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1. The Last Waltz

Great music from one of the most seminal rock bands ever, Martin Scorsese, melancholy ( aside from Robbie Robertson’s rock star stichk ) what’s not to like? Need more? How ’bout Dylan, Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Dr. John, Muddy Waters and Van Morrison ( “Just a one mo’ time” ). I think that this is by far the best rock and roll movie ever made. Not even close.

Best moment of the film is when Clapton breaks a string in the middle of a solo and RR pick it up without missing a beat. Most surprising moment of this movie is how good Neil Diamond is doing his one song.

2. Stop Making Sense

Okay, first I am a huge David Byrne fan - but the concept of this concert film is brilliant. Initially it is just Bryne on an empty stage ( Psycho Killer ) then, with each ensuing song, another member of the band joins him on stage until you get the entire band plus a number of other musicians. And all the while the crew is building the set around them. Byrne is in constant motion in that big suit and the band is at the top of their game.

3. The Wall

Do I really have to tell you about this movie? I think that it is the best non concert rock movie ever made. Now I just have to justify the number 3 placement to the ninja..

4. Rock N Roll High School

So I am a little biased. I love the Ramones. I saw them live a few times and it was always amazing. Tam, Tonya and Tyler saw them at the musical moon back in the day at it was a milestone in my life. But I digress, I think this movie gives one a pretty good look inside the times - of course it is over the top, but so were the seventies. And Joey crooning to Riff Randle in her bedroom is at once classic, creepy and hilarious.

5. A Hard Day’s Night

Yea, just the one Beatles movie - I really don’t care for the other movies, but this one has to be on this list as it had as much to do with Beatlemania as anything else. Each of the band members personalities shine through and it is just…. fun.

6. Purple Rain

Okay, once you get past the acting this is a really good movie The songs hold up pretty damn well and the story of coming to terms with your demons and redemption is timeless. Purple Rain is not Prince’s best album ( Sign O’ the Times ) but he is truly a musical genius and this is a pretty good movie. Watch it again if you don’t believe me.

7. Sid and Nancy

This is boring Sid… A honest look inside the Sex Pistols and Sid Vicious ( rendered relentlessly by Gary Oldman ) relationship with Nancy Spungen. This is not going to make it onto anyone’s feel good movie list, but punk’s not pretty and neither is this, but it is a very good movie.

8. Gimme Shelter

This documentary would make the list for historical value alone with the footage the infamous altamonte concert, but as a bonus there is some good music, the Flying Buritto Brothers, and Jerry Garcia saying “Groovy”. Oh yea, and The Rolling Stones.

9. Woodstock

Although this movie does not capture the spirit of the event ( or so I am told ) nor does it include the best music of the festival it is still more then a piece of history and is eminently watchable.

10. Rocky Horror Picture Show

Dammit, Janet - this isn’t even a Rock N Roll Movie, unless of course you think Meatloaf is Rock n Roll….

11. Suburbia

This is the real punk movie in this list. If you want to get a real feel for what the punk scene in the US was like once it filtered down to the kids outside of the major metro areas, check this out.

12. The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle

This is Malcolm McLaren’s ( former Sex Pistols manager ) masturbatory fantasy, but it is an interesting look at the music biz from the perspective of “management”. I am not even sure that this is a good movie, but if you are rock buff it is a movie you can’t afford not to see.

Long lost artice - this was written some time ago, but never posted, so I am posting it now.

Call it roots rock, alt country, cowpunk, what have you, we all know that I am talking about the genre of music that has claimed Lucinda Williams as its poster woman ( and with good reason ). As excellent as Ms. Williams is, there are more out there, and most likely you are not going to hear them on the radio.

With that in mind I would like to introduce you to a couple of ladies that, if there were any justice, would be radio staples. They deserve a much larger audience then all of those “Nashville-New Country” chicks that look good on T.V. but can’t make a decent record.

Amy Rigby -

If there we any justice in the world Ms. Rigby would be huge. Her latest recording from KOCH Records - The Sugar Tree - is as funny, sexy, and enjoyable as any CD released this year. From the straight ahead rocking of “Balls” to the inspired, laugh out loud hilarious “Cynically Yours” she explores relationships in a unique style that is both introspective and at the same time universal.

Amy served a stint with Last Roundup and folk pop trio The Shams honing her clever writing style featured on her first solo album Diary Of A Mod Housewife. Housewife portends of the brilliance to follow with cuts like “That tone of Voice” and “Time for me to Come Down”. In between these to CD’s Amy released the underrated “Middlescence”.

If your tastes tend towards singer-songwriters and/or alt country, do yourself a favor and pick up all three of Amy Rigby’s releases. You won’t be disappointed.

Sue Foley -

More towards the blues side of the roots rock camp - singer, songwriter, and guitarist Sue Foley is, imho, one of the most underrated forces in contemporary roots music today.

“Where the action is” on Shanachie Records is unquestionably one of the best CD’s to come out this year. The title track is a celebration of the genre, and her cover of the Stones B-Side “Stupid Girl” is sublime.

The Canadian born Foley did the whole Austin Texas thing in the mid-nineties, and while you can here that influence she does not let it define her. Her vocal delivery, as well as her guitar playing, evoke a emotional response missing in so much of contemporary blues.

