Crash

Crash, Dave Matthews Band (April 30, 1996)

                After the massive success of Dave Matthews Band's debut album Under the Table and Dreaming, the world was left wondering if this fun loving, offbeat group of modern day hippies could find the same success with a follow up album. Many were debating if Dreaming was simply a fluke, or if Dave Matthews was as talented as his debut album left us believing.

              Having your sophomore album go 7 times Platinum is a surefire way to shut up the naysayers who insisted you were destined to be a one hit wonder. Crash spawned five hit singles and helped Dave Matthews Band gain, what many may call, a cult following. Around the time of Crash people were not simply going to a Dave show, they were going to many, many Dave shows. If Dave Matthews was anywhere  in a 300 mile radius of you, you were going to the show; two nights in a row if possible. I have come to the conclusion that there were a few reasons why Dave Matthews Band would play back-to-back shows at the same venue.

* The first reason may be the obvious one; they were so insanely popular at the time that they could sell out major stadiums in a few hours. A second show was needed to allow all the procrastinating Dave fans who didn't score a ticket to show #1 a second opportunity to swoon over the man they so loved.

* The second reason, and most likely the main reason people would end up attending multiple Dave shows, is simply because they did not have any recollection of attending the first Dave show. I am convinced that there was some sort of amnesty over the thousands and thousands of laid back pot smokers (A.K.A...... EVERYBODY) looking to get high and sing along with DMB and fellow pot loving DMB fans. I am pretty sure that if I still owned the jeans that I wore to my first DMB concert in 1997 they would still stink of the green stuff. I can only imagine that years later I must have donated those jeans in some recycling receptacle, and therefore there is probably some homeless man in New Orleans wearing my marijuana scented Dave Matthews Band jeans and getting a never ending contact high from the fashionable American Eagle denim.

On to the Album in question..... Crash

I must first start off by saying that, no, I do not enjoy this album as much as its predecessor, Under the Table and Dreaming, but it more than held its own as an exceptionally well done sophomore album. The album seems like it was effortless for Dave and the boys to create, but that may just be because over 1/4 of the album is simply the band jamming. I must admit that I am not a huge fan of jamming. I am WAY too ADD to listen to a band "jam" for more than say, 20 seconds. That being said, once the "non jamming" part of the song is over, it is very easy to hit the next song button and sing along with the lyrics to the following tune. It can be a bit of a pain in the ass to keep having to hit the next song button ever time DMB starts jamming away, but it is certainly nothing I can't deal with. I do, however, have a MUCH more difficult time listening to a band (particularly DMB) jam away for twenty minutes at a time at a live show. That is usually when I finish my beer and go get a new one. Dave, however, does this with just about every other song, making my "beer trips" even more frequent, which I certainly do not need any help with.



One Star Songs

"Let You Down" - Yes, Dave, you did let me down with this snooze.


Two Star Songs

"Drive in Drive Out" - I have had my drivers license for close to 18 years and I can not recollect a time during those nearly two decades that I have not sung this song either in my head or aloud every time I am attempting to parallel park. I don't think I am the WORST parallel parker of all time, but let's just say that I would rather drive around in a circle for an hour in order to find a more convenient parking spot.
The lyrics could not be more fitting for the times I do attempt to make a fool of myself and parallel park.
"Drive in drive out, I'm leaving"
After about three tries I eventually am so mortified that I can not park my car, that I just leave.
I can count on one hand my successful parallel parking attempts, and it is a celebration each and every time, as if I am 16 and just acquired my drivers license. I have even been known to make a loved one take a picture of my accomplishment.

 

"Proudest Monkey" - I had always thought this song was ridiculous, but after doing a bit of research, I think the origins of the song are pretty cool, and makes me like the song much more than I ever have before. There is, however, so much jamming on this track that even this guy would get a little tired of it. 

"Duuuuuuuuuuuudddde, I am so completely stoned, but fully aware of how long this song has been jamming. On and on for like an hour. Let's play the next song already."

 Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the closing track, which seems to go on forever and ever. 

"Proudest Monkey" has its roots in a live soundcheck done before the audience at a gig at Williams College on December 11, 1993. The band arrived two hours late for the gig due to a terrible snowstorm forcing them to take an alternate route (which they ended up getting lost along). As a result, the band jammed the music that would later become "Proudest Monkey" to test their equipment, with Matthews making up lyrics on the spot. This performance was ultimately labeled "Route 2" by tapers (since Route 2 was the way the band got to the gig).

