#41 The Sunset Tree/ So You Want To Get Into...The Mountain Goats Part 3

Best Song: Dilauded vs Dance Music

Track List:

1.) You or Your Memory
2.) Broom People
3.) This Year
4.) Dilaudid
5.) Dance Music
6.) Dinu Lipatti’s Bones
7.) Up The Wolves
8.) Lion’s Teeth
9.) Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod
10.) Magpie
11.) Song for Dennis Brown
12.) Love Love Love
13.) Pale Green Things

Yes this post is serving two masters. Not only is this the next step of my journey through The Mountain Goats; it is also one of my favorite albums. The timing worked out extremely well… almost as if I had planned it! (wink, wink)

When I first heard this album my mind rebelled against liking it, and looking back I can’t reconstruct my reasoning. Was it the personal tone of the record? The theme of abuse? Or more realistically was it the fact that I didn’t think about the lyrics at all? If I had to guess it would probably be the last point. When you get right down to it without the lyrics this album is just good, with them it is brilliant.

Because the best way to describe The Sunset Tree is as the best book that I have never read. Every story told is beautifully blunt and cathartic. From the drunken youthful angst of “This Year” to the savage revenge dreamed in “Lion’s Teeth” to the distant sorrow expressed in “Pale Green Things”. Every word is in the right place.

Not that this album doesn’t work well musically either. It contains John Darnielle’s greatest work as a composer: “Dilauded”. This is the song that made me think that maybe The Mountain Goats were worth my while. The desperation expressed in the lyrics and vocal delivery are only matched by the driving strings. This song can only be matched by the one it flow into. “Dance Music” is all about escapism. The juxtaposition of the terrible scene depicted with the upbeat piano driven music of the song is captivating. But still the feeling that one can hide in their favorite music is one that even the happiest most well adjusted person can relate to, it is the emotional in for the album.

Now unfortunately we get the only stinker on the album after those two master pieces. “Dinu Lipatti’s Bones” isn’t a bad song, in fact I would love it…except for the fact that the vocals repel me like it’s a can of Raid. I won’t get into it here because my problem with this song is much better represented on Get Lonely which is the next album I will talk about.

The Sunset Tree is the greatest thing to ever come out of John Darnielle’s brain. It is his magnum opus and I doubt he will ever top it. He certainly didn’t with the next album he came out with.

Till next time.

#42 Who's Next

Best Song: Baba O'Riley

1.) Baba O'Riley
2.) Bargain
3.) Love Ain't For Keeping
4.) My Wife
5.) The Song Is Over
6.) Getting In Tune
7.) Going Mobile
8.) Behind Blue Eyes
9.) Won't Get Fooled Again


Who's Next is a masterpiece with one flaw. All the songs are over shadowed by the opener. Not only is “Baba O'riley” the best song on the album, it is one of the best songs ever written. The synth loop was ground breaking and avoids the usual dated feel that comes with most synths. The song manages to send chills down my spine every time I listen to it. The synth comes in and I am anticipating the drums and bass. Then I am waiting for the vocals to burst in with Daltrey's signature roar. The guitar is really just the icing on the cake at this point. One of the things that makes the song is how minimal the song is, while still being an arena shaking tune. Every arena band after The Who wishes they could have a song like this in their catalog and not a single one comes close.

But like I said after "Baba O'Riley" nothing seems quite as good till the last three songs pick it up again. That doesn't make the rest of the songs bad, just underwhelming. Both "Bargain" and "Love Ain't for Keeping" are two great songs that showcase the musicianship of the band just fine. "My Wife" is our John Entwistle song on the album and is one of his best. It is a little dark like all his songs, but it showcases his arrangement skills more then anything else. The interplay between the bass and drums is certainly the main focus of the song, as it often is with The Who. The guitar is there to keep everything together, bass, drum, piano, and horns all can use it as their time keeper.

