In Tune With Wade

White Stripes need a home

The White Stripes are currently without a record label thanks to the apparent demise of V2. My favorite band to blow up in the '00s without a home? This does not sit well. Here are a couple YouTube clips of the Stripes doing Dylan to ease the pain.

Watch and learn kids as Jack and Meg pound the audience with a heavy remake of Bob Dylan's "Outlaw Blues." The duo transforms this 40 year-old album filler into a seething kiss-off. Check it out if only to hear Jack sneer: "Don't ask me nothing about nothing, I might just tell you the truth."

The White Stripes do a killer (and rather scary) version of Dylan's "Love Sick" that finds crazy Jack alternating between manic keyboards and nasty guitar while Meg bangs the drum slowly but with the might of a mad woman.

The White Stripes have also covered Dylan's "One More Cup of Coffee" and "Isis" over the years. But the real magic occurred at a show March 17, 2004, in Detroit when Jack White joined Dylan and his band for a version of the Stripes' "Ball and Biscuit."

Here's to hoping Dylan and White do an official collaboration in the near future ... You know, as soon as The White Stripes find a new home!

WHAT YOUNG AND OLD ROCKER WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE JOIN FORCES?

Rock 'n' roll reunions

A recent post at RollingStone.com got me thinking about the bands I would most like to see mount a comeback/reunion tour.  I was too young to enjoy these groups during their heyday. Here's to hoping at least a couple reunite during my lifetime, preferably while  I'm still in a position to get a press pass to the show.

Top 10 Rock 'N' Roll Reunions That Need to Happen

1. Talking Heads
Rent the Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" DVD and marvel at the funkiest geek-rock performance ever brought to stage. Byrne (pictured on guitar) and co. are needed now more than ever.
2. Uncle Tupelo
By the time "Whiskey Bottle" and "Gun" became two of my favorite songs Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy had been going in separate directions for nearly a decade. Tweedy's Wilco is a bit too spacey for me and Farrar's solo career has proved less than mesmerizing. Make up, fellas.
3. The Byrds
Roger McGuinn, David Crosby and Chris Hillman still have the chops to make this a reuinion tour to remember.
4. Parliament/Funkadelic
How about George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell, Maceo Parker and the rest of the available originals tearing the roof off every major venue across the nation ... with Snoop Dogg as the opening act.
5. Guns N' Roses
Original lineup, not Axl and a cast of replacement players.
6. Led Zeppelin
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham's son Jason bashing the skins. Zep will fill football stadiums. It will be pure bombast. It will be beautiful.
7. Pink Floyd
With David Gilmour and Roger Waters sharing the stage for more than 20 minutes.
8. Whiskeytown
With Alejandro Escovedo opening so Ryan Adams will have him to duet on "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight."
9.  Allman Brothers Band (with Dickey Betts)
He wrote "Ramblin' Man," "Blue Sky," "Revival," "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," "Southbound," "Jessica" and the group's sweetest 1990s track, "Seven Turns." Betts deserves to be invited back to the Brotherhood. Make him promise to behave, recognize Gregg as the leader and understand that he must share — equally — lead guitar duties with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks.
10. Van Halen
Original lineup with Diamond Dave.  Eddie's a jerk but this could be fun.

WHAT DID I MISS? 

Getting my kicks in 2006

My highly subjective Top 10 Albums of 2006 article ran Dec. 31 in our A&E section. I was second-guessing myself right up to deadline. I failed to include Wolfmother's retro-ly rad debut and I think that might have been a mistake. I'm also starting to wonder if I would have been kinder to the latest by Justin Timberlake and John Mayer if they would've been by anyone other than Justin Timberlake and John Mayer.

Anyway, here's my list.  Take a look and then post a comment about how I'm an idiot for not raving about the Arctic Monkeys or those punks My Chemical Romance. Click here to read the trenchant prose that accompanied each selection. Click here to read my pick for concert of the year.

