A couple others, including Ben Peek, have ‘memed’ the ABC’s My Favourite Album. The usual drill is you bold it if you liked it, strikethrough if you hated it, and italic if you don’t care. I’ve judged these as albums, so if there’s only one or two good tracks on the album, I’m italicising it.
The Top 100
1–10
1. Pink Floyd — The Dark Side Of The Moon [First bought this at newsagent kiosk in 1975 on cassette. I’ve never completely ‘got’ it. I think you needed a quadrophonic stereo and bong to persuade yourself that it was intelligent] 2. Jeff Buckley — Grace [Whiney whining by a dead whiner. Pfeh] 3. Radiohead — Ok Computer [Whiney whining by a living whiner.] 4. The Beatles — Abbey Road [Some great tracks, but uneven.] 5. The Beatles — Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band [ibid. See the filler. If this had been recorded in 2000, it would have been a triple cd, with a novelty dvd and a game. Gah.] 6. Nirvana — Nevermind [I’m pretty much the wrong generation for this one. Still, it completely kicks. Written by a whiney whiner, it’s still spectacular rock/pop] 7. Led Zeppelin — Led Zeppelin 4 [Best heavy metal album ever.] 8. Red Hot Chili Peppers — Blood Sugar Sex Magik [This one made no impact at all. I remember “Under the Bridge”, but otherwise, pfeh]. 9. Meat Loaf — Bat Out Of Hell [I bought this when I was thirteen years old. As kitch testerone fuelled teen rock opera, it was perfect. I think if I’d first heard it four or five years later it would have been unlistenable, but it’s on the other side of that critical divide. I don’t listen to it much, but I do like it.] 10. U2 — The Joshua Tree [They’re very serious, aren’t they? I mean, really? Thank goodness for the Pet Shop Boys] Continue reading Australia’s Favourite Album – The Top 100→
The story of this weekend has been the weird virus I’ve had. I’m all sore joints, aching muscles, headaches and such. Lots of fun. Apologies to one and all for emails not returned, phone calls not made etc. I’ll try to catch up soon-ish. I’ve read nothing this weekend, tried to watch a couple videos, but abandoned them both. Had a project fall through, which is mildly disappointing. It wasn’t a major one – just me helping with editing something – but it would have been nice. A couple others are moving towards announcement time, which is nice.
In amongst that, the cricket. The POMS have played much, much better. How will the Aussies turn this around. Punter, as always, is the key.
Instructions: Go to www.popCulturemadness.com and select the year you became 18. Paste the list of the top 75 songs. Bold the ones you liked; strike the ones you disliked; and italicize the ones you know but don’t exactly like nor dislike. The ones you don’t know will stay common text.
The year is 1982, and the greatest era in the history of the 7″ single has come to an end. I’ve stopped working in a record store and got a real job, and this is what there was to listen to:
1. Mickey – Toni Basil
2. Apache – Sugarhill Gang
3. Through The Years – Kenny Rogers 4. I Love Rock and Roll – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts 5. You Dropped A Bomb On Me – Gap Band
6. Open Arms – Journey 7. I’m So Excited – Pointer Sisters 8. She’s Got a Way – Billy Joel 9. Ribbon In The Sky – Stevie Wonder 10. On The Wings Of Love – Jeffrey Osborne
11. Eye Of The Tiger – Survivor
12. 867-5309 (Jenny Jenny) – Tommy Tutone 13. Hard To Say I’m Sorry – Chicago 14. State of Independence – Donna Summer
15. Tainted Love – Softcell 16. Rock This Town – Stray Cats
17. We Got The Beat – GoGos 18. One Hundred Ways – Quincy Jones and James Ingram
19. Get Down On it – Kool & the Gang 20. Who Can It Be Now – Men at Work 21. Turn Your Love Around – George Benson 22. Let It Whip – Dazz Band 23. Genius Of Love – Tom Tom Club 24. Everybody Wants You – Billy Squire 25. Always On My Mind – Willie Nelson 26. Planet Rock – Afrika Bambaataa 27. I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For The World – Ronnie Milsap
28. Up Where We Belong – Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes 29. Under Pressure – Queen and David Bowie 30. Goobye To You – Scandal
