Skip to main content

Norm's Top 10 for 2005

Hey Soul Mates,
it's Christmas Eve and perhaps you've got to make one last run out to a Loss-Leader to pick up a gift for someone. Well, here's my year-end run down of the best of 2005 in music. I'm going to be a little lazy this year and not write a whole lot about the choices. Why? Well, many of these LPs got the full treatment earlier in the year when they arrived. But I do recommend all of them and hope that you may enjoy them, too.

In order of finish:
1. Get Behind Me Satan - The White Stripes. Simply the most interesting LP of the year.
2. The Emancipation Of Mimi - Mariah Carey. Call it a comeback. This is a contender for best pop album of the young millennium with Timberlake's Justified.
3. Late Registration - Kanye West. A tad long, but Gold Digger is the best single this side of A Talent For Loving.
4. You Could Have It So Much Better - Franz Ferdinand. Just a fun album of glammy Scots stomping.
5. A Bigger Bang - Rolling Stones. Their best in nearly 30 years. It really does have great songs.
6. Demon Dayz - Gorillaz. Like an 80's throwback jersey for the ears.
7. Don't Believe The Truth - Oasis. A nice return to form.
8. Bright Idea - Orson. Locals who are now opening for Duran Duran. Bravo, gang.
9. Chaos & Creation In The Backyard - Paul McCartney. Not so good as the Stones new LP, but solid for Macca. His best since Flowers in the Dirt.
10. Get Lifted - John Legend. I tired of this by year's end, but it was smoove while it lasted.
Honorable mention: A Time For Love - Stevie Wonder.

As we get closer to the Grammy's I'll have more to say about these choices as many of them got nominations. I also got to see five of the above artists perform this year. They all put on wonderful shows, with the White Stripes being the most mind-bending. Note: Concert of the year was ABC at the House of Blues.

My favorite (non-RHS) songs of the year:
Gold Digger - Kanye West (feat. Jamie Foxx)
My Doorbell - White Stripes. Although, Blue Orchid, got me to buy it in the first place.
Do You Want To? - Franz Ferdinand
Say Somethin' - Mariah Carey w. Snoop Dogg. Frankly every single from this album ranks.
Dirty Harry - Gorillaz
Rough Justice - Rolling Stones
Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
Ordinary People - John Legend
Behind These Hazel Eyes - Kelly Clarkson
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - Paul McCartney with U2 (Live at Live8)

Happy Christmas and Happy Hannukah!
Love, Power, Peace on Earth

Comments

Anonymous said…
My top 5
1. Done lost my mind - RHS
2. Everything My Heart Desires - RHS
3. Everyone's Ingenue - RHS
4. Talent for Loving - RHS
5. No Tomorrow - ORSON

I love Rush Hour Soul
1:58 PM, December 30, 2005
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

John Lennon 40 Years On

Remembering John Lennon today. Forty years have flashed by. I can still hear my clock radio turning on to the incongruent sound of the Beatles on Dec. 9, 1980 and wondering why? I think about John every day. I am fortunate to have been able to make pilgrimage to Mendips, Abbey Road and Strawberry Fields, NY; to play on stages like the Cavern, the Jacaranda and the Troubadour where he performed or made trouble, or both. Here’s a quick playlist for you and me. (Just Like) Starting Over I Should Have Known Better Bless You Nobody Told Me Strawberry Fields Forever Nowhere Man Enjoy the day. Fill it with peace. Fill it with music. #JohnLennon #Liverpool
Post a Comment
Read more

Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air - Book Review

“The Murderous Haircut of the Mayor of Bel Air” is a trippy new mystery novel from Phillip Mottaz. It captures the grit and gilt of the City of Angels with the flair of a contemporary Raymond Chandler. The brisk pace and wit are reminiscent of Douglas Adams’s entries in the detective game. Flourishes of  Fletch  and “Medium” also spring to mind. However, Mottaz has added a psychic/mutant/superhuman touch and his own comedic voice, structure and internal monologues to the proceedings that help the author announce his own style and the arrival of a literary heroine for a new generation. Hairstylist and budding private investigator, Danica Luman is the perfect character to convey the irony, angst and sarcasm needed to tell a 21st century L.A. crime story. Danica also represents anyone who thought it would be neat to get tangled up in a mystery and the darkly comic cautionary tale that follows. The genre is recognizable, but Mottaz offers a fresh take on the not-ready-for-prime-ti...
Post a Comment
Read more

Being There [Grammy Recap]

Hey Soul Mates, Check out your boy. Yes, I did look that damn suave at the Grammys last night. Look, the tickets very clearly said "black tie." What could be less rock and roll than black tie? Not wearing "black tie." Frankly, the hipsters and the club girls just looked silly. Maybe I'm getting sartorially conservative, but you must be clean for the Grammys. We arrived early in the afternoon. A beautifully mild afternoon in downtown L.A. and not a sign of the predicted rain. I wanted to experience the whole nine, so we got there in time for the "Pre-telecast" ceremony. This is where 97 of the 108 gramophone statuettes are awarded. It was much more entertaining and endearing than the actual broadcast. The winners were genuinely moved, were not limited in their speech time and came in all stripes. Now, very few of the acts I voted for won. But the day did start off with a bang as OK Go won best short form video for the treadmill hopping video for Here...
5 comments
Read more