Matthews later kept that experience in mind when reworking the lyrics to the song, establishing the image of the monkey as a metaphor for the entrapment he and the band were feeling at the time (both the literal, in being trapped on a bus in the snowy mountains; and the symbolic, in being trapped in a seemingly endless cycle of repetitive performing, and thus feeling limited in their music). Dave would eventually write about monkeys later in songs like "Big Eyed Fish", "Shake Me Like a Monkey" and the unreleased "Monkey Man".

"Cry Freedom"- I go back and forth with my feelings for this song. I love the chorus, but not enough to overcome how much the rest of the song bores me. It is a beautiful song, but I feel like the song is leading up to a climax that simply doesn't come. It is the musical equivalent of running a 5k really really slow for 2k, then running fast for 2k, and then stopping, never finishing the race.



Three Star Songs 

"Too Much" - I don't have much of an appetite, but if I did, this song would have been my college motto.
"I eat too much, I drink too much, I want too much, too much."

Our suite in college should have remade this song. College students around the world would be knocking down the doors of Columbia House and Strawberries begging for their copy of "Too Too Much."
"We drink too much, drink too much, too too much, TOO MUCH."



"Lie in Our Graves" - This song runs exactly 5:42, about 4:42 of which is the dreaded jamming. For some reason I actually enjoy the instrumental jam session in "Lie in Our Graves." I feel like it fits in with the song beautifully. It does not, unlike most Dave songs, feel as though the band fell asleep playing whatever bizarre instrument they have been assigned.


Four Star Songs 

"Two Step" - "Celebrate we will, because life is short, but sweet for certain." No, this is not my latest lyrical tattoo, it is the brilliant lyrics to this ultra motivating song. The song always gives me a mental image of a bunch of hippies dancing around a campfire with their hands raised in the air and bouncing around. A bit like this.....

If these two are not celebrating life, I don't know who is. 

"Crash Into Me" - Arguably one of their most popular songs to date, Crash Into Me is a very creepy song that (simply put) is about a voyeur worshiping a woman. On an episode of VH1 Storytellers Matthews joked that he wrote the song instead of getting arrested. Only in America will a song about a Peeping Tom with a very dirty mind be a chart topping, wildly successful hit. 

"Oh, I watch you there, through the window and I stare at you. You wear nothing but you wear it so well."

I think oftentimes people sing along as if it is some romantic love song. It is, indeed, a love song, but it is anything but romantic. I will not go into detail about the dirty man in the beloved song, but those of you that are familiar with the rest of the lyrics will quickly realize that our main character in the story is not quite the Romeo you may have always imagined him to be. Unless of course you consider Romeo to be a perverted, pathetic love struck deviant; which I suppose is entirely possible.

"#41" - I am not sure if anyone can remember with 100% certainty the difference between #41, #34, #36, or #40, but when I am rocking out to this track I don't care what it is called, I can only focus on how catchy it is. As with many songs, I often quote #41 (in my head) on a semi-regular basis. Why do I quote #41 on a semi-regular basis you ask? Well, because I am a moron, that's why.

Let me share... I have owned 5 cars since 1996 and all five of those cars had a gas tank on the drivers side. You think that would make it nice and simple when pulling into a gas station, right? Wrong. For reasons unknown, I can never remember what side my gas tank is on and often will pull up to the wrong side, inevitably creating chaos as I attempt to maneuver the car to the other side of the tank.

What does this have to do with #41? Well, the answer is simple. I taught myself a nice little trick to remember the location of my stupid gas tank. One of the most popular lines in the song is "I will go in this way, and I'll find my own way out."

I think of that line just about every time I pull into a gas station. I just always have to point to the drivers window when I sing it. It works like a charm. No more gas station attendants staring at me, baffled and wondering who let me get my drivers licence. Nope. Thanks to #41 this grown man will never forget which side his gas tank is on again.

Shockingly, Matthews did not write #41 as a reminder of where your car's gas tank is located. He wrote the song as a reply to lawsuits brought on him by his former manager. Matthews was bummed that he was going through such messy courtroom battles with a former buddy and mentor.
The song was originally titled "41 Police" but the band couldn't decide on a title, so it ended up being called #41 simply because it was the bands 41st song. Genius.

"So Much to Say" - I have nothing to say about this song.

