Pos. ARTIST|TITLE- 1 PEARL JAM|LIVE AT EASY STREET
- 1 GNARLS BARKLEY|ST. ELSEWHERE
- 2 WARRIORS|BEYOND THE NOISE
- 3 UNDEROATH|DEFINE THE GREAT LIN
- 4 KEANE|UNDER THE IRON SEA
- 5 RED HOT CHILI P|STADIUM ARCADI
- 6 DIXIE CHICKS|TAKING THE LONG W
- 7 FURTADO*NELLY|LOOSE
- 8 SONIC YOUTH|RATHER RIPPED
- 9 A.F.I.|DECEMBERUNDERGROUND
- 10 RACONTEURS|BROKEN BOY SOLDIER
Read the weekly commentary followed by the entire Top 200 after the jump.
Howdy everyone,
Hope you are having a fine lead up to the holiday down time. I know we are all looking forward to it. Our office will be closed Monday and Tuesday of this next week.
A few weeks back, I retold my story of being aggressively approached by local artist Taylor Hicks in his pre-Idol days. I admitted that I had no clue what to do with him. Taylor Hicks coming to me for help was like taking your taxes to a taxidermist. We exist in different musical worlds. Well, I wished Taylor the best and said I hope he won and got all he deserved in life. A few of you wrote back some comments and that was the end of it.
Well, kinda.
*****
>From "Songluvr" on the Atlanta Journal Constitution American Idol blog:
I know I¹m late on this one, but I just have to say, that pretentious little snot-head wanna-be-a-real-music-executive represents everything that I despise about the business side of the business, with every fiber of my being.
You keep playing big-shot in your record store in Birmingham, Little Timmy VanCleeve, and don¹t be expecting any VIP passes to Taylor¹s concert (and btw that¹s MR. Taylor Hicks, to you) when he plays in your area, which btw is not exactly a mecca for musicians, AI notwithstanding.
You were a jerk with a capital J to him Š do not try to attach your never-heard-of name and store to his story now.
*****
What the.....? Apparently my little industry rant is making the rounds on the internet and the haters (mine, not Taylor's) are coming out of the woodwork. Monday, I got a hate letter in the US mail. Obviously with no return address or signature. Yesterday, I get this call from an employee who was out at lunch. "DUDE, THEY ARE READING YOUR TAYLOR HICKS RANT ON THE BURT AND KURT SHOW RIGHT NOW!!!" Oh Christ. These guys usually only talk about Mexicans, Gays, and Taxes. Usually in the same sentence. I had better call in and defend myself or this would go on for a week.
So, I called into the show and spent 10 minutes chatting with the fine fellows. I got my side of the story out and they were appreciative. It made for fun radio. So, last night over a bottle of nice wine, I decided to google my name and Taylor Hicks name together. Oh shit. Haters all over. I don't think any of them got to the last part where I wished he would win or where I wished him the best. Bottom line is that I had totally mistreated their boy. I am what is wrong with the music business. I am the reason for tramps like Britney Spears. Pompous ass. Arrogant. Rude.
For the record, about a week after my rant, this AMAZING flower arrangement arrives at our office. Full of orchids and day lillies. This thing was three feet tall. The card said "Thanks, Taylor Hicks". We all thought someone at the label was pulling a fast one. Then it hit me that some real money was spent and no label guy has that budget anymore. My house smelt like a million bucks for at least a week.
So, weekend before last we spent at Bonnaroo. Which was amazing. On Sunday, I went only to see Be Your Own Pet and had a short meeting with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth (BYOP is on his label). The band was killer and he was a delight. We left right after that and headed back to catch the Allman Brothers at City Stages in Birmingham. We arrived at the backstage area just as the ABB buses rolled up. I am good buddies with Warren Haynes and had called ahead to let him know I would be there. If you are scratching your head, Warren Haynes plays guitar in the ABB and fronts his own band Gov't Mule. In my opinion, he is the finest guitar player on the planet. And definitely the nicest guy in music.
Backstage was a nuthouse. People running around like ants. Security people and ABB staffers not happy about it. Out of the blue I lock eyes with Taylor Hicks. Hey Taylor. Hey Mr. VanCleave. Thanks for the flowers Taylor. All in good fun, Don, all in good fun. Congrats on the win man. I am sure it was not easy. He replied that he had a really difficult time with the process and had to basically rewrite the ending of the songs to make them his own.
Mid sentence some drunk came up and started introducing Hicks to his equally drunk wife. Later dude. Yep. Later.
