Week of February 6, 2012

1. "Best of Both Worlds"--Van Halen, Live Right Here Right Now:
Unbelievable! The week that the first studio album from Van Halen in 14 years is coming out, and we get some VFH. Of course, this is one of the better songs off of the first album featuring Sammy Hagar on vocals. As I've said in the past, I'm not too big into the singer debate, though Cherone was definitely a disaster. I'm excited but realistic about the new album. The old stuff is too deeply imbedded to be overshadowed by this new album. Needless to say, especially this week, this here is SHUFFLE GOLD!!

2. "Fight Like a Brave"--Red Hot Chili Peppers, Uplift Mofo Party Plan:
FINALLY! A solid RHCPs song shows up on the shuffle. This was the first album that I listened to by the RHCPs. A friend put a different song from this album on a mix tape for me, and I was hooked by this album. By the time I came on board, Hillel Slovak had died, and they were releasing Mother's Milk. I saw them live multiple times over the next 3 years. These are the RHCPs that I love and miss. SHUFFLE GOLD!!

SKIP: An "intro" to a Fugazi live album. Just a couple of people introducing the band.

3. "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights go out on Broadway)"--Billy Joel, Songs in the Attic:
This is the opening song on Billy Joel's first live album. Not sure that I have listened to this all the way through. Based on this opener, I need to. Great sound and solid representation of Joel live. NO SHAME.

4. "Arlandria"--FooFighers, Wasting Light:
This song is one of the strongest on the most recent Foo Fighters albums. This album has been in heavy rotation for me for the better part of the last year--it was released last April. I'm definitely a fan of the Foo Fighters. They are a consistent, solid rock band. I think it is fair to say that Grohl is not known as merely the former drummer of Nirvana. He has made his own name and, in my opinion, surpassed Cobain in many respects. NO SHAME.

5. "The Days of Wine and Roses"--Oranj Symphonette, Plays Mancini:
This song is just under a minute and does very little for me. However, the story behind this band holds a special memory. My wife and I honeymooned in San Francisco. We sought out some live music and found this band. They played all Mancini covers. The band's claim to fame is that they were Tom Waits's band at one point. Dave Brubek's son, Matt, was the bassist/cellist, and Joe Gore, who also played guitar for P.J. Harvey, were two of the bigger names in the band. They were great live, and we bought this CD as a souvenir. NO SHAME.