Carl Alvarez’s Best of 2008
Top 10 Best Albums-no order:
Q-Tip ‘Renaissance’ Universal/Motown
Ice Cube ‘Raw Footage’ Lench Mob/EMI
Erykah Badu ‘New Amerykah pt.1’ Universal/Motown
Kanye West ‘808s & Heartbreak’ Island/Def Jam
Young Jeezy ‘The Recession’ Island/Def Jam
Lil Wayne ‘Tha Carter III’ Universal/Motown
Metallica ‘Death Magnetic’ Warner Bros.
Fleet Foxes ‘Fleet Foxes’ Sub Pop
Motorhead ‘Motorizer’ SPV
Plant Life ‘The Return of Jack Splash’ Counterflow/Caroline/EMI
Top 10 gigs-in order:
DJ Premiere & Pete Rock DJ/Producer Battle at Crash Mansion LA, CA-April 2008
Iron Maiden at Verizon Amphitheatre formerly Irvine Meadows, Irvine, CA-May 2008
Hot 97 Summer Jam with Lil Wayne, Kanye , Jim Jones, Public Enemy at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ-June 2008
DJ Green Lantern, Statik Selektah & Don Cannon DJ/Producer Battle at the One Stop Shop Producer’s Conference, Phoenix, AZ-March 2008
American Idol-Idol Gives Back at the Kodak Theatre Hollywood, CA-April 2008
Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco-Glow in the Dark Tour at the Nokia Theatre LA, CA-April 2008
Alicia Keys at Staples Center LA, CA-May 2008
Wyclef Jean at the House of Blues Anaheim, CA-February 2008
Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Motorhead & Testament at San Manuel Casino Pavilion San Bernardino, CA -August 2008
Ice Cube at the Grove Anaheim, CA-August 2008
Top 50 “What’s Playing” Hip Hop & R&B songs-in order:
Lil Wayne “A Milli”
Young Jeezy ft. Kanye West “Put On”
T.I. “Swing Your Rag”
Ryan Leslie “Diamond Girl”
Estelle ft. Kanye West “American Boy”
Jazmine Sullivan “I Need You Bad”
Trey Songz “Can’t Help But Wait”
Alicia Keys ft. Ludacris “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” remix
Ice Cube “Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It”
Big Boi ft. Mary J. Blige “Something’s Gotta Give”
Missy Elliott “Ching Ching”
Jay-Z “BK Anthem”
Nas “Black President”
Game ft. Common “Angel”
Musiqsoul Child ft. Mary J. Blige “If You Leave”
Janet Jackson “Rock With U”
Beyonce “Halo”
Lil Wayne ft. Static Major “Lollipop”
Natasha Bedingfield ft. Sean Kingston “Love Like This”
T-Pain ft. Justin Timberlake “Can’t Believe It” remix
Usher ft. Young Jeezy “Love in the Club”
Jay-Z “Jocking Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)”
Solange Knowles “T.O.N.Y.”
Brandy “Right Here (Departed)”
E-40 ft. Lil Jon “Turf Drop”
J.Holiday “Higher”
Kanye West “Robocop”
Jay Electronica “Exibit A (Transformation)”
Rock City “Losin It”
Idle Worship “Steady”
Kanye West “Streetlights”
DJ Feli Fel ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Jermaine Dupri & Fabulous “The Finer Things”
Ill Bill “A Bullet Never Lies”
Big Boi ft. Andre 3000 & Raekwon “Royal Flush”
Busta Rhymes “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On Em)”
T.I. “No Matter What”
T.I. “What’s Happening, What’s Up”
Omar Cruz ft. Frankie J “To The Top”
Common ft. Pharrell “Universal Mind Control”
Bishop Lamont “Grow Up”
Nina Sky ft. Rick Ross “Curtain Call”
Monica ft. Ludacris “Still Standing”
Scarface ft. Lil Wayne & Bun B “Forgot About Me”
Sophia Fresh “Drop It”
Justin Timberlake “Magic”
Trey Songz “Feelin Like Money”
Keri Hilson ft. Lil Wayne “Turning Me On”
Toni Braxton “Melt”
Sean Garrett ft. Rick Ross “6 in the Morning”
Justin Timberlake ft. T.I. “If I”
2009 Bright Spots in Hip Hop & R&B-no order:
Jay Electronica
Lil Wayne ‘Tha Carter IV’
Dr. Dre ‘Detox’
Outkast, Andre 3000, Big Boi
Bone Thugs n Harmony reunion/album
Jay-Z ‘Blueprint 3’
Idle Worship (Talib Kweli, Res & Graph Nobel)
Vaughn Anthony
Ryan Leslie
Beastie Boys
People we will miss & remember in 2008:
Isaac Hayes-singer & actor
Bernie Mac-comedian & actor
Bettie Page-pin up queen
George Carlin-comedian & actor
Neil Aspinall-music industry (worked with Beatles)
Heath Ledger-actor
Miriam Makeba-musician/singer
Shakir Stewart-talent scout/music industry (Island/Def Jam)
Michael Crichton-author
Mitch Mitchell-musician/rock drummer (Jimi Hendrix)
Buddy Miles-musician/rock drummer (Jimi Hendrix)
Jeff Healey-musician/blues guitarist
Odetta-musician/singer
Johnny Grant-Hollywood Mayor
Maharishi-Yogi/Guru
Norman Whitfield-music producer/songwriter
Jerry Wexler-music producer
Mikky Dread-musician/reggae artist
Joe Gibbs-music producer/reggae
Jerry Finn-music producer/punk & indie rock
Johnny J-music producer/hip hop
Static Major-artist & producer/hip hop
Paul Newman-actor
Charlton Heston-actor
Yves Saint Laurent-fashion designer
Jimmy McGriff-musician/jazz organist
Pervis Jackson-singer (Spinners)
Levi Stubbs-singer (Four Tops)
Andre Young Jr.-aspiring rapper (son of Dr. Dre)
LeRoi Moore-musician/saxophonist (Dave Matthews Band)
Jerry Reed-musician/actor
Rick Wright-musician/keyboardist (Pink Floyd)