In addition to “Where the Action Is” I suggest you pick up “Love Comin’ Down” and “Ten Days In November “. While not quite as definitive as her newest release, definitely better then most of what else is out there.

Okay this one is for the ninja - in reponse to the worst cover songs available on the interweb he asked for the best covers of all time, so here ya go:

1. Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee ( Kris Kristofferson )
2. All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix ( Bob Dylan )
3. Respect - Aretha Franklin ( Otis Redding )
4. Statesboro Blues - Allman Brothers ( Blind Willie McTell )
5. Hurt - Johnny Cash ( Nine Inch Nails )
6. Babe I’m Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin ( Joan Baez )
7. Backdoor Man - The Doors ( Howlin Wolf )
8. Love Hurts - Nazareth ( Roy Orbison )
9. Take Me To The River - Talking Heads ( Al Green )
10. Soft Cell - Tainted Love ( Gloria Jones )
11. Wonderwall - Ryan Adams ( Oasis )
12. Black Magic Woman - Santana ( Fleetwood Mac )
13. Feelin’ Alright - Joe Cocker ( Traffic )
14. Summertime Blues - The Who ( Eddir Cochran )
15. Green Manalishi - Judas Priest ( Fleetwood Mac )
16. Hard To Handle - Black Crowes ( Otis Redding )
17. Heard It Through The Grapevine - CCR ( Gladys Night & the Pips )
18. Kick Out The Jams - Rage Against The Machine ( MC5 )
19. Piece Of My Heart - Big Brother and the Holding Company ( Erma Franklin )
20. The First Cut is the Deepest - Rod Stewerat ( Cat Stevens )
21. I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself - The White Stripes ( Dusty Springfield )
22. Satisfaction - Devo ( The Rolling Stones )
23. Sweet Jane - Cowboy Junkies ( Velvet Underground )
24. Mr Tambourine Man - The Byrds ( Bob Dylan )
25. Superstar - Sonic Youth (The Carpenters)
26. After Midnight - Eric Clapton ( JJ cale )

So Peyton manning couldn’t get it done in the big game again, just like he never got it done in college at Tennessee ( maybe the Colts need to bring in Tee Martin? ). Yawn - move along no news here.

There are big game quarterbacks ( think Bradshaw and Brady ) and there are record setting regular season quarterbacks ( think Marino and Fouts ) and it looks more and more likely that Peyton is the latter - even when he gets every single break possible ( the rare Bettis fumble, the ref’s stealing the Polamalu pick, etc. ) Peyton has never won the big one. Or in this case even the the game before the game before the big one.

Nothing wrong with that ( other then the point of the exercise is to win championships….. ) but how in the hell can Peyton justify comments like “I’m trying to be a good teammate here … let’s just say we had some problems with protection.” Come on, I don’t here Tarik Glenn saying “I’m trying to be a good teammate here … let’s just say our quarterback had some problems with happy feet.” or Marvin Harrison saying “I’m trying to be a good teammate here … let’s just say we had some problems braving the rush and stepping into our passes.”

Either one of them could have said that, and it would have been just as true as Manning’s comments. But you don’t hear that kind of smack, you just hear Manning blaming someone other then himself. I hope that Reggie Wayne and Edgerrin James move along into free agency so that we can see what Peyton looks like without a stellar surrounding cast.

Okay, just one more reason to love the interweb - I love cover songs especially when they are a little askew ( for example I just made a Mix CD of Prince covers- the Marshall Crenshaw cover of Take Me With U is especially good ). Not to mention that some of the best recordings of all times were covers ( think All Along the Watchtower, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, Me and Bobby McGee, and Respect to name just a few ).

But now, thanks to the mother of all networks, you can find any number of really bad covers. Want proof - well click on over to The Metalizer and check out Angel of the Morning. Oy.

Not bad enough, how about this guy doing Smooth Criminal acoustically with a bad French accent. Want more? How about the Dokaka version of Teen Spirit?

Still reading this post? Still want some more bad covers? Okay here goes: What would it sound like if ,some guy decided to try and cover a Pink Floyd song as if he were Bob Dylan? Click to find out. What about if “Scooter” covered Billy Idol and had his back up chicks sing in French? Check. What about Aqualung done lounge lizard style? But of course.

Then there is a cover of Fast Car that will really make you appreciate Tracy Chapman, Beatles covers by bar bands, and many, many obscure people covering obscure songs.

There is even a 20 Covers Audio test where you try and name each artist and each song, not to mention a blog about nothing but cover songs.

What did we do before the Interweb?

Okay, so maybe I had the score wrong - but I told you that Texas was gonna beat USC.

Once again the Heisman folks gave the trophy to the wrong player - Vince Young, not Reggie Bush, is obviously the best player in college football. That may have been the best game I have ever seen a player have in a championship game in the 30 + years that I have been watching sports.

Vince Young was singularly responsible for the Texas win - Pete Carrol out coached Mack Brown. Didn’t matter. Texas special teams sucked. Didn’t matter. USC was the overall better team. Didn’t matter. All that mattered is that Vince Young got one more shot - and the Texas coaches finally left it in his hands throughout the entire final drive.

Turns out that USC is not the greatest college team of all time, and that Reggie Bush is not the best player in college football.

Vince Young’s performance tonight is sure to go down in history as one of the best, if not the best, single performaces in not only college footbal history, but sports history.