarious lyrics, and luckily our fruit of the day is lovingly mentioned.


John Prine is one of the greatest singer songwriters living. On this 1971 ode, Prine describes the advise a stripper gives to a army private on how to live his life. Funny, catchy, and while most likely unattainable to the modern man, Prine's life scenario of course involves eating plently of peaches. Feed them to your youngens too.

The other night when I saw John at the DECC, he opened with this.

So from here I was faced with having to comb through millions of songs that simply mention peaches......yeah so far it's not going well. But I did find some interesting stuff

Peaches, is a Canadian electronic singer with backing band Sweet Machine. She does some interesting things with music and videos. Start here:

Weird right, it gets weirder.

Whoa...um...hey Iggy. This Peaches chick is pretty interesting.

Would have figured Andy would have handled the situation a little differently, oh well.


A metal band that opened for Tool back in the day. Tool even covers this song (better than original) and Justin Chancellar left Peach to join Tool in 1995.

Can you believe that James and the Giant Peach was actually a banned book. Dam.

9/24/10

Mormon Musicans

Continuing with our look into the religion of famous musical artist, today we look at that not to old bastard son of Christianity known as Mormonism, or to be even more confusing The Church of Latter Day Saints.

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They scream Mormon at the top of their lungs, the singing Osmond kids.

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One of Classic Rocks most brilliant and under rated minds, Randy Bachman was in two legendary bands: The Guess Who, and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

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Hey remember that shitty Fallout Boy like band called Panic! at the Disco, well turns out the lead singer, Brendon Urie, is a Mormon.

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Lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers.

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Touring musician and Season 7 American Idol runner-up David Archuleta

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The Motown R&B singer from the 60s and 70s, Gladys Knight

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Duluth legend who fronts Low, The Retribution Gospel Choir, and The Black-Eyed Snakes, the guitar master Alan Sparhawk.

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Timothy B. Schmit the bassist for the legendary Eagles.

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Country artist, Kevin Sharp.

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James Valentine, the bassist for Maroon 5.

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Will Butler, Arcade Fire's leading man.

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Gary Allan, popular Country music artist.

Lyfe in Jail

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Ya see, some times I can be a bit of a prick and a few weeks back I may have been a little cruel with Lyfe Jennings. I began to feel bad from ridiculing this new video "Statistics" and not giving the man a fair shake. So you know what I did, I went out and bought Lyfe's new album, actually I bought his entire discography, yep. Than I listened to them non-stop for days, blown away by the Lyfe I had been missing. Hypnotized I became Lyfe's Facebook friend, followed him on twitter, and covered my bedroom walls with his sexy chocolate self. Buying a ticket to see him at the Fine Line Cafe was the icing on my Lyfe dreams, and I posted a countdown ticker on my Myspace watching the moments to ecstasy slowly fade away. Than today, the day that should have seen me finally meeting my Lyfe face to face, I got a shocking email from Ticketmaster. It seemed my life had been canceled with no reason given. Was it back injury, vocal chord sourness, I had to know. With a little research (seconds on Google), I had my answer and my heart sank. Noooo, Lyfe had been sentenced to three years in jail, wtf was I going to do now to get my Friday night concert fix, drive all the way to Norton, MN to see fucking Creedance Clearwater Revisited? Fuck that shit.

Lol now lets get real for a second. Lyfe Jennings is indeed going to spend the next three years in jail. Why you ask, well our good friends at Examiner.com provides the answer:
Jennings was arrested after a domestic altercation with the mother of his two children escalated into an incident that saw the “Statistic” singer firing shots from a .40 caliber gun right before hopping in his car in an attempt to evade arrest. Lyfe led cops on a high-speed car chase in Smyrna, Georgia which ended after Lyfe crashed into a tree.

Jennings was arrested and charged with "DUI test refusal, criminal trespassing, discharging a weapon near a street, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer."

At the time of sentencing, Jennings reportedly asked to at least return home to say goodbye to his children before heading to jail but the judge refused.


Hahahaha this is fucking hilarious, and I'm so glad the judge threw the book at him. Here is Lyfe's teary eyed confession:


Tisk tisk when will these rappers learn. So what does this little incident mean for the future career of Lyfe Jennings? Well from where I'm sitting things look pretty bleak. This isn't no 8 months TI or Lil Wayne sentencing, where you can bounce back fast and fill headlines with your incarceration and release. Lyfe isn't nearly that famous. Do you know how fast the music landscape changes in three fucking years, especially in the super competitive R&B and rap world? Hell the way things are going Lyfe's record company may not even exist in three years. Unless he gets a miracle upon release, the fame he was building will only crumble and his chances of platinum sales have most likely slipped away. The funny thing is this story is barely getting news coverage, non of the major news channels or music websites have stories posted about Lyfe's total fuck up. Oh well, at least we here at Muse-Zach have some words of wisdom for Lyfe, delivered by our dear friends in The Offspring.