Munetaka Higuchi-musician/rock drummer (Loudness)
Rudy Ray Moore-comedian & actor
MC Breed-musician/rapper
Dave Ehrlich’s Best of 2008
Albums, in descending order:
10. TV On The Radio – Dear Science (Interscope)
09. No Age – Nouns (Sub Pop)
08. Torche – Meanderthal (Hydrahead)
07. Thee Oh Sees – The Master’s Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In (Tomlab)
06. The Night Marchers – See You In Magic (Vagrant)
05. Deerhunter – Microcastle / Weird Era Cont. (Kranky)
04. The Black Angels – Directions To See a Ghost (Light in the Attic)
03. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!! (Anti-)
02. British Sea Power – Do You Like Rock Music? (Rough Trade)
01. Fucked Up – The Chemistry of Common Life (Matador)
Bubbling under:
The Dirtbombs – We Have You Surrounded (In The Red)
The Duke Spirit – Neptune (Artist First)
Wire – Object 47 (Pink Flag)
Eagles of Death Metal – Heart On (Downtown)
Boris – Smile (Southern Lord)
Jay Reatard – Singles 06-07 (In The Red)
Jay Reatard – Matador Singles 08(Matador)
Songs of the Year:
“Leopardman at C&A” – The Dirtbombs
“Days of Last” – Fucked Up
“No Lucifer” – British Sea Power
“Today’s Lesson” – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
“Doves” – The Black Angels
“And I Keep Holding On” – The Night Marchers
“Visit Colonel” – Thee Oh Sees
“Never Stops” – Deerhunter
“We Carry On” – Portishead
“Healer” – Torche
“Halfway Home” – TV On The Radio
“Oh, It’s Such a Shame” – Jay Reatard
“Where Do You Run To?” – Vivian Girls
“Wolf Kidult Man” – The Fall
“This Ship Was Built To Last” – The Duke Spirit
“Statement” – Boris
“Geraldine” – Glasvegas
“One of Us” – Wire
Films:
01. Let the Right One In (dir. Tomas Alfredson)
02. Inside (dir. Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury)
03. Mother of Tears (dir. Dario Argento)
04. Frontier(s) (dir. Xavier Gens)
05. Iron Man (dir. Jon Favreau)
Virgin Megastore’s Best of 2008
We’re all entertainment junkies here at Virgin, and it’s a holiday tradition for us to do top ten lists of our favorite music, movies, books, games, gadgets, etc. Take a look at what we think the best of the best was for 2008. Who knows, you might discover something new that squeaks into your own top ten.
AC/DC @ the Forum
The LA Forum is a great place to see a show, and now I’ve worked out freebie parking it is even better, it may not be the fanciest arena but there is no neon or boxes to distract from the rock. AC/DC hold a special place in my heart as I’m Australian and the Bon tracks seeped into my consciousness from a very early age. This is only my second time seeing them and they don’t disappoint even though it feels a little like a Broadway show, I get the feeling that the show is remarkably similar from night to night…not that that is a bad thing. Malcolm and Cliff’s backing vocals are an entertaining little side show as they walk up to and back from the mics in unison. The props and fireworks are all there as you’d expect…the blow-up Rosie, the bell and the cannons and so are the songs, though there were too many new songs for me and no It’s A Long Way to the Top. My favorite track was Let There Be Rock (also an underrated but killer Bon era album) with Angus’ solo showing part of the reason they are held up as such a great live band, I banged my head with pure joy during that one. So the show was excellent and that is without the added bonus of some of the best people watching ever, especially the women. There was also plenty of questionable behavior from the 90% male crowd…especially in the restroom…
Keane @ The Roxy
What a nice way to spend the hours before my birthday started seeing a fine band in excellent form at the Roxy. Keane could play a much bigger venue in LA but for some reason decided to play three small shows instead, the last of which was this one at the Roxy. The first thing I noticed was how thin and healthy lead singer Tom Chaplin looks compared to his chubby red cheeked past and also how good his vocals are, he has always had an great voice but now he seems to sound even better. It was also evident from the start that this was going to be a special show, the crowd were going bananas after each song and the band were obviously surprised by the amount of love they were getting and by the end the love fest was almost embarrassing. Most of the material came from their most recent album, Perfect Symmetry which I wasn’t too sure about initially due to the 80’s influences but has since grown on me and will end up on my best of list somewhere. They also threw in some older gems mostly from their first album…so all in all a killer show and I say give the new album a fresh go if you didn’t like it the first time…my faves are Lovers are Losing and the title track.