"The Song Is Over" is a little pretentious and the synth part seems a little dated so if you where going to pass on one song it would be this one."Getting in Tune" on the other hand is one of those songs about music full of comparisons between music and life. Not only is he getting in tune with the song but with life. Just like all of the songs the rhythm section makes the song reach another level. John Entwislte is my favorite bassist, and Keith moon is my favorite drummers. They both knew how to keep their parts interesting without going off track with pointless fills and solos.

Of course now I can really get pumped again, "Going Mobile" is almost as good as "Baba O'riley". I love the acoustic guitar part that feels like it is being played by Pete Townshend sitting in the passenger seat of a car with his feet out the window. The entire songs succeeds in filling the mind with images of traveling, making it one of my favorite songs to listen to in my car. "I'm an air-conditioned gypsy." is probably my favorite line on the entire album. "Behind Blue Eyes" is all about the slow build. I have heard people complain about the arena rock bridge almost ruining the song. This is the exact opposite of the truth. "Behind Blue Eyes" needs the full arch to make it work. It needs to build dissipate and resolve so it can stand alone and appear to be attached to the final song. A lot of penultimate songs suffer the fate of being considered an intro to the closer and "Behind Blue Eyes" avoids that.

And what a closer we have! "Won't Get Fooled Again" is over 8min long but never once feels like it is over staying it's welcome. Well maybe a little during the guitar solo but it earns that little indulgence with the main body of the song. Rebellious to the core but in a call to arms to be savvy, not to just follow because they are told to. Who's Next fell in a string of classic albums by The Who that started with The Who Sell Out and ended with Quaraphenia. Who's Next is merely the third best of these four classics, what are the next two? We will just have to wait and see won't we...

#43 Aerial Ballet

Best Song: One

1.) Daddy’s Song
2.) Good Old Desk
3.) Don’t Leave Me
4.) Mr. Richland’s Favorite Song
5.) Little Cowboy
6.) Together
7.) Everybody’s Talkin’
8.) I Said Good Bye to Me
9.) Little Cowboy (reprise)
10.) Mr. Tinker
11.) One
12.) The Weeping Willow
13.) Bath


Ah Harry Nilsson, one of my absolute favorites. Beyond creating amazing music, he was simply a fascinating person. He would follow up his biggest commercial hit with an album full of bluntness and profanity, only to follow that album with an album of Hollywood standards. A real anomaly in the music world it is nice to still feel his echo in some indie bands today.

Ariel Ballet starts with the very bouncy “Daddy’s Song” which immediately sets the tone for the first half of the album, with amazing vocal overlays that showcase Nilsson’s confidence in his voice. This is followed by the greatest ode to a piece of furniture ever “Good Old Desk”. Harry Nilsson once joked that the song was actually about the initials of the song, G.O.D; but had to constantly tell people that it was a joke. Another treat is “Mr. Richland’s Favorite Song” a story of a pop star that goes from famous to washed up but still loved. The vocal wah-wahs at the end are my favorite on the whole record. If you are wondering about the weird title on this one, well it has a simple explanation. Mr. Richland was a music publisher and this was his favorite song on the album.

“Little Cowboy” is actually a lullaby that Nilsson’s mother used to sing to him which it just sweet. “Together” is an anthemic song that serves as the side closer if you are listening to this on vinyl. Even with out that physical break, it still represents the end on the good times of the first half with its final line.

The second half start extremely strong one track that everyone probably knows already, a cover of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’”. There is no doubt that this is the definitive version of the song, the rollicking upbeat guitar is the perfect foil for the subtle darkness of the lyrics. “Mr. Tinker” is another story of a has-been but unlike the singer in “Mr. Richland’s Favorite Song” the tailor is no longer needed.

After the depression of “Mr. Tinker” we get treated to the greatest song about loneliness ever written. “One” is among the best songs Harry Nilsson ever wrote. The simplicity of the piano is what makes it. What is the perfect amount of notes to represent feeling lonely? Why one of course. It also has the most profound line on the record, “Two is just as bad as one it’s the loneliest number since the number one”; suggesting that it takes more then just being with someone to be happy. Unfortunatly we do get a small let down in the final track. “Bath” isn’t bad; it just feels like a fake Hollywoodish ending after all the depression of the second half. If you don’t mind tinkering with the artistic vision of an album I would suggest changing it on you MP3 player so “Bath” starts the album instead of ends it. This won’t be the last we here from Harry Nilsson, oh no. This is the first of four on the list.