9/23/10

Yo Yo Yo Raps

I would like to do a little mental experiment here. Let's pretend you're out vacationing in some foreign land, when suddenly terrorist kidnap you. A bag is thrown over your head, you're thrown in the back of a van, and after unknown hours of driving you find yourself tied to a chair surrounded by angry Arabs. Scared, dehydrated, and sure you're about to die, one of the many angry Arabs puts AK-47 to your head and says in strained broken English, "You have 10 minutes to tell me the 10 greatest rap songs of all time or I blow off your fucking head." It would seem that these dessert rats have decided to catch up with modern music and need the skinny on this whole rap thing.

Put yourself in this situation, you have roughly a minute per song to name the greatest rap songs of all time. What would you say? Avoid reading forward if you like and in 10 minutes list you picks.

Under terrorist guard, here is what I spewed out. Now remember I am a white boy raised in the Midwest. I am not a very big rap found, and know only the very basics of it's history. With little logic or thinking, in no particular order, here is the 10 best rap songs of all time.

99 Problems- Jay Z

Even I had to give praise to Jay-Z after this 2004 hit single. It made it on my High School mix cds, and was the first time I ever saw Rick Rubin.

White and Nerdy

After his Poodle Hat album, I was a little worried that Al was loosing his parody mastery. All doubts were dropped when this parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin Dirty" surfaced in 2007.

Lose Yourself- Eminem

An incredible song detailing the life of a rap battler from the 8 Mile Soundtrack, this 2002 single in my opinion is Em's best song. Weird Al actually has a great parody of this song too.

Sabotage- Beastie Boys

1994, Fuck ya white boys can rap. At first tempted to pick "Fight For Your Right to Party", Nah his is the superior Beastie track. Rock stations still give it love, and man realistically Beastie could have three tracks on this list.

In Da club- 50 Cent

2003, the heavy weight 50 Cent enters the rap ring with Eminem and Dr. Dre in his corner. Everyone in my High School was cranking this one.

Yeah!- Usher featuring Ludacriss and Lil John

Arguably the best song of 2007, how can you not get down to this one.

Baby Got Back- SirMixaLot

Even those who hate rap can get down to this 1992 classic. Shake that sexy ass.

Imma Tell- Tech N9ne

This song is fucking insane, and became an instant hit amongst my crew.

Gangsters Paradise- Koolio

Perhaps the first rap song I ever heard, in elementary school music class of all places, there is no denying the honesty and power in his Grammy winning 1995 track. The amazing parody also first introduced me to Weird Al.

The Truth is Here- Brother Ali

2007, the big albino rap from Minneapolis spit some fucking amazing truth.

Another Wierd Dylan TV Moment

Two nights ago I was watching The History Channel's Pawn Stars. A dude pawned Dylan's much hated 1970's album Self Portrait. The dude was an idiot and let Rick, the owner, rip him off. He would have gotten a lot more than $50 had he used ebay or gone to some Dylan convention. Any who.... Rick sends his idiot lacky out to the streets of Las Vegas in search of Bob Dylan who was playing a concert that night. Needless to say I was shocked when this happened:


Dylan never fails to leave one speechless.

9/21/10

Holy shit......

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Should have gone to that Flaming Lips concert on Sunday.

9/19/10

Nick and Johnny

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Grinderman 2 is fucking amazing, and as I continue to dive into its endless awesomeness I become enamoured with one Nick Cave. A livng legend I've know in the past just by his face constantly poping up in music magazines, but never realizing or experiencing the pure genious he is. Looking into Nick Cave it is unsuprising to find he was a Cash disciple, and who in there right mind isnt. But unlike myself and so many others, Nick actually had a few run ins with one of his heroes, and this is the musical journey those run ins left behind. Enjoy.

As a fan Nick has covered several Cash tunes over the years and here are two of the more popular ones:


Nick and the Bad Seeds cover this tune that was actually penned by Bob Dylan but made famous by Cash. Here is Cash doing a less sleazy rock but equally awesome version at the San Quentin Prison Concert.



An obscure Cash number Cave put on his 1986 covers album.

Goddam, Nick you did an excellant cover but man oh fucking man the Man in Black lays that shit on thick and eleagant here. Really reminds me of that song Johnny did with U2.

Man I was really obsessed with this song for a long while.

Now with a little background knowledge we can see why Mr. Rick Rubin had Johnny cover one of Nick's songs for Vol. 3 of the amazing American Recording Albums. Nick was of course honored that Johnny wanted to cover one of his songs, espeically The Mercy Seat, which Nick described in the new issue of UnCut Magazine as his best song. Nick said once he heard Johnny's version he had to conclude of the song, "Fuck, that's pretty good..."


Johnny Cash stakes out claims in the songs he covers, converts them to his own discography often making them grander, darker, and evilly honest in comparison to their originals.


After listening to the recorded version of "Mercy Seat" I was going to say Johnny once again bested the original artist with his cover, but on this live version Nick's stricken voice strikes even deeper winning back his song from the man in black. A feat few have accomplished.

