Tag / Fiona Apple

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iTunes Top 200: #167 Part The Third

itunes_image3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 songs in my iTunes library. Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact. So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2016.

After a brief hiatus, we continue today with the third grouping of 10 songs tied for 167th place with 17 plays apiece since late 2007, 2 more than what would have qualified for the top 100 3 years ago.

#167: The Donnas – Take It Off
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 8/16/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked

The lead single from the band’s major label debut.

#167: Elton John – Tiny Dancer
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 8/4/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked

Peaking at #41 on the Billboard charts in 1972, the song experienced a renaissance after being featured in Almost Famous.

#167: Eric Cartman – Come Sail Away
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 11/7/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked

This cover of the classic Styx hit was featured in a second season episode of South Park.

#167: Fiona Apple – Shadowboxer
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 8/3/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked

Apple’s debut single, it spent 6 weeks on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart, peaking at #34.

FooFighters#167: Foo Fighters – Times Like These
iTunes stats: 17 plays, most recently on 9/10/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked

A live version of the 2003 hit from the band’s 2006 concert in London’s Hyde Park.

#167: Garbage – Breaking Up The Girl
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Top 200 Albums – #164 – 171

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 3 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 200 albums whose songs I’ve listened to as of September 2014, according to iTunes. Today we continue climbing up the list and look at the 8 albums tied for 164th with 25 listens.

#164: The Mamas And The Papas – California Dreamin’
iTunes stats: 25 plays
This compilation used 3 of the bands biggest hits to achieve this lofty total.

#164: Frente! – Marvin The Album
iTunes stats: 25 plays
The debut album for the Australian alternative group makes this list on the back of 2 hits, including their cover of New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle.

#164: Various Artists – Grease (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
iTunes stats: 25 plays
The soundtrack to the 1978 hit film had 5 tracks, from film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, and Stockard Channing, among others, contribute to this total.

#164: Various Artists – Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1970
iTunes stats: 25 plays
This compilation of the biggest hits of 1970 by bands that would allow themselves to be on such a compilation, like Ides of March or the Partridge Family, has 7 tunes making up its total.

#164: Fiona Apple – Tidal
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Concert Flashback: Fiona Apple II

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After over 2 1/2 years, I returned to the live music scene, going with Tina to once again see Fiona Apple, this time at the Chicago Theatre.  The tickets were ungodly expensive, but we didn’t have normal seats, instead sitting in booths in the balcony that gave the show a different experience.

252754_10151091718224796_1864746358_nThe opening act was a member of Apple’s backing band.  The only thing I remember of his set was that he closed with a cover of Santo & Johnny’s Sleep Walk, which they reminded me was, in addition to the closing theme to the Wendy & Bill show, used in La Bamba when they find out that Richie died.

Fiona came out after that, and she continued to be an awkward stage performer.  She played all of her hits from back in the day, and mixed in some tracks from her new album.  Aside from her songs, there was very little interaction with the audience.  She didn’t say a non-song word to the audience until the show was over, when she thanked us and said good night.  But. that is what you expect from Fiona Apple.

 

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Concert Flashback: Fiona Apple

06fionaappleIn 2002, Fiona Apple began working on her third album.  After many false starts and scrapped recordings, Extraordinary Machine was finally released towards the end of 2005 and, in the summer of 2006, Apple went on a tour to support it.  She came to Chicago in July, with Damien Rice as a supporting act, and played at the former Meigs Field airport, now going by the name Charter One Pavilion.

Rice opened the show and, truth be told, I can’t tell you anything about it.  I can’t even tell you a Damien Rice song, let alone what he may have played that night.  Following that, Apple came out and, displaying her typical stage fright, performed admirably, if not timidly.  Once again, I don’t remember much about this portion of the night either, but I must have enjoyed it enough to sign up for a repeat performance a few years later.

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Goodbye, iPhone 4S – Music Edition

A little more than a week ago, I upgraded my phone from the iPhone 4S to the newly released iPhone 5S.  The biggest difference, aside from a slightly bigger screen, is the jump from 3G (or 4G, if you believe AT&T’s hype) to LTE.  I had the 4S for a little under 2 years, and in that time, we traveled the world together (well, at least going back to the UK) and have listened to a lot of podcasts and music. Here is every song (all 2079 of them) I’ve listened to on the phone, with some (ok, very little) bonus commentary.  Godspeed.

 

Let’s Go-Go-Go White Sox Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers 33
He’s a Pirate Klaus Badelt Pirates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) 32
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Harry Caray 31
Thunderstruck AC/DC The Razors Edge 31
Gordon Beckham Intro 29
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye Steam Billboard’s Top Rock ‘n’ Roll Hits: 1969 29
Don’t Stop Believin’ Journey Journey’s Greatest Hits 27
sox05_montage 27
We Are The Champions Queen Queen: Greatest Hits I & II 27
Your Love The Outfield Play Deep 27
2008 White Sox Central Division Champs Montage Chris Tannehill WSCR 670 The Score 25
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Nancy Faust 25
Harvester Of Sorrow Metallica …And Justice For All 20

You would hope that these numbers would have been higher, but this past season’s miserable performance by the White Sox has put the songs on their playlist out of mind more often than not.

