Now that is one shapely guitar

Sexiest album covers?  We didn't think we'd ever go there. What's in it for us?

We've been perfectly happy ogling Herb Alpert's Whipped Cream and Other Delights through the years, even knowing it was shaving cream that covered model Dolores Erickson. That enticing classic from 1966 did make the Top 25 sexiest album covers on detroit.metromix.com.

But we feel a bit queasy even mentioning a list that includes images of Usher, Prince, Morrissey and Jim Morrison.  Even the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers cover made the grade.

The hook to this conversation is the new album out today from Katy Perry which features her floating naked on a cloud of cotton candy. We were going to show you that one until we spotted this image of Liz Phair from her 2003 self-titled release. Would you take a look at that guitar!!! Somewhere we read that the Fender Duo-Sonic is a nice fit for Phair's low-fi rock sound, and this image seems to confirm it.

Apparently the music on Phair's fourth album was forgettable, actually "stunningly mediocre" if you believe the type that accompanies the image. But that's not what this list is about. So if we were forced to vote, this cover might be the one. 
 
You can view the Top 25 and decide for yourself by clicking on this link:

http://detroit.metromix.com/music/essay_photo_gallery/top-25-sexiest-album/2146301/content

Ready for some ch-ch-ch-changes

In 1957 Chevrolet gave us the most popular car ever built and the Milwaukee Braves gave us their only World Series championship.  Things were good in America's heartland.  Even pop music was getting a groove and a backbone, thanks largely to Elvis Presley and some of the other early rockers.

But the music wasn't quite there yet.  In the last seven months of '57 Pat Boone had as many No. 1 hits (two) as Elvis.  Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and Sam Cooke had their first chart-toppers during this stretch, but so did Debbie Reynolds.

Here were the songs that made it to the summit during this short period:

June 3: Love Letters in the Sand, Pat Boone
July 8: (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear, Elvis Presley
Aug. 26: Tammy, Debbie Reynolds
Sept. 9: Diana, Paul Anka
Sept. 23: That'll Be the Day, The Crickets
Sept. 30: Honeycomb, Jimmie Rodgers
Oct. 14: Wake Up Little Suzie, Everly Brothers
Oct. 21: Jailhouse Rock/Treat Me Nice, Elvis Presley
Dec. 2: You Send Me, Sam Cooke
Dec. 23: April Love, Pat Boone

Our point?  Music is always a work in progress.  You never know what's coming around the corner.  But we have to say right here and now that we're ready for something new. Or maybe it's already here and we just haven't found it...

Which One was No. 1?

Sorry, we just can't Let It Be.  It seems like just Yesterday we were having this conversation, but there's Something about audiophile Wayne Shelor's take on this stuff.  Read on, but not before clicking on this link in another tab:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMwZsFKIXa8.

Time's up: Name that No. 1 song!

By Wayne Shelor

The aptly titled Beatles' compilation album "1," released 10 years ago come November, was a collection containing all of the Fab Four’s Number 1 hits. And of that quite remarkable list of songs, which one would YOU select as the greatest Beatles Number One hit of all time?

"Something"? "Let it Be"? "Yesterday"? "Hey Jude?"

How about "Can't Buy Me Love"? Yep: "Can't But Me Love" is Number 1 of the Number 1s.

Here are three reasons why "Can't Buy Me Love" is the single greatest Number 1 hit -- not only of the Beatles, but by anyone -- ever. It’s the greatest Number 1 hit of all time.

On April 4, 1964, the Beatles had not only the Number 1 song in the nation, but they had the top FIVE Billboard singles on the chart: "Can't Buy Me Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me."

The way this happened was that at this time early in the Beatles' career several labels, such as Vee Jay and Swan Records, still had rights to some Beatles' songs. And with the overnight creation of Beatlemania, everyone released everything they had to a Beatles-crazy nation.

A week later, with "Can't Buy Me Love" sitting at Number 1 for the second of five weeks. the Beatles had 14 songs in the Billboard Top 100. I can't see that happening ever again, not even with acts such as Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Flo Rida poised to make confetti of the pop charts records.

And with "Can't Buy Me Love"'s ascension to the top of the chart in the first week of April 1964, it gave the Beatles their third consecutive Number 1 hit, a feat no one -- neither The King of Rock 'n' Roll, nor the King of Pop -- ever accomplished. "Can't Buy Me Love" followed "She Loves You" which followed "I Want To Hold Your Hand" as the No. 1 song in America.

