NOFX-The Greatest Songs Ever Written Full Album Zip 3
Ilse Thiara
The Greatest Songs Ever Written (By Us) is a chunk of NOFX's impressive career, lopped off into 2LPs, including a brand-new song specifically written and recorded for this release. NOFX is one of the best loved punk rock bands of all time because they never soul doubt continually making their legions of fans laugh and think. Twenty years of recording, touring, and being the most successful and sarcastic punk rock band in the independent world have resulted in a 27-song 2LP-set that every NOFX fan must have!
For a fuller explanation, read a general introduction to theConsumer Guide, which will be a permanent installation on MSN Music,with updates occurring the first day of every other month. The mostconvenient place to check out more examples of the ConsumerGuide--I've reviewed more than 13,000 albums in this format--is at myWeb site.
The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America (Vagrant)Sasha Frere-Jones has nominated the Mountain Goats, and now theDecemberists come to mind even though their songs are fictive ratherthan reported/recollected/observed, but for me the nearest parallel tothis band is the Drive-By Truckers. Both bands match the descriptionsthey stuff into their traditional narrative structures to a specificrock tradition: Skynyrd-Allmans for the Truckers' songs of the South,Springsteen for Hold Steady's new generation of shadows in thebackstreets. That said, this album lays it on too thick--all rightalready with the keyb flourishes, which suit their mawkish new emolabel all too well--and declines the thematic burden of "SeparationSunday." As stories, on the other hand, the songs could convinceanyone that kids have a hard time--without giving whiners any sort ofgo-ahead to throw their lives away. All accomplished without directlyreferencing ye olde rock-and-roll lifestyle--unless you count"Chillout Tent," in which two strangers freak at a festival and liveto make out about it. But that's about fans, not bands. This band isfor the fans. A MINUS
The Klezmatics: Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukah(JMG) Lorin Sklamberg and his wondrous band found only eightHanukkah lyrics by the Scotch-Irish Okie, who got interested in thesubject while raising a family with his Jewish wife, and most of themwere in Guthrie's silliest kiddie style: "Honeyky Hanuka" is a typicaltitle, "Dinga lingle lingle, I ring your bell" a resonant line. Andfrom this they create as upful a holiday album as I canrecall. Sklamberg's tenor is a treasure of American music, adding witand warmth to predominantly Yiddish-style melodies as bright as anyGuthrie ever stole or created. They spritz up "Happy Joyous Hanuka"with hoedown fiddle, gospel bass and country licks, and later on leaveroom for, why not, Jew's harp. And to get to 12 tracks, they add fourinstrumentals. Can't pin down the R&B novelty Frank London raidedfor "(Do the) Latke Flip-Flop." Maybe we'll figure it out at Christmasdinner. A
Maria Muldaur: Heart of Mine: Love Songs of Bob Dylan(Telarc) A pop connoisseur even as a kid in a jug band, Muldauralways brings savoir-faire to "folk" materials. But she's never sungwith so much attention, delicacy and lyrical intelligence. Sheextracts meaning from songs a younger Dylan played aslook-ma-June-spoon throwaways, lifts the title tune from well-earnedobscurity, lays "Lay Lady Lay" across her big brass soul and rescues"Make You Feel My Love" from Billy Joel. And also from Bob Dylan. Evenwhen the songwriter does this kind of material straight, he's notsexy--not like Rod Stewart or Al Green. But Muldaur, who's been knownto slather the libido on too thick, is serious about getting into bedwith him. A
The Who: Endless Wire (Universal/Republic) The albumis unlistenable for a simple reason: Roger Daltrey. Now 62, he'sincapable in body as well as mind of negotiating the first new Whomaterial since 1982's dreadful It's Hard. Gesturing futilelytoward high notes as he tries to remember his acting lessons, hecroaks, growls, shouts, emotes and otherwise bollockses songs he'ssure are profound. When the leader spells him seven tracks in, thesharp uptick in modesty and lyricism comes as a relief until the "Wakeup and hear the music" jag at the end. But it's the leader who decidedprog was a peachy idea, the leader who designates yet another songcycle a "mini-opera," the leader who gives the orders around here. Sothe album is also unlistenable for a complicated reason: PeteTownshend. C
0aad45d008