Cannonball The Breeders The First 1000 Years- Rock 19
Man Or Muppet Jason Segel The Muppets 15
It’s Time For Our Song Miss Piggy The Muppets 14
Get Out There And Help Those Guys Jason Segel The Muppets 13
Main Title LOST Soundtrack LOST Soundtrack 13
Are You A Man Or A Muppet? Amy Adams The Muppets 12
How Charming, A Finale Uncle Deadly The Muppets 12
I’m On A Boat (ft. T-Pain) The Lonely Island Incredibad 12
Down At The Ole Barbershop Kermit The Muppets 11
Me and Drugs David Cross Bigger and Blackerer 11
The Antichrist Howard Stern Private Parts: The Album 11
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by jim

iTunes Top 100 Artists: #72-80

itunes_image

My latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 2 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 100 artists that I’ve listened to as of 8/21/2013, according to iTunes. Today we look at the the the next batch, numbers 72-80, which includes a few comedians along with the usual favorites.

#72: Smash Mouth

iTunes stats: 33 plays

4 songs make up this total for the band from northern California.

#72: The Strokes

iTunes stats: 33 plays

The alternative band from New York makes the list thanks to 5 songs, including one mash-up with Christina Aguilera.

#74: The Rolling Stones

iTunes stats: 32 plays

The boys from Britain use 9 different tunes to make up this total.

#74: Warrant

iTunes stats: 32 plays

The hair band superstars use 6 different songs to make the list.

#76: Fiona Apple

iTunes stats: 31 plays

The first appearance by someone I have seen perform live, Apple makes the list thanks to 5 different songs.

#76: The Crystal Method

iTunes stats: 31 plays

The theme from Bones places the Crystal Method this high all by its lonesome.

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Mix Tape Monday – Female Alt Rock 2

After my tape deck crapped out in 1997, I was stuck listening to either the radio or full albums in whatever order the artist intended. That all changed in 2001, when the new-fangled MP3 technology got combined with my new CD burner.

In addition to the occasional series of CDs I had burned in order to keep abreast of new music, I had created a bunch of genre-specific mixes that could be used both in the car and at the gym.  This week we will take a look at the second disc covering the world of alternative music created by females, or at least female fronted bands.  The 1990s were a great time for alternative music on the radio, especially that created by women.  As the decade came to an end, so did the welcoming arms of radio, as the trends moved towards nu-metal and its ilk.  So, without further ado, I bring you Female Alt Rock, volume 2.

Dido – Here With Me

Dido leads things off with the theme song from Roswell.

iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 4/29/2013

Tori Amos – Spark

Amos wrote the song after suffering a miscarriage.

iTunes stats: 5 plays, most recently on 3/12/2013

Veruca Salt – Born Entertainer

The first single from Veruca Salt’s third album, presumed to be about the departure of founding member Nina Gordon.

iTunes stats: 7 plays, most recently on 9/2/2011

Jill Sobule – Supermodel

The second hit from Jill Sobule was from the Clueless soundtrack.

iTunes stats: 8 plays, most recently on 12/12/2012

Letters To Cleo – I Want You To Want Me

The cover of the Cheap Trick hit is from the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack.

iTunes stats: 11 plays, most recently on 1/22/2013

Tracy Bonham – Mother Mother

The one hit from Bonham reached the top of Billboard magazine’s Modern Rock Tracks chart.

iTunes stats: 10 plays, most recently on 4/22/2013

Concrete Blonde – Joey

Became the group’s biggest hit, spending four weeks atop the Modern Rock Tracks chart, and crossing over to pop radio, reaching #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

iTunes stats: 9 plays, most recently on 2/16/2011

Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay

The song, from the Reality Bites soundtrack, earned Loeb the distinction of being the first artist to top the U.S. chart before being signed to any record label.

iTunes stats: 3 plays, most recently on 4/13/2013

Belly – Gepetto

Though this follow-up did not match the success of “Feed The Tree” it charted on the Billboard Bubbling Under The Hot 100 Singles for 5 weeks in the late fall/winter of 1993.

iTunes stats: 9 plays, most recently on 5/1/2013

PJ Harvey – Down By The Water

Extensive MTV rotation and college radio airplay gave Harvey her biggest radio hit to date, reaching #2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart.

iTunes stats: 8 plays, most recently on 3/14/2013

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by jim

I’m Riding High Upon A Deep Depression

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Garbage returned to Chicago Tuesday night for the first time in nearly 7 years and put on a performance that electrified the hot crowd at Metro.  In stark contrast to the Fiona Apple show I saw last month, Shirley Manson owned both the stage and the crowd, even showing us her sentimental side, thanks to her monthly visitor.  The group sprinkled in 5 songs from their new album while still giving the crowd the hits they had come to see.

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by jim

GFY2 – Week 1

We start off the second year of the Global Fit tracker much as we finished the first: with a lackluster week.  The only bright spot was Tuesday, which benefited greatly from the Fiona Apple show downtown.  A return trip to the city on Saturday for dinner at Fogo de Chao should have been good for walking, but timing forced me to drive instead of taking public transportation.

by jim

A Week Of Training

Exactly one week ago today, I signed up for the inaugural Big Ten Network Big 10K, or at least the 5K portion of it.  In preparation, I’ve done the following training over the past week:

Monday

Dinner at Buca di Beppo with the work crew, including the slightly decadent dessert pictured to the left.

Tuesday

Lunch at Superdawg with ANI, then dinner and drinks at Pizano’s pizza followed by the Fiona Apple concert.

Wednesday

Full slab of ribs from Portillo’s for lunch.

Thursday

Lunch and drinks at the Yardhouse, followed by a night of pizza and beer at Rocky Vanders.

Friday

BBQ pulled pork sandwich for lunch at Smokin’ Ts.

Saturday

Dinner with the visiting ANI folks at Fogo de Chao.