-A.S. The Noverber 27, 2008 issue of Rolling Stone features the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. I figured I would comment on their top-10, and then offer up one of my own.

1: Aretha Franklin: Anybody that knows me knows that I have a soft spot for all things soul music. Aretha is the Queen of Soul and deservedly so. There is also few things I love more than when song and dance break out spontaneously in a movie. One of my favorites is when Aretha busts out “Think” in Blues Brothers.

2. Ray Charles: In the morning, it takes a certain kind of music to get me going. Something to ease my brain into functioning. My go-to morning album is Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra – Ray Sings, Basie Swings. That voice just soothes me. Add the fact that I regularly sing along to all of his greatest hits, and you will get no argument from me about Ray Charles being the second best singer of all time. Oh, and the best spontaneous song and dance scene from Blues Brothers features Ray Charles.

3. Elvis Presley: I cannot overstate the influence that Elvis had on singers and music in general. He took what was then considered black music, and brought it into the mainstream. He took the sexuality of Blues and R&B and infused it into pop music, influencing countless artists and many that fall in Rolling Stones top-100. I may not put him at 3 on my list, but he’s definitely in the top-10.

4. Sam Cooke: Along with Ray Charles and Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke rounded out the Soul Pioneers unit of my first semester of History of Rock and Roll. I cannot deny the soul that oozes from his voice, but I prefer Wilson to Cooke. That may just be a personal preference, and I think it may have something to do with the more upbeat nature of Wilson’s songs.

5. John Lennon: I love the Beatles, and love that one is this high on the list. My only problem is that I would have picked Paul McCartney for this slot. John’s voice is sweet and displays emotion. They both have the range to go from ballad to rocker, and manage to pull off raw and polished. Some people are John guys and some are Paul guys. I guess I’m just a Paul guy.

6: Marvin Gaye: The soul in his voice was so versatile, it could be the vehicle for baby making music or inspire a revolution. His duets with Tammi Terrell are as good as it gets and some of the best material to come out of Motown.

7: Bob Dylan: Is that a joke? Yes, the man may have been the voice of a generation and is undeniably one of the greatest songwriters of all time. That does not make him one of the greatest singers of all time. A unique voice yes, but greatest singer? No. No questions asked. These people are idiots. Almost as dumb as saying that Simon & Garfunkel would be more fun to play as on Guitar Hero than Aerosmith.

8: Otis Redding: I think very higly of him. I wish Otis Redding could sing me to sleep every night. I would sleep like a baby. Not like it puts me to sleep, but that it fills me with calm. If you have never seen the DVDs of the Monteray Pop Festival, that is a traveshamockery. Otis Redding’s performace of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)” with Booker T & the MGs is incredible.

9: Stevie Wonder: Out of the top-10, I have seen Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan and James Brown. Stevie Wonder is the one that I am most glad to have seen. I don’t know if there is a voice more uplifting that his. I made it through an entire outdoor show in the freezing cold with mono, just by the sheer power of his voice.

10: James Brown: I may have seen James Brown too late in his career to ‘see the light,’ but I sure am glad I got the chance to see him. I wish I could have a spiritual experience so moving that it made me dance like that scene in the Blues Brothers. If you can’t tell by now, it’s one of my all time favorite movies.

100: Mary J. Blige: Vomit. The woman has an incredible voice, but she can’t sing. I have never heard somebody milk more notes than she does. It makes me cringe. Why everyone under the sun has agreed to collaborate with her is a mystery to me. I can think of four other current female vocalists I would put ahead of Mary J. Blige. Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Joss Stone and Jill Scott all deserve to be on that list instead of her.

-A.S. The new video from Kanye West. Kanye had an animated video on his last album, so I was surprised to see another one. I guess when you make so many videos per album, you may run out of ideas. Or maybe he learned his lesson about spending A MILLION DOLLARS on a video and getting PAM ANDERSON!

Heartless from kwest on Vimeo.

-A.S. I’ve reviewed Umphrey’s McGee several times now. You guys know I like them. Friday night reminded me of other reasons why I like them so much, aside from the face melting rock and the masterful guitar work of Jake Cinninger and Brendan Bayliss. I love seeing Umphrey’s with other friends that love them as much as I do. With friends that feel just as proud of how far the band has come from when we first started seeing them.

I made plans with one other friend to go up to the show in Milwaukee. By the time we got there, we realized that we knew at least five other people that were going. I didn’t even have to tell them where to meet up with us, they knew where I’d be. Bayliss side, close to the stage. As far away from Joel Cummins as possible, as we used to joke in high school.

“Rastaman Chant” 4/17/02 (Two months after I saw Umphrey’s McGee for the first time)

Being with my friends that knew the band so well, we discussed the set list from the night before and guessed the opener. We called out songs from the opening riffs, and sang along to every word. Most importantly, we had fun together seeing a band we all loved.