#44 Guitar Monsters

Best Song: Brazil

1.) Limehouse Blues
2.) I Want to be Happy
3.) Over the Rainbow
4.) Meditation
5.) Lazy River
6.) I'm Your Greatest Fan
7.) It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)
8.) I Surrender Dear
9.) Brazil
10.) Give My Love to Nell
11.) Hot Toddy


I was going to start by saying that Les Paul and Chet Atkins where the greatest early era guitar players, but that isn’t right. Les Paul and Chet Atkins are two of the best guitarist to every live. And Guitar Monsters, their second collaborative album, displays this perfectly.

Now I believe I need to clarify something before I move forward. Being a good guitar player does not mean that you can play hundreds of notes per second. Being a good guitar player means not having a single note out of place; it means always getting the right tone for the song. And lastly it means letting the instrument construct a song and not just play for the sake of playing.

Moving on. Guitar Monsters not only displays great technique but is also has a great sense of humor and is just plain fun. The opening two tracks may not be the best but they defiantly set the tone of what the album is about. "Limhouse Blues" is a swinging instrumental that alternates between Les Paul’s ringing runs and Chet Atkins’ twangy licks. "I Want to be Happy" is more of the same but this time with some banter before and during the song that lets you know how relaxed these sessions where. “Dolly Parton is big on TV” “She’s big everywhere isn’t she?”

Their version of Over the Rainbow and Meditation are both fine, nothing fantastic but perfectly listenable. It is with the 4th track Lazy River were it really starts to get good. The jazziest track on the album, it builds slowly till about a minute into the song when the guitars really starting singing, and I mean singing. Who needs a vocalist when you have Les and Chet playing in concert. Next we have I’m You Greatest Fan which is one of the best on the entire record. It has Les Paul and Chet Atkins telling each other that they are the others biggest fan, but pretending they don’t know any songs the other did. Really it is just 4 minutes of two people who admire each other making fun of each other, which is awesome.

"It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)" is a Duke Ellington standard being performed by there two; ‘nuff said. Now before we can move onto my favorite we do need to sit through the one stinker on the album, "I Surrender Dear" isn’t bad, just boring. So, in the context of the album is it a downer. It slows the pace and just makes you want to hit next.

Which is a good Idea considering Brazil is the best song here. The first time I heard a version of this song was in the Terry Gilliam film Brazil (which I highly recommend) and it is probably one of the catchiest, earworm inducing songs ever. And this right here is my favorite version. I am dancing in my chair just thinking about it which I bet makes me seem strange if anyone was watching me.

The last two tracks are both good, "Give My Love to Nell" is the only one that has them singing …which is fine since neither of them have good singing voices, especially since Chet Atkins was in his 50’s and Les Paul was in his 60’s. It is still a charming track, mostly because it is a traditional song so not being able to sing well doesn’t really factor in too much.

Now out of all the records on my favorites list this is one of the ones that I would not be surprised if most people didn’t like it. Being almost all instrumentals will be enough of a turn off for most people, and the fact that it is two old geezers will scare the rest away. But give is a chance…you might be surprised.

#45 Bone Machine

Trying out a new format that works as a cheat sheet to the review. Of course the "Best Song" will stay, but in addition I am including the whole track list. On this list I will make the stand out tracks red and the tracks that are stinkers (to be demonstrated on later albums cause this one doesn't have any) blue. As always I will try and link to audio files/YouTube videos of songs I mention if I can find any. Well, enough of this. On to the review!!!