1. "St. Elsewhere," Gnarls Barkley (Downtown)
2. "Modern Times," Bob Dylan (Columbia)
3. "Public Warning," Lady Sovereign (Def Jam)
4. "Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers," Lucero (Liberty & Lament)
5. "Back to the Basics," Christina Aguilera (RCA)
6. "Begin to Hope," Regina Spektor (Sire)
7. "We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions," Bruce Springsteen (Columbia)
8. "Straight to Hell," Hank Williams III (Curb)
9. "Broken Boy Soldiers," The Raconteurs (Third Man Records)
10. "Bring it on Home . . . The Soul Classics," Aaron Neville (Burgundy S)

Best reissue:
"Live at the Fillmore," Neil Young & Crazy Horse (Reprise)

WHAT DID I MISS?

Top 10 Singles of 2006

These are the tunes I gravitated to this year. Each of these warranted multiple plays (likely a dozen-plus) on my work computer, home and/or car stereo. Perhaps you a dig few of these, as well. Truth is, I love making lists, just like those dudes in "High Fidelity." My Best of Nightlife 2006 list will run Thursday in the Night Moves column I do for our Weekend section. My Top 10 album list will run in A&E before the month's out. What can I say? I'm a music geek.

1. "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley
Dark lyrics meet a sweet hook on the year's most interesting and irresistible single.
2. "Worldwide Suicide," Pearl Jam
Taut protest rock from the kings of grunge.
3. "SexyBack," Justin Timberlake
The funkiest white boy on the dance floor delivers a VIP-worthy club jam.
4. "Love Me or Hate Me," Lady Sovereign
"The biggest midget in the game" issued the year's most original rap single.
5. "Mighty 'O'," Outkast
The Atlanta duo successfully quotes Cab Calloway on this swinging hit.
6. "Steady As She Goes," The Raconteurs
Jack White and company do the 1960s garage rock thing with style.
7. "Woman," Wolfmother
Young Aussies channel Black Sabbath better than Black Sabbath has been able to do in decades.
8. "Fidelity," Regina Spektor
I did my best to turn readers onto this killer break-up ballad here.
9. "Ain't No Other Man," Christina Aguilera
Xtina (pictured) gets delightfully brassy on this bad boy.
10. "Wind it Up," Gwen Stefani
It's no "Hollaback Girl" but it's still worth getting caught sing along to this ditty that makes good on a sample from the "The Sound of Music."

WHAT DID I MISS?

Love on the rocks

The gossip blogs are sizzling today with news of Pamela Anderson filing for divorce from Kid Rock after less than four months of marriage.  My heart goes out for the hard-living couple. It really does. So much so, I have created a playlist for the former Playmate and the man born Bob Ritchie.  It's their rocky relationship, told in 10 songs.

Love on the Rocks: A Playlist for Pam and Kid

1. "Centerfold," J. Geils Band
2. "Let's Get It On," Marvin Gaye
3. "That Don't Impress Me Much," Shania Twain
4. "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)," Loretta Lynn
5. "Hello Goodbye," The Beatles
6. "(Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth I'm) Kissing You Goodbye," Waylon Jennings
7.  "B---- is Back," Elton John
8. "B------ Ain't S----," Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg
9. "Picture," Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow
10. "I Used to Love Her," Guns 'N Roses

WHAT DID I MISS?

Hot music for cold nights

It's cold, gray and gloomy. OK, maybe it's not so chilly if you're from Minnesota. But if, like me, you've spent the past 15 years basking in the tropical climate of the Sunshine State, the current temperature drop is enough to make you want to hunker down with tunes that hint at the hot weather we enjoy the other 300 days of the year.

TOP 10 SONGS THAT MAKE US FEEL WARM

"Heatwave," Martha and the Vandellas
"Hot In Here," Nelly
"Summer in the City," The Lovin' Spoonful
"The Heat Is On," Glen Frey
"Summertime," Janis Joplin
"Hot Blooded," Foreigner
"Summertime," Will Smith
"Hot Stuff," Donna Summer
"Summertime Blues," Eddie Cochrane
"Lucky Old Sun," Ray Charles

WHAT DID I MISS?