Five Star Songs

"Tripping Billies" - Even the most musically challenged poor soul can take a gander about what this song is about. Drugs. The song came to be when a girlfriend of one of the members of the band told Matthews that his band sounded like "a bunch of hillbillies tripping on acid." They thought it was hysterical. I am sure Dave and the band had an ample amount of material to work with when composing "Tripping Billies."

How can you not sing along with "Eat, Drink and Be Merry, for tomorrow we die." It may very well be one of the most used senior quotes of all time. We have some random girlfriend of one of the 40* members of Dave Matthews Band to thank for one of the most quoted lines in modern music history. 

* There are not forty members in the band, but who the hell feels like counting all of the actual members. I don't even think Dave himself knows who is in the band, and who just showed up to jam with the band.

"Say Goodbye" - "Say Goodbye" could not have been revealed to to world at a more apropos time in the class of 1998's school career. As if there was ever any question about it, the song was our high school senior prom's "song" or "theme" or whatever it is called. Also, it may have been junior prom, not senior, but you catch my drift. I love everything about this song; the lyrics, the fun calypso style, and believe it or not, the jam session, which comes at the beginning of the track rather than at the end.

What could easily be my favorite Dave song of all time, "Say Goodbye" is about an accidental one night stand with a friend. Matthews is quoted as saying the following about the heartfelt song...

"So one time, uh, so one time, I'm stuck in a room, in a little house, and we're kinda snowed in. We got a little fire burning and there's a girl with me, who's a good friend of mine, and we're all alone, and she's got a boyfriend, and I got a girlfriend, but then one thing leads to another, and next day we're all kinda uncomfortable. *Ahem.* So that's, this song's called Say Goodbye"

If that doesn't sum up a senior prom, I am not sure what will.

Jagged Little Pill

Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette (September 13, 1995)

YOU OUGHTA KNOW that ALL I REALLY WANT is for you to be HEAD OVER FEET as YOU LEARN about this PERFECT album. I will see RIGHT THROUGH YOU and you will not be FORGIVEN if you do not WAKE UP and realize that this is one of the greatest albums of all time. If you disagree, I may not be able to restrain myself from strangling you should I see you in public. I would be so mad at you that I would probably be able to strangle you with one HAND IN MY POCKET.  Even though you have never been hospitalized in your entire life, you would immediately realize how IRONIC it is that the hospital staff just went on strike for the first time in the hospital's history. You would end up being taken care of by a woman named MARY JANE who would only offer you one measly Jagged Little Pill to alleviate the pain. She would still be at the hospital and not on strike because she is simply an elderly volunteer greeter, NOT THE DOCTOR.

If you do not understand what I just did there, then feel free to stop reading this post, and or, being my friend.


Jagged Little Pill has sold over 33 million albums worldwide since its release 18 years ago, making it the best selling album of the nineties. (Shania Twain's Come on Over has sold 37 million copies, but since it was released in the latter part of the nineties, I believe that a significant portion of that 37 million was sold in the 2000's.) 33 million albums places Jagged Little Pill at number 11 on the list of the best selling albums of all time. Pill was nominated for nine Grammys, and won five. It is often referred to as one of the greatest female rock albums of all time.

I am not an angry, or violent person in any way, however, nothing tends to make me more irate than the God-awful countdowns that Rolling Stone magazine releases; well, maybe a non elimination episode of The Amazing Race, but I digress. In 2012 Rolling Stone released a list of Women in Rock; the 50 Greatest Female Rock Albums of all Time. Jagged Little Pill landed at number 50 on their list. FIFTY!!!!!!!!!!! I am not sure who was in charge of that ridiculous countdown, but rest assure that somebody probably got fired at Rolling Stone headquarters for all of the nasty tweets and message board comments that I could not stop myself from sending. One of my life goals is to get a job at Rolling Stone and revising every countdown they have ever done.

While I do hold a very special place in my heart for despising any form of feminism, Alanis Morissette made the impossible a reality. An album centered on woman's rage, girl power, and, you guessed it, FEMINISM, has stood the test of time, and, 18 years after its release, remains one of my favorites of all time.

Alanis, and co-writer/producer Glen Ballard pounded out Jagged Little Pill in record timing. The vocals for every track on the album was recorded in one or two tracks, which is quite impressive.


One Star Songs *
Yeah, right.


Two Star Songs **
Nothing to see here folks.


Three Star Songs ***

Right Through You
Mary Jane
Wake Up

All three of these songs would be solid tracks on any other female rock album, but for me, they all get lost in the shuffle amidst the rest of the gems on the album.