Best Song: Dirt in the Ground

Track List:
1.) Earth Died Screaming
2.) Dirt in the Ground
3.) Such a Scream
4.) All Stripped Down
5.) Who Are You
6.) The Ocean Doesn't Want Me
7.) Jesus Gonna Be Here
8.) A Little Rain
9.) In the Colosseum
10.) Goin' Out West
11.) Murder in the Red Barn
12.) Black Wings
13.) Whistle Down the Wind
14.) I Don't Wanna Grow Up
15.) Let Me Get Up on It
16.) That Feel

Tom Waits is fantastic. Just have to get that out of the way. Once you adjust to his voice and unusual use of percussion and musical tropes from the 30s you will like just about anything he does to some degree. Now Bone Machine isn’t my favorite Waits album but it is the one that I listened to first. I am not going to lie, if you aren’t already a Waits fan it will take some time to get into. This is not an easy album to assimilate; how could it be considering it is THE album about death.

The opener “Earth Died Screaming” is a great indication of what a wild ride you have signed up for. The percussion sounds like rattling bones and the growl used on the song is Waits at his most primal. “Dirt in the Ground” is my personal favorite and has Waits adopting a lamenting falsetto over subtle, and I mean subtle instrumentation. You won’t notice the bells, or the tapping unless you are really listening for it.

“Who Are You” is a sorrowful ballad that can’t be beat and always makes me think of a person looking out at the ocean while on the edge of a cliff during sunset; which works well with the next song “The Ocean Doesn’t Want Me Today”. Now this song is creepy… no not creepy, that is too nice. Terrifying is more appropriate. Try listening to it in the dark with good headphones so it sound like it is coming from your own mind.

“In the Colosseum” is another growling song along the line of “Earth Died Screaming” just as good but more ethereal than earthy which is appropriate. “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” (which was later cover by The Ramones) is a perversion of juvenile acoustic tunes and as such becomes a real highlight. There really are no bad songs on the entire album but there are sixteen songs. That makes it hard to talk about all of them with out rambling. This is the album that introduced me to Tom Waits and I would suggest it as one of two albums as a gateways, probably the more difficult one, into the Waits’ work. What is the other one? Well we will just have to wait and see won’t we.

#46 Really Rosie

Best Song: One was Johnny

The greatest thing Carole King ever did. Now this is a pretty bold statement seeing as Tapestry is one of the most celebrated albums of the singer songwriter movement. Am I really saying it isn’t as good as a children’s album…well of course I am.

Really Rosie is a musical based on the work of Maurice Sendak, who also provides the lyrics. This is really important to note, Carole King DID NOT write the lyrics. Why do I feel the need to stress this? Well, like I said this is a children’s album and King could have easily gotten away with writing trivial and cliché melodies and no one would have noticed or cared. But instead she wrote some truly inspired music to accompany some great story lyrics.

King’s vocal delivery reaches a level of passion and, on some tracks, frenzy that she could only hope to reach on any of her other albums. Screaming and Yelling (could only find a clip online? really?) wouldn’t seem out of place on any other of King’s albums and would be a highlight where ever it showed up. The Ballad of Chicken Soup is a dark song about choking on a chicken bone that has the only line on the entire album that I feel is out of place. “quicker than a winky” just does not work with the tone of the song.

My absolute favorite is the song One Was Johnny. It is one of the shortest but that only works to its advantage. It is a simple count to ten then count backwards concept but the lyrical flow and walking piano really works. Drum fill and funky bass signal the bridge continue to the end bring the song to fruition. Pierre should also not be missed and even though One Was Johnny is my favorite song the end of Pierre represents my favorite moment on the whole record.

#47 Honkey Chateau

Best Song: Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters



Elton John at his very best. Both musically and lyrically Elton John and Bernie Taupin have always had two sides: the fun side that borders on lightweight and the serious side that borders on pretentious. And when it comes right down to it there was a serious problem getting those sides to play nice on a single album…except this one.

I mean the two best known songs (and two of the best) show these polar opposite sides and I don’t question them being on the same disc at all. Honky Cat is a great piece of honky-tonk with some very clever lyrics about being a bum. Rocket Man on the other hand doesn’t need an introduction. Elton’s most well known song and…well you all know it anyways.

