BOOK IS AVAILABLE

Hello everybody,

My book "Keeping It Tight In The Old Dominion: A History of Virginia Rock Music" is now available. Please check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-Tight-Old-Dominion-Virginia/dp/1608444147/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274892849&sr=8-1

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Keeping-It-Tight-in-the-Old-Dominion/Pete-Crigler/e/9781608444144/?itm=1&USRI=keeping+it+tight+in+the+old+dominion

Top 100 Songs of All Time

Okay, here we go, I know I have uploaded this list quite a few times but this time it's for real!

1. Gin Blossoms-Found Out About You
2. Boston-More Than A Feeling
3. Anthrax-Belly of the Beast
4. Nilsson-The Moonbeam Song
5. 311-Prisoner
6. Sly & the Family Stone-Thank You (Fallintme Be Mice Elf Agin)
7. Love-Always See Your Face
8. Faith No More-Ashes To Ashes
9. Counting Crows-Colorblind
10. The Judybats-Saturday
11. Monster Magnet-Powertrip
12. Creedence Clearwater Revival-Who'll Stop the Rain
13. The Ocean Blue-Breezing Up
14. Snow Patrol-Run
15. Miracle Legion-The Backyard
16. The B-52’s-Private Idaho
17. The Drifters-Under the Boardwalk
18. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins-I Put a Spell On You
19. The Rutles-I Must Be In Love
20. Morphine-In Spite of Me
21. The Flys-Got You (Where I Want You)
22. Otis Redding-You Left the Water Running
23. Faith No More-King For A Day
24. Metallica-One
25. Tad-Plague Years
26. Rick Nelson-Gypsy Pilot
27. Harry Chapin-Sniper
28. Pearl Jam-Given To Fly
29. Anthrax-In My World
30. Therapy?-If It Kills Me
31. Death Angel-Seemingly Endless Time
32. Lamb of God-Pathetic
33. The Judybats-Trip Me Up
34. Killswitch Engage-Temple from the Within
35. fulflej-Microwave
36. Screaming Trees-Working Class Hero
37. Blind Melon-Galaxie
38. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack-Hole
39. Violent Femmes-Country Death Song
40. Peter Schilling-Major Tom (Coming Home)
41. The English Beat-Mirror in the Bathroom
42. Fishbone-Pouring Rain
43. Red Hot Chili Peppers-Warped
44. Radiohead-Street Spirit (Fade Out)
45. Jim Croce-Time in a Bottle
46. Otis Redding-(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
47. The Zombies-Time Of The Season
48. Nirvana-Where Did You Sleep Last Night
49. Icicle Works-Whisper to a Scream
50. Buddy Holly & The Crickets-Rave On
51. Red Hot Chili Peppers-Dani California
52. Green Day-When I Come Around
53. Foo Fighters-In Your Honor
54. Frank Zappa-Fine Girl
55. The Spinners-I'll Be Around
56. Tripping Daisy-Prick
57. Death Cab for Cutie-Marching Bands of Manhattan
58. Dillinger Escape Plan-Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants
59. Suicidal Tendencies-Alone
60. Mr. Bungle-Retrovertigo
61. Pearl Jam-Last Kiss
62. Primus-John the Fisherman
63. Fishbone-Everyday Sunshine
64. Metallica-Battery
65. Ned’s Atomic Dustbin-Cut Up
66. Jars of Clay-Frail
67. For Squirrels-Long Live the King
68. Barenaked Ladies-Lovers in a Dangerous Time
69. The Clash-Bankrobber
70. Killing Joke-Eighties
71. Chevelle-The Fad
72. Big Boys-Sound on Sound
73. Testament-Practice What You Preach
74. Talking Heads-Once in a Lifetime
75. America-A Horse with No Name
76. The Replacements-I Will Dare
77. Too Much Joy-Connecticut
78. Hüsker Dü-Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely
79. Dead Kennedys-Holiday in Cambodia
80. Megadeth-Holy Wars...The Punishment Due
81. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers-You Got Lucky
82. The Damned-Alone Again Or
83. Tool-Ænema
84. Foo Fighters-Next Year
85. Faith No More-Everything's Ruined
86. The Who-Pictures Of Lily
87. Coldplay-Clocks
88. Nirvana-Come As You Are
89. Peter Murphy-All Night Long
90. Material Issue-Very First Lie
91. The Smithereens-Blood & Roses
92. Squirrel Nut Zippers-Hell
93. The Ramones-I Wanna Live
94. Faith No More-The Crab Song
95. Jeff Buckley-Hallelujah
96. King Missile-Sink
97. XTC-The Mayor of Simpleton
98. Saigon Kick-Coming Home
99. The Dead Milkmen-Tiny Town
100. Soul Asylum-Cartoon


Also, by the way, I have a book coming out soon called "Keeping It Tight In The Old Dominion: A History of Virginia Rock Music." It has been a labor of love for some time and I cannot wait for everyone to finally get a chance to read it. I will let everyone know for sure exactly when it is coming out.