Four Star Songs ****

Hand in My Pocket - In all the years I have been singing along to songs, I can not recall more of a satisfying feeling than completely nailing the random lyrics to this beautiful song. I always remember what Alanis' first hand is doing, its in her pocket. But that other damn hand is always doing something crazy. The following are the things Alanis' "other hand" is doing, and the likelihood that you will catch yours truly doing that same thing with my free hand that is not in my pocket.

* Giving a high five - Ok, I get it, I am a high five guy myself Alanis. You will often find one of my hands giving a high five. You may even see BOTH of my hands giving a high five AT THE SAME TIME; especially if I have had a few brews. A select few have even had the honor of witnessing one of my hands giving my other hand a high five (this tends to only happen if I tell a hysterical joke and nobody laughs, or if I bowl a strike while all of my friends are busy texting and paying zero attention to me.) Odds of seeing my hand give a high five: 100%

* Flicking a cigarette (Side Note: I just realize that the word cigarette is simply the word "cigar" with an "ette" at the end. Why have I gone over thirty years without realizing that?) Sorry, Alanis, as cool as flicking a cigarette looks, I am a non smoker and you will not be finding either of my hands flicking a cigarette anytime soon. Odds of seeing my hand flick a cigarette: 1%

* Giving a Peace Sign - I LOVE giving the peace sign, but I can only do it in certain situations for fear of judgement. The peace sign is not everyone's cup of tea. The place you will find me giving a peace sign most often is while driving. For whatever reason, when I am driving and I see someone I know, I tend to flash a peace sign. It just seems like such a cool thing to do while driving, and I often wonder if the recipient of my peaceful gesture wishes that they, too, simply flashed a peace sign rather than nearly drive off the road while frantically waving to me. Odds of seeing my hand giving the peace sign: 80%

* Playing the Piano - What may be a little known fact about me is that I have been known to tickle the ivory every now and then. I own a piano, and played it for years when I was a lad. Of course I haven't played in a long time, and my baby grand is at my parents house, but don't be shocked if you hear this guy belting out "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" at Mama and Papa Jacobson's house this coming holiday season. Odds of seeing my hand playing the piano: 50%

* Hailing a Taxi Cab - Another little known fact about me if that I whole heartily hate hailing taxi cabs. (Did you catch the use of alliteration there?) I get so embarrassed when I am hailing a taxi cab and the cab driver ignores me, or is already trotting another lazy customer through the streets. I tend to chill in the background whilst my companions attempt to get us to where we are going (fine, a bar. We're more than likely going to a bar.) I do, however, end up lost or separated from my homies quite often, or find myself traveling alone, and have no choice but to endure the humiliation of failing at getting the attention of a cab driver, so this hand, could be seen, although begrudgingly, hailing a taxi cab. Odds of seeing my hand hail a taxi cab: 30%******

                                                         ****** for all you international readers, I live in Westerly, Rhode Island where there is exactly ONE taxi cab, and they are the worst cab service in the entire world. In fact, you can not even hail it. You must call them at (401) 596-TAXI. They may be my least favorite company of all time, as they are either an hour or more past the time you requested service, or completely fail to show up at all. Feel free to call them should be feel the need to practice your prank phone calls. Tell them ryanscdoftheday sent ya!


Other 4 Star Songs....

Not the Doctor - TRUST ME Alanis, I never thought you were. Not even for a second. I would rather get my yearly physical from Dr. Jack Kevorkian than entrust Alanis Morissette M.D. But killer jam nevertheless.

Perfect - Despite the rumors, this song is not about me being flawless. It is about a set of the worst parents in the world telling their children that they will "love them just the way they are, if they're perfect." Every time I hear this song I think of the parents of just about every Olympic Gymnast ever. Especially the little Chinese girls. Don't they like exile the girls if they so much as stumble on the balance beam?
* This song was written in TWENTY minutes and Morissette improvised the lyrics on the spot. Crazy stuff.


All I Really Want - All Alanis really wants is a bunch of ridiculous, abstract, for lack of a better word, shit. A wavelength? Seriously Alanis, you want a wavelength??? What does that even mean?
Anyway this song is responsible for two of my most classic go-to jokes.....

All I Really Want hysterical joke #1 - Any time anybody has something on backwards, and or, inside out (and yes, I taught forth grade for years, so this happens WAY more than one would originally think) this is the conversation that takes place....

