Unless you dig it...it's not the Spiggot.

Back in the day, when I lived in Kenmore Square, there was a great used record and CD store called "Nuggets". Their newspaper ads used the tag line, "It's not a nugget unless you dug it." I've paraphrased that line as my title this month because all the CD's we reviewed were...nuggets. Nothing sucked. Here's a more detailed look:

Blitzen Trapper – Furr

This is the first BT CD I’ve listened to, so I don’t know much about their past work. The first track, Sleepytime in the Western World had me thinking that I was going to get a heavy dose of ‘60’s style pop, but I was pleasantly surprised as each song took on a different sound/genre. The title track sounded like Queen’s "39" minus the choral harmonies. Lyrically, it was a kind of a bizarre version of “It Was a Very Good Year”…when I was 23, I shed my fur after being raised by wolves..." or something to that effect. The only thing that kept this from being a 5 for me was the extended jamming on a couple of the deeper tracks. All in all, very listenable and varied enough to listen to straight through 4.5

Everest

I listened to this CD on a late night drive from Hartford to NH. I couldn’t have picked a better time. I couldn’t get wrapped up in what the song titles were, who was in the band, none of that. Just the feeling of mellow, yet powerful Neil Young inspired acoustic and electric guitars along with those high tenor vocals. I absolutely understand how they would be touring with Wilco and Neil. I can’t tell you anything specific about any of the songs, but by the second pass on this – I listened to the full CD twice on the ride – I was singing along so the hooks in these songs are pretty good, in my view. All in all, a solid 4.

Yayhoos

For me, this was a “what’s not to like” kind of CD since I enjoyed the Georgia Satellites when they came on the scene and I know that I’d get a dose of good old fashioned southern rock sensibilities on this CD. The first track, What Are We Waitin’ For” had me singing right away…and then I had to think about Toby Keith’s “I Ain’t As Good As I Once Was” which has a very similar melodic hook. But this came first, and so the smile on my face got even bigger with “…Darling I Love You (but leave me the fuck alone)” blasting out of my speakers. By the time we got to the Abba tune, I knew I had to look for more info on these guys. 4.5 It might have been a 5 if their riff-rock tune was less ZZ Top-like.

Whitesnake – Slide It In

Not exactly Bob Dylan here…I’m gonna slide it in right to the top…spit it out if you don’t like it…gee, what could Whitesnake mean by that? Well, with a name like Whitesnake what can you expect... If you look up the definition of “rock out with your cock out” you’ll probably find this album as suggested listening. But seriously, as hair bands go, they can play their instruments well enough. The musical hooks and structure of the songs are classic, late ‘70’s rock and that’s…OK. I got fooled by “Love Ain’t No Stranger." From the first 30 seconds, I thought I was going to get a synth-driven power ballad, but I guess they just couldn’t help themselves…"Guilty of Love" sounds like their attempt at a single…guitar harmony hooks and all. I give it 2.5 inches…well, maybe 3. OK, a full 3 inches.

G-Hits - Golden Smog

How cool are they! A Thin Lizzy cover, a Brian Wilson cover , and just great pop/rock sensibilites all the way through. I missed them the first time around so I'll keep this in the car CD 6-pack for a while until I can buy some of their CDs. Thanks for the turn-on.

First album I ever owned I bought at the ripe old age of 10. It was a compilation of K-Tel proportions, though it was marketed on the Lost Nite label (out of Philadelphia) and was called "WFIL Pop Explosion". 24 big hits like "Pretty Little Angel Eyes", Daddy's Home", "Sally Go Round The Roses", Ellusive Butterfly", and "Last Kiss" (No, it's NOT a Pearl Jam original). It cost $4.06. I had to borrow the .06 from my friend's mom, but it was worth every penny. It reinforced my love for oldies, which I still have to this day.

Now, a question. This will be my first stab at a "Best Of" for our dinner meeting. I'd like to know if there are any tips as to how you compile these. Do you work from your CD's? From Rhapsody? Do you only include those things you listen to most, or do you take lists from other sources and listen to things you may have missed first? Just wondering. Any input would be appreciated.