A-Z CDs - Day 53

436. Talking Heads - Sand in the Vaseline: Popular Favorites (last listen: 1-2 years) - A double album greatest hits. I've always loved "Once in a Lifetime." The Berkowitz-inspired "Psycho Killer" is always a fun listen. In retrospect, I would probably go with a one-disc greatest hits, but I got this pretty cheap used.
437. Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog (last listen: 3 months to 1 year) - One of the better CDs that didn't make it to Dubai. Temple of the Dog, of course, is grunge's most famous super group, forming in 1990 for one album to pay tribute to their recently deceased friend, Mother Love Bone's lead singer Andrew Wood (as far as I know, no relation to the Pi Kapp or the kid who went to law school with me who share the same name). The group was comprised of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and Matt Cameron (who would later join Pearl Jam) and former Mother Love Bone members Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, as well as Mike McCready and a guy named Eddie Vedder (who provided backing vocals on a few tracks and shared the lead on "Hunger Strike") who had recently joined Ament, Gossard, and McCready's new band, Pearl Jam. The whole album is good, and doesn't sound as "grungy" as you would expect. "Hunger Strike" is still as powerful of a song as it was when I first heard it. Cornell's screaming and Vedder's deeper drone complement each other perfectly. Other than "Hunger Strike," I enjoy "Pushin' Forward Back," "Times of Trouble," and "Say Hello 2 Heaven."
438. The Temptations/The Four Tops - Back to Back (last listen: 5+ years) - A good half-and-half CD with hits from the Temps and the Tops.
439. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (last listen: 0-3 months) - Probably the most famous band whose lead singer is a black Irish bassist, Thin Lizzy is an underrated band. Sounding more like American southern rock than from across the pond, they were one of the pioneers of the twin guitar sound. Lead singer Phil Lynott's songwriting is along the same storytelling style as Van Morrison or Bob Seger (they covered Seger's "Rosalie" for their 1975 album, Fighting), although Thin Lizzy is a little more hard rocking than those two, having a pretty solid influence on the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. This album features their two biggest hits, "The Boys Are Back In Town" and "Jailbreak." "Cowboy Song" is another great song off this one.
440. Thin Lizzy - Johnny the Fox (last listen: 0-3 months) - "Don't Believe a Word" is my favorite Thin Lizzy song, essentially telling a girl "if I happen to tell you 'I love you,' I'm lying my ass off." "Johnny" is also a good song, and I like "Fools Gold" and "Massacre" as well.
441. Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind (last listen: 5+ years) - As Yeh once said, "If you had a third eye blind, how would you know?" This album brings back good memories of hanging out with the crew on McClure's back deck just about every summer night during the 1997-1999 summers, drinking various spirits, inhaling various substances, cracking each other up, and generally having a hell of a good time. Ahhh, college summers. Take me back.
442. George Thorogood and The Destroyers - The Baddest Of (last listen: 2-5 years) - I always forget about this CD. It's pretty good. I love their cover of John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," which I think is better than the original, mostly due to all the added back story ("I had to tell the landlady I done lost my job" and so forth). Also on this album are the band's other big hits: "Bad to the Bone," "Move It On Over," "I Drink Alone," and "Who Do You Love?" (a solid Bo Diddley cover).
443. Top Gun (soundtrack) (last listen: 1-2 years) - Great soundtrack to a great movie that has given me so much in life, namely a Halloween costume idea for as long as I can stay somewhat skinny.
444. Township - EP (last listen: 3 months to 1 year) - I got this CD by emailing the band and asking for it (it's #108 of 200). The lead singer is the former lead singer of Runner and The Thermodynamics (#395-396), and Township picks up where Runner left off. The songs are awesome, harkening back to '70s rock. Unfortunately they play mainly in Boston and New York, so I have not yet had a chance to see them. Check out their MySpace page for some of their songs.