Ryan: "Whoa!! You are stressing me out!!!
Butt of the joke: "What?? Why?"
Ryan: Your (fill in the blank)***** is on backwards and inside out.
Ryan: How appropriate.

Most people don't get it, then I have to explain it is the opening lyrics from Jagged Little Pill, but I get it and think it is drop dead funny, and that is all that matters. ***** this joke works BEST when the backwards/inside article of clothing is a sweater, but it can certainly work with anything.



All I Really Want hysterical joke #2 - About halfway through the song Alanis switches gears and is sick of talking about all the stupid things she wants. She sings "Enough about me. Lets talk about you for a minute. Enough about you, lets talk about life for a while."

I don't use this joke nearly enough as I should, however, it was certainly a staple of mine back in the day. When I find myself rambling on and on about myself, I will say "enough about me, lets talk about you for a minute."

Now, here is the key to the joke... IMMEDIATELY when the person starts to talk about themselves, I scream "ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LETS TALK ABOUT LIFE FOR A WHILE."

I can not think of anything funnier than that.


In conclusion, thank you for some of the greatest moments of my life, "All I Really Want."



5 Star Songs *****

Head Over Feet - This catchy track is coupled with what I believe to be one of the worst videos of all time. This video makes Sinead O'Connor's video for "Nothing Compares to You" look like a Steven Spielberg blockbuster.  The song, however, is just enough to compensate for this stupid, pointless video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iuO49jbovg




You Learn - One of my favorite sayings I use with my students, and in my own life is, "you live, you learn."
There is a line Alanis uses in which she preaches "you laugh, you learn." Well, this is my problem. In the eleven years I have been a teacher I have probably attended over 300 meetings (faculty, parent meetings, special ed meetings etc.) I have probably been caught laughing in just about all of them. I get in trouble, or get the evil eye every time, but I can't help it. I never learn my lesson of the inappropriateness of laughing at meetings, but I have accepted it as part of who I am, an fortunately most of my co-workers and bosses have realized that it is a lost cause and have simply learned to ignore me.



You Oughta Know - Yes this song has been rumored to be about Dave Coulier (Uncle Joey) from Full House. He admitted it, and Alanis admitted it (but later denied her confession and pleaded the fifth.)
Regardless of who it is about, simply put, it may be the greatest female song of all time. Her ability to use her voice as a weapon is electrifying  You can hear the hate in her voice and imagine the things she is capable of doing. Alanis makes the girl from Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" look like little miss sunshine. Yes, ma'am thank you for reminding me of the mess I left when I went away. Now please leave me alone before I call the cops on your face.
Regardless of the nightmares you get after watching this video, the track is pure gold and the fact that Dave Navarro and Flea play the guitar and bass just adds to the debate for this being the best of all time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPcyTyilmYY




Ironic - Being an English teacher for years, I often considered using this song when teaching irony. The thing is, the examples Alanis gives, is not, technically irony. How ironic is that?

There are many critics out there that can not get over Alanis' false grammatical accusations. I, however, could not care any less. Alanis was not intending to teach us what irony was, she was simply having fun with a unique concept. Anyone that gets their panties in a bunch because it is not technically ironic if it simply "rained on someone's wedding day" can get a life.

This was by far Alanis' most successful and popular song, and catapulted her to super-stardom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc



Forgiven - I often ask myself what my favorite track on Jagged Little Pill is. Yes, often. If I took a poll of myself asking myself that question every day for a year, I am pretty sure that the winner would be "Forgiven." It was never released as a single, and I like it that way. I never had the chance to tire of it (except maybe when I played it 65 times in a row.)

"You know how us Catholic girls can be..."
Yes, Alanis, I do know. I went to a Catholic school for nine years, and I can assure you I know all too well how Catholic girls can be. Crazy. They can be absolute crazy lunatics, just like you. (No offense to any Catholic girls. I am a Catholic boy that even just visited the Vatican in Italy. Yes, mom, I did have a few beers while waiting outside of the Vatican, and you were not too happy about that, but that is neither here nor there.)
If this song doesn't make you feel some sort of emotion then you better check your pulse, because you might be dead.
It scares me, it pumps me up, it makes me think I'm crazy, it makes me love Alanis, it makes me love religion, it makes me love music, and it makes me happy to be alive. It is loud, abrasive, its in-your-face rock, and I often consider it to be my favorite female song of all time. And I loved Wilson Phillips. And Tiffany. A Lot.

Not only is "Forgiven" probably my favorite female song of all time, but for 18 years straight I have answered the following question with only one answer....

