Tag / George Carlin

by admin

iTunes Top 200 Artists Wrap-Up

Last week, we wrapped up our latest look at the top 200 artists I’ve listened to, according to iTunes, since 2008. Now it’s time to take a final look at those 200 (or 203) artists and the songs that put them on the list. The average number of listens per group was just over 94, with the median number being 45.

Largest Increase

Garbage – 505
Patton Oswalt – 416
George Carlin – 403
The Beatles – 377
Garfunkel and Oates – 367

Smallest Increase

Amy Adams – 0
Jason Segel – 2
The Crystal Method – 4
The Breeders – 6
Ozzy Osbourne – 9
Letters To Cleo – 9

Most Songs

Garbage – 146
George Carlin – 116
The Beatles – 99
Patton Oswalt – 96
Tegan and Sara – 61

Average Listens Per Song

Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers – 173
Steam – 164
Klaus Badelt – 161
The Outfield – 89
Harry Caray – 64.5

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #1-10

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.

We wrap things up today with the top 10, which includes 3 new additions and a whopping 5,848 total listens.  These bands have accounted for 12 of the concerts I’ve seen over the years.

#10: AC/DC
iTunes stats: 342 plays
Previous ranking: #8

20 songs make up the total for the hard rockers, including one that has a tremendous amount of plays due to the White Sox use of it when running out on to the field.  Meaning, they likely would not have dropped 2 slots had the team played better these past few years and my victory playlist got a little more action.

#9: Pearl Jam
iTunes stats: 348 plays
Previous ranking: #9

The grunge godfathers stay even despite adding 2 new songs with plays, up to 39, and 157 new listens over the past 3 years.  I spent a good amount of time being burnt out on them after their 90s heyday, though I am now less likely to skip over them when they come up on the iPhone.

#8: The Cast of Buffy The Vampire Slayer
iTunes stats: 395 plays
Previous ranking: #4

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.  Only 88 additional listens in the last 3 years caused this group to drop 4 slots.

#7: Tegan and Sara
iTunes stats: 438 plays
Previous ranking: #5

61 songs, up from 50, combined to make up this total for the Canadian sisters.  164 new listens since 2013 was good enough for a 3 slot drop for the group I saw live back in 2005.

#6: Patton Oswalt
iTunes stats: 466 plays
Previous ranking: #52

Funnyman Patton Oswalt makes a huge jump of 46 slots, thanks to 416 new listens and the purchase of a few new albums which bumped his “song” total to 96.

#5: George Carlin
iTunes stats: 507 plays
Previous ranking: #26

Purchasing a few new albums from the classic comedian, bumping his track total from 47 to 116, accounts for this big jump of 20 slots.

#4: Garfunkel and Oates Continue reading →

by jim

2015: The Year In Books

2015booksWith another year coming to an end, it is time to take a look back at the 31 books I read over the past year, an increase of 8 from last year and my highest total ever, surpassing the 27 books I read back in 1992.  Of those 31, 11 were non-fiction and, of the 20 novels, only 3 were TV show tie-ins.  Only 4 of the books came from the “to-read” drawer, and 11 were e-books.  I read a nearly 9200 pages, the most in 1 year since 1992 and my second straight year reaching the 9000 mark.

Once again, a majority of the books I read this year were by authors I’ve never read before. The 19 authors that I read for the first this year were:
Kurt Vonnegut
Jim Bouton
Melissa Joan Hart
Patton Oswalt
Erle Stanley Gardner
Doug Sohn
Kate DeVivo
Paula Hawkins
Jayson Stark
Scott Reifert
Oscar Wilde
Jeff Katz
Felicia Day
George Carlin
Max Allan Collins
Ann Brashares
David Lagercrantz
Graham Greene
Mary Kubica
Martin Short

The ghost writer for Richard Castle was the only author I read multiple titles from during 2015.

Ten books I read were released this year, while 3 of them were released prior to 1980, with one, The Picture of Dorian Gray, dating back to 1890.

Finally, the breakdown by month.  Vacations in March, November, and December certainly helped pad their totals a tad bit. Continue reading →

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Book 21 (of 52) – Last Words

Last Words - George Carlin with Tony Hendra

Last Words – George Carlin with Tony Hendra

Begun in 1993, when George Carlin teamed up with Tony Hendra for the first time to chronicle his life story, Last Words was released in 2009, nearly a year and a half after Carlin’s 2008 death.  The autobiography covers nearly Carlin’s entire life, from the story of his conception to his plans for a Broadway show, plans which never happened due to his passing.

My first exposure to Carlin was as an actor, appearing as Rufus in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  I can only imagine that is what drew me to his HBO comedy special, Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics, 2 years later.  From that point on, I was a fan.

I had gotten this book as a gift a few years back, and it literally sat in a closet until a few weeks back, when I decided it was time to finally dig into it.  It covered a lot of familiar territory, but also gave new insight into some of it, explaining why my mom would have been concerned about me listening, in 1990, to the same comic my dad listened to in the early 1970s.  When Carlin passed, he was recognized as one of the finest comic voices of his, or any other, generation.  This book reminds you that this was not always the case.

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Top 200 Albums – #54 – 64

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 60 and look at the 11 albums between 64th and 54th place with 52-57 listens.