The absolute best is Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters which is tied for the best lyrics in an Elton John song (with Good Bye Yellow Brick Road). It is an ode to New York, and who knows if it is praising the city or condemning it. The tickling piano and sparse bass serve as an amazing back drop until the mandolin shows up after the first chorus, which takes the song to a whole new level.

The rest of the songs are all great too. Well Amy is almost bad but it is saved by an exquisite Jean Luc-Ponty electric violin solo. Slave is a great country song showing that the problems with that genre lay with the performers not the genre itself. Also make sure you don’t skip I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself. It features some great juxtaposition between the cheerful music and lines like “I think I’m gonna kill myself/ cause a little suicide” before actually changing to be musically appropriate…for like 20 seconds.

# 48 Les Paul and Friends: American made, world played - Les Paul (and various others)

# 48 Les Paul and Friends: American Made, World Played

Best Song: Fly like an Eagle


Les Paul is the father of modern music. That is a plain and simple fact that everyone needs to know. He invented multi-track recording and overdubbing and many many other things. He is the most important man in rock and roll and he never played it until very late in his life. He was a phenomenal guitarist who went from country to jazz and his best work can be found on his albums with Chet Atkins (which we will talk about at a later date).

But right now I am talking about this little album, released when the man himself was 90 years old and most of the time he gets lost underneath all the classic rock big names showing him what they have done with his techniques. Now I am going to be honest, this is not that great an album in general. It includes some very good covers but very few are essential, and it even contains a butchered version of “How High The Moon”. But the tracks that stand out are worth everything else and hey now a days it is so easy to skip songs why bother focusing on the bad and the few good are so good that they make this album jump from good to great.

Now the song everyone needs to hear is the version of “Fly Like An Eagle”. I can already hear people going “Oh no not that song I am so sick of that song”. Well listen to the original and in can almost tell that Steve Miller knew he was going to be sick of that song too. But here is a fun little fact: Les Paul was Steve Miller’s godfather. The track starts with a clip from some family gathering when Miller was about 5. Steve says singing makes him embarrassed and Les tells him that he should keep doing that and that he is going to go places…and then a Les Paulified version of the intro to the song takes you into a version where you can tell that Miller is actually having fun with the song again, playing with his mentor.

Another essential is the version of the “Caravan” where everyone spends time making guitars not sound like guitars, which of course is what Les Paul was famous for. He would take a guitar and make it an orchestra. The second best track though is “69 Freedom Special”. All the other tracks are labeled as “w/ (insert name here)” but this one is w/ Les Paul and Friends and is shows. This is all the greats coming together to have fun and jam, not just record.

As I said the other tracks are all good (except “How High The Moon” I don’t actually know who is doing it but they are no Mary Ford). If I was to pick one that represented the over all quality it would be “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo”. Really if you want to just get the highlights I would not begrudge you that but if the only way you can locate them is to get the full album don’t hesitate just get it. It really shows how talented Les Paul is even at 90 to be able to just blend in to all these styles.

(It is actually pretty hard for me to find the versions of the songs that are on the CD so I will add them as I find them)

#49 "Weird Al" Yankovic

#49 "Weird Al" Yankovic

Best Song: I’ll Be Mellow When I’m Dead



Now Weird Al gets a lot of grief. At least he used to until everyone thought that “White and Nerdy” was the best thing since slice bread and for the first time in his over 20 years of recording he had a top 10 hit. But either way his earlier work is still very niche and under exposed. Now Al has always done the parody stick and has always done a good job but with that it is easy to keep following the same tropes and cliches. (great example is the song “Grapefruit Diet” which is where he put all the fat jokes that weren’t good enough for “Fat”)

Which is why his debut is also his best and my personal favorite of his. Some of his later albums have betters songs but this is the most consistent from beginning to end. The parodies don’t ever feel like they were forced and chosen only because that song is popular now. The sense of humor is also much dryer then latter releases. “Ricky” (a parody on Mickey by Toni Basil) is simply about ‘I Love Lucy’ and includes the talented Tress MacNeille. “I Love Rocky Road” is a treat because out of all the parodies it is the one that represents what is to come.