Forgotten Songs of the '80s: XTC

Forgotten Songs of the ‘80s: XTC

When it comes to XTC, mostly everyone talks about “Dear God” and that seems to be about it and it’s absolutely unreal that a song like “The Mayor of Simpleton” is rarely mentioned. It is without a doubt one of the best pop songs of the eighties and it is undoubtedly a high watermark in a career littered with them.

The song starts out like a typical XTC song, folky but with an edge and then Andy Partridge’s voice comes in and right away, one gets the feeling that this will be a different type of XTC song and that’s exactly what happens. With a mixture of folk, pop and Motown-like backing vocals, the song becomes otherworldly.

As you continue to get into the song, you quickly realize the lyrics are typical Partridge but that doesn’t matter. Speaking as one of the world’s dumbest and most perplexed men, Partridge sings about a girl who’s in love with him despite his total lack of knowledge about how the world works. But that’s the thing about XTC that’s so easy to love; because they talk about universal things in an intellectual way but everything’s always easy to understand.

When the song begins to conclude, the voices of Andy, Colin Moulding and Dave Gregory begin to harmonize in a way that should make the listener realize that XTC truly were one of the most underrated rock groups not only of the eighties but of all time. So take a listen to “The Mayor of Simpleton” and start thinking about how great a group XTC were and then think about how their aren’t any other bands like that around today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Da9sc6YDBo

Forgotten Songs of the '90s: Thelonious Monster

Forgotten Songs of the ‘90s: Thelonious Monster

Thelonious Monster were without a doubt, one of the most fucked up bands of all time but in their time, they released some excellent singles. In 1992, they released one of their absolute best, “Blood Is Thicker Than Water.”

Starting off with a slow, acoustic intro, frontman Bob Forrest talks about his family; first he reminisces about his sister and the bond they once had and then he moves onto how he fears he’s turning into his father. But then the whole band kicks in and the song moves into high-gear punk.

By the time they get to the chorus, the band becomes a cohesive whole they seem to be having a blast just being on the same page. Just having the song end wasn’t enough so instead, the song just fades out to quiet, which is the best way and really the only way it could end.

Despite the song being absolutely kickass, the album it came from, Beautiful Mess was more scattershot. Also, despite major-label backing, the band wasn’t able to keep it together long enough to make any success last. As a result of this and massive drug problems, they imploded by the end of 1993, briefly reforming in 2004. Bob Forrest is now a counselor on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew” but everyone else has scattered. But take a listen to “Blood Is Thicker Than Water” and “Michael Jordan” and you’ll be able to hear why they should be remembered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITmpPkGq3Co

Forgotten Album of the Month: Therapy?

Forgotten Album of the Month: Therapy?

While I have already spoken about Therapy? a while ago with “If It Kills Me,” the band is just so underrated that one of their best records deserves a spot here. In 2000, the band released Suicide Pact: You First on the very tiny Ark 21 label and the record was almost immediately forgotten about in America. Elsewhere, critics decried the record as being too dense and heavy but that’s one of the record’s great strengths.

The record kicks off with “He’s Not That Kind of Girl,” a hard-rocking track that kicked the shit out of all the crap-rock of the era and still does. By playing as hard and throttling as they can, the band were playing through all the bullshit they’d gone through with their previous label, A&M. The record’s rocking intensity continues through to what’s probably the best song on the record, “Wall of Mouths;” not only is it the best song on the record, it’s probably one of the best songs of the band’s career, which is quite a feat considering all the great songs the band already had.

About midway through, the band takes it down a notch for a bit and tries to calm things down in the midst of all the chaos. While hearing a band like Therapy? quiet is a bit weird at first, the band are able to put their own twist on it. Witness “God Kicks,” a strange little number where frontman Andy Cairns sings in a Tom Waits-type voice and sings about having a child and then having the law come and take her away. The song is just so weird but it works so well within the context of the rest of the record.

Overall, the band were at their hardest and heaviest here but with their next few records, the band didn’t change things much but they were still unable to break through, which is a damn shame. Nowadays, Suicide Pact: You First as well as most of their catalogue is out of print in America which is an absolute crime and is something that needs to be rectified as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you ever come across a copy of this or any other Therapy? record, get your hands on it as soon as you possibly can and discover what you and the rest of America has been missing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3A3zzTE52k (Little Tongues First)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF1yspzwBxg (Six Mile Water)