On Vol. 4, Rick called Nick again this time asking for a duet with Johnny. Nick recalls the recording in a 2003 interview with the Guardian: Then I was in Los Angeles at the beginning of this year and got another call from Rick Rubin saying Johnny Cash was recording and did I want to come and record with him. I said: "Of course." I had a couple of hours the next day before I had to leave. I chose a Hank Williams song - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. I got to the studio and was a bit early, and was waiting for Johnny Cash to arrive and wondering how I would be able to sing, to hold my own with this incredible voice.

When Johnny first came down those stairs into the studio he looked really frail and sick, but once he started singing he was really brought back to life. It was an incredible thing to see.

What an amazing recording. Two amazing men, legends of their generations, bring their unique and haunting voices together to cover the Old White Ghost, Hank Williams, the Grandfather of Country Music. A musician so inspiring and powerful in his painfully short career, that his voice still resonates today in any country worth a dam.

That was recorded in 1949.

"I'm so lonesome I Could Cry" was not the only duet recorded by Johnny and Nick. The duo also combined their vocals on the American folk song "Cindy" which appeared on the Johnny Cash: Unearthed boxset.

Sadly this is the only youtube version I could fine.

Not long after these recording sessions, the Man in Black sadly found death: For me it's a very sad thing that he's died, because there goes another one of these great voices. As far as I can see there aren't the people around to replace these people. That's the really sad thing about this.

As a tribute to his fallen hero, Nick penned "Let the Bells Ring" with the Bad Seeds.

9/17/10

Billboard Blitz

Blitz, blitz, it's a Billboard Blitz. This week we're gonna try somthing new and actually list the ten albums that just missed the top ten before diving into the top albums.

20. Zac Brown Band The Foundation
19. Lady GaGa The Fame
18. Ray Lamontagne & the Pariah Dogs God Willing and the Creek Dont Rise
17. Arcade Fire The Suburbs
16. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More
15. Usher Versus
14. Kem Intimacy: Album 3
13. Drake Thank Me Later
12. Lady Antebellum Need You Now
11. Fantasia Back to Me (Get out of the Top 10 bitch)

10. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam- Various Artist
Yay, we get to start the list with shit. Well fuck that, did you know that Celtic Thunder have a new Christmas CD out? Oh yes, the traditional Celtic performers who my father once called me about at 4 am one night to proclaim how we had to see them are getting the holiday season started a whee bit early laddy. I'm sure it's leprahcan Christmas gold, good work at debuting at number 27 boys.

(Ah, a wonderful early gift from the green Isles)

9. Dark is the Way, Light is a Place- Anberlin
Anberlin is an alternative (WTF does this word even mean anymore) rock band, that I've never been into and if memory serves correctly I've disliked any music output I've run across. This is their fifth studio release, and their highest charting release. I'm all about second chances, let's give it a go boys.

(I stand corrected, this is actually a good song. I'll have to rethink Anberlin, obviously my bad-band-rap associated with them was misplaced)

8. My World 2.0- Justin Bieber
Go the Fuck away you little pretty boy piece of shit.....One of rocks first players and legends, Jerry Lee Lewis, has a new album out properly entitled Mean Old Man and features a large host of guest musicans. Kris Kristofferson even wrote the title track. Debuting at #30 the Killer, the Piano Thumper, the son of a bitch that toured with Elvis and Johnny Cash back in the 50s, and married his cousin oh boy, Great Balls of Fire, it's Jerry Lee Lewis.

(A great send up Kris, if I was an old man I'd play this song at least 50 times a day. Be my pop's new theme song.)

7. Interpol- Interpol
In case you forgot, Interpol still exist and dammit I would have seen them by now if U2 had'nt cancelled their summer tour...oh wait I'm sorry postponed to next fucking year. Oh well, maybe I'll never see Interpol, which is a shame cause they've got some pretty good tracks. I'm only a casual fan....New disc is their fourth and critics generally are not approving, saying the band has lost their previous magic. That sucks, but judge for yourself.

(Dam the lead singer has a awesome and unique voice. The song is decent but nothing special, honestly I'll proably never listen to the album. Sorry Interpol.)

6. Audio Secrecy- Stone Sour
Slipknot off the road can only mean one thing, the triumphant return of Corey Taylor's other band Stone Sour. They've never disapointed me before and I'm sure the new disc steller. Sadly Stone Sour failed to keep the #1 album debuts of their Uproar Tour Peers Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed accomplished.

(Another radio friendly rock anthem for the Iowa boys.)

5. Asylum- Disturbed
At week 2, Disturbed hangs on the top five. David Draiman continues to put on a great show and give his fans the same hard rocking songs they've come to expect from Chicago band.

(Yes, did you not expect it to be disturbing?)

4. Teenage Dream- Katy Perry
Week 3 and the candy kissing girl hottie is slowly sliping down the top ten. Interesting thing about Katy Perry, apparently the Aussie's are really digging her new album. The single "California Gurls" has already gone 3x Platinum there, and "Teenage Dream" has gone Platinum. Wonder how her newly released single will fair?