So, we went out front to catch one of the best ABB greatest hits concerts I can remember. The crowd was really fired up and so was the band. About mid-way thru the set, Warren steps up to the mic and says "We would like to bring out Taylor Hicks to play a little harp with us" and the crowd explodes. They launched into "One Way Out".
The next day, I am at my desk slaving away and I get a call from Warren on my cell. Hey man, did not see you after the show. How was it? It was great Warren. I really thought Taylor Hicks did a good job playing harp on One Way Out. Warren was quiet for a second and then said "Man, before the show, the stage manager came up to me and asked if Taylor Hicks could sit in. I was like who the hell is that?" NO WAY! "Yep, I felt like the only person in America who had no idea who he was. They said he won that American Idol contest. I don't really follow American Idol".
Classic.
****************************************
Our little distribution company, junketboy, released a record last week that went to number one on the CIMS chart and number 7 on the Streetpulse charts last week. Last year at our convention in Seattle, Pearl Jam played a surprise show for our owners at Easy Street and J Records recorded it. This band has been very instrumental in making sure indie retail stays fully invested in its career. When their new release came out a couple of months ago, we got more attention from J Records than on any release by any band on any label in recent history. We made this live instore recording available to indie retail around the world and the response has been nothing short of amazing. Thank you Pearl Jam and J Records for keeping us in the game. It means more than you guys know.
Go buy it. It rocks. I promise.
Coalition of Independent Music Stores Top 200 for Week Ending 6-25-06 Pos. ARTIST|TITLE
1 PEARL JAM|LIVE AT EASY STREET
1 GNARLS BARKLEY|ST. ELSEWHERE
2 WARRIORS|BEYOND THE NOISE
3 UNDEROATH|DEFINE THE GREAT LIN
4 KEANE|UNDER THE IRON SEA
5 RED HOT CHILI P|STADIUM ARCADI
6 DIXIE CHICKS|TAKING THE LONG W
7 FURTADO*NELLY|LOOSE
8 SONIC YOUTH|RATHER RIPPED
9 A.F.I.|DECEMBERUNDERGROUND
10 RACONTEURS|BROKEN BOY SOLDIERS
11 GUSTER|GANGING UP ON THE SUN
12 KNOPFLER/HARRIS|ALL THE ROADRU
13 WOLFMOTHER|WOLFMOTHER
14 WIDESPREAD PANI|EARTH TO AMERI
15 BUSTA RHYMES|BIG BANG THE
16 TOOL|10000 DAYS
17 RAE*CORINNE BAI|CORINNE BAILEY
18 BLACK*FRANK|FAST MAN RAIDER MA
19 MURDOCH*ALEXI|TIME WITHOUT CON
20 DRAGONFORCE|INHUMAN RAMPAGE
21 SPRINGSTEEN*BRU|WE SHALL OVERC
22 FRANKENREITER*D|MOVE BY YOURSE
23 YOUNG*NEIL|LIVING WITH WAR
24 SPEKTOR*REGINA|BEGIN TO HOPE
25 CUTE IS WHAT WE|SAME OLD BLOOD
26 COSTELLO*ELVIS|RIVER IN REVERS
