I LISTEN TO EVERYTHING

I LISTEN TO: Radiohead

I know I'm paranoid and neurotic, I've made a career out of it.

 -Thom Yorke

You know those people who are so obsessed with Radiohead that they describe seeing them live as a "religious experience?"  They would beg borrow and steal to get tickets to see them - BOTH nights? 

They salivate over every tidbit of information about the band, they own a copy of Meeting People is Easy and won't even entertain the idea that any other band -  past present or future - could come close to them as best artist of all time? 

So that's me.  My love for them is indescribable. I've never missed a show,  own ever song they've ever recorded and I cried when I heard In Rainbows for the first time. (I love music and all - but that's insane even for me.) What can I say...  they just have that effect on me. 

For those of you who don't already belong to the "cult of Radiohead'  and are curious,  but don't know where to start -   here are 10 of my favorite songs (& a couple tracks from their latest record) to give you a taste of what all the hoopla is about. 

  

Just - Radiohead

You and Whose Army? - Radiohead

15 Step - Radiohead

Talk Show Host - Radiohead

Karma Police - Radiohead

Reckoner - Radiohead

How to Disappear Completely - Radiohead

Exit Music - Radiohead

Paranoid Android - Radiohead

I Might Be Wrong - Radiohead

 

Couple of new tracks off their latest record The King of Limbs...

Lotus Flower- Radiohead

Codex- Radiohead

 

 

 

I LISTEN TO: Adele

 

 

A preview of Adele's upcoming record "21" slated to come out February 22nd. A great reminder that some artists do make music like they used to... 

 

Rolling In The Deep - Adele (Jamie XX Remix)

If It Hadn't Been For Love - Adele

 

 

I LISTEN TO: The Notorious B.I.G.

Lately I have been OBSESSED with Biggie. I have no idea why - but I can't get enough of him! I've always been a fan, but I don't think I've appreciated him as much as I do now. Then again I was 15 when Juicy came out. I dont think I had anything on my mind then other then meeting boys and getting drunk off wine coolers.

Everyone knows this one..

Juicy-The Notorious B.I.G

...so here are here are 10 of my other favorite Biggie songs.

Who Shot Ya-The Notorious B.I.G

Where Brooklyn At - Battle-The Notorious B.I.G & & Tupac

Warning-The Notorious B.I.G

Things Done Changed-The Notorious B.I.G

Ten Crack Comandments-The Notorious B.I.G

Ready To Die-The Notorious B.I.G

Party And Bullshit-The Notorious B.I.G

Notorious B.I.G ft Lil' Kim-The Notorious B.I.G

I Got a Story to Tell-The Notorious B.I.G

Wanna Get Witcha -The Notorious B.I.G**

**tagged, but great unreleased version

Everyone's Talking About: Jay-Z's Blueprint 3

T-minus 15 Days until Jay-Z's highly anticipated Blueprint 3 album is released, and like any good highly anticipated record it's springling some leaks. It's like opening Christmas presents early.

Who: Jay Z
What: Blueprint 3
Where: Recorded in Hawaii
Release date: Sept 11th, 2009
Good Things Come in Threes: This will be the final installment in The Blueprint trilogy
Keep Em Comin: This will be Jay's 11th studio release
First Finger-Print: In DJ Clue's January 2008 mixtape he says: "Off that Blueprint 3 baby!"
First Single: D.O. A. (Death of Auto Tune) premiered on Hot 97 on June 5
Who killed Autotune: Kanye West. After hearing just the beat of the track he said : Man, this is just so hard! This has to be against everything -- no auto-tune, none of that type of stuff!
Give It To Me: Last July Timbaland told MTV News that he was producing the whole album
Not So Fast: In an interview with the Rolling Stone, Jay-Z called the statement "premature"

If Timbaland makes ten great tracks then he produces the album, if Kanye West makes ten great tracks then he produces the album; if he makes three, I'll take three. I let the music dictate the direction
- Jay-Z

