Mikes's Top 10 CD's of 2009

1. M. Ward - Hold time
This was the first CD of the year to make my list and it made it to the end. The often one man wunderkind offers up terrific covers of Rave On and Oh Lonesome Me. Makes them sound like originals.

2. Willie Nile - House of a Thousand Guitars.
This just might be Willie's best CD and sometimes it sounds like a thousand guitars are playing in the background.

3. Pearl Jam - Backspacer
PJ's best album of the decade and proves you don't need more than 35 minutes to make a good rock and roll album.

4. Van Morrison - Astral Weeks Live
This could have been a let down but far from it. The orchestra brings renewed life to one of the greatest albums in the history of rock and roll.

5. Felice Brothers - Yonder is the Clock.
A lovely followup to my best of 2008 The Felice Brothers. Worthy successors to The Band.

6. Ian Hunter - Man Overboard
All the Young Dudes aren't young anymore but this dude just keeps turning out great, heartfelt music.

7. Ryan Bingham - Roadhouse Sun
West Texas Alt. Country. Buddy Holly, not to mention Joe Ely, would be proud.

8. Bottle Rockets - Lean Forward
I think if Woody Guthrie had been backed up by Crazy Horse it would have sounded just like this.

9. Greenday - 21st Century Breakdown
The rock opera lives through the lives of "Christian and Gloria."

10 Glasvegas - Glasvegas
A little of the wall of sound mixed with doo wop as if the Jesus and Mary Chain were fronting it.

Song of the Year

Roman Candle "Why Modern Radio is A-OK
Of course modern radio sucks but that is the point. And now a quiz for all of you. While the band mentions two dozen artists they only mention ONE song. What is the song? No googling please

Box Set of the Year

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers The Live Anthology
Not even close, if you got the "super" box through Best Buy. The Blu-Ray 5.1 audio disc is the best sounding live music ever. And, amazingly, if you play it start to finish it sounds like ONE very good and very long live show.

Live DVD of the Year

Leonard Cohen
Live in London. The DVD shows just how much Leonard wrapped himself around his music and his devoted fans.

Collaboration of the Year

Monsters of Folk

Live Bootleg of the Year

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Madison Square Garden 11/08/09
The River show. The only time it has or ever will be played from start to finish. As Bruce said on stage, its too damn long. Combing audio quality and show quality this is the best Bruce bootleg ever.

Movies of the Year

The Hurt Locker

Sugar

Books of the Year

Fiction "Brooklyn" by Colm Toibin

Non-fiction "The Big Burn" Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America.

Concert of the Year

(other than the six Bruce shows)
Pearl Jam August 24, United Center
The band was at full throttle and we got "Crazy Mary" which they did not get the first night.

Best BBQ of the Year

Augie's Barbed Wire BBQ, San Antonio. If I lived there I would be dead in six months.

Shitbag of the Year

Glenn Beck.

So enjoy, except for the last one.