(Might be better than Teenage Dream, but I dunno sounds pretty mediocre to me.)

3. NOW 35- Various Artist
The mix CD is still getting it done 34 sequels into the series. Let's listen to three random vids from this bitch we have yet to play(post) here at Muse-Zach and see how they sound. Ok?

Black Eyed Peas- Imma Be Rocking That Body

(Video is so fucking long....skipping aheard....why the fuck did I pick this song...oh ya it was random....wow such horrible shit. Can not believe I once liked this band.)

Jaron and The Long Road- I Pray

(I have no idea who this fuck is and I was ready to rip him a new one when the song started but....it's a lil bit funny. Plus I like how this Christen has excepted God's ultimate evilness and decided to use it to his advantage.)

Jerod Niemann- Lover, Lover

(Little surprised at all the country music on this CD, Niemann is another I have no info on. I do like this song though, he's got a good hook, interesting vocal backings, and unique lyrical content. Cowboyhat tipp to you friend.)

2. Recovery- Eminem
Another week, another big sale for Eminem. We've been through all three singles from the album so....let's look at the new release from Atmosphere. The Minnesota rappers collaborated with a bunch of their friends to drop this new EP To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy.

(Ahhh yeahh motherfuckers Atmosphere laying it down Minneapolis/St.Paul style.)

1. Kaleidoscope Heart- Sara Bareilles
Very hott, smart, and talented Sara Bareilles scores #1 this week behind a piano her hands are all over. Play on sister Muse-Zach approves.

(I am the motherfucking king of everything Sara....on this website, good song by the way.)

Hey man that's the top 10, but what in tarnation happened to last weeks 10, well little crime solvers lets take a look.

1. Disturbed 5
2. NOW 35 3
3. Eminem 2
4. Katy Perry 4
5. Fantasia 11
6. Lyfe Jennings 22
7. Goo Goo Dolls 33
8. Bieber 8
9. Camp Rock 10
10. Heart 36

9/16/10

Dave Matthews Band concert review

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In the last decade, no band has sold more concert tickets across the United States (does not mean they made the most money sadly) than the Dave Matthews Band. Touring each and every summer since their inception some twenty years ago, going to see the diverse group of musicians has become something akin to a rite of passage in the American concert going scene, and Thursday among 17,000 fans at the Xcel Energy Center I'm proud to say I finally took my turn.

First and foremost, I must say that after seeing DMB it was clear to me that this is not simply Dave Matthew's Band, but rather a roaring group of musicians that happen to bear their lead singer and primary songwriter's name. Few other bands with lead singer namesakes seem to have this distinction, Dave was routinely not the center of attention or even an important component of long burning jams by his surrounding band mates, whereas attention removed from name holders like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seeger, etc. is seldom and short lived. I also need to sing praise for Dave being an amazing down to earth front man never showing signs of rock egotism. He was the first performer onstage, not appearing several minutes after the rest of the band as is true with many groups, and introduced the opening band, Black Joe Lewis and the HoneyBears, himself. Class act.

There is so much to say about Dave and Company's 2hr 45min set, not to mention Black Joe Lewis's 30 min set, that I've decided to break down the rest of the review in bullet point fashion. Enjoy:

-Black Joe Lewis and the HoneyBears were awesome. Pure 70s funk fused with gospel soul, a James Brown style vocal delivery, and lead by an up tempo electric guitar.

-As America's radio friendly jam bands, songs doulbe or tripled in length. The first three songs lasted around 30mins.

-Every musician got a grand moment to shine, even non-official DMB members, and the ferosity between players was often mind blowing.

-When the band caught a really pleasing groove, Dave would launch into a prancing jump sort of dance. Supposedly a DMB concert can be ultimately judged on how often Dave launches into this crazy jig.

-It was not a night for casual DMB fans, the group played very few singles and surprisingly on four songs off their new cd.

-As amazing as DMB was, there were several valley moments were the onstage jams just went on way to long.

-Everything about the band sounded great, Dave's voice, every instrument, and the visuals and lighting really tied everything together nicely.

-Dave kicked off the encore by doing a solo rendition of an old folk classic "If I dont get whiskey I will surely die." Actually I was amazed at how often Dave's lyrics mentioned whiskey. I hope his family was paying attention for a good Christmas present.

-Joined by the horn section of the Honeybears, the DMB ended the night with "Ants Marching" so intense and electrifying, that any lulls in the nearly 3hr set were instantly erased.

-The DMB drummer, Carter Beauford, stayed on stage long after all his bandmates throwing endless amounts of drumsticks to fans.

So if you're thinking about going to see The Dave Matthews Band, just stop. Stop fucking thinking and go do it man, you wont regret it.