The Final Score: 7 points Kanye, 3 points Timbaland
The Leaks: All three of the tracks produced by Timbaland have been leaked, but Jay himself admitted to leaking some songs
Jay's Favorite Track: Empire State of Mind
It Takes a Village: The all-star lineup on the record includes: Kayne West, Rihanna, Drake, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, J. Cole, Emire of the Sun, Swizz Beatz, Mr. Hudson, Young Jeezy, Pharrell

Track Listing:
1. "What We Talkin' About" (feat. Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun) Producer: Kanye West
2. "Thank You" Producer: Kanye West
3. "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)" - Jay-Z Producer: none credited
4. "Run This Town" - Jay-Z feat. Rihanna & Kanye West Producer: Kanye West
5. "Empire State of Mind" (feat. Alicia Keys) Producer: Al Shux
6. "Real as It Gets" (feat. Young Jeezy) Producer: The Inkredibles
7. "On to the Next One" (feat. Swizz Beatz)Producer: Swizz Beatz
8. "Off That" (feat. Drake) Producer: Timbaland
9. "A Star is Born" (feat. J. Cole) Producer: Kanye West
10. "Venus vs. Mars" Jay-Z Producer: Timbaland
11. "Already Home" (feat. Kid Cudi) Producer: Kanye West
12. "Hate" (feat. Kanye West) Producer: Kanye West
13. Reminder - Jay- Z Producer: Timbaland
14. "So Ambitious" (feat. Pharrell) Producer: The Neptunes
15. "Young Forever" (feat. Mr. Hudson) Producer: Kanye West

Blueprint 3 on iTunes

I LISTEN TO: Madonna

Celebration - Madonna

I love Madonna. Always have. Always will.

Not to brag (ok i'm kind of bragging) I had the honor of meeting her not too long ago. She had just come from a 20s theme party and looked exquisite wearing wearing a beautiful white coat, blonde curls and red lipstick. She was more petite then I had envisioned, and had the perfect combination of poise (I'm Madonna, I'm kind of a big deal) and warmth (she reached out her hand and asked me my name)

I was a complete dork- nervous, stuttering, blushing.
It was wonderful.

Some favorites:
Into the Groove- Madonna
La Isla Bonita - Madonna
Sorry - Madonna
Give It 2 Me (Paul Oakenfold Edit)- Madonna
Beat Goes On - Madonna
Oh Father -Madonna
Physical Attraction - Madonna
Burning Up - Madonna
Where's The Party - Madonna

Interesting story about this cover. I booked an artist named Mr. Brainwash on Last Call several months back. It was a great show - he's a very charismatic French graffiti artist who does a lot of his pieces on pop culture. After the episode aired, I passed along Mr Brainwash's contact information to Guy Oseary (Madonna's manager & one of the Executive Producers of Last Call) and he ended up designing this Madonna cover. Pretty cool.

As a thanks Mr Brainwash gave me this awesome print:

In case you missed it, here is the episode of Last Call with Mr Brainwash:

I LISTEN TO: Michael Jackson.

Dirty Diana:

"she said he's not coming back"

I LISTEN TO: Hip-Hop

Hip-Hop Playlist on iTunes

I'm really into Hip-Hop right now.

Not that I'm ever not into Hip-Hop (Jay-Z ranks up there with Radiohead and Nirvana on the amount of tracks in my iTunes collection) but you know.. I go in waves with different kinds of music ...and right now I'm all about Hip-Hop.

Unlike Country music, most of you probably already love Hip-Hop, so I'll skip the 101. If you're not typically that into hip-hop, or not up on what's new -- now would be a good time to catch up.

There are tons of new artists -- Kid Cudi, Charles Hamilton, B.o.B, The Knux, N.A.S.A, Asher Roth, Wale, Melanie Fiona -- making great music and adding their own spin on it, so it's not just the same old same stuff.

I love music that sound fresh and new, and crosses outside the normal parameters of it's genre. For instance when a hip-hop artist samples electronics (like Kanye and Kid Cudi).. or when they perform with electric guitars (like the Knux).

Here's a playlist of my current favorites, some new tracks, plus a few classics.

