Close to seven years ago, I wrote a piece for Earvolution entitled The Ten Greatest Books About Rock And Roll. Motivated by arrogance, entitlement and a desire to prove that Largehearted Boy wasn’t the only Internet journalist that reads, I felt perfectly comfortable in proclaiming a finite set of books as the elite strata of rock and roll journalism. In a revelation that should surprise no one, I was quickly disabused of the motion that I covered the subject adequately. Even subjective endeavors such as “best of” lists can have some objectively egregious omissions.

[Photo by Petr Kratochvil]

With a little less arrogance and entitlement (but equal desire to show that others beside LHB can write about the written word), the original Earvolution list of ten has been refined and expanded to a full dozen. Anyone wishing to become well-versed and well-rounded in music from the business side to the listener side could do much worse than to stock their library, in no particular order, with the following twelve books.

Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey In Rural North Dakota – Chuck Klosterman (2001)

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Marc Millman was on hand for Soulive’s exceptional Bowlive 3 run at Brooklyn Bowl and put together a list of ten “lessons” he learned from the run. Here’s his take, photos and videos…

1. Soulive are a super-talented and versatile band. Over the course of ten nights, Eric Krasno and Alan & Neal Evans played with everyone from famous jazz guitar players (John Scofield) to funky horn players (Karl Denson) to great R&B singers (Ledisi) and a legendary Funk bass player (George Porter Jr.). And they were great with all of them. I will admit to never being a huge fan of instrumental only bands. I am always happiest when singers get involved for at least some part of each set (and they did every night). I like lyrics. Give me Stevie Wonder or Peter Townshend over Miles or even Scofield any day. And the trio format can be somewhat limiting (although Kraz & Neal as soloists can both get WAY OUT THERE). But these guys only played a few songs alone each night because they clearly looked forward to sharing the stage with all of their good friends and various guests. And the truth be told, all the originals performed by the trio were just as enjoyable now as they were back in the days seeing them play around Manhattan more than a decade ago.

[All Photos by Marc Millman]

2. [This next one is not so much a lesson learned as one re-enforced] George Porter Jr. is…THE MAN. Let’s be clear on this. There are many funky bass players out there from Bootsy Collins to Tony Hall & Oteil Burbridge. George is the funkiest of them all. And you know what, he is older then them all…except Larry Graham who is probably just as funky and a year older. But here’s the thing: George plays all the time, everywhere. And he plays everyone’s music where Larry just plays his & Sly’s old hits. And I’ve seen Larry several times over the years and always enjoyed it. But it always has the air of an oldies show. Not George. He brings it every night. And he looks to keep it fresh. If you don’t believe me, check out the version of Going To The Country he performed Night 9. It brought tears to my eyes. I’ve seen a lot of George since The Meters started playing together again when I was in college back in the late ’80s. And yes, he is a friend of mine, but he is still the baddest [and nicest] of the bad. The funkiest of them all. If you don’t believe me, ask Oteil. I snapped an image of the two of them with Oteil’s brother Kofi on Night 8. I didn’t have a chance to take a breath after clicking the shutter release when Oteil grabbed my arm, asked to see it and then begged me to make sure I got him a copy.

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2011 is barely in the rear-view mirror, but it’s time to start thinking about what kind of music awaits us in 2012. Although it’s tough to predict who might burrow into our ears over the next 12 months, it won’t stop me from trying to pick a few acts that might be worth checking out that might be off your radar. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to say you loved ‘em when!

Here are a few bands, from A to Z, that are worth keeping an eye on for 2012:

Alabama Shakes

No band left CMJ in New York last fall with as much buzz as Alabama Shakes. There’s always room on everyone’s plate for a great rock and roll band, and the Shakes are a big meaty entrée of rock and roll in its purest form. I expect lots of sold out shows across the country. Check ‘em if you dig… the old school soul-rock of Janis Joplin and Otis Redding.

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Back in 2003 Rolling Stone’s David Fricke put together a list of what he thought were the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time for the magazine. Now, eight years later, Rolling Stone has revisited the topic and has augmented a panel of three contributors with 56 esteemed musicians and industry vets such as MMJ’s Carl Broemel and Jim James, the Allman Brothers Band’s Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes as well as Eddie Van Halen. The resulting list has its flaws (no Trey!?!?), but you can’t blame this one on the Jersey Shore-loving editorial staff over at Rolling Stone since they loaded the panel with respected vets.

In what should be a surprise to no one, Jimi Hendrix took the top spot and was correctly followed in the Top Five by Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck. Besides Anastasio (who was a judge), shockingly missing from the list are Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Al DiMeola and Ace Frehley. Who would we have replaced on this list? We love Paul Simon, but he can’t compare to those left off that we mentioned. Willie Nelson, Kurt Cobain and Ron Asheton are other guitarists who we appreciate yet are baffled by their inclusion.

