Annabelle

i'd taken lennon over bowie. lennon was horrible at times. but even just little nuggets like woman is the nigger of the world are so much more powerful and encompassing than anything bowie could do. i never cares much for bowie's berlin stuff. i love the stardust era but none of lyrically or conceptually diverse to even compare to what lenon was doing on the plastic ono band or imagine. i don't think its close, really. lennon did get derailed in the mid 70's from the excesses of time time, but who didn't? lennon retired in 75 while bowie plowed on.

AL East 1.Sox 2.Blue Jays 3.Yankees 4.Rays 5.Orioles if the top 4 in the Blue Jays rotation stay healthy, they could even challenge the red sox. although the red sox look to be pretty great this year. if lester doesn't work out, that'll put a strain on the top 3. with beckett health is always an issue. matsuzaka didn't look to be having an easier of a time in majors against the a's. yankees are older. this is the year everything collapses on them from posada to damaon, jeter, pettite, mussina, rivera, ect. the rays will be better but they have a tougher division. AL Central 1.Tigers 2.Indians (wc) 3.White Sox 4.Twins 5.Royals willis has looked downright awful the entire pre-season. sheffield hasn't hiy well. but pudge has hit like 8 homeruns. what does it all mean? who knows. the tigers, on paper, have the best team in baseball. we all know how it goes from there. cleveland has far more pitching depth. but the tigers are a much stronger offensive team. players like denny batista and yormand bazaro will save the tigers bullpen. having a 3-4-5 of sheffield, ordonez, and cabrera is something that the indians can't match. maybe no one. the white sox made some decent moves in the spring especially the swisher move. but not enough to play with the tigers/indians. AL West 1.Mariners 2.Angels 3.Oakland 4.Texas the mariners have an amazing top 2. offensively they're no slouches. anaheim is in trouble with lackey breaking down and escobar possibly out for the year. torii hunter is not a great acquisition. the a's won't be so bad this year, but they won't be better than .500 with the maniacal jack cust hitting 4th. judging by his first two games, jack hannahan may be an improvement over the oft-injured chavez. bobby crosby looks the same old lost crosby. NL East 1.Mets 2.Phils (wc) 3.Braves 4.Nationals 5.Marlins santana and pedro solidify a rotation that still lacks a strong bullpen presense. there are more hole in their offense and defense than they would like to admit. but the top two plus reyes and wright may put them over. the phils don't have the pitching staff to hang but they have the weapons. NL Central 1.Cubs 2.Milwaukee 3.Cincinatti 4.Pittsburgh 5.St. Louis 6.Houston who cares NL West 1.Dodgers 2.Diamondbacks 3.Rockies 4.Padres 5.Giants the dodgers were close up until august. combing through some of the veterans was a good move, but they didn't go far enough. ethier and kemp should be the everyday outfielders. i'm not ready to give up on nomar. kent causes more problems with morale than goodness on the field. the pitching staff looks tough. the d'backs and rockies could easily beat up the dodgers. but the balance of experience and promising rookies makes the dodgers look good right now. playoffs indians over sox tigers over mariners tigers over indians phillies over dodgers mets over cubs phillies over mets tigers over phillies

that means more nirvana for the rest of us. in utero rules, guy. get over it. embrace it! my next pick is almost a tribute to...

lets roll up our sleeves and have a heart discussion about bob dylan. count me in! alright highway 61 is straight bad ass. dylan's venemous search for redemption is the heart of this album. i don't think that too many people in his life where free from bob's scorn. i'm sure he had multiple people in mind for like a rolling stone and ballad of a thin man. approximately queen jame i assume is about joan baez. then, we have the boxcar punk rock of tombstone blues. musically, it is more rootsy and raw than blonde on blonde. this was his most experimental album at its time, and the results are a lot more tangible. the songs are rougher yet for some reason, easier on the pallett. it is meaner yet more people are attracted to it. this was dylan at his most self-aware. blonde on blonde, i assume, is the opposite from highway 61 because this is the beginning of dylan being totally detached from his audience and music. it is probably his best album because of it. he had yet reach the self-indulgance of nasville skyline and especially self-portrait. there was still music here that meant something to his original fans, unlike the aforemtnioned two. anyway, to the music - it is dylan at his best musically, lyrically, sonically, heck, in pretty much every way possible he was making as perfect sounding of an album as possible. it is in one second silly, next elegent. slowly he the songs take their shape as these baroque visual pieces of work. i can place myself into the song as i hear them. sad eyed lady of the lowlands is like the culmination of the grandiouse epic he had been building up towards since the another side album. it almost cooks over to the point that it explodes. dylan never did anything like that again. it almost represents the end of the great dylan era unmatched by any artist. he almost strips all of the bass out of the production, making the music trebly in a way that has never been done before. it gives the instruments a totally unique sound that is unmatched by anyone. its that unmistakable yet unexplainable elements that makes a london calling, purple rain, or kind of blue. its like when someone asks why this album is so great and all you can say is "it just is". can't you hear it?!?

nirvana - in utero 1993 can't believe this is still around. along with doggystyle this is the only album that i still like as much now as when i was 12. tremendous. a great balance between nevermind's gloss and the noise that would gain cobain acceptance from his peers. the album is pretty unaccessable for the mainstream. yet it broke through. nice try shedding us 12 year olds cobain, we loved you. an appropriate swan song. thanks for dying before you got shitty with michael stipe. ps. gene - my next pick goes out to you.