Question from curious music lover: "Ryan, what is your favorite note in music history."
Ryan: "Thank you for asking fellow music lover. The answer is quite simple... It is from Alanis Morissette's "Forgiven" and it comes near the end of the song. It goes a little something like this.... (I'm singing now, of course.)

"What I learned I rejected but I believe again
I will suffer the consequence of this inquisition
If I jump in this fountain, will I be Forgivennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn"

That "Forgiven" my friends, is my favorite note in music history. And I don't care how ridiculous you think that is. That will be my answer. Every day. Every time. Maybe for the rest of my life. Should it change, I will be the first to share it with all of you.


LISTEN TO THIS SONG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDVcGKWkmLU


For those of you that are SOOOOOOOOOO busy and do not have the 5 minutes to listen to this song, the part you may be looking for is 2:43 - 3:06 (with the actual note beginning at 2:59 and ending at 3:06)




All hail Jagged Little Pill

Jar of Flies

                                           Jar of Flies, Alice in Chains (January 25, 1994)

Not only has Jar of Flies sold over 4 million copies worldwide since its release in 1994, but the album made history becoming the first EP in music history to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. For those of you unfamiliar with basic, elementary musical lingo, an EP is "a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full studio album or LP" (thanks Wikipedia.) With only seven tracks, and one of them being instrumental, Jar of Flies is 30 minutes of Alice in Chains at their finest.

Rumor has it that the title of the album comes from a science experiment lead guitarist, Jerry Cantrell conducted when he was in the third grade. Jerry and his classmates filled two jars with flies; one jar of flies would be overfed, while the other jar of flies would be underfed. The overfed flies flourished for some time, but soon all the flies died from over-population. Most of the underfed flies, however, struggled at first, but survived the entire year. The experiment obviously stuck with Cantrell for whatever reason and was the inspiration for the name of the bands 3rd studio album.

The album was written and recorded within one week, and was never intended to be released to the public. Once the record label heard the tracks they knew they had something special on their hands. The album is considered a 90's alt rock staple and widely praised by critics for its variety and musical scope.

One star songs * (songs that I could do without)

Whale & Wasp - Whale & Wasp is an instrumental track (no lyrics.) Don't get me wrong, that is not the reason I am giving it one star. There are plenty of instrumental tracks that I dig, but this track gets one star because, well frankly, it scares the hell out of me. I can't recall if there is a soundtrack to my nightmares, but if there is, this is definitely the song that is playing on repeat in the background. I apologize in advance to any Whale & Wasp fans, but this track is straight from Satan himself.

                

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3djmDFMRQQ

If the above link works, I ask that you clink on it and listen to it for ten seconds. I dare you to say that it doesn't send shivers down your spine. And not in a good way.


2 Star songs ** (songs that I wasn't likely to skip to, but would rarely skip over.)

Rotten Apple - My undiagnosed ADD does not allow me to have the attention span to fully enjoy a song one second shy of seven minutes.*
*Yes, friends, I am painfully aware that Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" is a karaoke staple of mine, but there are exceptions to every rule, so relax. 

3 Star songs *** (Songs that I get excited to hear on the radio)

 Nutshell - Even though "Nutshell" was never released as a single, it is one of the bands most popular and recognizable songs. You are either a complete NUT or live in a SHELL if you don't like this motivational song about loneliness, despair, and death.

Swing on This - I kind laugh to myself every time I hear this song because, as with just about every Alice in Chains song, I am sure it has to do with either drugs or death; yet the song seems so jolly and lighthearted. It almost sounds like a Barenaked Ladies song. That is, if the Barenaked Ladies spent 4 months straight snorting cocaine while their band mates injected them with heroin.


4 Star songs **** (Songs I would play on a jukebox)

I Stay Away - DO NOT STAY AWAY from this gem of a song. The bands use of horns in "I Stay Away" is nothing short of epic. While "I Stay Away" could be a bit frightening and intense for some, to many others it is the perfect song to listen to while you are running on a treadmill at the gym. I can also picture the song playing on repeat while someone is plotting the perfect murder, but that is besides the point.


5 Star Songs ***** (I do not believe that I need to give an explanation for what a five star song is, but let's just say if you try to call me or talk to me while a five star song is playing, you will be ignored.)