The best part of the feature, which serves as the cover story on the soon-to-hit-newsstands edition of Rolling Stone, is that for some entries members of the panel wrote about why those on the list deserved the honor. From Carlos Santana discussing Jerry Garcia to Trey Anastasio paying tribute to Neil Young to Tom Petty honoring George Harrison, these essays are all good reads.  Look, in the end it’s all opinion, and we hand it to Rolling Stone for putting together an eclectic panel rather than letting their staffers make this list.

What do you think of Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Guitarist List?

Harry Hood is definitive of the type of song structure Phish became known for in the early days. The song meanders through a number of distinctive sections beginning with a simple minor key reggae groove, which sets the tone with a darker color. From there, the song weaves in and out of a catchy chord progression, moves to a powerfully haunting lead riff and resolves with a long improvisational section based on an uplifting major key progression. The song concludes with a hair-raising crescendo and the celebratory mantra, “I feel good!”

Over the course of Hidden Track’s lifespan, we’ve taken a couple different stabs at making a list of favorite Hoods, and it felt like a good time for the next iteration. It will remain a perpetual work in progress as the band plays new renditions and old gems get discovered, but nevertheless, it’s coming along. This time, we have a meticulously organized, iPod-ready download for your enjoyment as well as a stream at the bottom of the post. While these are mostly audience recordings or soundboards that are not part of official releases, but we tried to normalize the levels and made sure the volume is plenty loud. Without further ado, here is the list…

#1) 1993-12-31 – The Centrum, Worcester, MA – It’s only fitting: arguably the best show of them all should have the best Hood. Ten years from the start of their career, Phish held nothing back and delivered a handful of all-time favorites. The improvisational portion of this New Years Eve Hood perfectly exemplifies the climb from the tranquil beginning to the towering climax. This is my desert island song.

#2) 1994-11-12 – MAC Center, Kent State University – Kent, OH – This gem, like so many others from the era, exhibits very tight improvisation across the board and Trey forgoing his Languedoc in favor of an M-16.

• DOWNLOAD: Fifteen Favorite Harry Hoods

READ ON for 13 more outstanding Hoods and to stream them…

The proper use of popular music in films is a delicate thing. Good music makes everything better and movies are no exception. It’s the reason why a subway ride or walk in the park seems almost cinematic when our headphones are in. However, a good song can easily be a crutch for a bad scene to lean on. The best placements of recognizable songs will supplement a visually arresting moment in a plot rather than distract the audience from it.

We enlisted the help of 3GM friend Kevin Coyle and started compiling a list of our all-time favorite “popular music + movie scene” combinations. We quickly noticed that two names kept popping up: Martin Scorsese and Wes Anderson. These two men have become masters of cinema by drawing heavily on pop culture to create poignant moments. Having acknowledged that, we decided to leave them off our list entirely to make room for some of the more forgotten scenes that we love. Here is our list…

Movie: Boogie Nights (1997)
Song: Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield/99 Luft Balloons – Nena

This is, plain and simple, one of the best movie scenes of all time. It was the moment where Paul Thomas Anderson became an original filmmaker with distinctive style. The performances are all spot-on and the tension is palpable. PTA’s choice to use these ’80s pop classics instead of a traditional film score during this overwrought drug-deal-gone-wrong is the key ingredient in creating the scene’s uneasy yet engaging feeling.

READ ON for 14 more perfectly placed tunes in movies…

Seems like this time of year everyone is making a list of some sort.  Worst this and best that.  We wanted in on that action.  You’ve been waiting, longing even, to hear our opinions, we know, it’s ok.  To keep it short: 2010 didn’t suck.   Here are Three Grown Men’s favorite moments of 2010:

Jonathan Kosakow’s top musical moments of 2010

3. Joe Purdy – “4th of July”

I stumbled upon Joe Purdy by way of coincidence, luck and lack of other choices.  The right place at the right time, he was playing his guitar alone on stage in one of the larger tents at the Mile High Music Festival this past August in front of a large crowd.  Nobody else happened to be performing at that moment.

His beard struck me first, long and unkempt, hiding his face just like his dark sunglasses.  His talent struck me next: a solemn and reminiscent voice, both lyrically and vocally, I thought of Ryan Adams and Ray LaMontagne; and a simple but catchy way of playing the acoustic guitar with single notes and melodies mixed into chord strums, I thought of Neil Young, among others.  I was able to learn through his onstage mumblings that he is somewhat of a loner, and recorded his latest album alone in a shack in Arkansas.  I went home tired and dirty later that night and found the album streaming online.  4th of July is simple: a lot of good songs.

