Green Tee Readings

I saw a Facebook meme about twenty albums that took you over for a period of time, which I interpreted as albums that you either listened to obsessively or ones that you forever link to a certain thing, time, place or person. It was a lot harder than I’d have thought, possibly because I often focus on just a couple songs on an album and obsess over them.

1. Queen - A Night at the Opera - The first album I can remember listening to over and over, and probably a lot of the reason I like so many musical styles. I don’t think I can do a perfect lip sync anymore, but I bet I’m close on most of the songs
2. Newsboys - Going Public - I will forever remember this album and “Elle G” in particular whenever I think of the first few Wheel of Time books.
3. Barenaked Ladies - One Week - I programmed the CD player at work to skip “One Week” and eventually people told me I had to skip the entire album.
4. The Smoking Popes - Born to Quit - There aren’t many songs better than “Need You Around” and “Gotta Know Right Now” for some angsty, socially awkward, somewhat creepy romance
5. The Dresden Dolls - (eponymous) - This album’s been with me so much over the past 5ish years that I don’t know if there’s just one thing about it. I love the references to other songs (”take a red jeep and paint it black”), I love AFP’s voice, I love this so much.
6. Mojave 3 - Ask Me Tomorrow - I’d sit in my car before going into work at the hospital and listen to “Candle Song 3.” There’s a girl I never asked out strongly associated with this one, too.
7. Led Zeppelin - II - “Ramble On” completely invaded my headspace for a long time in high school, and it’s still one of the few Zeppelin songs I purposefully turn on.
8. Lewis Black - White Album - I listened to this so much at the comic store and going to SW:CCG tourneys.
9. Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman - One of the many albums I was told I was too young to enjoy.
10. The Mendoza Line - 30 Year Low - This album (especially “Since I Came”) was full force on my mind when we lost power for nearly a week the September before last. I wanted to hear this album more than I wanted to take a shower.
11. The Beatles - White Album - I listened to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” for four days on repeat.
12. Ben Folds - Rockin’ the Suburbs - Driving back from a trip to Missouri through the night was not my best decision ever, this album kept me awake.
13. Junior Senior - D-D-Don’t Stop the Beat - Playing cards with Jon and Ryan. Musically, this album does nothing for me, but I bought it specifically for memories.
14. DC Talk - Jesus Freak - Eight Grade to Freshman year and being so certain. So certain.
15. Simon and Garfunkel - Greatest Hits - This was in my car’s tape deck for a few months. I’d skip “Cecilia” every. single. time. I really hate that song.
16. Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Going over to Ben Garvey’s house after school and playing Risk. I still haven’t been to Warsaw.
17. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs - Helping Ryan move shelving units, and a reminder that sometimes you don’t love something all at once
18. Liz Phair - Whitechocolatespaceegg -
19. The Wallflowers - Breach - Always and forever associated with moving
20. Soul Asylum - Grave Dancers Union - a cassette left by my brother when he moved out of our dad’s house, and a tape that reminds me of waking up very early on Wednesday mornings to go pick up the weekly supply of comic books.

As a bonus, ten of my very favoritest songs ever, in no particular order, and that haven’t specifically been referenced above.

• The Magnetic Fields - All My Little Words - Is this, objectively, the best Merritt song ever? Probably not, but it’s my by far, number one with a bullet, favorite. The “not for all the tea in China” reminds me a bit of “Suzanne”, and “You said you were in love with me/both of us know that that’s impossible” is a perfect lyric for me when I’m feeling depressed and whiny about romantic type things.

• Smoking Popes - Rubella I don’t every band can take a disease and make it into a nice “just met a girl and I love her” song that’s also mostly medically accurate.
• The Mendoza Line - Tougher Than the Rest - The cover is so much more effective than Springsteen’s original, and not just because Shannon McArdle is much more emotive than Spingsteen. The perspective shift takes the song from an old, tired “hey girl, I’ve been around the block, listen to this old codger and let’s get down” place (did I mention that’s tired and old? and that I find it to be presumptuous and not-in-a-good-way creepy?) to “I’ve dated a bunch and I’m not some confused little girl. I’m interested in you.” And the “maybe your other boyfriends couldn’t pass the test/but if you’re rough and ready for love, honey I’m tougher than the rest” is so inclusive, isn’t it?
• Mojave 3 - In Love With a View - I thought I’d written post about this song before, but I see it still on the whiteboard above my monitor and Google says I haven’t. Dude has “a plan that was built on thinking too long?” I’m so with him there, along with remembering things in a way totally different than other people.
• The Mountain Goats - Your Belgian Things - John Darnielle doesn’t have a great voice, but he’s a great vocalist. Such a beautiful song about loss. Your pardon, there’s something in my eye.
• Johnny Cash - Long Black Veil - Appearances, love and time, how they change and change us.
• Hayes Carll - It’s a Shame - Surprisingly, this is only the second song that I love and remember specifically because of a girl. It’s a shame that he redid this song on his latest album, because the new version sucks. “You were the girl I never knew I wanted and I was the boy you hoped you’d never see”
• Placebo - Commercial for Levi A sweet almost lullaby for a drug addict that’s into a number of, um, out there sexual proclivities. And my youth group pastors thought it was a problem that we listened to “Self Esteem” and “Longview.”
• Fiona Apple - Criminal - Sure it looks exploitative and creepy now, but there are some things that I’ll always carry with me from being sixteen. This song (and video) is on the list.
• Liz Phair - Divorce Song - Can I live in a world where she didn’t put out any albums after Whitechocolatespaceegg? Thanks. This song is up there with “Creep” for the best use of the word fuck. There’s so much pain that she just flatly gets through. Hypnotic. “You put in my hand a loaded gun and told me not to fire it when you did the things you said were up to me and then accused me of trying to fuck it up”

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