A-Z CDs - Day 28

The Hs got the blues.
230. John Lee Hooker - The Very Best Of (last listen: 2-5 years) - I barely ever listen to this, and I don't know why. It's got the original "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," as well as his classics, "Boogie Chillen'" and "Boom Boom." I'm also a fan of "I'm Bad Like Jesse James" and "Crawlin' King Snake."
231. Hootie & The Blowfish - Crack Rear View (last listen: 5+ years) - If you claim you never liked Hootie, you're a damn liar. This album, after all, did supplant Boston's Boston as the best selling debut album of all-time, selling over 16 million albums, which means a whole hell of a lot of people bought it. I haven't listened to it in probably 10 or 11 years, but it's still full of solid pop songs. I'm not ashamed to say that I still like it.
232. Hootie & The Blowfish - Fairweather Johnson (last listen: 5+ years) - A decent follow-up album, with a title and an accompanying tongue-in-cheek title track making fun of fair-weather fans. Thought of as a "sophomore slump" (it's hard to top 16 million in sales), this album still went quadruple platinum. After listening to this album (also for the first time in probably 10 or 11 years), many of the songs seem to be Mellencamp inspired. In addition to the title track, I like "Tucker's Town" and "Old Man and Me."
233. Son House - Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Son House (last listen: 1-2 years) - As an early Delta bluesman, Son House influenced many future bluesman and rock and rollers. Having recorded in the '30s and '40s, his songs are acoustic, and have an earthy quality to them, not unlike Robert Johnson (on whom House was a big influence). Several of the songs were field recordings in 1941 and 1942 by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress, in a Mississippi general store (you can faintly hear a train in the background on a couple songs). "Shetland Pony Blues" is especially prescient, given recent innovations in seeing eye fauna. I also enjoy "Depot Blues," which is very similar (if not the same) as House's "Death Letter," which was covered by The White Stripes (on their second album, De Stijl), as well as a portion of "Am I Right or Wrong" (aka "John the Revelator"), in "Cannon" off their debut album.
234. House of Pain - House of Pain (last listen: 2-5 years) - I got this at a used CD store, or maybe a Goodwill, and it came in a blank jewel case. Therefore, I had no idea that I bought the clean version of the CD. That's bullshit. "Jump Around" still sounds as fresh as it did when it was the Lyons Township High School freshman B football team anthem (conference champs -- whatever). "Put On Your Shit Kickers" is noticeably different (called "Kick Some" on the clean album), in that it implores you to "put on your shhhh kickers and kick some shhhh." "Shamrocks and Shenanigans" is entertaining.
235. Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years (last listen: 0-3 months) - Solid album from one of the most distinctive voices you've ever heard. My favorites are "Goin' Down Slow" (featuring spoken parts by Willie Dixon and several great lines, including "I have had my fun / If I never get well no more"), "Wang Dang Doodle," the title track, "Moanin' at Midnight," and "Highway 49."
236. Ice Cube - Bootlegs & B-Sides (last listen: 1-2 years) - This late 1994 albums features remixes and b-sides. I'm a big fan of the "It Was a Good Day" remix, even if it is clean. "You Don't Wanna Fuck Wit These" is solid as well.
237. Billy Idol - Greatest Hits (last listen: 1-2 years) - I only dance with myself.
238. I Mother Earth - Dig (last listen: never) - Another CD that didn't make the trip to Dubai. I have never heard of I Mother Earth, although apparently this album was released in grunge's heyday (1993). It's actually not that bad of an album for a Canadian alt rock band. You can definitely tell that it was released during the grunge era, but it has more traditional hard rock and heavy metal attributes, as well as some Santana-inspired percussion and guitar here and there.