Some random musical ephemera for today (a.k.a. “Odds & Ends,” but I thought I’d mix it up a little)

The ten best albums of ALL TIME, according to a British poll released yesterday:

1: Definitely Maybe – Oasis
2: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles
3: Revolver - The Beatles
4: OK Computer – Radiohead
5: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – Oasis
6: Nevermind – Nirvana
7: The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses
8: Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd
9: The Queen Is Dead – The Smiths
10: The Bends – Radiohead

Those crazy Brits. See the full article here.

Ûž Speaking of those reigning champions, Scatter O’Light has a little live Oasis set and a lovely picture of some Italian soccer players. Mmmm. But where’s Batistuta? I don’t even know who he’s playing for these days, but there was a time when he and I were tight.

Ûž Dodge is on this mad cover song rage, and has more versions of “God Only Knows” than you can shake a stick at. Also on the recent agenda: Dylan’s Girl From The North Country, Cohen’s Hallelujah, The Pixies’ Where Is My Mind, Elvis’ Suspicious Minds, The Smith’s There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Blue Oyster Cult’s cowbell classic (Don’t Fear) The Reaper. It’s covers galore. He is out of control, folks.

Ûž On an avian note: The Byrds are prepping a huge box set. And the Black Crowes are officially releasing some of their “lost” material from the Tall Sessions and the Band Sessions, which Justin had up over at Aquarium Drunkard because he ROCKS like that.

Ûž Jennings at rbally has an amazing Van Morrison bootleg from Fillmore West in San Francisco, circa 1970, nine years before wee Heather was even thought of. But I wish I could have been there.

Ûž Pearl Jam has a new video for Life Wasted. I tried to watch it and all the gory bloody heads (a la the new album art) kind of turned me off, but the concept is way cool: “In its latest bid to show its progressive side, popular band Pearl Jam has just released its latest music video, “Life Wasted,” under a Creative Commons license. That means, according to Creative Commons creative director Eric Steuer, that anyone will be able to ‘legally copy, distribute and share the clip’ for noncommercial purposes. Steuer thinks that this is the first music video from a major record label to be so licensed. But either way, it’s a great step forward for those who believe that content can be both protected and shared, something the record companies and the movie studios usually don’t seem to believe.”

And this is a really great in-store video from this weekend up in Seattle with Nada Surf performing “What Is Your Secret” (complete with forgotten lyrics and laughter).

I love the immediacy of YouTube, as well as the educational value. For example, in addition to great in-store musical performances, I also learned that Lindsay Lohan is apparently a firecrotch. What an adjective.

Ûž Finally, this is one of the funniest articles I have ever read: Baghdad’s love affair with Lionel Ritchie:

“Grown Iraqi men get misty-eyed by the mere mention of his name. ‘I love Lionel Richie,’ they say. Iraqis who do not understand a word of English can sing an entire Lionel Richie song.”

That is beyond excellent.