Mark Olson concert review

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Date: September 14, 2010
Location: Pizza Luce in downtown Duluth, MN

I saw an old Jayhawk downtown last night....For those who don't know, the Jayhawks are an alt country rock band loved by critics, revered in the Minnesota music scene, and ultimately famous for never really becoming famous. The tag-line "Greatest Band no one ever heard off" often gets tossed their way. Mark Olson was one (is one again as they have been doing reunion shows off and on the last few years) of these birds, and along with Gary Louis being, the principle songwriter, vocalist, and guitar player for their first four albums. Olson left the group in the late 90's and to care for his ailing wife and establish a solo career. The show I saw Tuesday night was a solo show in support of his latest album Many Colored Kite.

Really it was a lucky concert week for me, I was offered free tickets to the Pavement reunion show at Roy Wilkins (I did not attend because 1. My gf said so and 2. I've only heard one Pavement song in my entire life and didn't really like it) and than won free tickets to Mark Olson's show at Pizza Luce (thanks Electric Fetus). Honestly, though I was well aware of this concert and Mark's bio, the $14 ticket price coupled with my unfamiliarity with any of Olson's work, Jayhawks or solo, was a deterrent that would have kept me from the show had the free ticket fairy not stepped in. I'm glad she did, it turned out to be a worthy and enjoyable experience.

The crowd at Luce that night was sparse to say the least, with numbers only dwindling as the night progressed. It was actually the emptiest I've seen Luce on a concert night, which is sad especially given that Mark is a larger touring artist and not just a local group playing. The minority of college students that were present at the show must have come solely for opening act Corey Chisle, because they had all cleared out by the time Olson hit the stage (this includes my own gf).

I must say I was really impressed by Corey Chisle. Corey sang and played acoustic guitar accompanied by an angel with blond hair on keyboard and backing vocals. The duo performed hear pleasing modern folk that easily could have landed them a headling gig at Luce, and name checked the Northland and its favorite son. Corey performed a song he claims to have stolen from Mr. Dylan with changed lyrics, and won a thunderous applaud when he impersonated the legend's voice for one verse. The performance was made additionally special when Corey invited is mother and uncle to join him on stage late in the set for an old gospel song; they performed backing vocals and harmonica respectively. Corey Chisle put on a great show and I'll have to keep an eye out for them in the future (note: band is playing the Turf Club on Oct 28).

The youth left with Corey, leaving a small crowd of 30-40 year olds who most likely started listening to Mark with the Jayhawks back in their early 90s college days. Mark took the stage with a white wild haired, green panted violinist, and a out of place looking young black drummer. Though more heavily armed than the previous band, Mark's group never captured the same amnions that made Corey Chisle's music so enjoyable. Mark played a more classic version of folk music, and though his persona was incredibly welcoming and funny (numerous humored banter between songs) my mind repeatedly fell away during his performance. Despite this, there were a strong number of good tunes in the set, often incorporating outdoor Minnesota themes, and the band really found their groove on numbers like "One-eyed black dog Moses". Sadly this high energy groove was short lived, arriving only in the final two to three numbers, earning strong curtain applauds, but also leaving me wanting more.

Again, overall this was a good show and not a bad way to spend a Tuesday night (especially when it's free). I hung around the venue for a few minutes looking to congratulate Mark on his set, but when actual fans held his attention longer than my patience I caught a taxi home; leaving not as a Mark Olson fan but ultimately a satisfied customer.

9/14/10

Tuesday's Important Releases

So we just went over the Billboard top ten and while we may be wondering how the albums released last week will end up on the list, there are a fucking slew of new albums coming out today. Let's run down the important ones.

Weezer Hurley-
Their last album sucked and this one proably will too.

(Despite the Jackass crew, this song sucks)

Of Montreal False Priest
Weird indie rockers put on their tenth album.

(Song is wierd but not bad, rock on)

Robert Plant Band of Joy
Following his award winning album with Allison Krauss, Plant stays away from Zep for more lighter covers. Definately be some gems on this album.

(The old Viking sounds excellant here)

Grinderman Grinderman 2
Nick Cave is a badass and undoubtedly this album will own.

(Awesome)

Brandon Flowers Flamingo
Killer's frontman goes solo and hopfully the results will be as good as the last couple Killers albums.

(Good song, fun video)

Linkin Park A Thosand Suns
The Nu-Metal outfit continues to stay alive by challenging their sound, hopfully Rick Rubin inspires this new disc to match the last.

(Not the best LP song but I'm feeling it)

Jamey Johnson The Guitar Song
The bearded country beast seems to be only Nashville songwriter emulating the Outlaw Roots. Play on brother.

(Hard honesty, good stuf)

9/13/10

Billboard Blitz!!

What are the top selling albums in the U.S. well sir, lets take a look.

10. Red Velvet Car- Heart
These old gals are still getting it done. Heart, the 70's female rock band that gave us such excellant hits as "Crazy on You" "Magic Man" and "Barracuda", hits the charts for the first time since their double platinum 1990 album Brigade. With the popularity of Classic Rock showing no sigh of waining, and the fact that older fans are more likely to actually purchase physical CDs, we have and will continue to see older artist climb to new heights on the Billboard charts.