wolf parade - apologies to queen mary (2004) nothing to say. just a great album. play it at a party sometime. my own personal party on an island will be a happenin. from the opening footstomp to the this heart's on fire, incidently one of the most romantic songs ever, this album never quits.

daft punk - discovery (2001) daft punk was crazy everywhere in 07. and its all thanks to this album. homework was straight house. human after all was too much rock. this was the mixture. an album over 5 years in the making. perfect pop. probably the best pop album since purple rain. they synthesized all of their influences and made an album with worldwide appeal. they'll never come close to touching this again. nor, if i may be so bold, will any dance act. as perfect of an album as there has been made in the past 25 years.

the raiders select james hardy wr indiana. need either a wr or offensive/receiving te

john lennon - imagine (1971) gotta keep it real to my classics for now. john lennon's solo masterpiece imagine has it all. love, anger, confusion, phil spector. the highlight of this album is nicky hopkins. the mvp. nearly every song is based around the piano. they have the jingle jangle that lennon never revisited. i'd assume there was a level or personal contentment that we never saw from a lennon album until double fantasy. oh yoko typifies everything john & yoko were about. jealous guy seemingly contradicts that love in an essence but it also proves the passion he had for his damsell. how?, i don't wana be a soldier, and give me some truth is great political soul searching lennon. probably as effective as he got. and how about that fine little kiss off the mccartney in the middle. you cuuunt.

the zombies - odessey and orracle (1967-68) the breeziest album ever from the charming zombies. their melodies make the beach boys seemed contrived. even more amazing was that this album was close to not only being released. al kooper saves it from the dredges of nothingness. in fact, this is the album i want played as i go to a desert island. it is everything great about sunshine and sun and fun and kickin' back. the lyrics are not breezy. not the funnest. the dark side of the sun, if you will. listening to this album for the first time is a lot like being born. wiping the sleep (afterbirth) from your eyes, stretching out the arms, and eagerly attacking anything that comes close to this splendor. like the flying over california ride at disneyland. the wind in your face legs dangling over the end. head on the shoulder of your loved on. pure pleasure. not a weakness in this at all. multifacted multilayered. this pop will never be eclipsed. ever. well, maybe i hope so. oh, and times of the season. as if i need to go on.

i've seen billy talent twice. god. both times with death from above. i was at least smart enough to walk out the second time.

2nd pick bob dylan highway 61 revisited 1965 everytime i listen to it i come closer to saying it is his landmark. lyrically, it is. like a rolling stone was the first 7 minute single but it was also the first "diss" song ever. in fact, the whole album is so mean spirited we see dylan at his most venomous. blonde on blonde saw dylan in love. highway 61 sees his in absolute distaste with everyone around him. the courseness of going electric spilt into the lyrics. no one was safe. no oen fucked with bob at this time. who is ballad of a thin man about? is it about some reporter? really? or queen jane approximately? how about god stricking "abe" down? musically, its the rawest album he ever made. tombstone blues possibly a preface to some early punk rock? no one wants to live on desolation row. but thats where dylan was when he made this album. brilliant. self-assured. nearly unmatched.

the band music from big pink - 1968 the first great album from a group of mysterious gold rush prospectors. or dylans backing band. whoever they were, the album was so disconnected from what was going on at the time. psychedelia and all that summer of love shit was going on, but the band didn't care. 5 men. equal parts experimenting, singing, songwriting, conceptualizing, and revolutionizing. they, and them alone, brought country-rock into fashion. the band would never truly be a band again. a band in the sense that everyone was an equal partner. we got to see every members strength on this album. everyone sang (minus garth). everyone played on every song. even garth got his own solo. this is the truest music of its time. turn off the lights, lit a candle, put the vinyl on the platter, plug in your headphones, and enjoy the splendor that is music from big pink.

you worthless cunt i select the band's music from big pink. more on it later

i didn't know we were doing it this quickly. i thought around draft time. i'd have taken ellis than mcfadden. but i select dt kentwan balmer from north carolina obviously the raiders biggest need. if i hadn't had my head up my ass i'd have selected sedric ellis.

sure

banky has the raiders

never gave them a go. maybe now's the time. when it comes to inc suggesting music, i've only finally arrived at can. i think its him who likes them alot. can. wow. can. and kanye shamelessly sampled (ripped) them off. anyway, tindersticks...

sean casey has NO pop. none. its gone.

ill take the latest ac & pb over anything in their catalogue. i can't handle too much "avant-garde". ha!

might as well just have detroits top powerplay unit as the starting five. seriously.

your west choices are nucking futs, dude. kopitar is great and all. camellari hasn't played very well lately at all. datsyuk is great, but above zetterberg? cmon homey.

Aside from shit-talking Raine Maida (and really, who hasn't?) your attempt at a response isn't really convincing. Care to reference anything specific? why are you being so petulent about this? fucking baby. here's one link full of complaints over an incident in regina. like i said, he tries to be more controversial than he is. hence the "i hear matt good is a real asshole" tshirts he had made a few years back. he loves the attention. at least back when he was a suicidal pill popping egomaniac. is he still? http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2001/02/1605.cfm

i ain't foolin myself that this has been his attempt for the past 10 years. is he? of course not. feueding with our lady peace aint controversial although it was the greatest thing he's ever done. and the strange days video. holla.

thanks for reinforcing my previous statement. my god those are awful songs. cept maybe boyz II men. holla.