The Boney Awards for 2014-Top 15 Albums

[T_Bone0806]

OK, The Grammys have been presented, The Oscars awarded, and now,
all that's left to make the awards season complete are The Boneys!!

Ahem...when you've all finished laughing...


These are my favorite albums and songs for the year gone by..in this
case, 2014...I don't presume to tell you these are necessarily the
most artistically brilliant works of last year..they're just the ones
I enjoyed the most, plain and simple. My motives are also plain and
simple...I love talking about music and perhaps you will also find some
of these, of which a fair percentage are pretty obscure and not something
you may have come across otherwise, to your liking as well. As always,
your feedback is welcomed wholeheartedly.

And so, on with the show, starting with my 15 favorite albums of 2014:


15. PLAIN SPOKEN-JOHN MELLENCAMP

Exactly what the title implies, this is basic Americana/Roots music,
nuthin' fancy, just Mellencamp speaking his mind about things from his
middle-aged perspective. I haven't been knocked out with a lot of his
output post Scarecrow, but this one hit the mark for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Plain-Spoken-John ... mellencamp


14. ROCK OR BUST-AC/DC

Their best in years. Angus Young remains a riffmeister supreme. If there's
a rock-n-roll animal remaining anywhere in your system, this album will
satisfy the beast's appetite.

http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Bust-AC-DC/d ... ds=ac%2Fdc


13. PLECTRUMELECTRUM-PRINCE AND 3RD EYE GIRL

Prince released 2 records simultaneously, one under his own name
and the other with the all female trio 3rd eye girl. I was
completely unimpressed with the "solo" disc, but this one is a
cool funk-rock workout. Can't say I'm crazy about the songs on
which the other band members take lead vocals, but the instrumentals
and the Prince-fronted numbers are killer.

http://www.amazon.com/PLECTRUMELECTRUM- ... umelectrum


12. THE ROYAL SESSIONS-PAUL RODGERS

One of the, of not THE most, underappreciated vocalists in rock history,
the former frontman for Free and Bad Company applies his considerable
chops to some soul classics, backed by some of the top studio musicians
of that era. As Arthur Conley once asked "Do you like good music..that
Sweet Soul Music?" If your answer is yes, listen to this disc.

http://www.amazon.com/Royal-Sessions-Am ... l+sessions


11. THE ENDLESS RIVER-PINK FLOYD

If you were expecting the classic Floyd sound of Dark Side of The Moon or
Wish You Were Here, you were probably quite disappointed with this record,
which completed unfinished tracks left over from the Division Bell sessions.
All but one track is instrumental, and stylistically, it falls into the
Atom Heart Mother/Meddle era, that transitional period between wild
experimental Floyd and the Dark Side classic Floyd I mentioned earlier.
Spacey mood music for serious Floyd fans but not casual ones.

http://www.amazon.com/Endless-River-dig ... 1424899498


10. MORNING PHASE-BECK

This was the Grammy winner for album of the year. Moody and atmospheric, it
takes repeated listens to reveal its full value.

http://www.amazon.com/Morning-Phase-Bec ... ning+phase


9. THE LEMON SQUEEZE-JEREMY FISHER

Canadian singer-songwriter returning to the pop sound he excels at
on his latest. He comes up with a lot of catchy material here.

http://www.amazon.com/Lemon-Squeeze-Jer ... 1424900117


8. HEAVEN AND EARTH-YES

If you're not listening too closely, you might not even realize that it
is NOT longtime singer and founding member Jon Anderson singing, but
newcomer Jon Davison...reminds me of when Phil Collins first took over
from Peter Gabriel in Genesis. What makes this, for me, anyway, their
strongest outing in at least 2 decades is the strength of the songwriting.
The songs are concise..not necessarily 3-minute pop ditties, mind you, but
by and large focused and melodic and not easily given to the pointless
meanderings the band sometimes falls victim to.

http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Earth-Yes/ ... +and+earth


7. EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END-WEEZER

Lively, energetic, and downright fun for the most part, and the sound
that fans of their first album from all those years ago have been hoping
to hear again.

http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Will-A ... 1424902654


6. SONGS OF INNOCENCE-U2

This is the album that caused such an uproar last year when it was
automatically downloaded for free to everyone with an iTunes account.
I dunno, I guess it was a reaction like "what else will they do without
our consent" kind of thing..my thought on the reaction was "only in America
will people bitch about getting something for free..know how to use your
delete button? Then use it, bunky..". What amused me was that I am not that
big of a U2 fan, and I wound up enjoying this album more than any other by
the band except MAYBE The Joshua Tree, while critical response to it was tepid
at best. Go figure.

http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Innocence-D ... 1424903088


5. 50 ST. CATHERINE'S DRIVE-ROBIN GIBB

Yes, you're reading this correctly. Robin Gibb. Was one of The Bee Gees. Object
of numerous anti-disco tirades from yours truly. But I liked much of their
pre-disco music. There is very little polyester residue on the material here,
music Gibb had been working on before his death. It has been polished up for
release by his son and some others, and there are some lovely ballads and pop
songs throughout. Reflections on love, aging, and living for the moment. A very
nice musical parting gift.

