A huuuuuuuuge moustache-sized thank you to Jex Lasso…err…Jexit Stage Left…errr…Jex Russell! Taking more than an hour out of your weekend to spend with me at the cottage! I hope you had a good time on your visit! We got to see a pesky chipmunk, live on the show!
Chippy really liked that Journey cassette that Tim Durling got me! Yes, Durling bought me In The Beginning by Journey, the compilation I refused to shell out for. And he got it for me on a cool US cassette! Let’s just say when Tim wants you to have something for your collection, he ensures you have it.
Today’s theme was our first list show in OVER A YEAR. The Nigel Tufnel Top Ten is back with a bang, baby. And huge kudos to Jex and Rob Daniels for some truly excellent, diverse, surprising, and satisfying lists of albums. Top 11 Albums to Play at the Cottage. And we had only one repeat album in the whole list. Certain years seemed to dominate our lists – 1981 and 1988 in particular. Several artists made repeat appearances, and Jex and I both had the same band at #1. There was even a weird coincidence involving music and CANDU nuclear reactors.
And Rob? I’ll always be grateful to you for introducing us to…Jack Shit.
Tune in next Friday at 8:00 PM as we go back to another favourite band: Iron Maiden. Mr. Books and Harrison Kopp will be there to bring your daughter to the slaughter, and talk up Eddie and ‘Arry and the boys! I have lots of Maiden stuff…what would you like to see most?
Thanks for watching. We’re back, baby. We’re back!
11. PETER CRISS – Peter Criss (1978). Uncle Meat once questioned this selection. “What makes this album perfect for the cottage porch?” It’s mellow, it fits the vibe, and most importantly, I got it for my birthday in 1987 (with the other three solo albums) and played it the first 2-3 times right there at the cottage. The important thing is that adult-oriented rock vibe really jives with cottage memories. Peter Criss sounds like the kind of stuff we’d hear on the radio at the lake. In fact I know I forced my parents to play it in their car deck with us at least once!
10. QUEEN – Classic Queen/Greatest Hits (red) (1992). Cheating here by included two, but there are box sets that include both, so na na boo boo on you. Classic Queen dominated the bedroom during the summer of ’92, and Greatest Hits took its place in ’93. This was the kind of music I could play with my parents. In fact, I brought Greatest Hits down to the beach with us to listen to for an afternoon of swimming. Today, Jen loves the Queen on the porch. Best track for porching: “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”. Perfect for summer dancing and air guitar.
9. HERBIE HANCOCK – Quartet (1981). Not what you’d call an “easy” listen, but having tested this double album on the porch, I can vouch for its veracity. My quote from my review: “Well You Needn’t” – It’s a nice laid back smoky barroom jazz, piano occasionally stealing the spotlight from the muted trumpet. This song has me seeing black & white, like an old movie. It picks up halfway through, with trumpet un-muted, and drums throwing cool beats out left right and center.” Jazz Saturday was a great success due to this album and I look forward to more jazz on the porch. In the old days, CBC would play jazz on Sundays on the living room radio. Before I even knew what jazz really was!
8. OASIS – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995). “Please don’t put your life in the hands of a rock n’ roll band, who’ll throw it all away.” Oasis do not get enough love on the Nigel Tufnel top ten. In the late 1990s, I had to look elsewhere to find new rock music that had the spirit of the old. Oasis were one of the first bands of the 90s that hit the spot for me. It sounds great with the lake in front of us, and the green all around. Reminds me of coming here in the 1990s, going on long walked with earbuds in my ears, playing the best of 90s rock, and hoping to run into a girl that would talk to me! Awesome mellow tracks and some fun bangin’ rockers. Just fits that happy summer vibe, even though some of these songs are really about the down and outs of rock and roll.
