Best Music 2006 - Dan Toloudis

Here's some stuff I listened to and remembered in 2006.

Artist, Song(Album)

1. Mardo, Bombs Over Broadway (The New Gun) [retro hard rock. these guys just rock out. they have a myspace page with 4 tracks.]

2. Wolfmother, Woman (Wolfmother) [heavy psychedelic rock. kinda sludgy / sabbathy but happier. also have a myspace page ]

3. Blue October, Drilled a Wire Through My Cheek (Foiled) [modern rock.
disparate, eclectic, accessible thru a couple of pop hits but musically deeper than that. Also check out album "History For Sale"]

4. Gill Landry, Loneliness (The Ballad of Lawless Soirez) [absolutely miserable blues, the best kind!]

5. Hot Tuna, I Know You Rider (live in NYC 11/26/06) [ I saw these old guys play in New York for Thanksgiving. Electric and acoustic blues band spawned from Jefferson Airplane ]

6. Genesis, The Knife (Trespass) [ early 70's progressive rock. One of their heavier/faster/intenser songs. I just think people should check this out. ]

7. Umphrey's McGee, Women Wine and Song (Safety In Numbers) [ Phish-style hippie jam band, these guys are great. this song is just an example. listen to everything ]

In 2006 a good friend inspired me to learn about the Grateful Dead. I'll end with some picks for a sampling of G.D. songs I think people should hear.

8. The Grateful Dead, Franklin's Tower (on Blues For Allah) 9. The Grateful Dead, St. Stephen (on Aoxomoxoa) 10. The Grateful Dead, Dark Star (on Live Dead and many other live
performances)

Their best studio stuff, in my opinion:
-- The Grateful Dead, American Beauty (*whole album) [e.g. Sugar Magnolia, Ripple, Box of Rain, Friend of the Devil, etc.]
-- The Grateful Dead, Workingman's Dead (*whole album) [e.g. Uncle John's Band, Dire Wolf, Casey Jones, Cumberland Blues, etc.]

Best Music 2005 - Dan Toloudis

My list. Hard to single out certain albums. In many cases I listen to anything the artist did... which is easy when you use launch.yahoo.com.

1. Rush, Moving Pictures, and just about anything they did before 1984

2. King Crimson, In The Court of the Crimson King

3. King Crimson, Larks' Tongues In Aspic, and just about anything they did before 1984

3. Pink Floyd, Meddle

4. Pink Floyd, Animals, and everything they did before The Wall

5. Wes Montgomery, Smokin' At The Half Note

6. Sonny Rollins, The Bridge

7. Joni Mitchell, Hits (1996)

8. Clifford Brown, Study In Brown

9. Bill Evans, At The Village Vanguard 1961

10. Rage Against The Machine, Rage Against The Machine (1st album)

11. Simon and Garfunkel, Concert in Central Park

12. New Radicals, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too

and anything by:

13. The Police
14. Ozric Tentacles

15. The Who

16. Coheed and Cambria (a current band! for real!)

17. Jimi Hendrix

18. Jane's Addiction

19. Cream

20. Santana