FRT: From the Mother Ship

Up late doing some freelance work on the big G5. Which is good because the iPod FRTs are really getting stale. Here we go...

1. The Presidents of the United States "Peaches" -- "Peaches come in a can!..." Boy, I used to buy a lot of music back in the day... This song is as dumb as it gets, but undeniably catchy. 5/10

2. dada "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" -- I think we all know how I feel about this band. 7/10

3. Ralph's World "18 Wheels on the Big Rig" -- A kid's counting song that kicks some serious ass. Especially the Roman numerals "solo." Graded on a curve: 8/10

4. Nirvana "Serve the Servants" -- Never cared much for this one. 3/10

5. Prince "Diamonds and Pearls" -- I'd prefer "Kiss" 3/10

6. L.P. "Wasted" Solo female artist, she sung backup for Cracker. Great pipes. Album was a big disappointment, this track's okay. 5/10

7. Peter Gabriel "Lay Your Hands On Me" -- Later covered by Bon Jovi... From the first album with a title—Security. Great headphone song once the percussion really gets rolling. Though I loved "So" when it came out, this was really the last good Gabriel. 8/10

8. Chris Whitley "Dirt Floor" In the ten minutes of the Grammys I watched, I caught the "tribute" section honoring everybody who died this year. Whitley's was the last face they showed. I had no idea. Apparently, he died of lung cancer at just 45. (Considering that he probably smoked 780 cigarettes in the half-dozen shows I saw, not a huge surprise.)

A true blues/country talent with a unique, haunting voice and a great steel and slide guitar, he will be missed. His "Living With the Law" is easily one of the best ten albums I've ever heard (here's a sample).

This song chosen at random by my CPU doesn't warrant it, but I'm awarding a Too-Short-Lifetime Achievement Award: 10/10

9. Monster Magnet "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" You got your Soundgarden in my White Zombie... 6/10

10. Minor Threat "Cashing In" -- Ian MacKaye's pre-Fugazi punk band. Listening to this stuff on a computer just feels wrong. Where's my turntable? 8/10

6.3 average. Fairly poor. With waaay more stuff available on my computer than my iPod, the list was all over the place. And it wasn't even the kid's music dragging me down, it was two musical icons—Cobain and Prince.

More on Chris Whitley: Go check out his website here for some music downloads and more videos. Also, there are two Tribute Concerts this weekend in Austin and Houston featuring Shawn Colvin, Charlie Sexton, Eric Johnson, Vernon Reid and others.