A-Z CDs - Day 38

319. Mötley Crüe - Dr. Feelgood (last listen: never) - That "never" is somewhat deceiving because I just got this album on CD, having had it on tape since its release. It sounds just as good now as it did then. "Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S)" is my favorite Crue song. "She Goes Down" is a solid, under-the-radar (and belt) song. Obviously, in addition to "Same Ol' Situation," the title track, "Kickstart My Heart," "Without You," and "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)" were the hits off the album. This CD also has extra tracks: demo versions of "Dr. Feelgood" (with very different lyrics), "Kickstart My Heart" (slightly different lyrics), "Without You," and "Time for Change," as well as a previously unreleased song, "Get It For Free."
320. Mötley Crüe - Greatest Hits (last listen: 0-3 months) - A great primer for the casual Crue fan. Released in 1998, it's more comprehensive than the 1991 release Decade of Decadence, but less comprehensive than 2005's compilation, Red, White & Crue, which is a double-disc featuring more from the band's early years, but unfortunately, more from the band's later years (including the John Corabi years). The Greatest Hits features all the Crue hits the casual fan would want ("Girls, Girls, Girls," "Kickstart My Heart," "Wild Side," "Dr. Feelgood," "Same Ol' Situation," "Home Sweet Home," "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)," "Without You," "Smokin' In The Boys Room," "Primal Scream," "Too Fast For Love," "Looks That Kill," "Shout at the Devil"). It also features a couple new (at the time) songs, "Bitter Pill" and "Enslaved," which actually aren't too bad. I could do without "Glitter."
321. Napoleon Dynamite (soundtrack) (last listen: 1-2 years) - This one has a ton of sound bites from the movie, in addition to the songs, the A-Team theme, the score, and bow-hunting skills. The best part is the hidden track after the last song: Kip's self-written and -sung wedding song ("Yes, I love technology, but not as much as you, you see").
322. The Natural (soundtrack) (last listen: 5+ years) - I basically bought this because of the theme, aptly entitled "The Natural" (although the signature excerpt is repeated in several songs), which is one of the better themes in cinematic history. I wasn't sure whether to include this in the A-Z CD Extravaganza or not, since the album is arguably mostly classical music (it's the film score), but I didn't want to be accused of any tomfoolery again, so I listened to it. To be fair, there is some jazz in there, but the album is mostly Aaron Copeland-esque. Beef, it's what's for dinner.
323. Nine Inch Nails - Further Down the Spiral (last listen: never) - Dubai cannot handle Trent Reznor. This album is a 1995 remix of some songs off of 1994's The Downward Sprial. There's no remix of "Closer" (for those who don't know, that's the song where Reznor informs you of his desire to "fuck you like an animal" and "feel you from the inside"), but there is a remix of "Hurt," which Johnny Cash famously covered in 2002 (winning various video and song awards).
324. Nirvana - Nevermind (last listen: 3 months to 1 year) - I hated Nirvana when they first came out (most likely because of the grunge vs. hair metal thing), but I changed my ways a few years later. Obviously this album is a classic. "Breed" is my favorite song off the album, with "Lithium," "Drain You," and "Lounge Act" tied for second.
325. Nirvana - In Utero (last listen: 1-2 years) - When I got this back in '93 or '94, I could not believe they had a song called "Rape Me." Turns out it's my favorite song off the album.
326. No Doubt - The Singles 1992-2003 (last listen: 1-2 years) - Remember when Gwen Stefani made decent music? Me too. This one has all the hits. In addition, I particularly enjoy "Ex-Girlfriend," "Bathwater," "Excuse Me Mr.," "Hella Good," and their cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life."