27 AUSTIN CITY LIM|AUSTIN CITY LI
27 ICE CUBE|LAUGH NOW CRY LATER
29 PEARL JAM|PEARL JAM
30 PARSONS*GRAM|COMPLETE REPRISE
31 BUSH*SAM|LAPS IN SEVEN
32 ZERO 7|GARDEN
33 CASE*NEKO|FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS
34 KEB MO'|SUITCASE
35 PANIC! AT THE D|FEVER YOU CAN'
36 YUNG JOC|NEW JOC CITY
36 ANGELS & AIRWAV|WE DON'T NEED
36 SIMON*PAUL|SURPRISE
39 THREE DAYS GRAC|ONE-X
40 COUNTING CROWS|NEW AMSTERDAM-L
41 BLUE OCTOBER|FOILED
41 REPLACEMENTS|DON'T YOU KNOW WH
43 BUCKCHERRY|15
43 CLAYPOOL*LES FR|OF WHALES AND
43 SNOW PATROL|EYES OPEN
46 FLAMING LIPS|AT WAR WITH THE M
47 TUNSTALL*KT|EYE TO THE TELESCO
48 HICKMAN*SARA|MOTHERLODE
48 MADONNA|I'M GOING TO TELL YOU
50 FUTUREHEADS|NEWS & TRIBUTES
51 MR. LIF|MO'MEGA
52 JENNINGS*MASON|BONECLOUDS
53 FIELD MOB|LIGHT POLES & PINE T
54 HEAD AUTOMATICA|POPAGANDA
55 PEEPING TOM|PEEPING TOM
56 BUILT TO SPILL|YOU IN REVERSE
57 THIEVERY CORPOR|VERSIONS
57 HARPER*BEN|BOTH SIDES OF THE G
59 MATISYAHU|YOUTH
59 BAND OF HORSES|EVERYTHING ALL
61 BURNETT*T-BONE|TRUE FALSE IDEN
62 KINGS OF LEON|DAY../JUNKETBOY
63 FRAY|HOW TO SAVE A LIFE
63 YEAH YEAH YEAHS|SHOW YOUR BONE
65 ROMAN CANDLE|WEE HOURS REVUE
65 BETWEEN THE BUR|ANATOMY OF
65 JONES*DONELL|JOURNEY OF A GEMI
68 CASH*JOHNNY|PERSONAL FILE
69 INDIGENOUS|CHASING THE SUN
70 ESCOVEDO*ALEJAN|BOXING MIRROR
70 CAMERA OBSCURA|LET'S GET OUT O
72 SHADOWS FALL|FALLOUT FROM THE
73 KOTTONMOUTH KIN|KOAST II KOAST
74 CLEAVES*SLAID|UNSUNG
75 DEATH CAB FOR C|PLANS
76 ARCTIC MONKEYS|WHATEVER PEOPLE
77 GOMEZ|HOW WE OPERATE
78 BLUNT*JAMES|BACK TO BEDLAM
78 HUNTER*JAMES|PEOPLE GONNA TALK
78 TAKING BACK SUN|LOUDER NOW
78 T.I.|KING
82 BONAMASSA*JOE|YOU & ME
83 SHE WANTS REVEN|SHE WANTS REVE
83 PHOENIX|IT'S NEVER BEEN LIKE T
83 CASH*JOHNNY|AT FOLSOM PRISON
86 TILLY & THE WAL|BOTTOMS OF BAR
86 BLACK KEYS|CHULAHOMA
88 RIHANNA|GIRL LIKE ME
88 GODSMACK|IV
88 JOHNSON*JACK & |CURIOUS GEORGE
88 JOHNSON*JACK|IN BETWEEN DREAMS
88 DITTY BOPS|MOON OVER THE FREEW
93 DRIVE BY TRUCKE|BLESSING & A C
94 LITTLE WILLIES|LITTLE WILLIES
94 BEIRUT|GULAG ORKESTAR
94 BRIGHTBLACK MOR|BRIGHTBLACK MO
94 HOT CHIP|WARNING
98 NICKELBACK|ALL THE RIGHT REASO
98 BOUNCING SOULS|GOLD RECORD
100 WALKMEN|HUNDRED MILES OFF
101 FATBOY SLIM|GREATEST HITS: WHY
102 DERAILERS|SOLDIERS OF LOVE
102 GRANDADDY|JUST LIKE THE FAMBLY
102 FORT MINOR|RISING TIED
105 STILLS|WITHOUT FEATHERS
105 MCCOURY*DEL BAN|PROMISED LAND
105 SOUND TEAM|MOVIE MONSTER
108 ALVIN*DAVE|WEST OF THE WEST
108 DABRYE|TWO-THREE
108 PETTY*TOM & THE|GREATEST HITS
111 DANIELSON|SHIPS
111 NELSON*WILLIE|COMPLETE ATLANTI
113 BOARDS OF CANAD|TRANS CANADA H
113 PRAIRIE HOME CO|SOUNDTRACK
113 ISAAK*CHRIS|BEST OF CHRIS ISAA
113 THREE 6 MAFIA|MOST KNOWN UNKNO
113 MOLINA*JUANA|SON