(Congrads to the Wilson sisters for returning to Heart's rock roots, but this song... it's not bad, I guess I'm not not interested in it at all. Reall does nothing for me, I'll listen to it without any convusions but without any uplift either.)

9. Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam Soundtrack
People, please stop buying shit music so I dont have to mention or listen to it on this blog. So....ugh....Camp Rock 2 is the Disney Channel original movie sequel to the Disney Channel original movie Camp Rock starring the JoBros and Demi Lovato (I have no idea who this is). As much as I hoped Biebermania would squelch the flames of the JoBros fame (come on Biebs do at least some unintended good to the music scene) they appear to be alive and well. Alright so let's hear a horrid song from this undoubtedly fucking stupid TV movie. Tisk tisk the original album went Platinum and this one in the four weeks its been out has also gone Platinum.

(Please do back down and fucking die so this High School Musical shit music can stop.)

8. My World 2.0 Justin Bieber
FUcking A man, this shit is still here, the albums been out for 24 weeks now, god dam. Whelp I'm not listening to another song from it, no way no how.

7. Somthing For The Rest of Us The Goo Goo Dolls
Another new debut, The Goo Goo Dolls are back for the first time since 2006's Gold certified LLet Love In. I've always liked the Goo Goo's, though I neither owne nor have listened to any of their albums, and it's good to see these 90's...I guess rock band would be the correct category, band back in the fold.

(Kind of song you would expect from the Goo Goo Dolls, and I can digg it.)

6. I Still Believe Lyfe Jennings
So...Lyfe Jenning's new album is also debuting on the charts, though I'm at least fairly certain I don't know who Lyfe Jennings is. Not really what else to say here, he's and R&B singer.

(Hahahaha fucking retarded. Horrible horrible song, and I'm pretty sure Lyfe doesn't understand the statistics he's singing about, lol you can't just add seperate studies to say 90% of men aren't up to snuff.)

5. Back To Me Fantasia
In the second week, Fantasia appears to still be alive and her album is unfortunately still in the top 10. Rather than talk about this bitch and her horrible new album and her horrible singing voice, let's jump on down to #17 on the Bilboard for a new release from 10 years. 10 Years have put out some good music in the past so I'm a little curious to hear somthing off their new record and you, the readers, might as well join me.

(Yeah, not really impressed with this song. Guess the band will never dublicate the awesomeness of their fist record.)

4. Teenage Dream Katy Perry
She kissed a girl and I liked it. Her last album went Platinum and I wouldn't be surprised if this one does too. Again it should be noted that Katy Perry is very hot and sexy.

(Last video was so much better. Really dont like this song or the way Katy sings it.)

3. Recovery Eminem
11 weeks on the charts, the white boy from Detroit is still running this top 10.

(Love how Rap artist constantly steal the best parts of classic songs and then rap over them. Here Eminem teams again with the currently jailed Lil Wayne, and I really dont like this song. Tired old rap formulas at play here.

2. Now 35 Various Artist
A corporate made mix tape of popular songs on the mostly pop airwaves of today. Let's take a look at the track listing.
No. Title Artist Length
1. "California Gurls" Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg 3:52
2. "Somebody to Love (Remix)" Justin Bieber featuring Usher 3:37
3. "Gettin' Over You" David Guetta and Chris Willis featuring Fergie and LMFAO 3:04
4. "Rock That Body" Black Eyed Peas 3:58
5. "Bulletproof" La Roux 3:25
6. "Alejandro" Lady Gaga 4:31
7. "Cooler Than Me" Mike Posner 3:32
8. "Billionaire" Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars 3:29
9. "Ridin' Solo" Jason DerĂ¼lo 3:23
10. "Impossible" Shontelle 3:44
11. "Pray for You" Jaron and the Long Road to Love 3:05
12. "This Afternoon" Nickelback 4:12
13. "Kissin' U" Miranda Cosgrove 3:16
14. "My First Kiss" 3OH!3 featuring Kesha 3:12
15. "Undo It" Carrie Underwood 2:56
16. "Lover, Lover" Jerrod Niemann 3:23
17. "Stronger" Jennette McCurdy 3:24
18. "Speakers" Days Difference 4:16
19. "Obsession" Sky Ferreira 3:41
20. "Shut the Front Door (Got My Girls)" Tiffany Dunn 3:47
I wouldn't buy this album, lots of awful song on here. So I've decided to post two videos for this album, on that I'm pretty sure I like, and one that I havent heard but Rob from Rolling Stone Magazine recommends.

(Yep I do like this video. Catchy techno pop, from an interesting Brit chick.)


(Like the energy here, but really can't say I like this song. It's not horrible though. Not really down with either Keysha or 3OH3!)