LISTEN: Some current HIP-HOP obsessions..
Dead and Gone -T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake
Dat New "New"- Kid Cudi
Crack a Bottle - Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
Brooklyn Girls -Charles Hamilton
I Love College -Asher Roth
Nike Boots -Wale
Windows Media Player - Charles Hamilton
Day N Nite (Crookers Remix)- Kid Cudi
Young Boy (remix)-Trouble Andrew feat. 77 Klash
Addiction -Kayne West

(Click SHOW to view Full Track List)

Hip-Hop Playlist- track list

1. I Love College Asher Roth
2. Mellow Fellow B.o.B
3. Ho' is Short For Honey (feat. Kid Cudi) 88-Keys
4. Will I Stay (Remix) [feat. Wale & Dallas Austin] Colin Munroe
5. Jockin' Jay-Z Jay-Z
6. Day 'n' Nite Kid Cudi
7. Dat New "New" Kid Cudi
8. Day 'N' Nite (Crookers Remix) Kid Cudi
9. I'll Be In the Sky B.o.B
10. Crack a Bottle Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent
11. Drug Ballad Eminem
12. Brooklyn We Go Hard Jay-Z feat. Santogold
13. Swagga Like Us Jay-Z & T. I. (feat. Kanye West & Lil Wayne)
14. U Don't Know (Remix) - Jay-Z
15. Lost - Coldplay(feat. Jay-Z)
16. Brooklyn Girls - Charles Hamilton
17. Danger (Been so Long) Mystikal & Nivea
18. Flashing Lights Kanye West Feat. Dwele
19. Stronger Kanye West
20. Heartless Kanye West
21. Love Lockdown Kanye West
22. Jesus Walks Kanye West
23. American Boy Estelle (feat. Kanye West)
24. Lucifer - Jay-Z
25. Lollipop Lil Wayne
26. Whatever You Like T.I.
27. Takeover Jay Z
28. Hip Hop Is Dead Nas featuring Will.I.Am
29. Lose Yourself Eminem
30. Can It Be (Half a Million Dollars and 18 Months Later) Murs
31. Get Up 50 Cent
32. You Don't Know 50 Cent, Cashis, Eminem & Lloyd Banks
33. 'Till I Collapse Eminem
34. Bang! Bang! The Knux
35. Nike Boots Wale
36. A Day In the Life AG, Handsome Boy Modeling School, RZA, The Mars Volta & Tim Meadows
37. Shake That Eminem
38. Cappuccino (Explicit Version) The Knux
39. Money N.A.S.A. (feat. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge & Z-Trip)
40. Put On Young Jeezy(feat. Kanye West)
41. My President Young Jeezy & Nas
42. See You In My Nightmares Kanye West (feat. Lil Wayne)
43. Dead and Gone T.I. (feat. Justin Timberlake)

I LISTEN TO: Country

I LISTEN TO Country

Since this is blog called I LISTEN TO EVERYTHING and not I LISTEN TO INDIE/ POP/ ROCK, I thought it would be fitting to write about a genre that people who say they "listen to everything" typically don't listen to.

Before you start thinking I’m about to give you a playlist filled with “fiddle-and-steel-honky-tonk country music, ” I’ll remind you that country music isn’t just Tim McGraw and Toby Keith.

Poor country music always got a bad rap. The stigma against it dates back before the 50s. Lucky for country music, Johnny Cash, and us, a musician from Memphis Tennessee came on the scene and changed everything. Elvis Priestly took country, mixed in some blues and added some rock n roll -- breaking way for a whole new kind of country. He killed it and brought it back with the same chord. Call it what you want - Rockabilly, Southern Rock, Country Rock, or my personal favorite “Outlaw Country" -- it's still country.

There’s great music that came from country singers, and from artists inspired by country music. Without it we wouldn't have songs like "Jolene" or "A Boy Named Sue"...

If your gonna hate on country just remember you're not just hating on Garth Brooks. Country is Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Neil Young. It's influenced Bob Dylan and Ray Charles, and finds a new generation with Kid Rock, Jack White and the Kings of Leon.

So yeah, I LISTEN to Country, and it’s awesome.

.... Next up: stay tuned for “I LISTEN TO Thrash”
Not.