118 CHAMILLIONAIRE|SOUND OF REVENG
118 HARD-FI|STARS OF CCTV
118 CRACKER|GREENLAND
121 REBEL MEETS REB|REBEL MEETS RE
121 VINTAGE VERVE|VINTAGE VERVE
121 HEAP*IMOGEN|SPEAK FOR YOURSELF
121 WILLIAMS*HANK I|STRAIGHT TO HE
125 GOLDFRAPP|SUPERNATURE
125 ENO*BRIAN|COMPOUNDS & ELEMENTS
127 MARLEY*DAMIAN|WELCOME TO JAMRO
127 PUSSYCAT DOLLS|PCD
127 YONDER MOUNTAIN|YONDER MOUNTAI
130 FLYLEAF|FLYLEAF
130 CAT POWER|GREATEST
130 CALEXICO|GARDEN RUIN
130 E-40|MY GHETTO REPORT CARD
130 30 SECONDS TO M|BEAUTIFUL LIE
130 MOORER*ALLISON|GETTING SOMEWHE
136 GORILLAZ|DEMON DAYS
137 CASH*JOHNNY|LEGEND OF JOHNNY C
137 HAND*JAMES|TRUTH WILL SET YOU
137 SHAKIRA|ORAL FIXATION V2
137 RADIOHEAD|O.K. COMPUTER
141 YOUNG*NEIL|PRAIRIE WIND
141 SECRET MACHINES|TEN SILVER DRO
141 HOLLAND*JOLIE|SPRINGTIME CAN K
141 LUNA|BEST OF LUNA
141 TRUCKS*DEREK BA|SONGLINES
146 BE YOUR OWN PET|BE YOUR OWN PE
146 BULLET FOR MY V|POISON
146 SUBLIME|GOLD
146 NOFX|WOLVES IN WOLVES' CLOTHIN
150 BLACK ANGELS|PASSOVER
150 FIERY FURNACES|BITTER TEA
150 CELTIC FROST|MONOTHEIST
150 DEL CASTILLO|BROTHERHOOD
150 PRINCE|3121
150 SWORD|AGE OF WINTERS
150 BECK|GUERO
157 MY MORNING JACK|Z
157 EAGLES OF DEATH|DEATH BY SEXY
157 POTTER*GRACE & |NOTHING BUT TH
157 MINISTRY|RIO GRANDE BLOOD
157 NEUTRAL MILK HO|IN THE AEROPLA
162 OAKENFOLD*PAUL|LIVELY MIND
162 GONZALEZ*JOSE|VENEER
162 THURSDAY|CITY BY THE LIGHT
162 CARLILE*BRANDI|BRANDI CARLILE
162 DRESDEN DOLLS|YES VIRGINIA
162 2006 WARPED TOU|2006 WARPED TO
162 HINDER|EXTREME BEHAVIOR
162 NE-YO|IN MY OWN WORDS
170 DJ KHALED|LISTENNN... THE ALBU
170 LEWIS*JENNY WIT|RABBIT FUR COA
170 CAM'RON|KILLA SEASON
170 SWEET*MATTHEW|GIRLFRIEND
170 GHOSTFACE KILLA|FISHSCALE
170 YOUNG*NEIL|GREATEST HITS
170 OLD 97'S|HIT BY A TRAIN
177 CHEAP TRICK|ROCKFORD
177 JOEL*BILLY|12 GARDENS LIVE
177 LIVE|SONGS FROM BLACK MOUNTAIN
177 DAVIS*MILES|KIND OF BLUE
181 MATISYAHU|LIVE AT STUBBS-AUSTI
181 FRONT LINE ASSE|ARTIFICIAL SOL
181 BRIGHT EYES|I'M WIDE AWAKE IT'
181 JOHNSON*JACK|ON & ON
181 THIS IS AMERICA|VOL. 2-THIS IS
181 EUPHORIA|PRECIOUS TIME
181 PINK FLOYD|DARK SIDE OF THE MO
181 GILMOUR*DAVID|ON AN ISLAND
181 COUP|PICK A BIGGER WEAPON
190 MORRISON*VAN|PAY THE DEVIL
190 TAPES 'N TAPES|LOON
190 COOK*DANE|RETALIATION
190 SATYRICON|NOW DIABOLICAL
190 PLACEBO|MEDS
190 HED P.E.|BACK 2 BASE X
190 TAPES 'N TAPES|LOON
190 RASCAL FLATTS|ME AND MY GANG
190 ROCK KILLS KID|ARE YOU NERVOUS
190 WALKER*SCOTT|DRIFT
190 TWILIGHT SINGER|POWDER BURNS
190 SUBLIME|40 OZ. TO FREEDOM
190 POSTAL SERVICE|GIVE UP
190 WAILIN' JENNYS|FIRECRACKER
190 YO GOTTI|BACK 2 DA BASICS
Don VanCleave
Coalition of Independent Music Stores
3738 4th Terrace North
Birmingham, AL 35222
205-595-1932 x201
205-595-1938 (fax)