Hit the road, Rummy!

Not even an idiotic comment by John Kerry made days before the election could stop the Democrats from winning control of the House of Representatives and what appears to be the Senate. Serious change came quick with President Bush telling a national television audience that his old pal, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, was out of a job. We hate to kick a man when he's down but ...

Donald Rumsfeld Farewell Soundtrack

1. "It's All Over Now," Rolling Stones
2. "Hello Goodbye," The Beatles
3. "Don't Come Around Here No More," Tom Petty
4. "See You Later, Alligator," Bill Haley
5. "Happy Trails," Roy Rogers
6. "Nan, Na, Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)," Steam
7. "It's Over," Roy Orbison
8. "The End," The Doors
9. "Hit the Road Jack," Ray Charles
10. "All My Exes Live in Texas," George Strait
WHAT DID I MISS?

Election Day Playlist

Tuesday is the most important mid-term election in more than a decade. We're a nation fighting an unpopular war sold to the American people by an equally unpopular president. The White House, Senate and House of Representatives are all controlled by the Republican Party. Political pundits predict the House and maybe even the Senate will change hands, with many governor races on the line, as well, including the Sunshine State battle between Charlie Crist and Jim Davis. Regardless of the outcome, it will be a wild night in the newsroom Tuesday — I can't wait!

ELECTION DAY PLAYLIST
1. "Power to the People," John Lennon
2. "Rockin' in the Free World," Neil Young
3. "Wasteland of the Free," Iris Dement
4. "Revolution," The Beatles
5. "Get Up, Stand Up," Bob Marley
6. "What's Goin' On," Marvin Gaye
7. "A Change Gonna Come," Sam Cooke
8. "The Times They Are A-Changin,'" Bob Dylan
9. "The Revolution Starts Now," Steve Earle
10. "Democracy," Leonard Cohen
BONUS TRACK: "Won't Get Fooled Again," The Who

WHAT DID I MISS?

Ben Bakker brings the black

I got on my high grammar horse and omitted black from my previous post about colors in song titles. Ben Bakker, local music impressario and front man for Rumors of War, took exception.
"I refuse to accept that black is not a color," Bakker wrote. And he proceeded to submit a nifty "Top 10 "Black IS TOO a color" list (see comments section on last post). The gauntlet has been dropped. I will submit a black list of my own.

Top 10 'Black IS TOO a Color' Part 2
1. "Black Dog," Led Zeppelin
2. "Blackbird," The Beatles
3. "Say it Loud — I'm Black and Proud," James Brown
4. "Proud to be Black," Run D.M.C.
5. "Man in the Long Black Coat," Bob Dylan
6. "1952 Vincent Black Shadow," Richard Thompson
7. "Black Night," James Booker
8. "Black is the Color of My True love's Hair," Nina Simone
9. "Black Hole Sun," Soundgarden
10. "Black Hearted Woman," Allman Brothers Band

WHAT DID I MISS?

Color my world

Colors have played an integral role in song titles over the years. Prince somehow managed to appropriate purple and he's done well with red, as in "Little Red Corvette" and "raspberry," too, as in "Raspberry Beret." So it is only fitting that Prince's "Purple Rain" tops my latest list. Incidentally, black and white are not colors. Sorry, I don't make the rules, dear readers.

Top 10 Most Colorful Songs
1. "Purple Rain," Prince
2. "Tangled up in Blue," Bob Dylan
3. "Yellow Submarine," The Beatles
4. "Pink Moon," Nick Drake
5. "Mood Indigo," Duke Ellington
6. "Red, Red Wine," Neil Diamond
7. "Brown Eyed Girl," Van Morrison
8. "Violet," Hole
9. "Green Eyed Lady," Sugarloaf
10. "Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)," John Prine
BONUS TRACK: "Colors," Ice T

WHAT DID I MISS?