Tag / Private Parts

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #161-170

Music.  It is a powerful thing that brings people together, creates memories, and evokes emotions.  It is the universal language that speaks to the soul.  It forms the soundtrack of our lives.

It has now been five years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library, featuring the songs I have listened to the most since 2007.  It is time to do so again, seeing which performers still resonate and if any newer ones have joined the fray.  So, without further ado, here are my most listened to artists, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2026.

We continue today with our next batch of ten artists, covering the genres of pop and rock, with an actor and a stadium organist for good measure.  We have a single group making their debut on the list this week.

#170: The Rembrandts
iTunes stats: 67 plays
Previous ranking: #186

Formed in 1989, the band combines the totals from their first single, which hit the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990, with various forms of the Friends theme song to rise up the chart, increasing their plays by nearly 43% over these past five years.

#166: Blur
iTunes stats: 68 plays
Previous ranking: #161

The English foursome, formed in London in 1988 and a key contributor to the Britpop genre in the 1990s, added only fourteen new listens over the past five years.

#166: Republica
iTunes stats: 68 plays
Previous ranking: #164

The technopop punk rock band from the UK added fifteen new plays, an increase of over 28% over the past five years.

#166: Tag Team
iTunes stats: 68 plays
Previous ranking: #154

Thank to their inclusion on my Cubs victory playlist, the one hit wonders from Denver, Colorado, who I have seen perform at half time of a Bulls game and before a White Sox game, increased their listens by thirteen.

#166: Dean Martin
iTunes stats: 68 plays
Previous ranking: #176

The Rat Pack member, who passed away in 1995, picked up 18 new plays over the past five years.

#165: Belinda Carlisle
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by admin

Top 200 Albums: #91 – 100

We last counted down the Top 200 albums in my iTunes library four years ago. Since that time, the world has literally changed, and my commute has decreased from 1+ hours each way to 25 steps. So, despite the decrease in potential listening time, I figured it was time to take another look, based on number of plays from late 2007 through the morning of January 1, 2022.

Today, we kick off the second half of our countdown with the next batch of ten albums that I have listened to the most over the last 15 years, breaking the triple digit total play plateau with four compilations, and music from the 60s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.

#100: The Beatles – Help!
iTunes stats: 115 plays
Previous Ranking: 94

A 55% increase in plays for the five of the fourteen tracks from this 1965 album, the band’s fifth, and the soundtrack to their same-named film.

#99: Various Artists – Saturday Morning Cartoons’ Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 117 plays
Previous Ranking: 165

This collection of cartoon theme songs from the 60s and 70s covered by some of the bigger alternative acts of the 90s, including Liz Phair, Material Issue, and Sponge, amongst others, saw an increase of 69 listens to jump 66 spots in the rankings.

#97: Various Artists – Rock N’ Roll Era: 1964
iTunes stats: 119 plays
Previous Ranking: 109

An 83% increase in plays over the past four years for this edition of the Time Life series, featuring songs by Chuck Berry, The Drifters, and Roy Orbison, among others.

#97: The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
iTunes stats: 119 plays
Previous Ranking: 127

The remastered version of this Beatles’ eighth studio album adds 40 new listens across the five songs out of thirteen in my collection.

#94: The Lonely Island – Turtleneck & Chain
iTunes stats: 120 plays
Previous Ranking: 79

A 48% increase for the four tracks from this second album from the SNL digital short maestros.

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by admin

iTunes Top 200 Artists: #171-178

It’s been 4 years since we last counted down the Top 200 artists in my iTunes library.  Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at the artists that have entertained me the most based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2021.

We continue today with our next batch of 10 artists, the remaining 3 tied for 178th place, 2 tied for 176th, and the 5 tied for 171st, and zoom past the half a century mark in plays.  Once again, 5 of these bands and/or performers are newcomers to this list.

#178: Depeche Mode
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

Members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2020, the English band makes their debut by picking up 26 additional plays of their 3 songs in my collection.

#178: Coolio
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #123

The 2 hit wonder, who won the 1996 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance, drops 55 slots after parlaying those 2 hits into just 14 new listens over the past 4 years.

#178: Stan Bush
iTunes stats: 49 plays
Previous ranking: #159

The star of the TransFormers: The Movie soundtrack has 2 tracks comprise his total.

#176: Dean Martin
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

More than doubling his previous total gives the deceased Rat Packer a decent debut on the chart.

#176: Lita Ford
iTunes stats: 50 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The former Runaways guitarist jumps onto the list mostly due to now getting credit for her 1989 duet with Ozzy Osbourne.

#171: K.C. & The Sunshine Band
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by admin

iTunes Top 200: #144 – 170

itunes_image4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.

Today, we finally wrap up the 31 songs tied for 170th place with 30 plays apiece and move on to the first chunk of the 26 songs tied for 144th place with 31 listens since my stats began in late 2007.

#170: Aerosmith – Dude (Looks Like A Lady)
iTunes stats: 30 plays, most recently on 10/27/2019
Previous ranking: #141

The 1987 hit, which earned the band their first VMA nominations, for Best Group Video and Best Stage Performance, also appears on Volume 2 of my mix tapes.

#144: Usher with Lil Jon and Ludacris – Yeah!
iTunes stats: 31 plays, most recently on 11/25/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

An impressive debut for the #1 song of 2004 and #2 for the decade of the 2000s, according to Billboard.

#144: James Newton Howard – Theme From ER
iTunes stats: 31 plays, most recently on 8/30/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

Another strong debut, this time for the theme song from the 23 time Emmy Award winner.