http://www.amazon.com/St-Catherines-Dri ... robin+gibb


4. HYPNOTIC EYE-TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS

Petty gets back to the type of basic rock and roll he's best at. An excellent
rock record in an era when we don't get much of that type anymore.

http://www.amazon.com/Hypnotic-Eye-Tom- ... 1424904869


3. JUKEBOX THE GHOST-JUKEBOX THE GHOST

This outfit makes good on the promise of its previous album with this release,
a collection of bouncy, upbeat pop. Even the songs with lyrics about less
positive situations SOUND happy. If pop is not a dirty word to you, you need
to check this one out.

http://www.amazon.com/Jukebox-Ghost/dp/ ... 1424905191


2. SOMEWHERE UNDER WONDERLAND-COUNTING CROWS

Love this record. Starting with the sprawling opener Palisades Park and continuing
into songs embracing folk, pop, rock, and Americana while maintaining an overall
cohesiveness, which keeps the record interesting and fresh, it is rich listening.
I think it is their finest recording.

http://www.amazon.com/Somewhere-Under-W ... 1424905438


1. SONIC HIGHWAYS-FOO FIGHTERS

Speaking of finest recordings, Dave Grohl and company outdo themselves with
this one. Each song was recorded in a different studio in a different city,
augmented with musicians from that area. As with the Crows record, the songs
are diverse enough to hold interest throughout. On a sidenote, each session
was filmed for a series of documentaries for HBO. It also seems that the song
order was carefully thought out, as the work has a definite flow, culminating
in the stunning I Am A River. Don't count out the album as an art form just yet.
And as long as the Foo Fighters are around, don't count rock out just yet either.

http://www.amazon.com/Sonic-Highways-Fo ... 1424906349



Coming up, we'll count down my top 80 favorite songs of 2014.

[Ritterskoop]

Paul Rodgers, Jeremy Fisher, Robin Gibb and the top two sound like my kind of albums - I will buy them without listening to clips, based on your rec.

[T_Bone0806]

Paul Rodgers, Jeremy Fisher, Robin Gibb and the top two sound like my kind of albums - I will buy them without listening to clips, based on your rec.

if you've liked stuff in the past by Counting Crows, you'll probably like this one..I think it's probably their best.

Foo Fighters is heavy rock mostly...but very well crafted. I would recommend listening to the soundbites before purchasing..don't want to steer you down the wrong path.

[mrkelley23]

Excitement! I haven't even bought any of Mellencamp's records recently -- the quality just kept falling off. So now I can try this one, at least.

If you didn't listen to Rosanne Cash's The River & the Thread, you might want to give it a try. I ordered it based on the Grammy win, and it didn't disappoint me. It might be a little too country for you, I dunno.

And Steve Earle's Terraplane (the new blues-only album) is worth a listen, too. It's a pretty uneven collection, IMO, but there are one or two cuts I bet you'd like.

[T_Bone0806]

Excitement! I haven't even bought any of Mellencamp's records recently -- the quality just kept falling off. So now I can try this one, at least.

If you didn't listen to Rosanne Cash's The River & the Thread, you might want to give it a try. I ordered it based on the Grammy win, and it didn't disappoint me. It might be a little too country for you, I dunno.

And Steve Earle's Terraplane (the new blues-only album) is worth a listen, too. It's a pretty uneven collection, IMO, but there are one or two cuts I bet you'd like.

I did get the Cash cd, and liked much of it, it just didn't make the cut. One of the tunes from it was among the last eliminated.

I checked soundbites on the Earle disc when it was released, didn't make an impact at the time. Maybe I should try again.

[mrkelley23]

Excitement! I haven't even bought any of Mellencamp's records recently -- the quality just kept falling off. So now I can try this one, at least.

If you didn't listen to Rosanne Cash's The River & the Thread, you might want to give it a try. I ordered it based on the Grammy win, and it didn't disappoint me. It might be a little too country for you, I dunno.

And Steve Earle's Terraplane (the new blues-only album) is worth a listen, too. It's a pretty uneven collection, IMO, but there are one or two cuts I bet you'd like.

I did get the Cash cd, and liked much of it, it just didn't make the cut. One of the tunes from it was among the last eliminated.

I checked soundbites on the Earle disc when it was released, didn't make an impact at the time. Maybe I should try again.

The one I think you'd like is called Go go Boots are Back:



Very Stones-ish. Maybe too much.

The other one that's growing on me is "Baby's Just as Mean as Me," a duet with Eleanor Whitmore. Old-fashioned, like 30s or 40s sounding.

[Vandal]

Looking forward to hearing some of these.

[T_Bone0806]

The one I think you'd like is called Go go Boots are Back:



Very Stones-ish. Maybe too much.

The other one that's growing on me is "Baby's Just as Mean as Me," a duet with Eleanor Whitmore. Old-fashioned, like 30s or 40s sounding.

I did like the first one quite a bit. The second one probably works better in the context of the whole album, as a change of pace number. On its own, it was ok for me, but just ok. I will investigate further..

[tlynn78]

I must invent an excuse for a road trip so I can immerse myself in fine music courtesy of Mr. Bone! Thank you sooo much!

[SportsFan68]

Ditto was Ms T. said.

You are the greatest!! Thanks!!

I may have a road trip to Kansas coming up next month. Now I'm looking forward to it, if it happens.