AC/DC - Highway to Hell

What can I say about this album that this article doesn't already say? Also, I'm not sure I believe any of the apocryphal stories about what they played to get Noriega out.

AC/DC - For Those About to Rock

You know how to tell the difference between a great AC/DC album and one that is merely good? You'll know more lyrics by heart on the great album. Other than that they are exactly the same, by which I mean excellent.

The Get Up Kids - Something to Write Home About

This is the ceiling for The Get Up Kids. It would be impossible for them to make an album better than this. It sounds like Pinkerton if it were a little less bitter and had a little more keyboard.

First 10 - Fantastic Four

Because I am now a busy grad student, I can't read comic books at the pace I was back when I didn't have anything to do all day (I read 40 years of X-Men in 6 months). I've spent so much time on X-men I have neglected other series that I really wanna read. Due to time constraints, I decided to read the first 10 issues of various comic book series. This gives me a feel for their particular flavor and will help me decide how to spend my nerd time when the sweet relief of spring break comes.

Stan Lee once said that the Silver Age of comic books was really the Golden Age for him and Marvel. Most of the iconic Marvel franchises (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, Incredible Hulk, X-Men, as well as revamped series such as Iron Man, Captain America, The Avengers and others) were launched between 1961 and 1963. I absolutely love Marvel comics of the 1960s. You can tell that Stan Lee was eager to write the comics and guys like Ditko and Kirby were all too happy to draw them. The creative juices at Marvel were flowing and the fact that they were loving every minute of it shows in each issue in Marvel's Golden Age.

The Fantastic Four was the first superhero team Stan Lee ever put together. I was first made aware of The Fantastic Four from the animated series in the 90's. At the time I thought Reed Richards was a bit of a clown, Susan Storm was meh, and Johnny Storm and The Thing were awesome (who doesn't want it to be clobberin' time?). From my other Marvel reading, I have come to understand and respect Reed Richards as a super smart non-clown and Susan Storm as a bona fide hottie. That said, it was nice to get into the first 10 Fantastic Four comics.

The sign of a good comic is good villains, and Fantastic Four has one of the best in the business. Dr. Doom is as iconic as any villain anywhere. I'd place him second only to Magneto in all the Marvel universe. Also in the first 10 issues you get to see Namor take on a variety of roles. His love of Sue Storm is an important plot line to lay down early in the series. The first 10 issues of Fantastic Four really have everything you want. You get to see the team get their powers, you meet their most dangerous villain, you get acquainted with some of the internal struggles in the group (Thing's loathing of Johnny Storm, Sue's mixed feelings about Namor, Reed and Thing's affection for Sue), and you get a real taste for what the series has to offer. Because I haven't done any other first 10's yet, Fantastic Four is an early front runner for my spring break nerd time. I'll keep you posted as I get through other first 10's.

Various Artists - By Geroge and Ira

Who has contributed more to The Great American Songbook than George and Ira Gershwin (I politely rebut your Cole Porter and chortle derisively at your Hoagy Carmichael)? Who has put out more high-quality jazz albums than Verve (I will give you an Andy Samberg ultimate punch if you say Blue Note)? Bring the two together and it's a sweet PB & H (honey is better than jam or jelly and crunchy is better than creamy. Don't make me turn this bus around).

The GC5 - Never Bet the Devil Your Head

If I played this for you and told you it was a lost Rancid album, you would believe me. I am untrustworthy and you are dumb. Good punk though.

Further Seems Forever - The Moon is Down

Chris Carrabba was once in Further Seems Forever. After this album he left the band, started Dashboard Confessional and turned them into a band that sounds exactly like Further Seems Forever. Not to be outdone, Further Seems Forever picked up another lead singer who sounds exactly like Chris Carrabba. Confused? Be even more so when I tell you that this album is very good.

Front and Centre - EP

This band sounds exactly like Erasure circa Chorus. The song "Ordinary Man" is a perfect compliment to Erasure's "Am I Right." If you ever find a copy of this EP (unlikely) try and tell me it isn't so.

Aretha Franklin - Best of

Aretha Franklin is second only to Ella Fitzgerald on the list of all-time greatest female vocalists. Also, she's second on the list of black women with voices so amazing I'm willing to overlook the fact that they have 40 years and 150 pounds on me. Oh, and the artwork for this album sucks.

Peter Frampton - Frampton's Camel

Never forget that Peter Frampton is a champ. His studio stuff is just as good as his live stuff, and nothing Wayne Campbell says can change the facts. Oh, and Mitch Hedburg smoked fake pot with him once. True story.

Fountains of Wayne - Fountains of Wayne

This album came out in 1996. Fountains of Wayne was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy in 2004 (the nomination was a slap in the face. The fact that they lost to Evanescence was criminal). The Grammys are a sham. Also, "Sink to the Bottom" and "Joe Rey" are classic pop songs and should be listened to by one and all.

The Format - EP

I got really tired of this EP and the first Format album. Then Dog Problems happened and it made me love it all. Oh, they're from Arizona and I've seen them about a zillion times, none of which I paid for.

Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape

Even though I don't really understand the appeal of the Foo Fighters, I really enjoy parts of this album. Did I mention Dave Grohl fell on my head once? I did? Well, it's still a true story.

Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters

I really don't get the Foo Fighters. They're ok, but they don't seem to move me for some reason. Also, Dave Grohl fell on my head once. True story.

Cut to the Chase

So I started grad school recently and it has been kicking my hiney. I'm actually surprised I have time enough to write as many words as this sentence contains (16). I've been kicking back and forth the idea that I should give up on this blog business and go on my merry way, but I can't. The problem is the modern world in which we live. Somehow I've gotten it through my head that people in the world want to know what I think about stuff because I'm important (Actually, about 500 people in Europe really want to know about Bon Jovi because that page has 500 hits and everything else has bupkis). So I'm going to keep this thing going, but I'm going to keep things short and shorter. I might still throw an odd rant up every now and again, but all my reviews will be tweet sized or smaller (unlike this entry which is really to long inasmuch as the goal is to tell all zero of my faithful readers that I intend to write shorter entries. I'm enigmatic. What can I say). So that's why I'll be doing truncated reviews from now on. Deal with it.