best of 2008, sorta. aka, must haves for qner

a best of list is always difficult. almost impossible to compile. my picks will change as i write this.
the year. interesting one. musically and personally.
3 of my pics are albums given to me by someone i got very close to this year. 'magic' by springsteen i reviewed it somewhere on this blog. really got into it this year. 'girls in their summer clothes' is one of bruce's finest. i have a very special memory of it now. as i do of 'vincent o'brien' by m. ward. off of his fantastic 'the transfiguration of vincent' album. and there's also santogold. something i resisted listening to at first but have become addicted to. if you like missing persons and devo (and who doesn't?) you'll love it! also nina simone and otis redding. thanks throat.
right now i'm listening to van morrison's 'astral weeks'. so i'll suggest that too. unbelievable. 'sweet thing' can convince you that love is a life changing, positive thing. not the destructive force it actually is.
kidding!
punk pick. the damned's first one. get the 3 disc reissue. it's fucking great.
scott walker put out two recently. 'the drift' a difficult, dense album that i recommend you listen to before laying money down for it. i love it and i've never heard anything like it. he also released an instrumental called 'and who shall go to the ball? and what shall go to the ball?' really interesting, challenging stuff.
i've been getting into gershwin lately.
you know, i skipped over nina simone too quickly. go a few posts down to my fave musical moment. she AFFECTS me. that voice is just stunning. she's got a box set out that i need to get. or you can buy it and burn me a copy.
there's a box set of obscure girl groups called 'girl group sounds'. i've never heard anything on it before and every song is superb. i bet dee dee ramone would have loved it.
the replacements reissues are great. lots of extras!
the mission of burma reissues also fantastic. their stuff gets better with age.
i'm listening to the essential cheap trick right now. seriously. it's excellent. sometimes you just gotta lighten up. y'know? plus, 'surrender' is a top ten greatest song.
also picked up the new ry cooder anthology today. haven't absorbed that one yet.
sixto rodriguez. his 'i wonder' is one of my new faves. thanks mike.
robert pollard's 'robert pollard is off to business'.
bonnie 'prince' billy's 'lie down in the light'.
silver jews' 'lookout mountain, lookout sea'.
the gun club's 'the las vegas story'.
bob dylan's 'tell tale signs'.
the pop group's 'y'.
the fall's 'the complete peel sessions'.
vic chesnutt and elf power, 'dark developments. also album cover of the year.
p.i.l. 'metal box'
okkervil river's 'the stage names'.
capt. beefheart and his magic band. 'ice cream for crow' and 'doc at the radar station'
brian eno and david byrne. 'everything that happens will happen today'.
nick cave and the bad seeds. 'dig, lazarus, dig'.
robert wyatt. 'comicopera'.
anything by sam cooke.
anything and everything by townes van zandt.
guy clark's 'dublin blues'.
'the last waltz'.
pere ubu. 'the modern dance'.

well, i could go on but i won't. hope there's some stuff in there you all might like.
have a good new year kids. may it bring you love and peace of mind.
and music.