But of all the parodies the best are “My Bolgna’ and “Another One Rides The Bus”. My Sharona and Another One Bites The Dust respectively, both really strip Weird Al to his core basics: accordion, nerdy vocals, and juvenile noises that are used to humorous effect.

But where this album really shines is the original material. While on later albums the originals would be style parodies these are not attempting to mock a style. Happy Birthday is a very chipper driving force as Al tells you to enjoy your birthday before the world goes to shit…kind of morbid but it really makes me chuckle. The closer Mr Frump In The Iron Lung is a delightful shuffle about a man stuck in an Iron Lung that the character of the song treats as a good friend and conversationalist.

But the best is I’ll Be Mellow When I’m Dead. Now this song would not be out of place on a Frank Zappa record mocking the hippies. Well it is less complex then Zappa but that makes it easier to enjoy. While there are some funny images the song is actually a pretty serious denouncement of hippie/yuppie life style. I actually think this is a great song that doesn’t deserve the obscurity it gets simply because it is done by a “novelty act”

#50 The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered

Okay.. so I haven’t updated this in an inexcusably long time but I am back and can guarantee an update a week for at least the next year. The problem I had updating was I never knew what to write about and would stress about if it was interesting or not. Well I solved that because once a week I am going to be counting down my top 50 favorite albums! I will do this in conjunction with other posts, about new albums that come out or whatever, as the mood strikes but once a week I will guarantee a post with the next album. So lets kick it.

#50 The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered

Best Song: Living Life Eels vs Sun Shines Down On Me Guster

This album is a two disc cover album of Daniel Johnston (who is not dead despite what the name would have you believe). One disc is the original Johnston versions and the other is for the covers. Now for this one I am only going to talk about the covers as quite a few of the originals are from an album further up the list.

And the covers are amazing and I would suggest anyone who doesn’t see the big deal about Daniel Johnston get this album. Out of all the songs only two aren’t very good. Teenage Club and Jed Fair (of Half Japanese) take on “My Life is Starting Over Now” and it is just a disoriented pretentious mess like everything fair does. The other one is Calvin Johnston on “Sorry Entertainer”. He takes Daniels greatest disjointed rocker and makes it very droning and boring.

But those are my only complaints as the rest of the album runs from good to brilliant. Now I am not going to name check all the songs but there are four specific ones that are worth noting above all the rest. The first is the absolute best; Eels loving cover of Living Life. One of Johnston’s greatest that I would love to see redone by the man himself as the original is so damaged that it is almost unlistenable. But E (I love your music man but ‘E’, really?) knows the beauty that lies behind the crackling tape and brings it to the forefront along with his longing hopeful vocals that, for the first time on an Eels song, don’t always sound like he is on the verge of tears. And right as the song ends we get treated to another highlight from TV on the Radio. Their versions of Walking the Cow is very true to the original except for the great use of feedback that is very Pavement like which only adds to the mystery of the song that has always made me feel confused in a good way.

Now let us skip down to the last two songs. First we have Guster on The Sun Shines Down On Me. Guster doesn’t know how to not be perfect, which is actually the downfall of a lot of their albums for me. I get bored as I feel like I am listening to a mathematically precise album that does very little to tug at the heart. Well that doesn’t happen here and I am willing to say that this cover is the best song Guster has ever done. The way they let the dissonance take over about halfway through is brilliant and they absolutely NAIL the most heartbreakingly hopeful line Johnston had ever written, “I’m walking down that empty road/ It ain’t empty now because I’m on it”. After this we come to the weirdest and most difficult to assimilate song on the album, but Tom Waits fans must have it. Wait’s take on King Kong is simply fantastic. The way he takes the acapella original and infuses it with primal roars and mouth percussion later joined by jazzy bass and sparse guitar licks….well just listen it is something else. In fact while all the bands stamp themselves on the songs they do Waits is the only one to do so while taking all the Daniel Johnston out of it.