Tag / Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion

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Top 200 Albums: #71 – 80

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.

We continue our countdown today with the next batch of ten albums that I have listened to the most over the last 15 years, with a strong concentration on the 60s, 80s, and 90s.

#80: Various Artists – Rock N’ Roll Era: 1961
iTunes stats: 138 plays
Previous Ranking: 90

Seven tunes, from artists like Del Shannon, Dion & The Belmonts, and Ben E. King, added 62 listens for this Time Life compilation.

#79: Snoop Dogg – Doggystyle
iTunes stats: 140 plays
Previous Ranking: 66

A 43% increase for the 1993 solo debut from the rapper from Long Beach.

#77: Pearl Jam – Contra
iTunes stats: 141 plays
Previous Ranking: 73

This bootleg album, which contains numerous live performances including the band’s 1992 MTV Unplugged appearance, adds 55 new plays to the eight different tracks in my collection.

#77: Various Artists – Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
iTunes stats: 141 plays
Previous Ranking: 98

The first soundtrack to the Lisa Kudrow/Mira Sorvino comedy uses eight different 80s tracks, from artists like Tears For Fears, Culture Club, and The Go-Go’s, to rise 21 spots on the chart thanks to a 95% increase to its previous mark.

#76: No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
iTunes stats: 142 plays
Previous Ranking: 89

An 84% increase for six of the songs from the band’s third studio album and major label debut.

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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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Top 200 Albums – #129 – 140

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 continue things with the next batch of 10 albums that rank between #129 and 140, including 7 studio recordings and 3 soundtracks.

#140: Tegan and Sara – Sainthood
iTunes stats: 55 plays
Previous Ranking: 67

A big drop here, despite 11 of the 13 tracks on this album make up the total.

#136: Various Artists – Friends – Music From The T.V. Series
iTunes stats: 56 plays
Previous Ranking: 149

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.

#136: Pearl Jam – Vitalogy
iTunes stats: 56 plays
Previous Ranking: 131

The 3rd studio album from the Seattle grunge band, and the last that I purchased, uses the totals from 4 different tracks.

#136: Various Artists – More Music From Romy And Michelle’s High School Reunion
iTunes stats: 56 plays
Previous Ranking: N/A

A strong debut, thanks to 6 80s hits from the likes of Tiffany and Rick Astley, for the second soundtrack album from the semi-hit film.

#136: Various Artists – Reality Bites
iTunes stats: 56 plays
Previous Ranking: 141

The soundtrack to the early 90s alternative movie hit uses 3 songs to make up this total.

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2014: The Year In Movies Part 2

Movie_Reel_22134 different people starred in the movies I saw last year (starring in being the first two named stars, a tradition dating back to the old Chicago Tribune TV guide), and a whopping 16 of them were in more than 1. Those 16 thespians are:

Name Films
Emily Blunt 3
Scarlett Johansson 3
Liam Neeson 3
Shailene Woodley 3
Kristen Bell 2
Lake Bell 2
Sandra Bullock 2
Bradley Cooper 2
Rob Corddry 2
Melissa McCarthy 2
Julianne Moore 2
Elizabeth Olsen 2
Chris Pratt 2
Jason Segel 2
Amanda Seyfried 2
Bruce Willis 2

Now let’s take a look at the remaining movies that I saw in 2014, following up on Tuesday’s post.

Her (2013)
Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with an operating system, and lives in a world where that isn’t considered odd.

Oculus (2014)
Karen Gillan stars in this horror tale about a mirror that makes its owners kill themselves and their loved ones.

Under The Skin (2013)
I’m sure some film buff will tell you that there was something worthwhile here, besides Scarlett Johansson’s first nude scenes, but I certainly didn’t get it.

Delivery Man (2013)
What would happen if a sperm bank oversold one man’s donations, leaving him the biological father of over 500 children?

X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014)
This adaptation of Chris Claremont’s famous storyline mixes the casts of the old films and the new ones to great effect.

Liars All (2013)
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Top 200 Albums – #92 – 99

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 90 and look at the 8 albums tied for 92nd with 38 listens.

#92: Pearl Jam – Contra (Live – Bootleg)
iTunes stats: 38 plays
This bootleg album, which contains live performances from the band’s MTV Unplugged appearance and other live performances, makes the list thanks to 8 different tracks.

#92: Cheap Trick – The Greatest Hits
iTunes stats: 38 plays
5 songs from the long career of Cheap Trick put their greatest hits compilation on the list.

#92: Various Artists – Romy And Michele’s High School Reunion
iTunes stats: 38 plays
The first soundtrack to the Lisa Kudrow/Mira Sorvino comedy uses 8 different 80s tracks to make up this total.

#92: The Beatles – Let It Be… Naked
iTunes stats: 38 plays
5 songs from this remastered and remixed version of the Beatles final album, minus Phil Spectre’s patented “Wall of Sound”, makes the list with 5 different tracks.

#92: Bell Biv Devoe – Poison
iTunes stats: 38 plays
The debut album from the former members of New Edition needed only 2 songs to make up this total.

#92: Toad the Wet Sprocket – Fear
iTunes stats: 38 plays
The band’s third studio album, and first to hit big, makes the list thanks to 2 songs.

#92: Various Artists – Forrest Gump
iTunes stats: 38 plays
9 different tracks, from artists like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and CCR, make up the total for this double album soundtrack.

#92: No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
iTunes stats: 38 plays
6 songs from the band’s breakthrough effort make up its total.