#144: Tegan and Sara – Speak Slow
iTunes stats: 31 plays, most recently on 10/25/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

The second single from the band’s 2004 album So Jealous makes a strong debut.

#144: Rancid – Time Bomb
iTunes stats: 31 plays, most recently on 8/28/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

Peaking at #8, the song was the highest ranking of Rancid’s releases on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

#144: Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
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by admin

Top 200 Albums – #91 – 98

itunes_imageNearly 4 years ago, we first counted down the Top 200 albums 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, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2018.

We start the second half with the next batch of 10 albums ranked between #91 and 98, including 4 studio recordings, 3 compilations, 2 comedy albums, and 1 live performance.

#98: Pearl Jam – Ten

iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 70

The debut album from Pearl Jam places on the list on the backs of 6 different tracks.

#98: Various Artists – Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 92

The first soundtrack to the Lisa Kudrow/Mira Sorvino comedy uses 8 different 80s tracks to make up this total, nearly double its previous mark.

#98: Def Leppard – Vault (Limited Live CD)
iTunes stats: 72 plays
Previous Ranking: 107

The import version of Def Leppard’s first greatest hits compilation contained this additional live disc, of which 9 tracks make up this total.

#94: The Beatles – Help
iTunes stats: 74 plays
Previous Ranking: 60

The remastered version of this classic album uses 5 tunes to make up its total.

#94: Patton Oswalt – Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time
iTunes stats: 74 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

A strong debut from another of Patton Oswalt’s comedy albums.

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by admin

iTunes Top 200 Artists: #167-179

3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists 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 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.

After a brief hiatus, we pick up this week with the final 2 bands/performers tied for 179th place and the first 8 tied for 167th, including a few radio personalities.

#167: Fall Out Boy
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

1 song from Fall Out Boy, used as the intro music for the White Sox in 2015, drives their inclusion on this list.

#167: Gnarls Barkley
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The collaboration between CeeLo Green and DJ Danger Mouse has 2 songs to make up their total.

#167: Live
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Pennsylvania band used a pretty even split amongst 3 different tunes to mark their spot on the chart.

#167: Mott The Hoople
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

One track, featured on the Juno soundtrack and written by David Bowie, makes up the total for English rock band.

#167: Naughty By Nature
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

2 mega-hits from the hip hop trio make up their total.

#167: Nerf Herder
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The band, who got their name from a Princess Leia quote in Star Wars, contributed the theme song to Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

#167: OutKast
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by admin

Tax Prep Soundtrack

After work tonight, I headed off to get my taxes done.  Here are the tunes that got me from the office to the, well, office.

 

Come On Eileen Dexys Midnight Runner Too-Rye-Ay 2/12/2016 3:51 PM
Molly Sponge Rotting Pinata 2/12/2016 3:55 PM
Cat Scratch Fever Ted Nugent Private Parts: The Album 2/12/2016 3:59 PM
Sk8er Boi Avril Lavigne Live Acoustic EP 2/12/2016 4:02 PM
Feels Good Tony! Toni! Toné! Tony! Toni! Toné! Hits 2/12/2016 4:07 PM
The Long And Winding Road The Beatles Let It Be… Naked 2/12/2016 4:11 PM
Shut Your Mouth Garbage One Mile High…Live 2/12/2016 4:16 PM
Hit The Road Jack Ray Charles Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection 2/12/2016 4:18 PM
Cherub Rock Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream 2/12/2016 4:23 PM
Superfloss Mexican Cheerleader Mexican Cheerleader 2/12/2016 4:26 PM
The Limits of Dancing Patton Oswalt Finest Hour 2/12/2016 4:27 PM
Stairway To Heaven Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin IV 2/12/2016 4:35 PM
Iris Goo Goo Dolls City Of Angels 2/12/2016 6:37 PM
Fly To The Angels Slaughter Stick It To Ya 2/12/2016 6:43 PM
Don’t Let Me Down The Beatles (With Billy Preston) Past Masters, Vol. 2 [2009 Stereo Remaster] 2/12/2016 6:46 PM
Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) Digable Planets Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) 2/12/2016 6:50 PM
“We’re Here, We’re Queer…!” Patton Oswalt Feelin’ Kinda Patton 2/12/2016 6:51 PM
I Love You Always Forever Donna Lewis The Absolute Hits 2/12/2016 6:55 PM
by admin

Top 200 Albums – #65 – 73

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 crack the top 70, looking at the 9 albums that rank between 73 and 65 with 46 to 51 listens.

#65: David Cross – It’s Not Funny
iTunes stats: 51 plays
This 2004 comedy album from David Cross would be significantly higher if I were to sync my old phone again, as I have listened to it while falling asleep plenty of times.

#65: Various Artists – Millennium Hip-Hop Party Vol. 2
iTunes stats: 51 plays
7 tracks, from artists like Coolio, Naughty By Nature, and Paperboy, make up the total for this turn-of-the-century compilation.

#67: Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
iTunes stats: 50 plays
11 of the 13 tracks on this album make up the total.

#68: Various Artists – The First 1000 Years- Rock
iTunes stats: 48 plays
7 songs, from artists like The Breeders, Everclear, and Jane’s Addiction, make upthe total for this MTV sponsored compilation.

#68: Van Halen – The Best Of Both Worlds
iTunes stats: 48 plays
This greatest hits compilation makes the list thanks to 8 tracks, split between David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar.

#70: Various Artists – Private Parts: The Album
iTunes stats: 47 plays
The soundtrack to Howard Stern’s love letter to his now ex-wife uses 6 tracks, 2 of which are clips from the movie, to make up its total.

#70: The Beatles – Past Masters, Vol. 1 [2009 Stereo Remaster]
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