Marc Fagel

I remember when Son Volt & Wilco released their respective debuts, and the mass consensus seemed to be that it was Farrar who carried the spark. Me, I've always been a Tweedy guy, but I love Farrar's voice and enjoy a lot of his music.

They had a number of really good songs across their three records; it's a shame they didn't get more attention.

YouTube video by sumby Mazarin- Suicide will make you happy

"Inconsistency makes you insane most of the time..."

2000 Great Songs #1260: Suicide Will Make You Happy Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1260: Suicide Will Make You Happy. The millennium-era indie track by Mazarin is one of those songs I feel like nobody but me has ever heard; but its mix of Elephant 6-styled quirky pop and psychedelic jangle is pleasantly buoyant.

YouTube video by slydogmania Blue - Red Light Song (live 1973)

"The world seems small when you're flying high above..."

2000 Great Songs #1259: Red Light Song Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1259: Red Light Song. Lovely little gem from overlooked Scottish 70s act Blue, melodic pop that fits in nicely alongside Badfinger & the Raspberries (and sets the stage for future Glasgow bands like Teenage Fanclub & Cosmic Rough Riders).

It was very Fresno.

Alas, my memories of Fresno are limited to my daughter's soccer tournaments. And I once investigated a Ponzi scheme there.

Where was the Old Town?

YouTube video by TranslatorVEVO Translator - Everywhere That I'm Not

"I thought I saw you out on the avenue. But I guess it was just someone who looked a lot like I remember you do..."

2000 Great Songs #1258: Everywhere That I'm Not Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1258: Everywhere That I'm Not. Bay Area band Translator offer an early 80s blend of moody, post-punk new wave and the lighter jangle pop that would soon come to dominate college radio.

The Feelies (& Friends) For Beginners

Good excuse to share my Feelies & Friends playlist!

YouTube video by Speed The Plough - Topic The Tide Won't Tire

"Everything rises..."

2000 Great Songs #1257: The Tide Won't Tire Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1257: The Tide Won't Tire. Gorgeous pastoral jangle-folk from Speed The Plough (featuring about half of the Feelies). Close your eyes and you can practically feel the sunny breeze on a late spring afternoon.

YouTube video by Kaleidoscope - Topic Please

"I've got to get me up and fly, I can't breathe down here. And if I crash keep standing by, I'm just gettin' into gear..."

2000 Great Songs #1256: Please Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1256: Please. Los Angeles psychedelic act Kaleidoscope perfectly captures the Summer of Love vibe with a lovely little folk rock number that's totally era-defining yet somehow underused in soundtracks seeking to shortcut a 60s motif.

YouTube video by Paramore Paramore: Caught In The Middle [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

"I don't need no help, I can sabotage me by myself..."

2000 Great Songs #1255: Caught In The Middle Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1255: Caught In The Middle. Not exactly a Paramore fan here; it's one of those random contemporary pop songs that's much more aimed at my kids than me... but who can't appreciate a repurposed Cure hook and an unusually charismatic singer?

It's crazy how they never got any attention here in the US. It made Wes Anderson seem that much cooler when Rushmore launched into Making Time, and maybe a handful of music nerds' ears perked up.

I think a lot of songs from their brief run are interchangeable quality-wise; this one is just a bit more of a sentimental favorite for being my belated point-of-entry for the band.

YouTube video by The Creation - Topic Try and Stop Me

"You couldn't hold me if you tried, I know when I've had enough..."

2000 Great Songs #1254: Try And Stop Me Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1254: Try And Stop Me. Standout Who-like British Invasion track from The Creation; didn't get much play in the US, but one of those songs I was overjoyed to discover once I started trawling through rock's overlooked gems later on.

Robert Pollard: Greatest Solos & Sides

Good call. I think a lot of his best work over the past 20 years (and even during the original GbV era) has been on his solo and side project records. I took a run at a mix awhile back: open.spotify.com/playlist/1c4...

"Not without merit: consistent, without having any especially high highs" would be my review of pretty much every GbV album since they reunited in the 10s. Each album has 2-3 songs I might add to my ever-expanding GbV mix, but few which would replace selections on my original '87-'04 mix.

YouTube video by The Howard Stern Show Brandi Carlile Covers Elton John’s “Madman Across the Water” Live on the Stern Show

Here's a marvelous performance of the song by Brandi Carlile:

YouTube video by Ronnie Friend Elton John & Mick Ronson - Madman Across the Water (1970) With Lyrics!

"Get a load of him, he's so insane; you better get your coat dear, it looks like rain..." Early extended version with Mick Ronson:

2000 Great Songs #1253: Madman Across The Water Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1253: Madman Across The Water. The Elton John song for those of us who don't care for most of his music, trading radio-ready pop for something between prog and a stoner jam-band opus, dark and truly epic.

YouTube video by RHINO Son Volt - Drown (Official Music Video)

"And the cruel, cruel mornings have turned to days of swim or sink..."

2000 Great Songs #1252: Drown Music-obsessed retired lawyer, sharing a few thoughts on some choice cuts from my obscenely oversized music collection each day.

2000 Great Songs #1252: Drown. Early Son Volt single picks up where Uncle Tupelo had left off, Jay Farrar's uniquely weathered growl over a compelling riff-rocker infused with a sense of Midwestern resign.

YouTube video by Domino Recording Co. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get? (Official Video)

"I only get sleepless nights, alone again in my half-empty bed..."