No Excuses - What I believe to be the most popular Alice in Chains song was written by guitarist Cantrell about his (for lack of a better word) "unstable" relationship with lead singer Layne Staley (who later infamously died of a drug overdose. A blind monkey could have seen that one coming.) Luckily, for us, the band mates tumultuous relationships with each other gave us some of the most iconic songs of the early nineties. I would like to sincerely thank Layne Staley for being such a mess. Had he been a normal rock star that is humble, even tempered, and doesn't drink, or do drugs, we would have never had "No Excuses."


Don't Follow - If Layne Staley were still alive today, and if the original Alice in Chains were still together, they could write a song every day from now until the end of time and never create a more perfect song than "Don't Follow." Easily my favorite Alice in Chains song, "Don't Follow" is in serious contention to make my top ten favorite songs of all time. Cantrell sings most of the song, while Staley sings only the bridge. In my opinion,  it is the best vocals I have ever heard from a rock band. And it may even be my favorite vocals of all time. Simply put, the vocals are flawless.
I'm 95% sure the song is about suicide, but Cantrell's and Staley's voices are so powerful that the song could be about playing hide and seek and it would still give me goose bumps every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlHTsypW9ZE

If you listen to the song by clicking the about link or video, and you do not think it is some of the best vocals you have ever heard, then you are clearly on more drugs than all of the members of Alice in Chains were on in the early nineties combined.

August and Everything After, Counting Crows

August and Everything After, Counting Crows, September 14, 1993

                                                         


Well, if the strands of gray hair, the love handles, or the random aches and pains are not enough to convince you that you are no longer a spring chicken, how about the fact that Mr. Jones is over twenty years old. I had to get out a calculator to make sure that my math was correct, but I can assure you, August and Everything After is twenty years old last month. Sickening.

Anyway, it is more than poetic that this is the first album to be highlighted on RyansCDoftheDay because it was indeed the first CD I ever owned. A cold Christmas morning, twenty years ago, 13 year old Ryan opened his CD player and immediately began scanning the remaining presents left in his pile for what looked like CD's. To his satisfaction, he found three wrapped CD's. The God's were with Ryan that Christmas morning in the early nineties because (call it divine intervention if you must) little Ryan chose to open August and Everything After first, officially becoming my first CD of all time. I could have been an entirely different person right now if I had chosen to open CD 3, Boyz 2 Men's II first, but that is a story for another day.

On to August and Everything After. Over the course of nearly two years, the album officially released four singles; one became an enormous hit and is still spun on radio stations today, and another, one could debate, could be considered one of, if not the, biggest hit of the era.

I will begin with what I will call the tier 1 songs. There are so many powerful songs on August and Everything After that it is almost refreshing to have some of these "Tier 1" songs as a little break for your throat as you are singing along at the top of your lungs with every word to the Tier 3-5 songs.

Tier 1 songs:

* Perfect Blue Buildings
* Ghost Town
* Raining in Baltimore

I have been listening to this album for twenty years, and these three songs just don't do anything for me. I have tried, many times, but to no avail. If these three songs were replaced by three of the gems from Counting Crow's follow up album Recovering the Satellites, then there is a very good chance I would consider August my favorite album of all time, or at least behind Third Eye Blind and The Killers.

Tier 2 songs:

Time and Time Again
A Murder of One
Sullivan Street

As a teenager, I did not have the patience or enough respect for music to focus on songs that were not "popular." For this reason, I did not grow to appreciate any of these three songs until around college. A little known fact about "A Murder of One" is that it was actually the forth and final released single from August. Since the first two singles were such massive hits, "Murder" fell by the wayside and faded into obscurity. "Sullivan Street", however, is an example of a very solid tier 2 song.

Tier 3 songs:

Anna Begins

Over the years I have had thousands of conversations with people (friends, family, acquiescence, strangers) about music. August and Everything After comes up more than any other CD, more than likely because it is my first album. Anyone that knows anything about nineties music is familiar with August and while everyone has their own personal favorite song, "Anna Begins" has been brought up an exceptional amount of times for a song with no radio time. Even if it isn't at the top of someone's list, I have never heard anything but positive reviews on "Anna." It kind of makes me laugh every time a bunch of guys are sitting around talking about "Anna Begins" because it is such a slow, melancholy song, and not the typical rock anthem that one would assume grown men would be discussing.