7. JOHNNY HORTON – The Battle of New Orleans (1990). This country classic has several cottage staples, that we sang loud and proud almost every weekend, as we drove into town to watch the piper band parade, and to get ice cream and candy. “The Battle of New Orleans”, “Sink the Bismarck”, and “Honky Tonk Man” in particular were the three big ones. As kids, we didn’t care for “Comanche (The Brave Horse)” or most of side B. As adults, it’s all good. Such vivid memories, driving around in the dusk with Johnny Horton on the car stereo speakers.
6. JOHNNY CASH – Greatest Hits, Vol 2. (1971). Back in those days, there were so many hits tapes available, so we’d order one from Columbia House that had the songs we recognized most. Greatest Hits 2 had the legendary San Quentin version of “A Boy Named Sue”, plus a bunch of other standards that we would sing along to. “Daddy Sang Bass”, “If I Were a Carpenter”, “Sunday Morning Coming Down”, so many greats! Cash only wrote four of 11 tunes on this compilation, but did anyone care? Heck, those old tapes didn’t even come with liner notes! Hearing those songs take us all right back to the old days. They remind me of when Grampa Winter would have his turntable out back, and he’d spin records by the fire all night.
5. THE TRAVELING WILBURYS – Vol. 1 (1988). The Wilburys entered our lives thanks to Roy Orbison, who once upon a time made my mom’s own list of Top Concerts. There were only two songs on this album we didn’t like back then, both Dylan: “Congratulations” and “Tweeter and the Monkey Man”. Of course, time changes all perspectives. The Wilburys will always have a place here on the front porch. They were enjoyed here as a family on a regular basis. The acoustic rock of the Wilburys truly fits the wood and pine vibe.
4. JUDAS PRIEST – Priest…Live! (1987) Bought at Stedman’s in July of 1987, the first time I ever heard “Livin’ After Midnight”, “Metal Gods”, “Heading Out to the Highway”, and more! This was my introduction to the British Steel and Point of Entry songs. I must have played this double live album a dozen times or more at the lake that summer. I was really starting to collect Priest on cassette and this opened the floodgates. I had to get…them all! It brings back all the right vibes here on the porch, volume be damned. They always shouted at me to turn it down…
3. GORDON LIGHTFOOT – Complete Greatest Hits (2002). Rhino knows how to put together compilations. This one has both the early stuff and “Edmund Fitzgerald” which is a cottage staple. The acoustic music is a lovely accompaniment to the creatures of the night, but when that stinging guitar from “Edmund Fitzgerald” kicks in, it is like a herald. Here’s Gord. He’s at the cottage and he’s here to stay. Rest in peace Gordon – we played him here on the May 12 weekend shortly after he passed.
2. BLUE RODEO – Tremelo (1997). This might be the legendary band’s most mellow album. As such it works great with the quiet vibes here at the lake. “Frogs’ Lullaby” can’t compete with the actual wildlife here on the porch, but it sure hits the spot. “Shed My Skin”, “Moon & Tree”, “Me & Baz”, “Dragging On” and “Disappear” all put goosebumps on the arms. But then…But then! “Graveyard” kicks it in the ass as we go fast and heavy for one final 2:26 blowout, sung by Greg Keelor. “And I love these nervous breakdowns, and I love these new skins, and I love that you were brave enough to sleep with all my friends…”
1. KISS – Alive! (1976). KISS Alive as cottage music? What the…? Back in the old days, I used to pack up my turntable and bring it to the lake with me. Live After Death and Kiss Alive were two of the most important live records enjoyed here in this environment. Summer of ’86, KISS Alive was spinning on my original turntable in this very environment, and even though it ain’t exactly live, it sure did sound like it to my 14 year old imagination. I even played it backwards. All here, all those years ago! The end.
RUNNERS UP
Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits (1974) – Thanks Uncle Don
Kiss – Rock And Roll Over (1976)
Poison – Open Up and Say…Ahhh! (1988)
White Lion – Big Game (1989)
Extreme – II Pornograffitti (1990)
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