Killers @ Jimmy Kimmel
The Killers played on the Jimmy Kimmel show on 11/24 on their outdoor stage at the back of the theatre. This was the first one I had been to and they did 7 songs, apparently bands don’t usually play that many. The Killers new album Day & Age was released that day so they played 4 songs from it starting with Human which sounded great, then Spaceman, Losing Touch and Neon Tiger. Being release day I had only had the chance to listen to the album a few times before seeing them and to be honest I wasn’t sure if I liked the new songs but they won me over after hearing them live. LA is the Killers biggest market in the US so the crowd was really into it and there were hundreds of people who couldn’t get in that were hanging out on the street in the back. They also played one song from each of their previous releases finishing up with All The Things That I’ve Done. I’ve seen this band a bunch of times over the years and Brandon has always seemed very awkward, I’m happy to report that he finally seems to be comfortable on stage and sounded and looked great (no goofy facial hair).
Britney’s Birthday at Virgin Megastore
Britney Spears fans came out in the hundreds last night to celebrate the release of Circus, her 6th studio album, and her 27th birthday at Virgin Megastore Hollywood and San Francisco. In Hollywood, fans were lined up outside by 8pm and wanted to be the first people to buy Circus. It took some convincing to get people out of line, but we were able to get over 100 fans inside the store to participate in our trivia contest, hosted by Ms. Lyla Karug, a southern girl, just like Britney. We decorated the store with over 100 Britney balloons, served mini pink cupcakes and gave out some great prizes, while playing the new CD. In San Francisco, DJ Dave interacted with fans and hosted a trivia contest for prizes as well, with Kevin from Sony providing posters and balloons to decorate the store.
We sold out of Brit’s album in our Hollywood store as well as the Rolling Stone Magazine issues with Brit-Brit on the cover!
Welcome back, Britney.
April
Check out Costumes at Virgin Megastore from the movie Twilight:
We’ve just put up some a new “Twilight” display at our Virgin Megastore Times Square of actual costumes worn by the Vampires in the movie. The costumes are displayed on mannequins with illuminated eyes suspended throughout the store as if they were flying around. There’s even a floating holographic projection screen showing clips from the film. The costumes include Edward’s pea coat; Bella’s outfit from when she’s flying through the forest on Edward’s back, as well as a fur pelt coat worn by the blood hungry Victoria. The display is up until end of next week. But in case you can’t make it there here is a video to show you a bit of the display along with some trivia questions for true Twilight fans:
http://www.youtube.com/VirginMegastoreRocks
Team Edward or Team Jacob?
The success of the Twilight series of books by Stephanie Meyer took many by surprise. After Harry Potter, no one thought that there could be another fiction series that would excite a teen reader and create such a fan frenzy. Catherine Hardwicke was handpicked to direct the first movie “Twilight” and the secret was out- everyone is picking up the books and enjoying them. The movie opens November 21 and the early buzz is very positive. Virgin Megastore Time Square has some of the actual fashions worn in the movie on display right now. Twilight tees and accessories are available for a limited time in all stores, and don’t forget to pick up the awesome movie soundtrack with artists like Muse, Paramore and Linkin Park contributing. If you haven’t read the book, we offer all 4 at the store. My buying team is all hooked and they highly recommend the adventures & love story of Bella & Edward!
Beatlemania comes to Virgin
Everyone has their favorite Beatle. Mine has always been John (I have a thing for the bad boys). It’s funny that Beatles are as popular today as they were in the 60’s. It really says something about their music and their personalities. When you hear a Beatle’s song, it’s simply magic. As the Divisional Merchandise Manager for Fashion, I am pleased to bring a little magic into the store with our Beatles boutiques. We offer a wide variety of exclusive tee shirts, bags, hats, accessories and games that will satisfy every Beatles fan. CD’s, Books and DVD’s complement the assortment. You can’t miss the shop- the fixtures are decorated with Yellow Submarine decals and the Fab Four are positioned over the space in their best costumes. Hope to see you there!
Maureen
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