Tier 4 songs:

Round Here
Omaha

"Round Here" was a smash hit in the nineties and twenty years later, I still can not go a week or two without hearing it on the radio. If it wasn't for the success of its predecessor,  "Round Here" would have been even more beloved; it is kind of like a step child, but a really pretty step child that you are not embarrassed of having. The opening track for the CD, "Round Here" starts with a guitar intro so recognizable that even Helen Keller would start singing "Step out the front door, like a ghost into a fog where no one notices the contrast to white on white."


A song has never made me want to visit the mid-west more than "Omaha." Let me rephrase that... NOTHING has ever made me want to visit the mid-west besides the song "Omaha." Sandwiched between two of the biggest songs of the nineties, "Omaha" doesn't disappoint. It is the perfect liaison making it more than acceptable to throw the CD in and press play. There was no need to hit the skip button until at least song four. "Omaha" was never released, but it was just as popular due to the fortunate, well deserved position in which it was located.

                                                                         Round Here

Tier 5 songs:

Rain King
Mr. Jones


I have a very difficult time thinking of a song more loved than "Mr. Jones." Seriously, have you ever heard of a single person in the entire world that does not like this song? It has been a jukebox favorite for twenty years and I still hear it about 90% of the times I frequent my favorite watering hole. (so about two times a year if you are reading this mom.)
The height of "Mr. Jones" popularity coincides with one of the most tragic moments in modern rock history: the death of Kurt Cobain. Cobain's death scared the hell out of Duritz and prompted the realization that things were beginning to spiral out of control. (Duritz has had some pretty major psychological issues since the success of August.)
The song is so popular that it actually helped name an entire generation. The term "Generation Jones" is used to describe people born between the years 1957-1966, and the founders of the term site "Mr. Jones" as an inspiration for the unique name.


"Rain King" is by far my favorite track on the album, and one of my favorite songs of all time. Simply put, it makes me happy. To be perfectly honest, I have no clue what the song is about, and I couldn't care any less. I actually am pretty sure it is not a song that is supposed to be "happy." Analyzing songs has never been my forte'.
"Don't try to bleed me... I've been here before and I deserve a little more."
I don't care who is bleeding, why they are bleeding, who is trying to bleed them, or what more they think they deserve, but i'll be damned if I can't sing along to this part with a huge smile on my face.

Mr. Jones

                                                                          Rain King

Welcome!!!

Welcome to RyansCDoftheDay, the highly anticipated sister site of world famous "Ryan'sCountdowns" (which is scheduled to be back up and running by the end of the month!) Yes, double the Ryan, and double the obsession.
Gone are the days of sitting in front of your computer at work, pretending to be busy, while mindlessly traveling back and forth between the same old boring blogs that you have been reading every Monday through Friday for years and years.

Not only will RyansCDoftheDay help make your work day cruise by, the colorful commentary is sure to make you laugh your pants off. Seeing the cover of the CD that you were addicted to ten years ago, yet totally forgot about, is sure to make you refreshingly nostalgic.
And the emotions don't stop there: the realization that THAT song (the one you used to scream every word at the top of your lungs with your college roommates) is over two decades old, is bound to make you cry, and maybe even want to jump off a bridge.***


There is sure to be something for everyone here at RyansCDoftheDay including, but not limited to:

* Alternative Rock (Third Eye Blind, The Killers, Foo Fighters,, Pearl Jam, etc)
* 80s Rock (Guns N Roses, Poison, Def Leppard, etc.)
* Chick Rock/Pop (Alanis Morissette, Madonna, Heart, Janis Joplin etc)
* Old People Rock (The Beatles, Rolling Stones, CCR etc)
* Country (Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith etc)
* Embarrassing Pop CDs like I like/love (No spoilers here, sorry)
and even the Rap CDs that I own (Eminem and Coolio.) No etc. here.


RyansCDoftheDay is about taking a few minutes out of the day to enjoy the music from our past.  Hopefully the selected CDs transport you to the more enjoyable moments of your life, (high school sweethearts, college raves, your first CD, Cassette Tape, or concert, or simply remind you of a long lost friend or loved one........... Of course it could also remind you of the horrible moments of your life in which you would like to never think about again (scorned ex's, horrific job soundtracks that made you want to kill yourself, or even a time in your life in which you were deathly ill and you received the CD as a parting/sorry you may die gift from a loving family member.) If the latter occurs, you have my deepest apologies for stirring up such nightmarish memories.

Enjoy the blog, and I hope it helps to make your day a tiny less awful than it will inevitably be!

Rock on!

Ryan


*** The owner/writer for RyansCDoftheDay is not responsible for any death or death attempts that may occur as a result of reading this blog.