Top 200 Albums – #197 – 206

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 start at the bottom of the list and begin our journey with the 10 albums tied for 197th with 21 listens.

#198: Great White – …Twice Shy
iTunes stats: 21 plays
The fourth album from Great White makes this list on the backs of one song, which was the band’s biggest hit.

#197: Weezer – Maladriot
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Weezer’s fourth offering, released in 2002, had 2 songs make up their total.

#197: Various Artists – The Beavis and Butt-head Experience
iTunes stats: 21 plays
Cashing in on the cultural phenomenon that was Beavis and Butt-head, this compilation makes this list thanks to the animated duo’s cover, with Cher, of I Got You Babe.

#197: Various Artists – Billboard Top Hits: 1987
iTunes stats: 21 plays
This compliation album of the top pop hits of 1987 by bands that were willing to be included on a random compilation album places on this list thanks to 4 different tracks, from U2, Belinda Carlisle, Chris de Burgh, and Crowded House.

#197: Various Artists – 8 Mile (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
iTunes stats: 21 plays
The soundtrack to Eminem’s first (and, to date, only) movie rode his smash hit Lose Yourself to this spot.

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10,000 Step Club

Way back in July of 2011, when I started this whole GlobalFit exercise (pun somewhat intended), I had the silly thought that since 10,000 steps was what is generally considered active, that I would use that as a guideline of something to ascribe to.  Now, nearly 3 years later, I find that I’ve actually crossed that plateau only 31 times.  As I spend today flying home from California, with the expectation that I will be adding at least one or two days to this list, I thought it would be sobering, and perhaps inspiring, to look back at the top 20 of those 31 days.

btn10K-41: 6/6/2013 – 24,988 steps

My best single day total came during last summer’s trip to Disney World.  The day’s excursion to both Epcot Center and the Magic Kingdom ended up with a total of approximately 12.5 miles.  And yes, it does bother me that I didn’t get those 12 additional steps to reach 25,000.

2: 7/27/2013 – 20,592 steps

My second highest total came nearly 2 months after my highest, thanks to the BTN 5K and a, for lack of a better word, misunderstanding about where I should be picked up after the race.  These 2 days are the sum total of my days over 20,000 steps.

3: 6/8/2013 – 17,852 steps

My third highest output brings us back to Disney World, this time for a day split between Animal Kingdom in the morning and Hollywood Studios in the afternoon.  Sadly, this also ends our collection of days greater than 15,000.

4: 9/9/2012 – 14,957 steps

The fourth best day I’ve had in the last 3 years is my highest total outside of the United States.  A Sunday in Belfast spent walking down to the Titanic museum

5: 6/7/2013 – 14,940 steps

We round out the top 5 with another day of last June’s vacation to Disney World.  This day started with a morning trip to the hotel pool, followed by an abbreviated day at the Magic Kingdom.

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It’s Off To Work I Go

Monday had me chained to a chair doing mindless, repetitive work all day, so I pulled out my phone and listened to some tunes.  This list is the music that got me through the drudgery of that day.

You Shook Me All Night Long AC/DC Back In Black 2/10/2014 10:53 AM
Baby One More Time Travis 2/10/2014 10:57 AM
Hand In My Pocket Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill 2/10/2014 11:00 AM
Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon Urge Overkill Pulp Fiction OST 2/10/2014 11:04 AM
In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel So 2/10/2014 11:16 AM
All Apologies Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York Rock 2/10/2014 11:20 AM
Our Party Mexican Cheerleader Mexican Cheerleader 2/10/2014 11:22 AM
If You Dont Know Me by Now Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes The 70s Love Collection 2/10/2014 11:26 AM
Girls & Boys Blur The Best Of (Disc 1) 2/10/2014 11:30 AM
Crazy Seal Crazy 2/10/2014 11:36 AM
You Suck The Murmurs The Murmurs 2/10/2014 11:39 AM
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iTunes Top 100 Artists: #1-10

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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 finally get to the top 10 and the end of this journey.

#1: The Beatles

iTunes stats: 665 plays

The boys from Liverpool used 95 different songs to make up this total.  The most impressive thing is that the total should be higher, as all of the counts got reset back to zero when the remastered albums came out in 2009 and I deleted all of the old versions and ripped the remastered versions.

#2: Garbage

iTunes stats: 614 plays

I have seen this band live 4 times over the past 11 years, and look forward to doing so again in the future.  There are 112 songs, many of which are live versions, that made up the total.

#3: Foo Fighters

iTunes stats: 425 plays

Only 39 songs put the Foo Fighters in third place with nobody on their tail.  I saw the Foo Fighters with Weezer back in 2005 and would love to do so again.

#4: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

iTunes stats: 307 plays

Back in 2001, during the sixth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the show produced a musical episode as Buffy and the Scooby Gang battled the musical demon Sweet.  The following year, the soundtrack was released, and those 21 songs make up this total.  One of the standouts was Amber Benson, who autographed my copy of the CD at a Wizard World appearance back in 2004.

