The Best Of 2024 (Part 2)

I've been walking these street so long, singing the same old song, that I've grown mighty tired of writing year end reviews. It feels like an obligation now, so to spice up this year's offering, I decided to throw some random lyrics into the mix and see if anyone can identify them. Google has made lyric quizzes much less fun, but if you're not sure which the lyrics are... maybe that'll make it less of a chore. Or maybe I'm a lonely man who's in the middle of something that he doesn't really understand. Who can say?

Speaking of lonely men, and I'm not one to point fingers, but San Francisco's Glenn Donaldson doesn't appear to have much of a social life. Not if the amount of songs he writes, records and puts out on that bandcamp is anything to go by. I've only really listened to one of them - Unwishing Well - but he's put out another four since that one dropped in April this year. Sha-na na-na, sha-na na-na na, get a job, Glenn! Anyway, here's a nice description of that collection which saves me the trouble... 

"Crystalizing the tragic self-celebrating kingdoms of fortunate failures, false heroes, music press deities of limitless deceit, hometown dive gods and humanity in the grips of all its romanticized wonder and woe..."

Someone who's giving Glenn a run for his money in the prolific stakes is Willie Nelson who, at 91, seems to be averaging two albums a year. Makes me glad we help the aged and don't just put them in a home. Can't have much fun when they're all on their own... and Willie still seems to be having lots of fun, even if he does feel like the last leaf on the tree...

A couple more old-timers from the country scene are Dave Alvin & Jimmy Dale Gilmore, who put out their second collaborative collection earlier this year. I've been a fan of Jimmy Dale since his foot slipped over the line while he was bowling in The Big Lebowski...

He certainly entered a world of pain that day. Fortunately, he survived, and a quarter of a century later, he's still here...

I had a dream last night, but I forget what it was. Fortunately, I didn't forget to include this little ditty from Brooklyn's Bad Mary in my year end review. It's like a song of love that clings to me...

There's a voice that keeps on calling me. Down the road, that's where I'll always be. So if you want to join me for a while, you'll be glad to know more great songs from 2024 will appear here soon. How soon?

Snapshots #306: A Top Ten Romeo Songs (Without Juliet)

This is Romeo Beckham.

I know. I also despair.

Here are ten far more interesting Romeos... all yet to find (or having already lost) their Juliet.

10. Going underground with Johnson & White.

Jack Johnson & Jack White are in the basement.

Basement Jaxx - Romeo

9. Eric's pal goes Greene.

Eric's pal was Ernie. Graham was Greene.

Ernie Graham - Romeo & The Lonely Girl

8. Not Billy Joel's kind of girl.

She preferred downtown.

Petula Clark - Romeo

7. Help you see in the rain. 

The Wipers - Romeo

That's great.

6. IT Jobs, dedicated to Mr. Reynolds.

Steve Jobs was in IT. The dedication was "for Burt".

Steve Forbert - Romeo's Tune

5. I was Mott.

Anagram!

Tom Waits - Romeo Is Bleeding

4. Crime boss.

Mr. Big - Romeo

3. Russian ballet dancers.

The Bolshoi - Romeo In Clover

2. Do Not Disturb.

Sleeper - Romeo Me

1. TV Channel... and the Chipmunks.

Dave was the channel. Alvin goes with the Chipmunks.

Dave Alvin - Romeo's Escape

But soft - what lie through yonder window breaks? It is next Saturday, and the Snapshots will be back...

Random Play: California Snow

If, when you see the picture above, your first thought is Gram Parsons... congratulations, you have passed the test. Feel free to keep reading. If you thought of someone else... shame.

Albert Hammond told us that It Never Rains In Southern California. It does, however, snow. At least that's according to Tom Russell and Dave Alvin who co-wrote today's song, one that's kept popping up on mixes of mine over the past few months. Russell explains over on Facebook that he wrote the song "in an attempt to get inside the head and conflicted feelings of a border patrolman. At the time a lot of folks were dying up in the border mountains because the weather changed so drastically up there." Unlike a lot of issue-based songs, this is a beautiful piece of music too, one that really sticks in your head, reminding me of both Tom Joad era Springsteen (lyrically) and the glorious Willin' by Little Feat (musically and lyrically).

I'm not sure which I prefer, Alvin's version or Russell's... so here are both of them. Enjoy.




And if that's not enough California Snow for you today, here's Weezer with a song of the same title from 2019's The Black Album. Very different to the tracks above, but it's fun if you like Weezer. Which I do. We are a broad church here at My Top Ten, embracing many different musical genres... except, probably, those of you who didn't think immediately of Gram Parsons at the top of the page. But stick around long enough and we will wash away the sins of your past...