1. Asylum Disturbed
Apparently, America is still down with the sickness as Disturbed's new release debuts at #1. This is the groups fourth consecutive #1 album, sadly a feat only accomplished by two other Rock bands, Metallica and The Dave Matthews Band. These midwest rockers should be very proud, and hopfully continue rocking for years to come.

(Obviously taking aim at the recent BP fuck up, Disturbed unleases another hard hitting classic to their all ready deep cataloug. Though I would argue new ways to die are always cool in my book.)

So that's the top ten, to bad most of the songs and albums were kind of sucky. What can ya do. Let's take a look at last week's top 10 to see how the disc are fairing.

1. Katy Perry #4
2. Fantasia #5
3. Eminem #3
4. Usher #13
5. Little Big Town #25
6. Kem #11
7. Biebs #8
8. Randy Rogers Band #59
9. Ray Lamontagne #15
10. Devil Wears Prada #51

9/6/10

A Glance at Dylan's Discography

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Bob Dylan has a had a long career spanning five decades and 33 studio albums (though counted by many 1975's Basement Tapes is left off the album list because it is clearly a bootleg of previous released material and not a new studio album). Of these albums several are considered some of the best music ever recorded, while others befuddle critics and fans alike. Here at Muse-Zach we are going to take a glance at these albums divided by decade to show the highs and lows of Bob's career, and the album sales that correspond with them.

Dylan's Top Selling Studio Albums
1. Blood on the Tracks 1975
U.S. 2X Platinum, CAN Platinum, UK Gold

2. Desire 1976
U.S. 2x Platinum, CAN Platinum, UK Gold

3. Slow Train Coming 1979
U.S. Platinum, CAN 2X Platinum, UK Silver

4. Modern Times 2006
U.S. Platinum, CAN Platinum, AUS Gold

5. Street Legal 1978
U.S. Gold, UK Platinum, CAN Platinum

6. Time Out of Mind 1997
U.S. Platinum, AUS Gold, CAN Gold, UK Gold

7. Blonde on Blonde 1966
2X U.S. Platinum

8. Highway 61 Revisited 1965
U.S Platinum, CAN Gold

9. Nashville Skyline 1969
U.S Platinum, CAN Gold

10. Infidels 1983
U.S. Gold, CAN Gold, UK Silver

Each decade is represented on this list with at least one album. Dylan's 70's albums far exceed any other decade with four albums (three of which are the top selling overall), even beating the 60s (three albums) where most critics say Dylan was at the peak of his genious. Showing his long lasting song writing power, Dylan's later masterpieces from '97 and '06 each made the list, and Dylan's least acclaimed decade, '80, had only one album barely making the list.
It should be noted that while Live and Bootleg Dylan albums additionally have high sales, complications of Dylan's song far exceed the sale of any other type of Dylan release (Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits vol. 1 and 2 have each gone 5X Platinum in the U.S. and 2X Platinum in CAN respectively).

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Dylan's long career has hills and valleys, which can last for a few albums or an entire decade depending on which critic or Dylan fan you talk to. The charts below looking at each decade of Bob's illustrious career are comprised of Rollingstone.com, Allmusic.com, and Sputnikmusic.com's reviews of all 34 of Dylan's albums. While critics are definately not perfect (many are retarded) it should give an idea of Dylan's critical reception over his 40+ year career.

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His first decade is generally considered his best, and a glance at the chart above shows that critics generally hold his sediment. Young Mr. Dylan's early masterpieces would garnish him world renownd, an unwanted voice of the 60s title, and the artistic freedom to do whatever he pleased in the decades to come. Allmusic.com is the most praising of Dylan's early work awarding perfect ratings to 7 of Dylan's 9 records from this era. Rollingstone follows close suite with 5 perfect albums, and both sites rate all 9 albums 4 stars or higher. Sputnikmusic is a little more realistic in their ratings (could Bob really make 7 perfect albums in 7 years; how does one define a perfect album?) but still rates this era incredibly high with all albums well above 3.5 in rating.

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Highs and lows is the name of the game for Dylan in the 1970s. Seeing the end of the rebellious 60s and this commission as a folk hero, Dylan's next ten years are perhaps his most interesting. At the start he alienates fans and bewilders critics with Self Portrait and by the end he finds Jesus and becomes a born again Christian with Slow Train Coming. In between Bob changed recored labels, experimented in new musical directions, recorded with the Band, crafted a few new masterpieces, and lost the alligance of critics once so strong in his corner now would cry foul on works not reaching the bar Bob had set so high in the 60s. While Dylan matches the previous decades output with 9 stuido albums, Allmusic and Rollingstone award only one of them, Blood on the Tracks, a perfect rating. 1976's Desire, and 1970's New Morning to a lesser extent, is the only other album unnanimously celebrated from this era, with the rest of Dylan's works being rated middle of the road and a few far below par. It should be noted that it is this decade where are three critic bodies disagree the most from album to album. Rollingstone is the harshest on Dylan, giving two albums a 1 star rating and two more a 2 star rating, while Allmusic is the most praise worthy, giving 6 out of the 9 albums a rating of 3.5 or greater. Sputnik becomes sort of an equalizer raising the rating of whatever album Rollingstone and Allmusic condemn, and lowering the rating of whatever album they both champion.