#5: Tegan and Sara

iTunes stats: 274 plays

An even 50 songs combined to make up this total for the Canadian sisters.  I saw them live back in 2005, less than a week after the Foo Fighters/Weezer show and the same day the White Sox won the ALDS against the Red Sox.  It was a busy week.

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iTunes Top 100 Artists: #11-20

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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 11-20, which includes a nice mix of musical genres and comedy.

#11: Garfunkel and Oates

iTunes stats: 156 plays

31 songs have put the two funny girls on the list in less than a year.  They will likely be higher the next time I do this, as I’ve listened to them a lot since their concert 2 1/2 weeks ago.

#12: David Cross

iTunes stats: 153 plays

39 tracks from 3 albums puts the funny man on the list.

#13: Poison

iTunes stats: 144 plays

The quintessential glam metal band used 28 songs to get to this total.

#14: Eminem

iTunes stats: 136 plays

Only 16 tunes from the white rapper gets him to this mark.

#15: Def Leppard

iTunes stats: 133 plays

35 songs for the troubled band from Sheffield give them such a high total.

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iTunes Top 100 Artists: #21-30

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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 21-30, which includes a nice mix of musical genres and comedy.

#21: Bon Jovi

iTunes stats: 113 plays

25 tunes make up the total for the boys from New Jersey who I’ve seen in concert twice.

#22: Queen

iTunes stats: 112 plays

O,nly 3 songs from Queen make up the list, with the majority coming from the one celebrating the 2005 World Series Championship.

#23: Dr. Dre

iTunes stats: 111 plays

The father of west coast rap used 9 tunes to place this high on the list.

#24: Steam

iTunes stats: 110 plays

Only 1 song made up the entire total for Steam, thanks to its inclusion on my White Sox playlist.

#25: Alanis Morissette

iTunes stats: 109 plays

The Canadian songstress, who I saw in 1996 at the New World Music Theater, sets a new high with 33 songs making up her total.

#26: George Carlin

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iTunes Top 100 Artists: #31-40

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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 31-40, which includes a nice mix of musical genres.

#31: R.E.M. 95

iTunes stats: 95 plays

The boys from Athens, GA tie Avril Lavigne with 23 songs to make up their total.

#31: The Monkees

iTunes stats: 95 plays

The made for TV band used 17 songs to make up their total.

#33: Guns N’ Roses

iTunes stats: 91 plays

Axl Rose and friends use 19 different songs to make their way on to the list.

#34: Purdue “All-American” Marching Band

iTunes stats: 86 plays

3 songs, including 2 versions of the fight song, puts the Purdue Marching Band on the list.

#35: Stone Temple Pilots

iTunes stats: 83 plays

17 songs make up the total for the California-based alternative rockers.

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iTunes Top 100 Artists: #42-50

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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.  After a week off, we return today to look at the next batch of artists, numbers 42-50, which includes a nice mix of musical genres and a legendary broadcaster.

#42: No Doubt

iTunes stats: 71 plays

12 songs make up the total for the band I saw live back in 1996 at the Elliot Hall of Music before they hit it big.

#43: Hole

iTunes stats: 69 plays

6 songs, written mostly by either Kurt Cobain or Billy Corgan, make up the total for Courtney Love’s band.

#44: Harry Caray

iTunes stats: 68 plays

2 versions of Take Me Out To The Ballgame, one representing each side of town, put the Hall of Fame broadcaster on the list.

#45: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons

iTunes stats: 66 plays

The New Jersey based group used 7 songs to make up their total.

#46: Snoop Dogg

iTunes stats: 65 plays

8 songs make up the total for the ganja-smoking gangsta rapper.

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iTunes Top 100 Artists: #51-60

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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 51-60, which includes a nice mix of musical genres.

#51: Van Halen

iTunes stats: 56 plays

The multiple incarnations of the southern California band used 10 songs to make up their total.

#52: Patton Oswalt

iTunes stats: 50 plays

One album from the funny man comprises this total.

#53: 10,000 Maniacs

iTunes stats: 49 plays

A pretty impressive total considering it took only 3 songs to get it.

#53: Boyz II Men

iTunes stats: 49 plays

The stars of my first concert have 8 songs which made up this mark.

#55: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

iTunes stats: 48 plays

Ten different tunes make up the total for the rockers from Florida.

#56: Cheap Trick

iTunes stats: 46 plays

The group, who I saw in 1997 opening for the Stone Temple Pilots at the Elliot Hall of Music, placed 6 songs on the list to get this number.

#57: Nancy Faust

iTunes stats: 43 plays

The longtime White Sox organist makes the list thanks to a recording of her final rendition of Take Me Out To The Ballgame.

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GlobalFit III: Week 11

Y3Week11Well, what a schizophrenic week we have here, with a pretty decent work week surrounded by weekend days where we don’t even break the 1000 step mark.  Sunday was supposed to include a trip to the local ballpark,  but a rainstorm kept me inside all day.  The work week actually turned out to be pretty decent, with every day but Friday making it over the 5000 step plateau.  Friday’s total included a trip to the mall to hit the Apple Store and pick up the new iPhone.  Saturday’s low total can be attributed to me spending most of the morning setting up the new phone.

Total steps: 29,932

Weekly average: 4276