31. Circles – Atlantic Starr
32. Memory – Barbra Streisand
33. Abacab – Genesis 34. Cool (Part 1) – The Time 35. Kids In America – Kim Wilde
36. Juke Box Hero – Foreignor
37. Gloria – Laura Branigan
38. I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow 39. Hot In The City – Billy Idol 40. Shadows Of The Night – Pat Benatar 41. Murphy’s Law – Cheri 42. You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ – Judas Priest 43. Jack and Diane – John Cougar (Melloncamp) 44. Leader Of The Band – Dan Fogelberg 45. Maneater – Hall and Oates 46. Workin’ For A Livin’ – Huey Lewis and the News 47. Working For The Weekend – Loverboy 48. Situation – Yaz 49. Truly – Lionel Richie 50. Mama Used To Say – Junior 51. Paperlate – Genesis 52. Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny) – Elton John 53. Don’t You Want Me – Human League 54. I Will Always Love You – Dolly Parton 55. Vacation – GoGo’s 56. I Know What Boys Like – The Waitresses 57. I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do) – Hall and Oates 58. Someday, Someway – Marshall Crenshaw 59. Going To A Go-Go – Rolling Stones
60. Love Plus One – Haircut One Hundred 61. Hurt So Good – John Cougar (Melloncamp) 62. Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash 63. Waiting On A Friend – Rolling Stones 64. I Feel Like A Number – Bob Seger 65. I Ran (So Far Away) – A Flock Of Seagulls 66. The Message – Grandmaster Flash 67. Early In The Morning – Gap Band 68. Shakin’ – Eddie Money 69. Centerfold – J. Geils Band 70. Talk Talk – Talk talk
71. Leather and Lace – Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
72. I’ve Never Been To Me – Charlene 73. Steppin’ Out – Joe Jackson 74. Let Me Tickle Your Fancy – Jermaine Jackson (& Devo)
75. Abracadabra – Steve Miller Band
Well, Bruce delivered the foreword to Ascendancies: The Best of Bruce Sterling this morning, so I put together the final ms. of the book and emailed it off to Subterranean Press. We’re only waiting on the introduction (the delay being my fault, not the introducer’s). I think galleys should follow shortly, with the book coming out sometime in mid-2007. I’ve gotta say, in these busy days, that I was pretty happy to send that one off to the publisher. Terry Dowling and I also did the final corrections on The Jack Vance Treasury, so that one is headed off to the printer for a January 2007 publication (I think). Busy times!
What now? Well, I think, if I can keep focussed, getting Best Short Novels: 2007 up and running, seeing if mystery project X will fly (we’ll know over the next month), and working on some other stuff that’s bubbling away. I’m also trying to find time to watch the cricket, spend time with the family (it’s the kids dance show in a week or two), and all sorts of other craziness. Mad times too.
At the close of play on Saturday the UK’s Guardian referred to the Brisbane Cricket Ground at Woolloongabba as the ‘Gabbattoir’. A lacklustre England were on the ropes and being played with by a dominant Australia. What a difference a day makes. Spirited play by the English batsmen, especially Collingwood and Pietersen, has changed everything. While talk of an outside chance of them saving the game seems very unlikely, the fact that it exists at all is significant. No matter how the game ends now, England will have positives to take away. Yes, they fell apart. But they fought back. They showed that they (at least some of them) could handle the Australian bowlers (at least some of them). They showed that they weren’t a bunch of surrender monkeys. So now, rather than limping to Adelaide for Friday’s second test, they go there with some hope. And why? Well, from where I sit, it comes down to a bad decision by Ricky ‘Punter’ Ponting, Australia’s captain. By not enforcing the follow-on on Saturday, he lengthened the game (increasing the ACB’s revenues), made the competition look more viable (increasing the ACB’s revenues), and let England off the hook. Even if Australia win this game, it was a terrible decision.