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Welcome to the valley, from the mountain of the 60s to the rise and fall roads of the 70s, here we arrive at the low part of a genious's career. Two more Christian albums out of the gate begins the 70s on a bad foot for Mr. Dylan, coupled with countiued experimentation removing him from the 60s sound that make him an icon (and what fans new and old continually identify with him giving the contiued release of Dylan compiliations and Classic Rock radio stations drawing mostly from his early hayday) Bob sheds fans and critical approval. In fact critics continually lambast the 80s albums, even after Dylan abandons his new religon and returns to secular themes. It is the first and only decade where neither critical body awards Dylan with a perfect album rating. As with the 70s, Rollingstone is the hardest on Dylan in the 80s. Out of the 7 albums Dylan releases in this decade, Rollingstone praises only 83's Infidels with a 4 star rating, every other album recieves 2 stars or less. Even Allmusic's praise of Dylan is waining in the 80's, they only muster the will to champion three albums from this decade; most surprisingly giving 85's Empire Burlesque 4.5 stars in face of Rollingstone's 2 and Sputnik's 3. Otherwise Allmusic gives 4 of the 7 albums a miserable rating of 2 stars. Sputnik follows the general pattern of the other two critics in the 80's, giving mostly low ratings only a hair higher than Rollingstone and Allmusic.

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By the 90s few of Dylan's peers were still active and even fewer were relevant in the modern music landscape (one could proably argue that even Dylan's new music wasnt relevant at this point), but for any artist that can stay this popular for this long begins to see nostalgia start to pay off. Dylan's name continually resurged in the Rock community as he was bestowed with countless awards for his long career; tributed by fellow musicans young and old. Despite losing ground initially in the 90s as Under the Red Sky lost the ground his last 80's album Oh Mercy had established, Dylan capitalized off the nostalgia by methodically crafting three 90s albums that would begin his march out of the valley and back up the mountain. Though he released only four albums in the 90's, he capped off the decade with Time Out of Mind which won the Grammy for album of the year in 1997. Gone is the preaching convictions and vastly changing sound experimentation from album to album, as Dylan spends more time crafting songs and albums the critical body's approval unannimously rises with Rolling Stone jumping ahead in praise (awarding Time Out of Mind a perfect 5 star rating).

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Thunder on the Mountain, as the 90's faded away Dylan had found a new commercial and critical peak. Ever on the road on his never ending tour, Dylan continued the methodic process that had yielded the success of Time Out of Mind and equalled it's success with his next two studio albums. Dylan also capitalized off new mediums to rise his album sales, doing a commerical for iTunes and headling summer festivals in England and the U.S. Three of Dylan's four albums from this most recent decade recieved high praise form all three critic bodies (Rolling Stone bestowed two of them with perfect 5 star ratings), and Dylan's final 2000 album, a Christmas disc, was even able to avoid strong critic criticism. Perhaps the devouts had returned.

Adding the scores from each of the three critic bodies Dylan's albums, best to worst, breaks down as follows:

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Cleary Dylan's 60s catalog dominates this chart, six within the top ten and all nine within the top 15. The 70s gets two in the top 10, and the 90s and 00s each are represented with on album present. Infidels does the best for the 80s coming in at 16 but is so far out paced by all other decades. On the other end, the 60s is the only decade to escape Dylan's worst ten albums. The 70s and 80s tie with four present apiece, while the 90s and 00s each place one album loathed by critics. Splitting hairs, the 80s four albums in the bottom ten are ranked overall lower than the four from the 70s, but 1973's Dylan takes the prize as Bob's worst album.

Comparing the critics picks with Dylan's best selling albums, it would seem that 1975's Blood on the Tracks may be Dylan's best album as it was tied for #1 by critics and tied for #1 for best sales. As these are U.S. critics it may be worth while to look at U.S. sale certifications for each album, to see if the U.S. music buying populou agrees with critical sediments.

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For the most part critics do fairly well when compared to album sales, though they have a strong tendency to favor any studio album from Dylan's early years. The top ten, if changed for sales, would basically just be musical chairs with all the important albums roughly in about the same position. Mid range would get the biggest shake up, and surprisingly some of Dylans worst viewed critic albums have decent album sales (them being awful or wierd may have caused Dylan fans to go out and buy these over the years; Dylan's horrific live album with the Dead did go Gold). Overall the biggest decrepency is that Dylan's debut album, while ranked #15 by critics, has failed to even garner Gold status whereas Dylan's 1979 album Slow Train a Coming, ranked #23 by critics, has gone Platinum. Adding to the debate of worst album, Dylan has gone Gold whereas Saved has no certification.

So that's Muse-Zach's look at the Bob Dylan discography, it'll be interesting to see what the genious does in the upcoming decade.