With their very first foray into the pop charts of America, the English mop-tops monopolized the Number 1 spot for 14 consecutive weeks. I'd say that this little 2-minute, 11-second ditty's got shoulders broader than those of Chicago ... as much heart as New York City ... and the soul of a million lovers who know that you Can’t Buy Me Love at any price.

But you CAN rent it by the hour ... or embrace it in a lovely little pop song you still hear every week on the radio.

Like a gunslinger with an itchy trigger finger, Wayne Shelor just can't wait to put the needle to the vinyl. Look for his contributions on Sundays at the Sanctuary...

Bottom's up to Clem Cattini

Clem Cattini gets to the bottom of a Guinness.

Happy birthday, Clem Cattini!

Clem ... who? Why, the legendary British session drummer who has appeared on 45 No.1 records in the UK, several of which were also hits in the U.S. (see list below).

It's interesting we mentioned "Hurdy Gurdy Man" earlier this week and the dispute over who played electric guitar on Donovan's chart-topping record.  Cattini, who played drums on the session, ends the argument with this comment posted on his website:

Funny I should be asked about "Hurdy Gurdy Man". I spoke to John Paul Jones who played bass on it and was the MD (musical director). The guitar player was Alan Parker. American Web sites say that John Bonham and Jimmy Page played on it. This is absolute Bullshit as JPJ said.

An email from Jones lists the players as follows:
Donovan,  acoustic guitar
John Paul Jones,  arrangement/musical director and bass guitar
Alan Parker, lead (electric) guitar
Clem Cattini,  drums

Hey, that's good enough for us!  Now on to those No. 1 songs on which Cattini worked the kit:

1. Shaking All Over, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
2. Well I Ask You, Eden Kane
3. Come Outside, Mike Sarne
4. Telstar, The Tornados
5. Diane, The Bachelors
6. You Really Got Me, The Kinks
7. It's Not Unusual, Tom Jones
8. Make It Easy On Yourself, The Walker Brothers
9. Tears, Ken Dodd
10. The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, The Walker Brothers
11. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me, Dusty Springfield
12. Out Of Time, Chris Farlowe
13. Green Green Grass Of Home, Tom Jones
14. Release Me, Engelbert Humperdinck
15. The Last Waltz, Engelbert Humperdinck
16. Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde, Georgie Fame
17. Everlasting Love, The Love Affair
18. Cinderella Rockefella, Esther & Abi Ofarim
19. I Pretend, Des O'Connor
20. Where Do You Go To My Lovely, Peter Sarstedt
21. Something In The Air, Thunderclap Newman
22. Two Little Boys, Rolf Harris
23. Love Grows, Edison Lighthouse
24. Yellow River, Christie
25. Hot Love, T. Rex
26. Grandad, Clive Dunn
27. Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, Middle Of The Road
28. Get It On, T. Rex
29. Ernie, Benny Hill
30. I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing, New Seekers
31. Telegram Sam, T. Rex
32. Son Of My Father, Chicory Tip
33. Welcome Home, Peters & Lee
34. Jealous Mind, Alvin Stardust
35. Kung Fu Fighting, Carl Douglas
36. When Will I See You Again, Three Degrees
37. Whispering Grass, Windsor Davies & Don Estelle
38. Give A Little Love, Bay City Rollers
39. Barbados, Typically Tropical
40. No Charge, J.J Barrie
41. So You Win Again, Hot Chocolate
42. Angelo, Brotherhood Of Man
43. Figaro, Brotherhood Of Man
44. Save Your Love, Renee & Renato
45. (Is This The Way To) Amarillo, Tony Christie

From stupid to stupider

Sorry, Neil: You're only 2-6!

"For the first time in twelve years, VH1 has conducted a poll of over 200 artists and music industry leaders to determine the top 100 artists of all times."

Bartender, get me a shot of Red Eye. And leave the bottle on the bar...

1. Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Michael Jackson
4. Led Zeppelin
5. Rolling Stones
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. Prince
8. Elvis Presley
9. James Brown
10. Stevie Wonder
11. Bob Marley
12. David Bowie
13. Who
14. Nirvana
15. Beach Boys
16. Madonna
17. Queen
18. Pink Floyd
19. U2
20. Marvin Gaye
21. Bruce Springsteen
22. Clash
23. AC/DC
24. Velvet Underground
25. Chuck Berry
26. Neil Young
27. Aretha Franklin
28. Elton John
29. Radiohead
30. Aerosmith
31. John Lennon
32. Black Sabbath
33. Guns N' Roses
34. Tina Turner
35. Johnny Cash
36. Paul McCartney
37. Fleetwood Mac
38. Sly & The Family Stone
39. Kinks
40. Police
41. Van Halen
42. Metallica
43. Ray Charles
44. Joni Mitchell
45. Al Green
46. Ramones
47. Jay-Z
48. Rage Against The Machine
49. Parliament-Funkadelic
50. Sade
51. Billy Joel
52. Beyonce
53. Little Richard
54. Public Enemy
55. Peter Gabriel
56. KISS
57. Iggy & The Stooges
58. Cheap Trick
59. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
60. Whitney Houston
61. Cream
62. Genesis
63. Notorious B.I.G.
64. Talking Heads
65. Doors
66. Justin Timberlake
67. Coldplay
68. Otis Redding
69. Tupac Shakur
70. Def Leppard
71. R.E.M.
72. Janis Joplin
73. Van Morrison
74. Cure
75. Rush
76. Run-D.M.C.
77. Lynyrd Skynyrd
78. Judas Priest
79. Eminem
80. Mary J. Blige
81. ABBA
82. Steely Dan
83. Earth, Wind and Fire
84. Curtis Mayfield
85. Band
86. N.W.A.
87. George Michael
88. Bee Gees
89. Beastie Boys
90. Elvis Costello
91. Green Day
92. LL Cool J
93. Pearl Jam
94. Mariah Carey
95. OutKast
96. Journey
97. Pretenders
98. Depeche Mode
99. Hall & Oates
100. Alicia Keys

The Fab 100

Have you seen the latest nonsense from Rolling Stone?  They've ranked the Beatles' 100 greatest songs and packaged them in another of their Collectors Edition "books."   Already we hear fights breaking out. Maybe we'll start one ourselves.

We were going to snap up a copy until we learned which song had been annointed No. 1 by RS: "A Day in the Life." Talk about an argument waiting to happen! Immediately we took a left where we generally take a right and wound up in the parking lot of Ray's Liquors. We purchased a cheap bottle of scotch for roughly the money it would have cost for the keepsake, and now we're sitting here sipping a Clunys and trying to guess the other 99 songs.

But first:  Why 100 songs?  Nice round number, but the Beatles couldn't have recorded more than 250 songs.  Why not include them all?  Now that would be a Collectors Edition, no matter how you ranked them. This was the Beatles, it's not like there's a dropoff in quality between Nos. 100 and 101. In fact now we're more interested in learning which songs RS could possibly have left out.

We're betting we can list some fabulous Beatles songs that will not be among Rolling Stone's Top 10.  This exercise will prove nothing, except that we're dealing with such an incredibly strong catalog of songs there's no rhyme or reason to ranking them.  Unless, of course, you're trying to generate a revenue stream. 

Here are 10 of our favorite Beatles songs that probably won't crack the RS Top 10:

Get Back
Back in the USSR
Paperback Writer
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
I Saw Her Standing There
A Hard Day's Night
Eight Days a Week
Drive My Car
She Loves You
Here Comes the Sun

Where do these songs rank in the Collectors Edition?  Damned if we know. But this Clunys is definitely underrated.

The big squeeze

We were reading a book of columns by Mike Royko -- now there was a newpaper man! -- in which he referenced the decline of accordions.  Squeeze boxes were being overtaken by guitars as the instrument of choice among America's youth and Royko had the statistics to back it up.  The column was dated July 31, 1968.

We checked our reference book and, sure enough, there were no accordions leading the hit parade at the time.  Here was the Billboard Top 5:

1. Hello, I Love You, Doors
2. Classical Gas, Mason Williams
3. Stoned Soul Picnic, Fifth Dimension
4. Grazing in the Grass, Hugh Masekela
5. Hurdy Gurdy Man, Donovan

Now you could argue that the Doors' music was driven by the electric keyboards of Ray Manzarek.  "Classical Gas" was classical guitar -- not exactly what Royko was writing about.  The Fifth Dimension were a vocal group.  "Grazing in the Grass" was an instrumental on which Hugh Masekela played his chosen instrument, the trumpet. And while "Hurdy Gurdy Man" showcased some cool psychedelic-sounding guitar licks, there remains some disagreement over who laid down the track.  It wasn't Donovan.  Jimmy Page?  Alan Parker?

No matter.  Royko had it right. The accordion was being squeezed out and guitars were indeed taking over, leaving us with, as the columnist put it, "millions of little John Lennons making our music."

Which wasn't a bad thing.  It could have been millions of little Lawrence Welks.