Myche's 2008 Wrap-up

Top Albums

I always have to figure out just what was a 2008 release when I’m doing this. There will also undoubtedly be 2008 releases that I won’t discover until 2009 that will be worthy of this list.

1. Fish "13th Star" – A totally biased pick, and one that I would never recommend to anyone, most likely. But no doubt the 2008 release that I played the most…
2. Opeth “Watershed” – The only common choice on all of our lists, making it the Hooks Album of the Year, I would say. These guys just seem to get better and better.
3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds “Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!” – Late entry to this list since my mp3 tag listed it as a 2007 release in error. Glad I got it right.
4. Testament “The Formation Of Damnation” – Just raw and kick-ass METAL.
5. Al Green “Lay It Down” – Probably his best album in 30 years.
6. Warrel Dane “Praises To The New Machine” – I’m surprised by this one myself. I didn’t really listen to it until recently, but loved it. It doesn’t break new ground, but reminded me how much I like Dane’s vocals and Nevermore in general. Only album on list that I didn’t see the artist live during the year, by the way.

Top Live Shows

1. Fish @ Shank Hall in Milwaukee – Easy choice: this was my previous #1 artist I wanted to see that I hadn’t yet, I delayed my honeymoon for the show, it is in my Top 10 shows of all time, and I saw him the next night at the Park West which was a seated show and not nearly as amazing as the Milwaukee show. Plus, I got to meet him before the show. Yes, it was a good day…
2. David Byrne @ Civic Opera House – I’m not even a huge Talking Heads/Byrne fan, but this show blew me away. Very original and captivating.
3. Derek Trucks Band @ Vic Theatre – I had seen him a week before with the Allman Brothers and was still not saturated by his playing. Susan Tedeschi joining for about four songs was a great bonus.
4. Y&T @ Chicago City Limits – I would have never guessed that I could get blown away like I did on my 9th time seeing a band (which tied Queensryche with the band I’ve seen the most times).
5. Doom Fest @ Double Door – So slow and heavy that my heart almost came to a complete stop. Very well-done Fest: Kongh, Somathrace and Beyond Oblivion were my highlights.
6. Bang Camaro @ Double Door – I’m not sure I’ve ever had more FUN at a show in my life. My cheeks hurt from smiling for about a week…

HMs: So many great shows this year - Hideout Block Party, Allman Brothers @ Charter One, Nick Lowe @ The Green Mill, Nick Cave @ Riviera, Ray Davies @ Chicago Theatre, The Holmes Brothers @ Buddy Guy’s, Scorpions/Alice Cooper @ Fort McCoy, WI, Melvins/Big Business @ Double Door, Van Halen @ Allstate Arena, Iron Maiden @ Allstate Arena, Trouble @ Nite Caps (possibly the last time I see them with Eric Wagner singing?)

Top Songs

I’m really bad at focusing on singles as opposed to whole albums, so here’s a list of a few songs that I thought rocked:

1. Bang Camaro "Push Push (Lady Lightning"
2. Bang Camaro “Pleasure (Pleasure)"
3. Whitesnake “Lay Down Your Love"
4. Al Green “Lay It Down”
5. David Byrne & Brian Eno “My Big Nurse"
6. Zimmer’s Hole – Take your pick: “We Rule The Fucking Land”, “Anonymous Esophagus”, or “Hair Doesn’t Grow On Steel”

Top Album Covers

I’m even worse at paying attention to albums covers these days. Here’s a few I liked:

1. Cynic "Traced In Air"
2. Testament “The Formation Of Damnation"
3. Amon Amarth “Twilight Of The Thunder Gods”
4. Whitesnake "Good To Be Bad”

Disappointments of 2008

1. Eric Wagner leaving Trouble
2. Every show I saw at The Pearl Room in Mokena. I like the venue, but three disappointing shows. Coincidence?
3. Judas Priest "Nostradamus" – Such a lack of quality control on this one. I must hold all members responsible. What are the repercussions from my standpoint? If you ask me to opine on Maiden vs. Priest, my decision just became very easy…
4. Sly Stone cancelling his show at the Vic. Why was I surprised?

Highest Hopes for 2009

1. New albums that are supposed to come out: Y&T (!!!), Queensryche, Heaven & Hell, Derek Trucks Band
2. New albums that I hope come out: anything Devin Townsend-related
3. Concerts scheduled: Messhugah/Cynic
4. Concert hopefuls: Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, David Shankle Group
5. Quality Chicago music festivals, just like 2008: American Music Festival @ Fitzgerald’s, Hideout Block Party, Doom Fest

Top Pre-2008 Music Discovered in 2008

This category flows for me, so it was hard to limit it to six…

1. Whitesnake “Come An’ Get It” – I would guess that I played this album more than about anyone in the world, besides maybe David Coverdale.
2. The Holmes Brothers
3. Gov’t Mule
4. The last two Scorpions releases
5. Merle Haggard
6. Willie Nelson “Who’ll Buy My Memories: The IRS Tapes” – I’ve had this two-disc set for at least ten years without really sinking my teeth into it. I always thought it was a sell-out to get money to pay his IRS debts, but it is fantastic. I love when I this happens with a CD I bought so long ago and forgot about.
7. Ravi Shankar
8. Two songs in particular off the debut Thin Lizzy album that are usually part of Tin Lynott’s set: “Look What The Wind Blew In” and “Things Ain’t Working Out Down At the Farm”

Top DVDs

I think only #1 was a 2008 release, so I guess that’s my best of 2008. The others were just ones I finally saw in 2008 that are noteworthy.

1. Lou Reed “Berlin”
2. Love “Forever Changes Concert”
3. Neil Young “Heart Of Gold”
4. Reggae Deep Roots Documentary Vol. 1-3

Top Music-related Books Read

1. Black Sabbath: Doom Let Loose, An Illustrated History – Martin Popoff
2. Willie Nelson: An Epic Life – Joe Nick Patoski
3. Funk – Rickey Vincent
4. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life And Times Of Warren Zevon – Crystal Zevon