We teased our friend Michael when he called for a “Words” opener, a rarity live, but he had the last laugh when they came out on stage and opened with it. After three songs and a “Dump City” that featured at least two virtuostic guitar solos from Cinninger and a lengthy jam, I texted fellow crasher Jordan saying I remembered why I loved Umphrey’s McGee so much.

“Glory” 11/3/2006

Other highlights included the Bob Marley cover, “Rastaman Chant” and an impressive solo from Bayliss during “Slacker.” The encore was the icing on the cake. “The Fuzz” kicked things off and segued into a beutiful “Glory.” If you ever have a friend that likes music tell you they don’t like Umphrey’s, play them “Glory.” If they aren’t impressed, they don’t really like music. A hard rocking “Pay the Snucka pt. 3″ closed the show with a bang.

-A.S. Girl Talk is releasing a video blog from every day of his current tour. The one from the Chicago show last week at the Congress Theater was just posted. My favorite part is when he tries to buy tickets to his own show.

-A.S. They say all musicians want to be athletes and all athletes want to be musicians. Some succeed at this, and some don’t. Jay Z is a part owner of the New Jersey Nets, Usher has his hands on some ownership stock of the Lebrons and Nelly is a part of the Charlotte Bobcats ownership team. Shaq asked Kobe how his a$$ tastes.

According to the Chicago Tribune website, Brandon Lloyd, or B. Lloyd as they call him in the music business, has a single that has reached number 52 on the hip-hop charts. “She’s All Mine” features Bobby Valentino.

My initial reaction is to say that with enough money you can make anyone sound good. Upon further listening, the song is actually not bad. Valentino is a legitimate hook singer. Lloyd actually has a decent flow. The production is excellent and the beat solid.

-A.S. People often laugh when I tell them I took a class on Jimi Hendrix in college. It was the best summer school semester of my life, actually. I was enrolled in Astronomy, The Music of Jimi Hendrix and the History of the Beatles. True story.

I tell you this, because I want you to understand the deep appreciation and admiration I have for the Rock and Roll drummer that is Mitch Mitchell. I remember listening to Hendrix song after song, analyzing them and picking out parts the class liked. Our friend Golan was known by our teacher as a “Mitch Guy.” Granted, masterful guitar was usually the first thing discussed, but there was always something to be said for the work on the drum kit.

The best example I can think of to explain how highly I think of Mitch Mitchell is the song “Bold as Love.” The Jimi solo that comes in at the end is one of my favorite guitar moments of all time, but I never hear the solo in my head without hearing Mitch’s echoing drums first. I don’t know if that comes off as a compliment, but I certainly mean it as one.

In looking for some Mitch Mitchell videos to post for you, I stumbled across an absolute gem. It is John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Mitch Mitchell. For all of you keeping score at home, that’s three of the greatest musicians ever to walk the face of the Earth and Jimi even sat this one out. The fact that those guys wanted to play with him to just shows as to how highly regarded he was.

~Z.T.~ Terrible news. Jimi Hendrix Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell passed away at age 61. I saw him two weeks ago playing at a fantastic Hendrix Experience tribute show. He was gracious and charming and still had it. I feel honored to have seen one of his last shows. RIP Mitch: 1947-2008

-A.S. Last night I saw Panic at the Disco’s new video for “Northern Downpour.” Much of it finds ways to bring the lyrics of the song into the video. It got me thinking of other videos I like that do the same thing. I know I usually do videos on Wednesday, but I’ll think of something else for tomorrow.

Panic at the Disco – “Northern Downpour”

Mika – “Lollipop”

Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.”

Kanye West – “Good Life”

Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues”

Any others you can think of? What are your favorites?

~Z.T.~ Girl Talk was the hottest ticket in town this weekend and I can’t believe how easy they made it to get in. If you had a VIP ticket from will call, they didn’t stamp your hand or give you a wrist band. They just drew a smiley face on your hand with a black sharpie.
Check out the kid in orange thinking “Note to self. Get the DJ to play Girl Talk at my Bar Mitzvah. Champagne snowball, what?”

From now on, even if I have a ticket, I’ll be blogging the easiest way to crash whatever show I’m going to. You can be like those guys in the van waiting to hear the Halloween costumes of the girls inside the party in that beer commercial. I’ll be your guy on the inside.

~Z.T.~ For the last four years, us Chicagoans have been blessed with having Lollapalooza in our backyard. Festival Crashers super fan Hodge let me know a deal is in the works that would give us 10 more years of Lolla to look forward to. According to this Sun Times article, the deal could be signed Wednesday.We’ve been treated to Radiohead, Daft Punk, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer, The Raconteurs, NIN, The Pixies, The Arcade Fire, Kanye, LCD Soundsystem, Wilco, The Strokes, Ben Harper, TV on the Radio and so much more the last few years. Tonight, I’ll be dreaming of who can possibly fill Grant Park for the next decade.