2. Keith Richards – Life

For all the years he’s been in the spotlight, Keith Richards has somehow managed to stay somewhat of a mystery to the public.  There are hundreds of stories floating around about him and his time on the road, but he has rarely, if ever, confirmed or denied them.  Life is exactly that: a confirmation and a denial.  Keef tells you everything, from the street he grew up on as a child to whether or not he had a voluntary blood transfusion to rid his cells of heroin. His memories of the Stones’ first gigs and their many recording sessions, his obsessive and detailed knowledge of the music that inspired them, and his reasoning for playing a 5-string guitar.  It’s all in there: the music and the life.

READ ON for more of 3GM’s Top Musical Moments of ’10…

There’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to catch your favorite acts live. Sometimes they only tour twice a decade (Daft Punk), sometimes they disband before you get a chance to see them (Talking Heads), sometimes they die (Elliott Smith) and sometimes they just plain never existed. Here’s a list of Three Grown Men’s favorite fictional acts…

Name:  “Bleeding Gums” Murphy
From: The Simpsons (TV Series)
Why: “Bleeding Gums” was the real deal. A struggling saxophonist who played on the moonlit bridges of Springfield to no one in particular. He had one successful album, Sax on the Beach, but squandered his money like a bluesman often will. Everyone knows you don’t write good tunes when you’re flush. Luckily, he was able to impart some of his woodwind wisdom to Lisa before passing away.
Closest Thing in Real Life: Sonny Rollins
Clip or quote: An epic Star-Spangled Banner

READ ON for nine more great fictional acts…

We wanted to point you in the direction of our proud corporate parents at GlideMagazine.com, who have just posted this year’s Glide 20 listing the top albums of the year as chosen by that site’s staff. Unlike many sites, Glide lists their picks in alphabetical order, so there’s no distinction between the top album and the 20th best LP. This marks the eighth year in a row the site has presented the Glide 20 and this year’s list is just as eclectic as in the past.

Here’s a sample entry for an album we love as well…

Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

Dr. Dog has made some excellent albums in their short, sweet history, but Shame, Shame is the first truly great one.   The density of the music hasn’t decreased, compared to 2008’s Fate, but the components of the arrangements are rendered more distinct. Having two lead signers with two distinct voices further allows Dr. Dog to carry the legacy of The Band and the Basement Tapes forward – a 60s’ era hybird that never fails to write one great song after another.
Check Out: “Where’d All The Time Go,” “Station,” “Stranger”

HEAD TO GLIDE for the full Glide 20 of 2010 list. Look for the Hidden Track staff’s Top Albums of 2010 list in early January.

For the uninitiated, simply seeing one’s favorite bands or musicians in the live setting might be enough, but around these parts – where our average reader sees upwards of 50 shows per year – we’re pretty picky about our venues. Our staff and our readers like to see our favorite acts, but we like to see them in an ideal setting, with the perfect acoustics, unobstructed views and ample room – all while washing down some frosty craft brews. Over the next year we aim to detail the best venues in San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and New York City. We’ve started at home here in NYC.

In order to tackle this highly subjective topic, we asked our NYC-area staff members and a few local residents who see upwards of 100 shows a year to rank every venue we could think up – over 60 in total – from 1 to 20. Once we got the scores in from everybody, we utilized a highly complex algorithm called “averaging,” whereby we churned out our aggregated list of Hidden Track’s Best New York City Music Venues, fifteen to be exact.

1) Brooklyn Bowl - 61 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg, NY 11211

History - Make no mistake, while it seems pretty New Yorky of us to pick the new kid on the block as the top venue, it’s not the novelty of newness that makes Brooklyn Bowl our favorite. True, the venue did just open July 7th, 2009, but the “for us, by us” nature of the venue – which comes from the same bloodlines as former NYC jam mecca, the Wetlands Preserve – assures that this place will hold court for many of the great NYC concerts for years to come. READ ON for more on our top NYC venues…

Back in April of 2008, we kicked off a series of B Lists devoted to Stage Setlist Porn in which we presented images of 60 stage setlists that rabid fans had saved from the scrap heap. Over the past year and a half over 5,000 images tagged “setlist” have been uploaded to Flickr. We sorted through most of those pics to bring you another batch of 20 kickass stage setlists.

1. moe. 11/07/09 Charleston, SC

[via Kahlil Katool]

moe. has been using the same format for their stage setlists over the past few years. moe.ron Kahil Katool has been keeping a repository of these setlists on his Facebook page.

