Twelve From: Best of 2006 List

This is The Crutch's Top 12 of 2006 - in no order. Needless to say, several great albums were not included.

SSM - SSM (Alive)
[mp3] The freshest and best rock and roll this year.

The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (V2)
[live mp3] Probably won't be the best album they'll inevitably create, but this debut blows away the majority of the field.

Archie Bronson Outfit - Derdang Derdang (Domino)
[mp3] Arctic who? Franz who? You should know Archie Bronson Outfit.

The M's - Future Women (Polyvinyl)
[live mp3] The drumming alone makes this album a must listen, but the over all craftsmanship puts it on this list.

Comets on Fire - Avatar (Sub Pop)
[mp3] The heaviest of the bunch, but it's just more to love.

Jay Reatard - Blood Visions (In the Red)
[mp3] The best thing Jay Reatard has done - and that's a statement within itself.

King Khan & the BBQ Show - What's For Dinner? (In the Red)
[mp3] If you've forgotten what rock and roll sounded like, listen to this album.

Soledad Brothers - The Hardest Walk (Alive)
[mp3] The last album this band may ever put out, but it's an impressive one.

Catfish Haven - Tell Me (Secretly Canadian)
Simple, soulful, and passionate - not much else is needed.

Functional Blackouts - Severed Tongue Speaks For Everyone (Criminal IQ)
[mp3] This isn't your average punk album - it'll put hair on your chest.

The Black Angels - Passover (Light in the Attic)
[mp3] Psychedelia done right.

The Drones - Miller's Daughter (Bang!)
[mp3] The Drones are the best band from down under since Radio Birdman.

Four From: a live setting

T. Rex - 20th Century Boy (German TV - Musikladen - 1973)
If not for Marc Bolan, David Bowie would've never been David Bowie.

The Reigning Sound - We Repel Each Other (Goner Fest - 2005)
The best band that the general public has never heard of.

The White Stripes - Hello Operator/Baby Blue (Peel Sessions - 2001)
This version of "Hello Operator" (minus the cover of Gene Vincent's "Baby Blue") is what made them popular in England (before the U.S.), and this session impressed John Peel so much that he touted them as the most exciting live act since Jimi Hendrix.

The Beatles - Money (Swedish Radio - 1963)
If I heard this in 1963, I'm sure I would've shit my pants as well.

Music Collection Supplement: Country

When Waylon sang about needing a change in country music, he was referring to the newest, lowest grade of country music that dominated the genre in 1975. The song's relevance to today's country is unavoidable. He was saying we need to go back and listen to the likes of Hank Sr. - listen to the spirit he exuded - and use it - utilize the simplicity that makes country music great. But with his counter country long-hair look, he may have been unknowingly looking into the future, talking about the progressive change that has recently hit, with Cash ending his career with Rick Rubin, Loretta Lynn getting a reinvention courtesy of Jack White, or Willie Nelson teaming up with Ryan Adams. Today, we will take a glance at both.

Buck Owens - Act Naturally
Hank Williams - Ramblin' Man
Merle Haggard - Mama Tried
Johnny Cash - Don't Take Your Guns to Town
Loretta Lynn - Miss Being Mrs.
Charlie Poole w/ the North Carolina Ramblers - If the River Was Whiskey
Willie Nelson - Songbird
Dwight Yoakam - Guitars, Cadillacs
Blanche - Who's To Say
Waylon Jennings - Are You Sure Hank Done it This Way?
Dolly Parton - Jolene
George Jones - Why Baby Why
Roy Acuff - Freight Train Blues
Hank III - You're the Reason
Kris Kristofferson - Me and Bobby McGee
Tammy Wynette - Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad
Chet Atkins - Tiger Rag
Jack White - Wayfaring Stranger
Patsy Cline - Back in Baby's Arms

Three From: 1989

The Pixies - Tame (Doolittle)
If the timing was right, The Pixies would've been Nirvana.

The Gories - I Think I've Had It (House Rockin')
Thank god for Mick Collins.

Lenny Kravitz - Let Love Rule (Let Love Rule)
Kravitz had some real talent before he became a "rock star."

Three From: 1979

George Thorogood - Who Do You Love (Move It On Over)
Over his career, Thorogood's covers are better than the originals themselves, including this Bo Diddley tune.

The Cars - Bye Bye Love (The Cars)
Hands down one of the best debut albums ever.

Wire - I Am the Fly (Chairs Missing)
Who would've guessed this Brits would have such an influence?

Three From: 1966

Nancy Sinatra - Lightning's Girl (How Does That Grab You?)
I'm waiting for Jack White to cover this.

The Sonics - Cinderella (Boom)
The godfathers of punk.

Love - My Flash On You (Love)
Love, The Zombies, and The Kinks (in a popular sense) are the three most unappreciated bands of the 1960s.

A New Direction

Monte has decided to go a different direciton. All our few contributors are busy doing other things, but we still would like to contribute to the world of music by introducing folks to new and old music. Therefore, we are moving in another direction. Stay tuned...