#54: Foo Fighters – The Colour And The Shape
iTunes stats: 57 plays
Many years ago, a few years after the album had been released, I picked this up for $5 at Best Buy on Black Friday. Since that time, 4 tracks have made up this total.

#54: Garbage – Garbage
iTunes stats: 57 plays
The debut album from the Garbagers, whose total would be higher if not for their greatest hits album, makes the list on the backs of 12 tunes.

#54: David Cross – Shut Up, You Fucking Baby!
iTunes stats: 57 plays
Every track from the first comedy album from David Cross makes up this total.

#57: George Carlin – Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics
iTunes stats: 56 plays
If I remember correctly, this special was my first introduction to George Carlin as a young man back in the late 80s. The whole album makes up its total.

#57: Various Artists – Monsters Of Rap
iTunes stats: 56 plays
10 tracks, from the likes of Onyx, Positive K, and 3rd Bass, make up the total for this compilation album.

#59: Garbage – Not Your Kind Of People
iTunes stats: 55 plays
The latest album from Garbage uses 13 tracks to make up this total.

#60: Bon Jovi – Cross Road
Continue reading →

by admin

Top 200 Albums – #120 – 130

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 6 albums tied for 120th with 34 listens and the 5 albums tied for 127th with 33 listens.

#120: Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of …
iTunes stats: 34 plays
The debut album from the Atlanta-based alternative hip-hop group has a nearly even split amongst its 3 hit singles to make up this total.

#120: Various Artists – Clueless
iTunes stats: 34 plays
The hit movie soundtrack makes the list thanks to songs from Smoking Popes, Jill Sobule, and The Muffs.

#120: Sam Kinison – Have You Seen Me Lately
iTunes stats: 34 plays
The seminal comedy album from Sam Kinison uses his standup routine and a twisted remake of Wild Thing to chart this high.

#120: Hole – Celebrity Skin
iTunes stats: 34 plays
The second Hole album, alledgedly written by Billy Corgan, Courtney Love’s boyfriend at the time, has 2 tracks make up this total.

#120: George Carlin – You Are All Diseased
iTunes stats: 34 plays
Another standup routine from George Carlin puts him on the list again.

#120: Stone Temple Pilots – Purple
Continue reading →

by admin

Top 200 Albums – #149 – 157

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, looking at the 6 albums tied for 152nd with 27 listens and the 3 albums tied for 149th with 28 listens.

#149: Def Leppard – Vault: Def Leppard’s Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 28 plays
This collection of the Sheffield band’s greatest hits used 4 tunes to score this high on the list.

#149: Various Artists – Friends-Music From The T.V. Series
iTunes stats: 28 plays
This soundtrack compilation, released following the smash first season of the television show, has 7 songs, from the likes of Joni Mitchell, The Pretenders, and, of course, The Rembrandts, to make up its total.

#149: Various Artists – Monster Ballads, Vol. 2
iTunes stats: 28 plays
5 songs from this collection of ballads, performed by rock bands like Warrant and Cinderella, place it on the chart.

#152: George Carlin – Life Is Worth Losing
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Another comedy album by George Carlin takes its place on this list.

#152: Cracker – Cracker
iTunes stats: 27 plays
Only 2 songs from Cracker’s debut album make up this total.

#152: Various Artists – Rock N’ Roll Era: 1961
iTunes stats: 27 plays
7 tunes, from artists like Del Shannon, Dion & The Belmonts, and Ben E. King, are part of this Time Life compilation.

#152: Various Artists – Mallrats
Continue reading →

by jim

iTunes Top 100 Artists: #21-30

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 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

Continue reading →

by admin

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
Continue reading →
by admin

Monday’s Commute

It’s been about 3 months since we’ve taken a look at the playlist that got me through a commute.  Monday’s got off to a late start and took nearly 2 hours, though some of that time was spent waiting for the good folks at Papa John’s to cook my dinner for the evening.

Raspberry Swirl Tori Amos From The Choirgirl Hotel 8/19/2013 5:26 PM
Spoonman Soundgarden Superunknown 8/19/2013 5:31 PM
Hash Pipe Weezer Weezer (Green Album) 8/19/2013 5:34 PM
Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart Stone Temple Pilots Tiny Music…Songs From The Vatican Gift Shop 8/19/2013 5:37 PM
Pinch Me Barenaked Ladies All Their Greatest Hits 1991-2001 8/19/2013 5:42 PM
Black Velvet Alannah Myles 90’s Style (Disc 1) 8/19/2013 5:47 PM
It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday Boyz II Men Cooleyhighharmony 8/19/2013 5:50 PM
The Blob The Five Blobs Halloween Hits 8/19/2013 5:52 PM
Celebrate You Veruca Salt American Thighs 8/19/2013 5:57 PM
Unskinny Bop Poison Swallow This Live 8/19/2013 6:01 PM
Getting Better The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band [2009 Stereo Remaster] 8/19/2013 6:04 PM
Malibu Hole Celebrity Skin 8/19/2013 6:07 PM
Walk Through The Fire The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer Once More, With Feeling 8/19/2013 6:11 PM
Dick In A Box (ft. Justin Timberlake) The Lonely Island Incredibad 8/19/2013 6:14 PM
Continue reading →