Previously: Stage Setlists Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3

2. Wilco 8/18/08 Salt Lake City, UT

[via The Real Quiz]

Outside of the stage, one of the best places to score setlists is the sound and light boards. Most sound and light guys are happy to give you their setlists. If not, just take a picture like this guy did.

READ ON for 18 more prime examples of stage setlist porn from the likes of GSW, Of Montreal, Rage Against The Machine, the Disco Biscuits, Animal Collective, Umphrey’s McGee, Passion Pit and more…

As the ’00s come to a close, it’s time to take a look back at a decade that saw the recording industry implode. Our corporate parents at Glide Magazine put together a list of the 50 Best Albums of the Decade as voted on by the publication’s staff. Some of the more surprising entries on their list are placing the Crowes’ latest album, Before The Frost…, at #13 and Radiohead’s Kid A – a #1 album on many lists – falling back to #8. Personally, I’m a big fan of The Raconteurs’ Consolers of the Lonely taking the #4 spot.

Let’s take a look at Glide’s Top 10 Albums of the 2000′s…

10. Danger Mouse – The Grey Album
9. Radiohead – In Rainbows
8. Radiohead – Kid A
7. My Morning Jacket – Z
6. Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
5. Jay-Z – The Black Album
4. The Raconteurs – Consolers of the Lonely
3. Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
2. Hold Steady – Boys and Girls In America
1. Bob Dylan – Love and Theft

Be sure to check out the complete list for the full rundown.

When I heard producer/director/writer John Hughes died yesterday, it took a few minutes to hit me. While his movies are literally a part of my every day life – I don’t think I go 24 hours without quoting Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 16 Candles or the Breakfast Club – I realized I didn’t know anything about the man. And that’s how he wanted it. A notorious recluse, Hughes let his films speak for themselves and to this day, they represent some of the best movies ever written about teenagers. No special effects or slick language. No gratuitous sex or quick cuts. Mostly truth and laughs.

Along with the Bratpack, the Griswolds and the Donger, Hughes created some incredibly memorable musical scenes throughout the course of his career. Below is a small tribute.

1. Danke Schoen > Twist & Shout – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986, Written/Directed by John Hughes)

I remember seeing this movie in the theaters and halfway through this scene, the place was absolutely rocking. Beginning with a schmaltzy snippet of the Wayne Newton classic Danke Schoen, a tune mentioned or hummed several times throughout the flick, the scene erupts into a complete throw down with the Beatles version of Twist & Shout. From Ferris’s own father shaking it in his office to the thousands of extras lining the Chicago street on which it was filmed, it’s hard to imagine people having more fun on a movie set and it shows. The dance crew is spectacular with their Thriller-like moves and I always get a kick out of the “vibrating man” who shakes so hard his hat falls off his head. I defy anyone to change the channel when this scene comes on. READ ON for four more musical scenes from JH’s movies…

There’s tireless chatter nowadays about the Internet, piracy, and the demise of the music industry as we once knew it. It is indeed a truism to say that album sales have entered a free fall and the major record labels are flailing about as they plunge toward their impending doom.

The thing is, they have it all wrong. The problem has little to do with the Internet or its savvy swashbucklers. They are not in fact the source of this industry implosion. Nope, the answer is much simpler. All it takes is a simple comparison of the great albums of today versus those at the height of the music industry bull market – the renaissance if you will: the 1980s. Today’s albums still have almost all the pieces in place: great songwriting, check; pleasing vocals, check; clever promotion, check; loyal fans, check. So, that leaves just one missing ingredient: a mean mother beast of a guitar solo.

Hit songs of the late ’80s almost always included a masterpiece of axe-wielding showmanship. On today’s albums, particularly on the great indie rock ones, the guitar solo is de-emphasized almost to the point of non-existence. Well, for this listener, long before the jam bands it was all about the glam bands and I for one love the guitar solo and miss it. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look back at the monster hits of the 1980s – the monster ballads to be precise – and take a close look at those epic guitar solos.

Skid Row – I Remember You (guitar solo from 2:37 to 3:18)

Listening to a monster ballad guitar solo is like judging a dive. There are myriad key factors to evaluate in unison over the course of a very short time. The key elements of these power solos include mastery of such variables as degree of difficulty, technical prowess, useless showboating, number of notes, and of course, squeal. While Sebastian Bach always stole the Skid Row thunder, in large part due to the fact that he kinda looked like a blonde Kristen Stewart, Dave “the Snake” Sabo co-founded the band before Bach ever joined and put the band on the map with guitar playing like this. Judges say? 9.2.

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READ ON for more legendary monster ballad guitar solos…