Norman's Rockwell

Hope you've had a marvelous Boxing Day after a wonderful Christmas. As promised here is my rundown of my favorite singles/songs from the past decade (2010-2019). Unlike the LPs, I decided to run with a Top 20. Many beloved tracks that appear on albums in my Top 10 are not here, in part because while they are spectacular, they work mainly in context with the LP. This list could easily be 40 songs deep, but I wanted one to encourage you to discover a new record or two. As with the album list, none of my own works are included. In ascending order to my favorite song of the 2010's, here we go with the Top 20: 20. A Tribe Called Quest - "Dis Generation" 19. Flyte - "Over & Out" 18. The Weeknd - "I Can't Feel My Face" 17. Natalie Prass - "Short Court Style" 16. Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) - "Get Lucky" 15. Paul McCartney - "New" 14. Liam Gallagher - "Wall of Glass" 13. Radiohead -...

Shut up already! Thirty years ago today, Prince unleashed the funkiest, most amazing artistic statement of his career: the double album Sign 'O' The Times . Music does not get better than this. I still get chills spinning this. I remember buying Sign after school the day it came out and racing home to play it undisturbed in one sitting. Mesmerized. It contains Prince's utterly genius "Housequake" and "If I Was Your Girlfriend" and so much more. Go dig it.

This took me a while, because I love music and I listen to a lot of it and I think about it almost as much as I listen to it. My friend Phillip Mottaz put me up to this and I accepted the challenge. Here are my Favorite Albums by Year for Each Year of my Life. I went by actual release year, not peak of popularity. They were not necessarily my favorites at the time of release. A few, like 1984, were no brainers (a right answer, as Phillip says). 1970, 1985 and 1994 became Sophie's Choice. As a result some of my all time favorite records are absent. Some favorite artists recur, proving they made consistently great albums that have influenced my listening habits perpetually. Steely Dan is here twice, but not my favorite Steely Dan record. I apparently enjoy Franz Ferdinand far more than I would have guessed. If I tackle this exercise again in 5 years or 5 weeks, I would expect about 3 or 4 to change. Here we go, as of today... 1969 - Abbey Road - The Beatles 1970 - ABC - The Jackson ...

Chuck Berry = Rock & Roll. My three cents. My first rock and roll 45 was "My Ding-A-Ling." A Christmas gift from a hip uncle and Chuck's only #1.  The first rock and roll number I performed on stage with a band was the Beatles' arrangement of Chuck Berry's "Rock And Roll Music." I've never looked back. For my 19th birthday, I bought myself a ticket to check out Chuck Berry in DC. Some college classmates laughed because I was going to see a 60 year old has-been. I saw the duck walk. I don't think Chuck Berry wouldn't want nobody to cry over him, he'd want you to turn that record up! Roll over, Beethoven and make way for Mr. Chuck Berry.

Leaving London this afternoon following a successful fortnight of musical adventures. Pacific Soul Ltd. had a nice run of shows from North to South. I enjoyed each show. They were all gratifying and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to return to the UK to perform. Cavern Pub made for a superb warmup/introduction for the band and for playing with Jon. We were in good hands with his steady beat. What a profoundly cool person and top musician. The Cavern Club show was a barn burner. The energy and the audience were on point. The most fun I've had playing there yet. Thanks, IPO! Our gig at the Jacaranda was a welcome surprise. Getting to play on a true relic of the Beatles' halcyon days was indescribable. So I won't try. Our harmonies were tight at the Jac. Rolling out to Bradford was an Amazing Race. Driving on the right side of the car/left side of the road on a bit of a Magical Mystery Tour. Ate some good curry up there. The audio difficulties we had wer...

Fifth day of the tour was split in thirds. The first third was spent at the Liverpool Cathedral. Always interesting to visit churches. I had been before and was looking forward to revisiting the Lady Chapel at the Cathedral, which is a divine space. Said a few prayers. Had lunch there, too. The second 2/3rds were Beatle-heavy. We did a repeat of the National Trust's tour of the Beatles' Childhood homes. The NT takes you to 20 Forthlin Rd (the former McCartney residence) and 2 51 Menlove Ave. aka Mendips (where John Lennon was raised). On this tour you are allowed into the homes and are regaled with stories from two expert guides, wife and husband team Sylvia and Colin. Visiting those shrines is moving, inspiring and a marvel. The Beatles lived in Liverpool right up until they broke in the US. They were already famous in the UK, but hadn't fully abandoned there hometown. From there we went to Strawberry Field. Caught a cab and the driver took us to Penny Lane. And th...

Fourth day on the road was a day of rest in Liverpool. We went to check out the Beatles Story museum at Albert Dock. I hadn't been since 2006 and many of the displays had been updated and spruced up. Well worth the revisit. Highlights included George Harrison's first guitar, the Mellotron used by the Beatles on legendary mid-career recordings like the astounding "Strawberry Fields Forever," and George Martin's handwritten tracking notes for the HELP! LP ('me on Hammond'). I a m well-versed in Beatles' lore, but seeing their story told through the lens of their hometown is fascinating. After the visit, Jon, Adam and I talked about the band and their impact. Fun conversation. We also wrote some fan mail with Teresa while we had dinner at Leaf. After that the whole party hiked uphill to the Cathedral. It was 9 o'clock and just dusk. Golden light cast over Liverpool. Perfect for pics with this fun company. All for now. Maybe some more music-making tomo...