Top 8 for January 2, 2014, plus an aside

I Need to Know Where I Stand by Rhett Miller from Live at Eddie's Attic

Pitchfork describes it as “a decent Meg Ryan movie of a pop song”. I'm not sure if that's a compliment (it wouldn't be, coming from me) but I think it's a darn fine song.

Tombstone Blues by Bob Dylan from Biograph (originally from Highway 61 Revisited)

The sun ain't yellow, it's chicken. Jes' sayin'.

Top 5 from December 30, 2013, plus an aside

Heart of Glass by the Bad Plus from These are the Vistas

A rollicking treatment of the Blondie classic played with Lisztian left hand counterpoint from pianist Ethan Iverson (my audience-mate at the Jazz Standard in October) and a florid contribution from drummer Dave King. Points for taking the chorus in seven each time around, rather than just in the bridge as on the original.


The Real Me by the Who from Quadrophenia
Always wanted to be in a band that could play this song. It's a bit frightening how much I still feel this album at 43 as I did at 15. This is one of Moon's best performances (although the whole band if face-ripping good on this), but sadly approaching the time where his mind and body started to fall out of sync.